FINDING GOLD VIVEK PATEL (the_radonculous)

Targeting the next drive!

IRL (in real life), Dr. Vivek Patel is a Radiation Oncologist. He spends most of his professional life working with the most advanced therapeutic radiotherapy devices. Using the likes of linear accelerators and radioactive sources, Vivek will target abnormal tissue to remove it before becomes more dangerous to the individual. His expertise in the use of these diagnostic tools is essential to the many patients he treats. These incredible machines allow him to precisely target and eradicate a tumor in one’s body while at the same time preserving normal tissue in proximity to the malignant growth.

It is treatment of a cancerous tissue that is minimally invasive. It may be described most basically as “targeted therapy”. It sounds straightforward, yet many of his contemporaries find it difficult to describe what Vivek does. Dr. Patel pursues the goals of curing one’s cancer, minimizing side effects, and providing a faster and healthier recovery. Vivek Patel applies his unique and highly specialized skill at the Bienes Cancer Center, Holy Cross Medical Group, Radiation Oncology, in Ft. Lauderdale.

Vivek and his spouse, Dr. Shailee Patel, are high-school sweethearts.

Member Feature by Mark Johnson

They both attended the University of Miami for their undergraduate degrees, medical school, as well as residency training. Shailee is a boardcertified dermatologist. Together they are a highly educated family, and it is suspected that the nature of their chosen careers would create a great amount of anxiety and stress. But then there are cars, Porsche specifically, which help each of them relax. It could be enjoying a great drive together or savoring a moment with the substantial Porsche community of south Florida as in attending a Beat Culture event.

Porsche passion has visited the Patel home. At present there are four Porsche vehicles in the driveway and/ or garage. They are a 1993 964 RS America, a 2013 Boxster S, a 2016 GT3RS, and a 2018 Cayman GTS. Vivek loves to drive, fast of course, as most of us do. Rather than tear up city streets or highways (he is a highly responsible Doctor after all), he can be found driving with pace at Homestead Miami Speedway with Chin Track Days, Homestead Driving Club, or other high performance driving experience. Most often at the track it will be the GT3RS or the Cayman GTS that receives the call to perform. Whichever weapon is selected for the day, it will be driven quickly and with great precision that is commensurate with the attitude of an extensively trained radiation oncologist.

Vivek’s Instagram handle is @ the_radonculous which wordplays on his demeanor and his career. He has posted quite a few photographs at the site, a few of which are included in this story. The “insta” is a great site for following Vivek and it provides a great look at the vehicles he drives. His first introduction to Porsche passion is the ’93 RS America. What a back story it offers.

As told by Vivek, “the first Porsche I ever rode in was our RS America. The car belonged to a family friend who used to bring the car over in the late 90s and early 2000s. I enjoyed every opportunity to ride in the car and would even stare at and analyze every detail of the 964 as it sat in our driveway. This specific car was my inspiration to set a goal to own a Porsche. Fast forward to over a decade. Unfortunately, our family friend passed away, and naturally, we lost touch with the RS America. In 2016, we found out this specific RS America was being offered at an estate auction. Many local shops and dealerships knew that this low production, low mileage car was up for sale, so I figured my chances of winning the auction were low. We placed a silent bid and fortunately were able to bring the car along with the fond memories home. Furthermore, our RSA has been rewarding as a mechanically inclined close friend and I were able to roll up our sleeves to initially revive and start restoring the car. Fortunately, the car was well taken care of prior to its unexpected slumber. Our RS America is our ‘forever car’”.

Yet, that is not the end of the story of this RSA….

Continuing, Vivek adds “We like to personalize our cars. Since we figured we will always keep our RS America we have turned it into the ‘RS India’ as a tribute to our heritage. The car now wears the Indian flag livery with green and orange matching wheels, stripes, and door pulls. We also added an Indian license plate to the front, and OEM style ‘RS India’ decals to the rear on a standard C2 decklid. I personally love the standard C2 rear over the factory whale tail (safely stored away). Magnus Walker saw the car around 2018 DRT and signed the decklid. The car has been appropriately upgraded with PCM radio, PSS10 suspension, adjustable toe links, camber plates, headers, exhaust along with dozens of other mechanical changes, to improve the driving dynamic for most conditions. Every change has been intentional as it was important to maintain the original characteristics of the car but also ensure the RSA is dialed in for street and the track. We never hesitate to take the car out to all occasions. Incidentally, the first Porsche our kids have sat in is our RS America.”

Although the RS America was Vivek’s first taste of the Porsche world, it was not his first Porsche. In 2014 Vivek acquired the 2013 Boxster S, which he still owns. With the inspiration provided by the RS America and the driving experience provided by the Boxster, he became full on addicted to the Porsche brand.

The Boxster, a 981, is used as a daily driver, complete with high mileage on the odometer and is held completely stock. The GT3RS and Cayman GTS have appropriate performance upgrades for street and track driving. They Patel’s enjoy each of their Porsche vehicles. They drive them each as they were meant to be driven, passionately, and they are fastidious with maintenance. Vivek and Shailee Patel keep their vehicles exceptionally clean, but maybe not so much “polished”. Certainly, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche would approve.

“Each car we own is for a specific purpose to offer a driving or lifestyle characteristic that is unique or complements the others.” The colors of the cars are also intentional as the GT3RS is Lava Orange and the Cayman GTS is Viper Green. The cars compliment the white 964 as the Indian flag livery. Interestingly, the Patel family does not yet own a Porsche SUV, a Macan, or a Cayenne. We wonder how long that might last as their family is growing.

Vivek and Shailee have two children, a daughter Leela (four years of age) and a son Samay, who is one and a half. They also share their home with two Pomeranian pups, Chico (10 Dog Years), and Mango (11 DY). The kids and dogs often ride in the Porsches but for taking out the whole family they usually take Shailee’s Ford Raptor or Tesla Model X.

Vivek is a first generation American. His parents were born in India and immigrated to the United States. With them they brought all the traditional Indian cultural values; respect for elders, family unity, honesty, and hard work. They emphasized education. They also respected the goals and promise offered in America. Vivek recognizes the sacrifices his parents made for him and he is exceptionally grateful. They instilled the values of Indian culture and heritage while ensuring that he embraced the promise of growing up as an American.

When not skillfully planning radiotherapy courses, Vivek prefers driving in PCA and Chin Track days (DE is a-coming), attending DRT–the greatest Porsche event in south Florida, driving with Smokies GT & Fahren private drives, and hanging with the great Porsche buddies in Vintage Vices and the Air-Cooled Breakfast Club (ACBC). Vivek enjoys “the phenomenal group of diverse Porsche enthusiasts in south Florida” that will coalesce multiple times each month. Vivek offers, “I used to go for the cars, but now I go for the people!”

Generally, the Patel’s follow a buy and hold philosophy when it comes to Porsche ownership. However, they did acquire two other Porsches in years past which have found new homes; a different ’13 Boxster S and a ’16 Cayman GT4. We surmise the new owners of these two are glad Vivek turned them loose.

Vivek Patel has been a Gold Coast Region PCA member since 2016. He believes some PCar folks might roll their eyes, but he nonetheless suggests his favorite Porsche model for ALL practical purposes is the Boxster. “Anyone who says otherwise hasn’t driven one or is lying :).” He continues that “there is no car that is more adequate or perfectly proportioned. The 981 and 718 models are objectively stunning—especially the Spyders. For both the 981 and 718, the lines penned are easily among the best-looking Porsche cars ever designed.” And then, “the driving dynamic of a Boxster is near perfection on or off the track! Pair all that with the top-down south Florida experience, it is a combination that cannot be beat.” We certainly will not argue with a man who can analyze your inner workings. Regarding Vivek’s all-time favorite Dream Porsche, it is the Carrera GT. Look at the last few sentences and you will know why.

IRL, targeted therapy is what Dr. Vivek Patel does every day. Vivek would love to see cancer eradicated so he, Shailee, Leela and Samay can target multiple drives in one of their beautiful Indian heritage themed Porsches. He will be certain that drive is minimally invasive and completely immersive. Talk about therapy.... PCar therapy, and we can all use more of that!