Air...V...Water

An Evening in Miami

by Mark Johnson, Saff Writer

While not a PCA Gold Coast event, quite a few Club members overcame Miami traffic and late August heat to enjoy talking “Porsche.” The MIAMI SUPERCAR ROOMS in the Wynwood Art District of Miami was the venue for the “Porsche Showdown: Air Cooled Vs. Water Cooled.” Mr. Bill Hofmann of Supercar Team Social sponsored and promoted the evening to discuss the differences, similarities and pleasures in owning a Porsche of one type and another. Of course, air- vs. water-cooled refers to those Porsche automobiles built in two distinct eras; prior to 1999 were the aircooled years, and 1999 to the present are the water-cooled years. It was an evening to enjoy a classic “it’s not only the cars, it’s the people” event.

Air Cooled vs. Water Cooled at Miami Supercar Rooms brought out some beauties! Dan Hardee is in the background talking Porsche Cup racing.

– Air Cooled vs Water Cooled. HIGH PERFORMANCE Parking area!

Of the 65+ guests in attendance many were Gold Coast Region PCA members. Regarding the cars, there were roughly 50 Porsches present. Mr. Hofmann worked with Club President Peter Olliviere and the PCA Board to expand the camaraderie of Porsche owners in Miami Dade and within our region. Gold Coast PCA wishes to support Porsche related events to the betterment of the many drivers, owners and enthusiasts in South Florida.

Air vs. Water discussions were presented by three uniquely qualified individuals. Guests were treated to information from Bernard Bohn of RMC Miami, Jorge Perdomo of GP Auto in Miami, and Dan Hardee of IMSA Porsche Challenge Cup racing. Bernard spoke of the history of Porsche, explaining the different models and the many unique and rare vehicles within the brand. He also referenced many models that never made it to production or were discontinued after only a few cars were built.

Jorge is a talented and highly experienced professional auto technician. He provided insight regarding the advances in engineering and technology which are the hallmarks of Porsche success. Jorge had the challenging responsibility of explaining or contrasting the “yin and yang” of Air- versus, Water-Cooled P-Cars.

The final guest speaker was Dan Hardee. Dan is an IMSA race driver. He commands a 991.2 GT3RS Cup Car, and has been racing in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Series for the past three years. Dan spoke to the enjoyment of tracking (and racing) your Porsche. Each gentleman was able to provide their unique and experienced insight as to the enjoyment and value of Porsche automobiles.

Beyond the guest speakers, attendees were treated to a brief history of the Miami Supercar Rooms by owner, ELO. ELO was a successful fashion model in Europe and ultimately collected over 400 automobiles in London. Then, sensing a wonderful opportunity in the USA, he moved to Miami and opened the Supercar Rooms to great success. ELO created the World’s First Automotive Dining Experience venue to celebrate the automobile at its highest level of manufacture.

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the evening was the food! Everyone had the opportunity to taste the excellent roasted pork dinner offered by Chef Juan Escalona. Chef Juan roasted a pig for the event and served the pork along with several tasty sides. More than one attendee suggested that Chef Juan stole the show.

Still, not to be outdone by food and drink, it was the Porsches that were the true attraction. As mentioned above, roughly 50 Porsche arrived in Wynwood for the event. Within the vehicle display area were 15 or so attendee vehicles. These were combined with an additional 15 more autos of various age or manufacture to peruse and which are permanent fixtures of Supercar Rooms.

Following the discussions by the experts, every member with a Porsche in the display area was given the opportunity to speak about their car. The guests offered their insights as to why they bought the specific vehicle, the year, miles, and how it was used. Hearing from these individuals was awesome, as the reasons and rationalities were diverse. Once a bit of vehicle insight was given, each owner was asked to start their car and allow the group to sample the beautiful exhaust notes of our Porsches. The enjoyment of the Porsche brand was very evident, and quite raucously loud at times.

There were a select few Porsches which stood apart, notable. These were: 1982 dp Motorsports 935 I – RUF CAR Straben, owned by Mr. Pete Lima of RMC Miami 1997 Porsche Carrera 993, owned by Dr. Jeffery Gibson 2018 Porsche GT2RS, owned by Dan Hardee

The 1982 935 I – RUF CAR from the RMC Stable. It is a stunner…

We offer our thanks to Bill Hofmann for arranging the event, to ELO for hosting at Miami Supercar Rooms, and to Dr. Jeffrey Gibson’s lovely spouse, Ms. Kiki Gibson. Kiki stepped up to handle bartending duties when the scheduled bartender became unavailable. A fun and relaxing Porsche