I’ve just completed my first year of Automotive Restoration studies at McPherson College in Kansas. Like many other students, my school year was cut short due to the outbreak of the Corona Virus. Here are some photos showing our last couple of days together before we all headed back to our homes around the nation and world.

One activity I’m involved in through the C.A.R.S. club is Judging, a group of AR students led by Wyatt Miceli and Brian Martin. Through the club, we judge at various car shows during the school year, leading up to our annual C.A.R.S. show. For practice, we usually judge the schools cars using the same criteria which we use out in the field. Because we had to leave, we ended up having on more meeting where we got out the schools cars, cleaned them, judged them, and drove them around campus in order to exercise them. I was in the schools 1964 356C coupe, which was great fun.

Though I would be taking the 356 home to Virginia on an open U-Haul trailer, I still wanted to wash it as it was fairly dusty and buggy from general driving. A good friend and classmate of mine, Stephen Duncan-Peters, was a huge help in this process as he let me use his supplies and gave me tips on cleaning the various surfaces. Here, he is cleaning up a set of forged Alcoa wheels which he got for his two door Tahoe. Be sure to check out his blog at stephendp.com

I was able to pick up a UHaul trailer the next town over and got all loaded up. I had never towed anything before in my life, so needless to say I did some practice runs on less busy neighborhood roads. I was delightfully surprised at how light the 356 felt back there, but then again I was well under the towing limit of my LX470.

Gas stations were definitely a challenge in terms of approach angle, but after the first few I got the hang of it.

Since I was driving from Kansas to Virginia, and I was really in no hurry, I made a stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I knew their car museum would be closed, but when I arrived I felt lucky to even be able to enter the gates of the speedway. For a moment I felt like I was arriving for a vintage racing event, a dream of mine. After I pulled across the street to take this picture, I went in to the store that this parking lot belongs to. It is an Indianapolis Motor Speedway memorabilia shop with items dating back to the 1950s. The owner and his friend were there, and because I am curious and eager to expand my knowledge of automotive history, I started talking to the two about their connection to the Speedway. As it turned out they had grown up nearby and started working as mechanics for the race as teenagers and continued to do so from the early 50s to the late 70s. They told some truly incredible stories. I hope to do a video segment with them next time I pass through Indianapolis later this summer.

I arrived back home and my father was able to drive the 356SC for the first time in many months, and with improved mechanical characteristics as a result of the work I performed while out at school, which I will highlight In future blogs.

I’m always interested in hearing about vintage Porsches that are for sale. My email is CameronSLuther@gmail.com

 

In late December I was privileged to be able to visit Parkhaus1, Performance and Parts, in Miami, Florida. Parkhaus is known around the the East Coast and all of America for being the place for Porsche.

One of the things which Parkhaus is known for is dealing in rare Porsche. Here is a 991.2 gt3 ready to be picked up. Parkhaus also performs expert restorations and service on vintage and late model Porsche’s.

Here is a shot of a few cars in their showroom. A 356A coupe, a 996 Turbo, and a 964 3.6 Turbo (seen in the background fitted with fuchs) shows the diversity and high level of the inventory.

Here is another shot of the showroom. I didn’t end up taking photos in the restoration and service shop but technical director Brad Tamm gave me a great tour around and I really enjoyed seeing what exciting projects they are working on. Parkhaus is moving into a new location in the New Year so I hope to stop by next time I am down there!

Does anyone know what these are? They are about the size of a thumb but have a tone of detail. There is a carrera cab, a 930, and a 944.

I found them in my room on a shelf. I think they may have been used by Porsche dealers in the 80s to show customers how the color looks on the shape of the car.

My father worked at Manhattan Porsche Audi Jaguar in the 80s so it would make sense that they came from the dealer but I’m not sure and he does not remember. If anyone knows anything about these please contact me! Send me an email at cameronsluther@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

Tesla has released their new Cybertuck concept which shows a radical new wave of design from the company. A lot of people don’t like it but I am a fan of it because it’s not like every other truck released by the major American auto manufacturers which produce most modern pickup trucks. I also like the numbers, the Tri-Motor truck costs 70 thousand dollars and has a 500 mile range. It can tow more than an f150 and has a faster 0-60 time than the Porsche 911 C2S (991.2).

When I first saw the  concept the design made me think of the Lotus Esprit from the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me. In the film the car transformed into a submarine. This design similarity is ironic because Elon Musk, founder of Tesla bought the the lotus movie car at auction a few years ago. At the time he said that his plans for the car were to make it work underwater and make it powered by Tesla electric motors.

 

On the way to the Monterey Car Week we made a stop in Scotts Valley, California while traveling from San Francisco to Carmel. Canepa is known around the world for restoration, race preparation, and sales of fine european sports and racing cars. Seen in this photo is a 959 finished in guards red. Bruce Canepa the owner, along with Bill Gates, was a large proponent of convincing the US Government to allow the importation of the 959 under show and display laws.

Heres another angle of the 959. In the background there are a few Porsches which are very interesting. On the right is a 964 factory cup car, and on the left us a very special build done by Canepa. It is a G body Speedster customized with 934 flares, center lock BBS wheels, and coolest of all is the engine, it is out of a 962 Porsche factory race car. This makes this “962 Speedster” an absolute monster.

Here is the 964 Carrera RS. It is lighter and faster than the standard Carrera 2, and was popular at the Nurburgring when it was new. It was only available outside of the United states, but since they were produced many have been imported. Here in the US we got the RS America, which was lighter but not any more powerful. Behind it is a 997.1 GT3RS and a 1 owner BMW M1.

Here is the the 964 Carrera RS 3.8, which got the M491 Turbo Look option. Behind is a Mercedes 300 SL roadster with US spec headlights, a Lister-Jaguar racer, and a Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet.

Here is a Porsche 930 turbo (intercooled car), finished in PTS color. Seen behind is a Camaro Trans Am Racing series car and a Cayman GT4.

The restoration shop at Canepa is full of interesting Porsches and other things. Starting from the right, a 934 street legal car being prepared for Jerry Seinfeld(orange car on the lift), a blue Ruf CTR, a red F body 911S Targa, a 991 Targa by Ruf, a white Mk. 4 GT40 owned by the Shaughnessys, a red 930 turbo, a white 993 Carrera s, and a red 356 Carrera coupe. In the background is three 959 SC’s. The 959 SC is a standard 959 which is restored by Canepa with an upgraded engine and interior with more leather features. In the foreground is a 993 GT2RS Evolution. Its based on the 993 Turbo but has bigger turbos, a lightened body, and bolt on flares to house wider wheels.

Here is another angle of the shop which shows more of the lineup of 959 SC’s in final assembly. The closest car which is finished in Viper Green was being done for David MacNeil of WeatherTech.

One thing which sets Canepa apart from other restoration shops is their level of expertise and organization while conducting mechanical rebuild and other restoration projects. Here you can see this Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer, which appears to be receiving a full engine rebuild. All the parts are played out neatly on the tables and you cannot see a spec of dirt anywhere. 

Here is the John Fitzpatrick Racing Porsche 935 seen in Canepa’s museum. It is powered by a turbo charged air cooled flat six.

Here is a 1969 Porsche 917k finished in the Gulf Racing livery. These cars were raced to success at the 24 Hours of Le mans. They were also featured in Steve McQueen’s film Le mans.

Here is a Porsche 917/10. These cars had the same chassis and basic motor construction at the 917k but feature an open cockpit body for the Can-am racing series and two turbos connected to the air-cooled flat 12 which propels this race car at 1100 horsepower. Racer and mechanic Mark Donohue was intricate in developing this vehicle with Porsche. 

Here is a 1981 Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo, which was built to try and compete with the for-mentioned Porsche 935, which was ultimately more successful.

Here is one of my favorite cars in the Canepa showroom was this 964 Turbo S 3.6. This was the last iteration of the classic 911 silhouette. This car looks particularly great in yellow and has some really neat options.

As you can see in this photo the car has color matched hard back seats and color matched seat belts.

For me there is just something about the 964 wide body on the turbo and especially this car with euro front fenders with amber side markers, and being that this car is a Turbo S it has air inlets on the rear fenders. This car has 3 piece speed line cup wheels which give it an awesome early 90s motorsport look.

And the interior gets even better. There are 3 colors which dominate the interior, yellow, black, and grey. Yellow can be seen on the airbag, shift boot, and door cards. Grey can be seen on the seats and on the steering wheel.

A big thanks to Canepa for opening it’s doors to the public for us Porsche fans to see the incredible facility!

Here is a Youtube video covering the visit.

The new Porsche 911 992 generation Carrera S and Carrera 4 S have hit U.S. dealers and a reader of the blog got a chance to drive the C4S cab in St. Louis, Missouri

Here are Sean Reardon’s initial driving impressions!

992 vs. 991 (vs. 930?)
I was prepared to hate the 992: oversized, overweight, and overpriced-what’s to love? Quite a bit actually.
It seems every new 911 has a completely different, yet eerily similar feel. The G50 3.2 Carrera felt like my ’82 SC, but more refined and less hot rod(ish). My 964 felt like the ’87 G50 with better handling and lighter weight but equally telepathic steering. The white car (993) smelled like the 964 but had six speeds and felt much quicker. The 997’s felt, like, well, spaceships compared to the air-cooleds. Backing up a bit, my 930 really just drove like an SC until the carnival ride opened around 3000 rpm. Now I find a similar experience with my 991.1; nobody is home until about 4000 rpm, then all hell breaks loose. The 991 is also quite large, but doesn’t feel it.
So the 992? It is big. Parked next to a 993 it looks gigantic. The wide body form is beautifully proportioned and designed, carrying ubiquitous 911 design cues. The Ode to the Past 911 touches are neat and thankfully not too kitsch. The bumpers are fussy but blame that on water and forced induction.
Though my time behind the wheel was brief, a few things stand out. The car sounds amazing-rumbly but not offensive (much better than my 991 sewing machine). Despite the car’s bariatric nature, it also feels tight and nimble. If you could close your eyes while driving, you would know you’re driving a 911. Open you eyes, and not so much. Throwing a new Cayenne dash pad over an older S Class multi screen dash with a Mini Cooper single old school tach doesn’t work, but that’s coming from an analog 911 purist. The Remington shaver needs to go as well. Otherwise the interior is great.
The best part? That engine-it’s fast! And instantly fast. I remember being impressed with the base 991.2 improvements in low rpm response; the 992 takes that to a whole new level. The low end torque is fantastic, and additive. And loud. I wanted to keep driving it, but Leslie would have gotten fired if she didn’t bring the demo car back sometime.
Would I buy one? Not for $160k. But it was fast. And sounded great…
(Thanks to Leslie Dement at Porsche St. Louis for the seat time.)

And Thanks to Sean for his initial thoughts and analysis!

Give him a follow on instagram @reardon356

 

After much anticipation my 1965 356SC Porsche has been shipped from my home state of Virginia to McPherson, Kansas! I’m in the Automotive Restoration program at McPherson College. It’s the perfect place to get the car back on the road, with so many knowledgeable professors whom I’m able to consult when I have questions or issues. Above is the car being picked up by Passport Transport.

Within a few days the truck, with my cars, was in Kansas and ready to deliver them.

The 356 and my daily Lexus lx470 were in great care throughout their journey.

The Passport driver was very meticulous in making sure the vehicles were brought off of the truck correctly.

The 356 sees the light of day for the first time in a few days and gets its first glimpse at McPherson, its home while I get it back on the road.

The car is currently not being run due to needed repairs which will be showcased in future blogs.

A lot of my fellow students were eager to help push the car into my shed, so that was a huge help.

Next came my 2002 Lexus LX470, which was much easier, as it runs perfectly.

And here she sits! I’m setting up a little shop to be able to get the car back on the road and keep it maintained. A big thank you to Passport Transport for their shipping of the cars halfway across America!

Here is my YouTube Video on the process:

 

These guys from the Alexandria fire department helped push the car into position so it’s ready for the Passport Transport Truck to come!

This is the first of my multi-part series covering Monterey Car Week. We flew into San Francisco and so we figured we would make some stops on the way down to Carmel. The first stop me made was Fantasy Junction in Emeryville, California. I spotted this neat Dune Buggy at Can’t Fail Cafe, about a block away.

It looked really well done and I imagine it would be a hoot to drive around Southern California.

Here is is the view as you come in. Three very different Lamborghini Countach. My favorite is the earliest car, the periscopa on the right, although the white later car in the middle was neat to me because it comes from my home state of Virginia.

A stunning Alfa Romeo TZ bodied by Zagato.

An interesting combo. A 56 speedster and a 59 convertible D. On the surface they are  very similar cars but the little details like the windshield are what separates these two.

I was particularly keen of this speedster with it’s blue exterior and red leather interior.

Here us is a stunning Dino 246 gt spider finished in yellow. This is either and N or M series car, based on the turn signals and 5 lug wheels.

This speedster just had the right look, finished in black with a red interior , and a California black plate to top it off!

Fantasy Junction was originally founded in 1968, and has been in its current location since 1989. Displayed on the walls of the showroom are some of the fantastic cars which they have dealt in.

Here is the Hurley Haywood driven 962C which recently sold on BringaTrailer for 960 thousand dollars.

Here is the link to my YouTube Video on Fantasy Junction https://youtu.be/kPyUGgVhmoY

Packed up and heading off to McPherson College to study Automotive Restoration, stopping at Monterey Car Week on the way. This metal sign came out of an estate in Fairfax, Virginia. The sign promotes Camel GT with a Porsche 935 IMSA race car.

I was going to drive the Lexus LX470, and pull the 1965 Porsche 356SC on a trailer, but a 22 hour drive can be hard on a 17 year old SUV (even an awesome Lexus in great condition). So we arranged to have Passport Transport bring the two vehicles out. My dad has used Passport for over 30 years, and they treat cars with ‘kid gloves’.

Here I am with a Passport Transport truck at the Bonham’s Auction at Quail Valley Lodge, just a couple days before the Quail show was held nearby. I’ll be posting pics of the loading of my cars and their arrival at the sheds in McPherson, Kansas. www.PassportTransport.com