2010 FALL PORSCHE
TREFFEN® PLUS
Friday Sep. 17th – Sunday Sep. 26th 2010
Our 35th Anniversary of Organizing PORSCHE Trips!
Friday, Sep. 17th 2010 – depart North America for the PORSCHE TREFFEN PLUS
For more info on the PCA tour click here:
fall-treffen-plus-ftp-itinerary-2010

The Assignment:

If you are between the ages of 13 and 17, this is your opportunity to bring together your art skills and creativity in the creation of an original design of your favorite collector automobile as it would look 50 years down the road. In your futuristic design, you should include technology that you think will appeal to the world in 2060 - be creative! Will it be completely built of recyclable material? Will it fly? How will it be steered? What power source will it use? What features will set it apart from other cars? Don’t limit yourself to what is currently available in the automotive industry - be unique, be daring, be YOU!

The Prize

If selected as one of the top five finalists, you and one guardian will receive an all expense-paid trip to Monterey, Calif., August 11-15, 2010 for final judging at the Hagerty celebration held during the week of the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Contest registration closes on May 1, 2010. So talk to your parents today about participating, sign up, put the pencil to the sketch board and start designing your future!

Rewind to 1973…As a 3rd grader, I recall fondly, that my “go-to” book was on cars of the future… I was in awe of the pictures and illustrations of concept cars…cars that were out of this world-”Jetson’s-like”, if you will. Later in life the vivid memories of that book have left me wondering… What ever happened to these cars we expected in the future? Were they THAT far into the future?

Fast forward to 2010.  The 2010 Amelia Concours de Elegance, I’m walking along the cart path, when I hear the winding sound of a jet engine. Quickly, I make my way through the crowd to view an incredible vehicle that could have been a prop from a 50’s sci-fi film. Is it the Chrysler Turbine? In the early 60’s Chrysler made a Jet engine (yes, JET engine) car that would run on anything combustible… They made 50 examples, and were loaned to consumers to try out for a period of time. After the test, all were destroyed but 9. And the engines of most of those were dismantled. Only a couple of working examples exist today, one owned by Jay Leno. There are many “conspiracy theories” as to why the engine that could run on anything never went into production. My brother and I have discussed our own theories.

As I watch this car glide down the fairway, the whine was definitely that of a jet engine. It turned out not to be the Chrysler turbine of the 60’s, but a concept car from the 50’s! It was then followed by other futuristic (non-jet propelled) cars, as the announcer describes each one. A  handful of concept cars that once donned the cover of Motor Trend Magazine back in the 50’s. A special feature to the show, along with other concepts, that proved to be favorites of photog’s throughout the day. They were truly amazing…Cars that reminded me of my “go-to” book during library hour 37 years ago…and still out of this world today…

“These guys are Heroes”

Indeed they are…

The panel consisted of:
-Brian Redman-Former driver for John Wyer teams 68-70, raced Porsche 917s teamed with other greats such as Joe Siffert, and Jacky Ickx.

-Vic Elford- was the only driver to drive every version of the 917 and was the first driver to lap Le Mans at 150mph(in a 917 long tail). Wins include the Targa Florio, Nurburgring, the Monte Carlo Rally, 24hrs of Daytona, & Sebring to name a few. I also read that he was hired by Steve McQueen to do the close up high speed driving in the movie “Le Mans”…which makes it super cool that he signed my Gulf “Le Mans” jacket!

Chris C. with the Gulf 917

John Horsman-Began his career at Aston Martin, and became John Wyer’s assistant at Ford Advanced Vehicles, then JW Automotive, where he was an integral part of the success of the Gulf GT40 and Porsche 917 Teams…He is responsible for the redesign of the 917 tail, adapted by the Porsche Factory Team that solved aerodynamic instability issues with the early 917 cars, and ultimately made it one of the most famous race cars in history.

Derek Bell - A tremdendous driving career with 5 wins at Le Mans and 3 at Daytona…also one of the drivers that took part in the driving in the movie “Le Mans” with Steve McQueen.

Hurley Haywood - Drove the Brumos Porsche 917 shown in the pictures, is synonymous with Porsche racing with wins at Le Mans, Daytona, & Sebring among others.

Hurley Haywood Signing Chris’s Gulf Racing Jacket

Charlie Kemp - Can-Am driver of the RC Cola 917 in the 70’s once took his 917 airborne at 150 miles per hour at Road Atlanta…Here’s an newspaper article I found that describes it…

The panel was moderated by Tim Considine and Sam Posey. During the hour and a half or so panel discussion, the members of the panel were asked questions by the moderators about their history with the 917, sharing stories, and experiences…Charlie Kemp and Hurley Haywood both described their airborne experiences with their 917s.  John Horsman discussed the advances made with redesigning the tail…It was amazing to see these humble gentlemen who, if you were to see them on the street, seemed like just another person…with the exception, perhaps of Derek Bell, who has a star quality to him, and Hurley Haywood, who still has “the look” of a driver…Look up race car driver in the dictionary, and Hurley Haywood’s picture would be there…

Truly amazing to be in such company, and even more, to shake the hands of greatness, exchange pleasantries…I can only hope some of their Porsche mojo rubbed off on me in some way.

I purchased John Horsman’s book - “Racing in the Rain” , and Vic Elford’s book “Vic Elford - Reflections on a Golden Era in Motorsports” having the both signed by the legends themselves. I was thrilled just to be in their presence….guys I was too young to follow as a kid, but have read about as an adult and Porsche enthusiast.
Wearing a shirt themed after in the Gulf team colors with the infamous hood stripes down the shoulders, John Horseman said to me “You wore the right colors today” before signing my jacket … Perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity.

In Byrons words. The real men of racing…

Once again Bill Warner and his team put together an incredible event! Huge thanks to the staff and volunteers for all the hard work and having us. Enjoy the rest of the photos below!

More shots from the Concours:

To see more of the concours and Porsche race cars check out Chris’s Photo Gallery.

Thanks and Happy Motoring~

We at TMJ wish Sir Moss a speedy recovery. We were looking forward to hearing him speak at the Amelia Island Concours later this week.

The Motoring Journal

Happy Motoring~

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

We had an incredible time at the 2009 Amelia Concours. I strongly urge you to attend if you can!

It seemed like the cars just kept rolling in, one after another all afternoon. Soon the lawn appeared to be covered in Italian wildflowers as one Gentleman put it. Everything from early Giulietta’s to newer graduates and 164’s. Check out the pics and video!

Bart, The host of the event invited me into his garage to view a project and Dino.

This is a one-off build Vignale Prototype.

Here are a couple GTV’s

A Vintage Alfa Romeo Montreal

Bart also has an incredible collection of vintage Alfa and Italian auto memorabilia. Everything from Painting’s to brochures to model cars are decorated throughout his entire home. It’s really something to view. I was trying to figure out how his wife let him get away with it? Thanks to the Alfa group and Bart for hosting such a great event. I’ll be there next year for sure! (And maybe have an Alfa by then!!!)