March Member Profiles

Member Profile: Robert Schrepfer

By:JamesB.BeavanIII

Member Names & Join Date:

Robert Schrepfer (don’t recall Join date)

Current Cars, Previous Cars:

Current cars (3):

1975 914 2.0L – purchased in 1989.

1995 993 Cab – purchased in 2010.

2014 Cayenne Turbo S – purchased in 2020.

What encouraged you to join the Porsche Club of America: Well, this could be a long story or a short story – I’ll give the medium version. I was first exposed to Porsches by my dad –he had a long history tracking racing Porsches on a decommissioned track in Chicago with an insanely steep Monza wall, learning how to tune carburetors, bleed brakes and eventually, how to drive a manual transmission. and participating in Concours events back in the 60s in Chicago; he owned several 356s over that time frame. Early one Spring, after moving back to Chicago from London in the late 70s - I was 9 at the timemy dad and I flew to his sister’s farm in Olathe, Kansas so he could get some “car” that had been stored in her barn for 8 years and drive it back to our home in Chicago. I remember pulling the several dusty car -covers and tarps off to reveal a tiny silver two-door convertible in beautiful condition.

356

Over the next several days my dad, who I would later learn used to rebuild his Porsche engines in the house, breathed life back into the car (he had meticulously prepared the car for the long storage) and we took a very chilly two-day drive back home to Chicago; chilly because he did not take the time to re-install the heater boxes. Over the next decade I would spend countless hours working on the car with my father – hearing stories about his life.

Have you served on any Regional or National committees: No (not yet!)

356

We attended my first Porsche events in that car –Potter’s Picnic in the Chicago suburbs, and I was instantly hooked. What I gradually learned while working on the car, and growing to love it, was that it was different than the three other 356’s he had owned; he had bought this one specifically for Concours events because of its uniqueness: this one had an all-aluminum body, it had an interesting history (at one time functioning as a vehicle to deliver bananas), and it was one of only 17 like it ever made– an America Roadster, #12363. It was indeed a special car, at one time gracing the cover of Pano and even winning the Manhattan trophy at the 6th Porsche Parade. My love affair with Porsches started with the three of us: me, my dad, and that America Roadster.

993

When it came time to buy a vehicle, what made you choose your Porsche and is this your first Porsche (if not please detail prior Porsche's): After my dad sold the America in 1989 he agreed to help me find a “starter” Porsche so I could continue to participate in local PCA events, such as Gymkhanas and Concours. We scoured the Chicago suburbs looking at 912s and 914s – finally we found a ’75 914 selling for $5,000 at a small European auto-repair shop and I pulled the trigger.

What are your favorite Regional &/or National events: I’ve always been a fan of swaps, rally’s, gymkhana’s and of course, the Porsche Parade. The large Porsche-only swap in central PA is a blast. Recently my daughter, my youngest son and I participated in our first Chesapeake PCA event together – an ice cream tour and rally - she drove the Cayenne and I drove the 993. We had so much fun together and it brought back some great memories with my dad and not surprisingly, they were both immediately hooked! My oldest son is driving now and they all want to do one of the local tour/rally events this year.

race track high walls

What is your favorite PCA memory: My first gymkhana in my 914 during the summer of 1989 when I was 18: I outdrove my dad and took second place for my class (to his credit, he was driving a 35. I remember walking the track with one of my dad’s long time Porsche friends, Rip Patterson, and he kept telling me – you don’t lose time in the fast parts, drive the slow parts well and you’ll win.

What advice about PCA or Chesapeake would you give to new members: Get involved!

914, 993, 958

If money was no object, what Porsche would you love to own and why: Life goal is certainly to buy back that America (it is currently in a private collection in Europe) ….short of that, I would love to have a 356 Cab at some point – a bit nostalgic, but those cars are so much fun to drive.

914

Anything additional you would like to share about yourself (Family/Work/Etc): I’m blessed with a great family: three awesome children (19, 17 and 10) each of whom has, in their own way, themselves to determine which of our three cars each of them has designated as ultimately “theirs”….and an amazing wife of 22 years, Coleen, who has helped fill the past two decades with some very special memories, including flying to South Carolina with me in 2010 on oneway tickets to purchase the 993 sight unseen and drive it home to New Jersey! It was just one of our many great adventures together. We’ve been in the Chesapeake region for eight years now and so happy to be getting more involved with local PCA events.

Cayenne & 993