FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Dennis Power

the latest eDition of our magazine is a tapestry of diverse topics, ideas, and voices. This issue reflects the richness and complexity of the Porsche world that we have here. We are fortunate.

To start, there is a story about the Gimmick Rally held last May. Pam and Jerry Lasnik put together a friendly challenge that took us on a drive through the region, ending with a social time, a barbeque lunch, and applauding the winners of the contest. Nicolas Liakas went along and captured some of the scenes from that annual event.

Next was a Cars & Coffee at the Finish Line: not an event of ours, but one to which we were invited by Rick Principe. The Finish Line is an exclusive collection of man caves with exotic cars and artifacts in private condominiums. The focus of the gathering was on Porsches and one of the highlights was an assemblage of 1973 Carrera 911 RS 2.7s that Rick pulled together. You’ll see that story here.

SBR member and motorsports photographer Robert Watt attended the Long Beach Grand Prix and captured some fine action images of the new Porsche Grand Touring Hybrid Prototype 963.

(I wrote about the 963 in the last issue as it is a major development for the marque in endurance racing in Europe and stateside. Unfortunately, the latest outing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans didn’t get the results that 963 fans, or the company, wanted.)

SBR Vice President Steve Doll and Activities Cochair Art Shinn were among those attending Luftgekühlt 9 in Vallejo. They brought back some captivating photographs of the unique installations of air- and water-cooled Porsches set in a unique decommissioned Navy Base.

Organize an Event, The Santa Barbara Region is well known for the excellent drives we put on. Being blessed with magnificent scenery and many great backroads does not hurt either! Yet there are new roads to travel and places to explore. We want to expand our cadre of tour leaders to tap some new ideas. It is time for an SUVonly drive in places comfortable for four-wheel-drive vehicles. I am also thinking about an air-cooled-only drive of 1977 cars and earlier—any model in the time frame. If you are interested in organizing one of these, or something else, contact co-Activities Chair Lionel Neff at zuma13@msn. com. Good advice and assistance based on past experience are available.

For those who didn’t venture out of town, the monthly ritual of Cars & Coffee in Camarillo and Santa Barbara provided opportunities to share stories and, of course, see what members are driving these days. We didn’t hold a June Cars & Coffee in Santa Barbara as the date coincided with the 75th anniversary events hosted by our two regional dealers—Porsche Santa Barbara and Rusnak Porsche Westlake. We have that story in this issue as well.

Don’t forget to have a look at the calendar of upcoming events and see the flyers for the various events we have ahead. There’s never an excuse for not getting together.

Footnote: The August issue of Excellence has an article about the current owner and condition of the rare Porsche 550 Spyder that spent 36 years in a shipping container in southern California. It is now in the personal collection of a Porsche dealer in the Netherlands. You read about this discovery in the July/August 2021 edition of Der Auspuff. The car, #0069, got a “light restoration” and has regained its freedom. It found a worthy home and looks gorgeous.