The History of Gold Coast Region by Mike Joffee and Steve Kidd, GCR Historians
Thanks to longtime members and past presidents Stan Pearlman and Lee Wood for contributions. It all started in November of 1963 when a small group of Porsche owners met at the Space Satellite Motel on a then-barren oceanfront strip of AIA in Pompano Beach. The outcome was the formation of the Gold Coast Region (GCR) of the Porsche Club of America. GCR would become the 53rd region created for a club that would eventually grow to almost 150 regions and the largest car club in the United States. In 1964 GCR had less than 100 members. However, as of 2022, Gold Coast Region has over 3,000 primary and associate members. GCR has undergone several territorial changes over the years and at one time GCR had up to 11 counties in southeast and southwest Florida. As of 2022, our region is geographically smaller and currently encompasses Monroe, Dade, Broward, and part of southern Palm Beach County, In the early years, socializing was the main attraction with monthly dinner meetings for the initial group of members. The GCR newsletter, Die Porsche Kassette, began publication soon after the formation of the Region and continues today using the same name. It didn’t take long for the Region to become very active and very competitive. A rally once in a while, some Concours and a lot of autocrosses were the major activities. So active and competitive was Gold Coast that after only 4 ½ years of existence, GCR hosted the 13th annual Porsche Parade, named Sonnenfest (renamed “Soggyfest” after a week of mostly rain), which was held at the Colonnades Hotel in Palm Beach. From 1963 to 2022, Gold Coast enjoyed a rich history of national awards and regional successes. At the 1970 Parade, Buz and Donna Hahn, along with their daughters, won the PCA Family of the Year Award. This same award was again bestowed on GCR members Jack and BJ Fuller and their three children at the 1973 Parade. At the 1999 Parade, Gold Coast finished out the century with 2 prestigious awards, with Mike and Linda Tarter and their children winning the Family of the Year, while Mike Joffee was recognized as the PCA Enthusiast of the Year. This was the only time in the history of National Parades that a member of the same region won these two coveted awards at the same Parade. The PCA Family of the Year Award was next awarded in 2011 to Alex and Vivian Ortega, their 2 children and large extended family. The most recent PCA Family of the Year honor was bestowed on the Kidd family (you know them as Steve and Dottie) in 2015. Other memorable PCA Parade achievements include Gold Coast winning the President’s Trophy three times. This is an award
given to the Region with the best attendance based on Region size and distance traveled. The Long Distance award has been won by Gold Coast members twice. As a Region, GCR’s biggest national achievement came in 1986 when GCR was crowned PCA Region of the Year. This award was presented at the 1987 Parade and reflects the teamwork and leadership that existed then and carries on today. Other national recognitions have been awarded to GCR in the areas of Membership Growth and Public Service. Gold Coast Region also has quite a few members who have served in PCA National positions and made lasting contributions to PCA. Some of the more notable are since 1970; there have been 4 different members of Gold Coast Region who have served on the National Parade Competition Rules (PCR) Committee. For a 10-year period, the PCA Zone 12 representative has come from Gold Coast. (From 1994 to 1999 it was Anita Canfield and from 2000 to 2003 it was Ruben Ledesma). Ruben also went on to serve as PCA National Historian from 2005-2006, PCA National Treasurer 2007-2010 and PCA Vice president 2011-2012. Ruben was also instrumental in the organization of various Rennsport and PorschePlatz events from 2004-2012. Steve Kidd was the most recent GCR member to serve as Zone 12 representative from 2016-2017. In 1972, GCR held its first multiregional event, called the Florida Parade. This event was modeled after the highly successful Rennfest multiregional event hosted by Peachstate Region. In 1974 the event was renamed Sonnenfest and became very popular. This name was used through 1995 and in 1996 GCR joined forces with the Sun Coast Region and the event was renamed Zonefest. This event is still very popular today and is typically held each year on Memorial Day weekend. Currently, Zonefest host regions move around to different parts of the state within Zone 12 each year. For 2013 GCR was again the host region, in conjunction with GCR’s 50th anniversary. In 1984, GCR began a Drivers’ Education Program, more commonly known now as D.E. GCR was one of the first regions in the country to have a DE program. In 1993, GCR hosted a National Tech Session which was named Sonnentech and was held at the Gunnar Racing facility in Palm Beach. GCR had a remarkable group of speakers consisting of Kevin Jeannette (the owner of Gunnar Racing), Vic Elford, Bruce Jenner, Brian Redman, and Derek Bell. In 1994, in conjunction with the Sun Coast Region, GCR held its first National Club Race at Sebring. In 2022 GCR celebrated its 29th club race which is now known as the 48 Hours of Sebring Club Race and is “unofficially” the largest club race in the world.
