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VOLUME 30::NUMBER 2::SUMMER 2020
WWW.EARLY911SREGISTRY.ORG
EDITOR REID TRUMMEL editor@early911sregistry.org 503.753.3700
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ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER BRET MOREY B3morey@gmail.com
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CREATIVE ADVISOR BBS MODERATOR CHUCK MILLER cmiller14@socal.rr.com
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S 2
CO-BBS MODERATOR PETER K ANE ptkane@yahoo.com
REGISTRY REVIEW
ADVERTISING ADVISOR MICHAEL S. HAMMOND hammondms@earthlink.net
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VINTAGE ADVERTISEMENT
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LA LIT FAIR & SOCAL PORSCHE WEEKEND
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RESTORATION ROAD OR HOW THE ROAD DRIFTED THERE
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BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: THE IMPROBABLE TALE OF CHARLES MENDEZ AND A WONDERFUL RACING LIFE
MEMBERSHIP ADVISOR MERCHANDISE COORDINATOR REGION COORDINATOR MICHAEL S. HAMMOND hammondms@earthlink.net
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DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR ASHTON AMORES ashton@early911sregistry.org
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INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT K ARIM NOURELDIN karim.noureldin@bluewin.ch
PURPOSE-BUILT - HOW PORSCHE BUILT A STREETABLE RACING CAR IN THE 911R
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PROJECT 911 PART 19
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ADVERTISEMENTS
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REGISTRY GEAR
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ADVERTISING INDEX
REGISTRY FAX NUMBER: 310.322.2074 REGISTRY WEBSITE: www.early911sregistry.org
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REGISTRY E-MAIL: info@earlysregistry.org REGISTRY MAIL: ESREG 433 Maryland Street El Segundo, CA 90245-3814
REGISTRY REGIONS: IRELAND REGION WOLFGANG OBER AUER Wolf1976@gmail.com
NEW ZEALAND REGION GARY LEONG www.earlynz.org
OREGON REGION PHYLLIS THIEMANN Phyllis@HeckmannThiemann.com 503.233.4809
COVER: Some of the cars on display at the Sierra Madre Collection Open House - Photo by Chuck Miller SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL: Please check the back cover of this issue to determine if your membership to the ESREG (Early 911S Registry) has expired. BACK ISSUES: Available for $5 each. Please e-mail Michael Hammond, hammondms@earthlink.net or 310.322.7701, to place order.
www.early911sregistry.org
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R EGI S T RY R E V IE W THE USUAL SUSPECTS … … and I say that with all possible affection! In this issue I want to take the opportunity to briefly introduce our three regular contributors. All three are professional authors and we’re lucky and thankful to welcome their insights and perspectives to the popular subjects of historical vignettes and technical know-how and how-to. John Nikas has an impressive automotive author résumé that is rapidly growing, not the least because of his appearances on the pages of ESSES. An accomplished racer, long-distance road-warrior, and researcher, John’s talents are in high demand and we encourage you to check the growing list of
his books at your favorite bookseller’s website. By the way, John is a member of England’s Guild of Motoring Writers, an honor not shared by many other Americans. In addition to authoring books, John also writes a regular monthly column for several magazines, but we think we’re his favorite! Jeff Zurschmeide is another author with a remarkable list of accomplishments. Jeff has hung up his driving suit, but not his wit and talent, and a similar search for his name on your favorite bookseller website will reveal another impressive list of products. Jeff is also a columnist, former newspaper automotive section editor, and automotive historian. If it’s internalcombustion related, Jeff is all over it. His byline also frequently appears in Sports Car Market magazine. And then there’s Brett Johnson, a Porsche specialist with an attention to detail matched by
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Brett Johnson, right, signing books at the Lit Meet, with Andy Scaioli from Italy.
very few. Brett’s series, “Project 911R,” is now at part 19, so you could say that he is reporting in real time in our quarterly journal. Brett also has an impressive list of works available, so check him out on your favorite bookseller website and stay tuned for more Porsche-specific works from this highenergy, high-output author. In closing, we’re thankful to have this trio of pros bringing you high-quality reading each month on the pages of ESSES, and there’s more where that came from! See you next time. Reid Trummel Editor, ESSES Magazine
$15
EARLY 911S REGISTRY C ALENDAR
The Registry is once again proud to offer another beautiful calendar with outstanding photographs submitted by our members. The calendar photos measure 12”w x 9 1/2”h and the calendar format includes large boxes for each day where you can write in your own notes and appointments such as “Drive my Porsche today!” The cost is $15. Go to www.early911sregistry.org to order online or you can use the order form below and mail to: EARLY 911S REGISTRY 433 MARYLAND STREET EL SEGUNDO, CA 90245-3814 Calendar
$15.00 X
= $
Domestic Postage
$2.24 X
= $
Mexico Postage
$6.35 X
= $
Canada Postage
$3.54 X
= $
RoW Postage
$7.91 X
= $
TOTAL CALENDAR ORDER
$
Payment can be made by Paypal or check; sorry we cannot accept credit cards.
As always, ESSES welcomes all types of CONTENT submissions from members and businesses for the following: MEMBERS - share your story of acquisition or ownership or any content of interest. TECHNICAL - share your past or current projects, we encourage the unique DIYer accomplishments. BUSINESS OWNERS tell us what you do, our readership is interested in the people, parts, and service. ROAD TRIPS - everyone enjoys a great road trip story! EVENTS - take us there for those who missed it. OTHER - what did we miss? THIS IS YOUR PUBLICATION. Send text and presentable high resolution photos to editor@early911sregistry. org or contact Reid Trummel at 503.753.3700 for further info.
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TOS EZ
RESTORATION ROAD
OR HOW THE ROAD DRIFTED THERE STORY BY ROY RUFF PHOTOS BY BRETT JOHNSON DATELINE November 1976. Stolen: My 1973 white 911S Targa that disappeared from the streets of New York City one fall evening. The car had been well loved and well driven. I later married the woman who, on our first date, drove the car with passion. What more could a guy hope for? For that reason I used the insurance money to buy an engagement ring for her. This turned out to be the best trade I could have made. The way we were.
Fast-forward again, this time to a long New England winter. Maybe our family had been spending too much time talking around the fireplace. My wife and son suggested the time had arrived to consider replacing that 73S. Maybe not so coincidently, I had come across an ad on the Internet for a recently restored Aga Blue1967. The design retained so much 356 heritage. With further investigation I found the first review in Road & Track following the 67S release. I was surprised to find the engine was the worthy and more reliable successor to the Carrera 2! Handling was comparable, but improved. Fuchs wheels were newly designed especially for this car. The folks at Porsche emphasized this was not a car for novices! I began making lots of calls and talked to lots of experts. Why not call Marcel Ruf (son of Alois Jr.) in Germany? He had restored some notable early 911s in the past. I had once asked him to look at a car I had found there. He assessed that one as a “10-foot car,” which was his way of saying the photos were deceiving. That was a good learning experience. His advice was to buy a California car and restore it. They were usually the least ravaged by time.
Fast-forward 20 years. While raising our family I experienced that Porsche urge, so familiar to many of us. The urge occurred after seeing my first 356 in many years, a well-prepared top-down tub. That same woman, my wife, my good friend, surprised me with a worthy replacement for the Targa, a 57 Speedster, for my 50th birthday. Love really does conquer all. We have shared many 356 events with TYP 356 New England over the years. The 356 has remained a family favorite and will be a future family heirloom. However, that 73S made a lasting impression. For some reason soon after, I joined the Early 911S Registry, listing myself as having a stolen S. Despite the bill of sale and VIN in hand, the car was never found. But have you ever driven a 356 Carrera 2? I had my chance on a 356 tour through Vermont. The owner was a congenial fellow and liked to share his special experience and good fortune. I was stunned by the memorable ride, the acceleration, and the handling in a 356. As we all recognize, the model has become rare and essentially unobtainable.
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With that advice, I reread an ESSES SoCal Tour edition that included visits to all the major restoration shops that were opened to the public. However, SoCal was pretty foreign turf for an East Coast guy, like me. I called around to several of the shops and I was lucky enough to have a long call with Henk Baars of CarParc USA. He really took the time to educate me about his restoration process and experience. His stories about restoration projects gone bad or just poorly done were eye opening. He clearly was on top of the game and specialized in early 911 restorations. Just ask John Wilhoit, which of course, I did. If you get a car, it’s got to have a sunroof. So spoke my wife. Never find one. So spoke Henk. Nevertheless I emailed and authorized him to look for one. “Never” came two months later. Henk found and was bidding on a 67S sunroof barn find. So was half the restoration world, according to him. The numbers were all matching, the rust was manageable, and the only thing missing was the radio! The car was fully optioned. Apparently it had been on blocks since 1978 at
early 911 enthusiast and Porsche artist extraordinaire, Kelly Telfer. He advised to go for it. He kindly gifted a print from a painting of his Bahama Yellow 68S, which he had bought from the Brumos collection, aka “Bahama Mama,” for encouragement.
80k kilometers. The initial photos prior to restoration were detailed, including one with a cat skeleton in the engine bay, which was later given a fitting burial. This 1967 911S was originally delivered in Bahama Yellow with a red interior. Did Porsche really manufacture one with that color combination? Maybe it could be restored in Aga Blue. Just wait, Henk insisted and persisted. This continues to be a very special and rare example. I ran the color combination by
So began our yearlong adventure. Documentation confirmed the car came very well optioned with the following: Webasto heater, 2kg of touch-up paint, 10 paint pens, one set of keys, electric “Golde” sunroof, rear window with defroster, sun visor with mirror, chrome fold-up lamp for the engine compartment, Blaupunkt radio “Koln,” loudspeaker, antenna and Dunlop tires (165/15). The car was completed January 2, 1967 and delivered to the dealership Schultz in Düsseldorf. The original owner of the car was a Mr. Kürt Busch who purchased the car in 1967. Some years later the car was imported into the United States and eventually found its way to California. When purchased, the car’s previous owner had dyed the original red interior black but other than that, the car was complete, numbers matching
www.early911sregistry.org
www.early911sregistry.org
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1967 911S Original German delivery. European trim and gauges. Have Kardex. SpeciďŹ cations included rear defroster glass, engine compartment light, extra paint and paint sticks. Unknown transport to, and history in, USA. On blocks since 1978 with 80k kilometers. Added sports seats, outdoor temperature gauge in centigrade, and rear wiper. All original colors retained. Engine upgraded to 2.2 L with later tensioners. Original crank and cams. New pistons. Braided oil lines. Stainless steel exhaust. Original Koln radio upgraded with Bluetooth. Original antenna. 1968 Durant mirror for better visibility.
www.early911sregistry.org
www.early911sregistry.org
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and in really good “barn-find condition.� Disassembly followed and then continued with sandblasting of the body, metal repair, refurbishing of parts including cleaning and powder-coating, painting with original factory technique, and restoration of the engine, transmission, suspension, electrical system, and Fuchs wheels. Carburetor restoration followed close to home in Groton, Massachusetts. Finally, the time-consuming process of assembly occurred. All was documented with thousands of photos. The restoration included upgrading to an original pair of sports seats, the addition of an outdoor temperature gauge calibrated in centigrade, and a rear window wiper. The original European trim and gauges were retained. The engine was upgraded to 2.2 L with later tensioners, new pistons, braided oil lines, a stainless steel exhaust system, an original Koln radio upgraded with Bluetooth, and a1968 mirror for improved visibility. The goal was for the perfect GT for touring and driving regularly. Come late this past February, the restoration was essentially complete, just in time for the CarParc SoCal Tour open house. My wife and I had a few short but tantalizing test drives at low, break-in RPM range. We had a number of appreciative comments during the event, but no further drives. The Orange County pandemic
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lockdown followed soon after the weekend with final delivery postponed indefinitely. We have remained COVID-19 free here in New England and hope that every other
enthusiast attendee during the LA weekend remains virus-free, as well. Looking forward to driving the restoration road in future months with my trusty companion in the passenger seat. No one can drive this road alone.
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www.early911sregistry.org
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ORDER ONLINE TODAY! Visit our store for Special Prices and Discounts at: shop.early911sregistry.org
R EGI S T RY GE A R
FRONT
BACK
ESR SHORT SLEEVE T-SHIRT (BLACK) ESR crest on front and back M-L-XL $15 XXL $15
O R D E R O N L I N E : s h o p.e a r l y 9 11s r e gi s t r y.o r g
FRONT
BACK
ESR LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT (WHITE) ESR crest on front and back S-XL $20 XXL $20
MARKEN DEC ALS These are exact duplicates of the original factory stickers found on early 911s. The Early 911S Registry has reproduced these no-longer-available stickers at a very high level of quality. $14 ea. Shell Decal $12 each.
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PORSCHE CREST sticker that is available in 3 sizes, 1 ¾”, 2 ½” and 4 3/8” high. The 2 ½” high sticker is the same size as the sticker used with the M471 RS lightweight option. Porsche Crest stickers are $7.00, $15.00 and $18.00 respectfully. These are high quality stickers in the period correct colors.
ITEM MODEL YEAR 1 ‘69 2 3 4
‘69, ‘70 ‘69, ‘70, ‘71 ‘72 CanAm Interseries
DATES USED Starting approx. February, 1970 until approx. March, 1971 Until late February, 1972 Until March, 1973 March, 1973 until February, 1974
PLACEMENT: Weltmeister Decals 1 and 2: Apply to the inside front windshield, passenger-side bottom corner, about an inch from the seal. Weltmeister Decals 3 and 4: Apply to the inside back quarter window glass. INSTALLATION: To apply a Marken Weltmeister decal, wet the glass with water or Windex, then peel the front cover off and apply the decal to the wet glass with the backing still attached. Finalize position on still-wet glass, work out all water and bubbles, then peel the backing off. Continue working out bubbles, then let dry in final position. — Chuck Miller
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WARNING of HIGH VOLTAGE coil sticker $10.00 each
TO ORDER: E-mail Michael Hammond at hammondms@earthlink.net or PH 310.322.7701, FX 310.322.2074. Also, orders can be placed thru the ESREG web site at www.early911sregistry. org/WelstmeisterDecal.html. Please include membership number to obtain member-only pricing. If paying by Paypal, please include the number and type of decal you are ordering.
ORDER ONLINE TODAY! Visit our store for Special Prices and Discounts at: shop.early911sregistry.org
R EGI S T RY GE A R
O R D E R O N L I N E : s h o p.e a r l y 9 11s r e gi s t r y.o r g
T-SHIRT Small logo front with large logo back. M-L-XL $15 XXL $20 MOCK TURTLENECK - LONG SLEEVE Small embroidered logo front. Available in white, black and ash. $25 GOLF SHIRT - NO POCKET GOLF SHIRT - WITH POCKET Small embroidered logo front. Available in black, ash and royal blue. $25 SOFT SHELL MICRO FLEECE Bonded Full-Zip Jacket. $95 ZIPPER HOODIE Small embroidered logo front. Black only. S-M-L-XL, XXL $30 WINDOW DECALS $3, $2.50 for 2 or more EARLY 911S LEATHER COASTER SET Four coasters with the Early 911S logo with a leather holder. $20 BASEBALL CAPS With logo. Available in black, white, red and royal blue. $15 PORSCHE ROADSTER GIFT SET A tire pressure gauge, flashlight, and ballpoint pen are kept in a leather carrying case. Features the Porsche monogram logo. $30 MONEY CLIPS Polished with logo. $10 CAR BADGES $40 PATCHES 3� inch with logo. $6 or $5 for 2 or more KEY FOBS Black leather with crest. $10
ORDERING AND SHIPPING INFORMATION: To place an order contact Michael Hammond by e-mail, hammondms@earthlink.net, or by phone, 310.322.7701, or fax, 310.322.2074. You can also place an order by visiting www.early911sregistry.org/boutique/index.asp. US funds only! Domestic Shipping and Handling $12.00 (do not include for orders of only decals or patches). Foreign orders will be billed for actual shipping costs. All prices include tax. No PO boxes. We now take credit cards for REGISTRY GEAR ITEMS.
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If you find a message stamped to the right of your mailing address, it’s time to renew your membership! Please, mail a check for $50 US ($70 foreign), made payable to Early S Registry to the address at right. Checks must be drawn on a US bank in US funds! Or go to www.early911sregistry. org, click on the membership button and follow the directions to join online and pay by PayPal.
1965 911 Monte Carlo Tribute in front of the CarParcUSA Open House – Photo by Chris Florin
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EARLY 911S REGISTRY 433 MARYL AND STREET EL SEGUNDO, CA 90245-3814
DATED MATERIAL
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIMAS, CA PERMIT NO. 410