July 2015
GEM Club member Mark Manda proudly displays his gorgeous hand-built Harmon Rocket II
July 21st, Social Meeting
July 21st, Social Meeting
The next Venue for our Next Social Dinner Meeting has not yet been chosen. Loren will let all of know via Email when something is decided on. Tuesday July 21st, Business Meeting at 5:30pm, with Dinner at 6:30p
July: 2nd, Thursday, Thursday night dinner at Chat N’ Chew on Brundage Lane (In the old Albertson’s Store), 6:30p
11th, Saturday, Bob Goon presents the First Annual Progressive Dinner, Details to follow 12th Sunday,
Gather of Friends, All European Concours, San Louis Obispo, Laguna Lake
18th Saturday, Drive to Tehachapi for Dinner and Wine tasting. Meet at Crest RV Park at 1pm, Leave by 2pm. 21st, Tuesday,
Social Dinner Meeting, 6:30p, Business Meeting, 5:30p. Venue to be Determined
25th, Saturday, Cars and Coffee at Kohl’s from 7-9:am, And Salty’s on White Lane at 5:30 pm
August: 6th Thursday,
Thursday night dinner. Location to be determined.
10th—16th,
Monterey Sports Car Week, Monterey and Carmel CA.
14th, Friday,
Porsche Werks Reunion, Carmel Valley CA.
18th, Tuesday,
Social Meeting, Location to be determined. Business meeting 5:30, Dinner 6:30
Crest RV Park, Every Saturday Morning at 8:am for Breakfast and Chit Chat , 5025 Wible Road 2
Porsche Club of America Golden Empire Region Board Members and Chair Persons
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Linn Christopher
Pat Wadman
Chuck Anderson
Betsy Wadman
Membership Chair &
Safety Chair &
Newsletter Editor
Autocross Co-Chairs
Communication Chair
Insurance Coordinator
Michael Thomas
Loren Stumbaugh
Mike McGregor
gemgrapevine@gmail.com
Greg Fullmer Charles Rook Omar Olivas
PCA Membership Webmaster
Social Coordinators
Anton Khatsanovich
Sandy Anderson Maggie Chow
While our cars are very exclusive, our club is not. Did you know that you can add a family member or other interested person as an affiliate member, at no additional cost? The family or affiliate member must also be 18 years of age or older.
Please join us online at our newly remodeled Website and on our Facebook Group page:
For all of the details contact our Membership Chair:
http://gem.pca.org/
Loren Stumbaugh Porsche Club of America Golden Empire Region Membership Chairman Loren7025@gmail.com (661) 747-4416
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ PCA.GoldenEmpireRegion/ And please send any Newsletter comments or content contributions to :
gemgrapevine@gmail.com
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PORSCHE has Reclaimed it Dominance at Le Mans !!
The Stars of the Show
The Men behind the Wheels 4
Porsche takes First and Second Place Overall For the 17th First Place Win at Le Mans
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Porsche has a very well established and respected history at Le Mans
1923 - 1939 May 26th & 27th, 1923 saw the first running of the Le Mans 24 hours, on the public roads around Le Mans town. The original idea was for a three year event, with the winner being the car that could go the furthest distance over three consecutive races. This plan was abandoned in 1928 and the Le Mans 24 hours winners were declared for each year depending on who covered the furthest distance in the 24 hours. The early races were dominated by British, French, and Italian drivers, teams, and cars, with Bentley, Alfa Romeo and Bugatti being the prominent marques. By the late 1930’s innovations in car design began appearing at the Le Mans 24 hours circuit, with Bugatti and Alfa Romeo running aerodynamic bodywork, enabling them to reach faster speeds down the Mulsanne straight. In 1936 the race had to be cancelled due to strikes in France. With the outbreak of World War II in late 1939, the Le Mans 24hrs race went on a ten year break. 1949 - 1969 The Le Mans 24 hours race resumed in 1949 following the reconstruction of the Le Mans circuit facilities, with growing interest from major car manufacturers. After the formation of the World Sportscar Championship in 1953, of which the Le Mans 24 hour was a part, Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, and others began sending multiple cars, supported by their factories, to compete against their competitors. Unfortunately this increased competition would also lead to tragedy with an accident during the 1955 race. The car of Pierre Levegh crashed into a crowd of spectators, killing more than 80 people. This in turn, led to widespread safety measures being brought in, not only at Le Mans, but elsewhere in the world of motor sport. However, even though the safety standards increased, so did the achievable top speeds of the cars. The move from open-cockpit roadsters to closedcockpit coupes would enable speeds over 200 mph on the Mulsanne. The Le Mans 24 hours race cars of this time were mostly based on production road cars. By the end of the 1960s, Ford would enter the Le Mans 24hrs with their GT40s, taking four straight wins before the era of production-based cars would come to a close.
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1970 - 1981 For the 1970’s, Le Mans 24 hours competitors moved towards more extreme speeds and car designs. These fast speeds led to the replacement of the typical standing Le Mans 24 hours start with the now more familiar rolling start. Although production based cars still participated, they were now competing in the lower classes. Purpose-built prototype race cars became the norm at the Le Mans 24 hours. The Porsche 917, 935, and 936 were dominant throughout this decade, but a resurgence by French manufacturers Matra-Simca and Renault saw the first Le Mans 24 hours victories for the home nation since the race in 1950. Surprisingly the 1970’s is also associated with good performances from many privateer constructors at the Le Mans 24 hours. Two managed to complete the only ever victories for privateers in the history of the Le Mans 24 hour. John Wyer won in his Mirage in 1975 while Jean Rondeau's self-titled chassis took the Le Mans winners trophy in 1980. 1982 - 1993 Porsche dominated the 1980s at Le Mans with the new Group C race car formula that pushed the boundaries of fuel efficiency. The Porsche 956 was the pioneer in this field. It was later replaced by the successful 962. Both of these chassis were relatively cheap and privateers were able to purchase them en masse. This led to a Porsche chassis winning six years in a row. The 1980’s saw Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz make a return to sports car racing, while an influx of Japanese manufacturers saw prototypes from Nissan and Toyota at the Le Mans 24 hours. However, it was Mazda's unique rotary-powered 787B that would be the only car to succeed. 1992 and 1993 saw Peugeot enter the Le Mans 24 hours and dominate the race, as the Group C formula and World Sportscar Championship were fading in popularity and competitive manufacturers. The famous Le Mans circuit would undergo perhaps its most significant modification in 1990. The iconic Mulsanne straight was altered to include two chicanes. This change was made to reduce speeds in excess of 250 mph from being reached. This began a trend by the race organisers, the ACO (Automobile Club de L’Ouest), to attempt to reduce excessive speeds on certain sections of the track. Despite these changes, speeds over 200 mph are still regularly reached at various points on a Le Mans 24 hours lap. 7
1994 - 1999 A resurgence of production-based cars at the Le Mans 24 hours followed the end of the World Sportscar Championship. A loophole in the laws enabled Porsche to successfully convince the ACO that a 962 Le Mans Supercar was actually a production car. This allowed Porsche to race their successful Porsche 962 for one final time. Not surprisingly it dominated the field. Although the ACO closed the loophole for 1995, newcomer McLaren won the race in their supercar's first appearance thanks to its reliability enabling it to beat faster yet more trouble prone prototypes. The rule bending trend continued throughout the 1990s as more exotic supercars were built in order to bypass the ACO's rules regarding production based Le Mans race cars. This resulted in Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Nissan, Panoz, and Lotus entering the GT categories. By the 1999 event, these GT cars were competing with the Le Mans Prototypes of BMW, Audi, and Ferrari. BMW would ultimately finish with the victory that year. It was BMW’s first ever win at the Le Mans 24 hours circuit. 2000 - 2010 The increasing costs associated with running a car in the Le Mans 24 hours saw many major automobile manufacturers review their participation in the early 21st century. Among these manufacturers, only Audi would remain competing at the Le Mans 24 hours, easily dominating the races with their R8. Although MG, Panoz, and Chrysler, all briefly made attempts to compete with Audi, none could match the performance of the Audi R8. After three consecutive victories, Audi provided engine, support staff and drivers to their corporate partner Bentley, who had returned in 2001. These factory Bentleys were finally able to succeed at Le Mans 24 hours ahead of the now privateer Audis in 2003. By the end of 2005, after an impressive five victories for the Audi R8, and six to its V8 turbo engine, Audi took on a new Le Mans 24 hours challenge by introducing a diesel engine prototype car known as the R10 TDI. Although this was not the first diesel to race at the Le Mans 24 hours, it was the first to achieve victory. This era saw other alternative fuel sources being tried, including
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2011 - 2014 2011 saw one of the closest races in Le Mans history with Audi just crossing the line ahead of its Peugeot rivals, however, the race will most probably be remembered for the 2 major crashes involving the Audis driven by Allan McNish and Mike Rockenfeller. Fortunately both drivers were able to walk away from the wreckage of their cars. Le Mans 2012 saw the introduction of hybrid technology for both Audi & Toyota in the LMP1 class. After the withdrawal of Peugeot for financial reasons, it was Toyota that stood up to challenge Audi. However two major crashes, one which left driver Ant Davidson with a broken back, left Audi unchallenged at the front. Audi's hybrid diesel, the R18 E-tron quattro eventually took the honours. 2013 again saw the Audi R18 E-tron Quattro victorious with the Toyota Hybrid runner up. It was the ninth win for Dane Tom Kristensen & the 3rd for British driver Allan McNish. However the race was over-shadowed by the death of driver Allan Simonsen following the early crash of his Aston Martin V8 Vantage. 2014 saw the return to the top flight for Porsche. They were challenging Audi and Toyota at the front with a team that included ex -F1 driver Mark Webber. The lead was held by each of the factory teams at different points in the race as all teams suffered problems with their new technology. Despite needing to spend time in the pits changing the turbos on their cars Audi once again claimed a 1 -2 with Toyota third. Porsche were in the lead during the 22nd hour until their remaining car was retired. A sign of the challenges to come.
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July 2015 Sun
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2 Thursday Night Dinner at Chat N Chew on Chester
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4 Fireworks Day
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11 Progressive GEM Dinner Maybe ?
12 A Gather of Friends in San Luis All European Car Show
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18 Drive to Tehachapi for Dinner and Wine Tasting
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21 July Social Meeting, location to be determined
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25 Cars and Coffee at Kohl’s and Salty’s BBQ
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August 2015 Sun
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12 Monterey Sports Car Week
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14 Monterey Sports Car Week
15 Porsche Werks Reunion in Carmel Valley
16 Monterey Sports Car Week
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18 Social Meeting Location to be determined.
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A morning with Mark Manda and his amazing Harmon Rocket II. Enjoying the Harmon Rocket Fly-in at the Bakersfield Air Park
There are modified motorcycles, standard autos, race cars, boats and many other things. Then there is the Harmon Rocket! The Harmon Rocket I was a modified single place Van's RV-3 sport plane while the Harmon Rocket II is a modified Van's two place RV-4. Autos have been modified for decades by people seeking to make a vehicle meet their needs and desires and the Harmon Rocket is no different.
When you purchase a modification kit to build a Rocket from John Harmon the kit is an extension of the RV-4 kit which is purchased from Van's. Harmon Rocket II is beyond total performance. John Harmon’s conversion kit for the RV-4 is the ultimate aviation experience for recreation and sport flying. From winning awards at Oshkosh to EAA fly-ins and air shows this aircraft should be the choice for RV builders of kit plane plans or individuals interested in avionics for homebuilt aircraft.
The HRII is not a quick-build kit as many builders of the Rocket prefer to be more involved in the aircraft building process and express a preference of some minor fitting and trimming. If you are looking for a home built experimental aircraft consider the flexibility and performance of the Harmon Rocket.
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Planning to go hang-out in Monterey in August this year ? Here’s a little guide to help plan on a budget.
The Monterey Car Week is one of America’s premiere vintage automotive events featuring stunning and exotic automobiles over a 10-day period in beautiful Monterey, CA. Not only are some of the most rare and expensive cars parading around the Monterey Bay, but also some of the industries biggest automotive celebrities. With that in mind, the Car Week can be extremely expensive not only to stay in the area but also to get into some of the best and most popular events. I’ve been going since I was three years old and have stayed varying amounts of time, gone to practically all the events and have stayed in both hotels and rental homes. I will go over some ways to make the Monterey Car Week not only more enjoyable to experience but easier on the wallet. 1. Where to stay Driving a ways to get to the action each day, either an hour south, east (Salinas), or north of Monterey is a great alternative to spending less. North is going to have a little more to offer including Santa Cruz and other beautiful destinations, while south is more farm country offering a little less in terms of hotel accommodations. Remember, because you would be driving to everything parking is always going to be a nightmare. If you can help it, take taxis or stay in the middle of everything (but that’s for non-budget goers).
And don’t forget about San Simeon. All that driving doesn’t sound appealing to you? Rental homes are another great option. This year, we are renting a house right in beautiful Monterey, CA just down the road from the Fisherman’s Wharf where most of the auctions take place. Rental homes are some of the best ways to stay in Monterey during the Car Week because you not only save a significant amount on housing (depending on the home) but most come with kitchens so that saves a significant amount of money on food too. Keep in mind that the longer you stay the more expensive it gets. If you can only stay two-three nights then it would be smart to book around whatever events you want to see most. But just know, those who go to the Monterey Car Week every year book the moment they check out of the hotel, so most hotels will either be booked or very very expensive (depending on the distance to Monterey). So you might have better luck finding a rental home now with time fast approaching. Also note that a few weeks to days prior to the event people may cancel their reservations for whatever reason, so you may have luck that way too. Keep in mind that some hotels/rental homes may have a week, or certain amount of days minimum to stay. But trust me when I tell you, book as early as you can and don’t wait!
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2. What events to attend There is never a shortage of things to do during the Monterey Car Week. If you like auctions, car shows, rallies, races, parties, film festivals, or just walking around Monterey seeing millions of dollars drive by, you’re covered. You might be inclined to only attend free events in order to save some cash, there are a number of those too. Starting the week off is the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel, CA. This is a free event that is just spectacular with blocks of stunning vintage cars lining probably the best shopping street in Carmel. It’s free to walk around and look but you may spend some money popping in and out of the great stores.
There’s The Little Car Show in Pacific Grove that’s free to enter, but is a much smaller scale show than what the Monterey Car Week is known for. There are also some newer events such as Crash d’Concours that’s free to attend as well as Concours d’LeMons Monterey. Attending just one or two full price events is a great way to go, but it really depends on what you’re into. Personally I wouldn’t miss the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (formally known as the Historics) for anything. Tickets are under $100 for one day and is totally worth every penny. Not only can you watch some incredible historic and expensive cars race around Laguna Seca, but you can even look at the cars up-close and talk to the racers themselves. There’s
something called vendor island where you can find some of the coolest car merchandise anywhere. The races really deserve a full day to experience everything. Different people will have different opinions on what major show is the best of the week. The Concorso Italiano, Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, and the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Concourso will run you around $150ish a ticket for an all-day Italian car show, while Pebble starts at $300 for advanced purchase (take a taxi, parking is a serious pain!) and Quail is a similar deal selling out usually before any other show due to its small size. If you want to see all the Pebble Beach cars but don’t want to spend the big bucks, a really fun event is the rally that runs through the
same location as the Concours on the Avenue. It’s free and all the Pebble Beach show cars drive by and eventually park for all to view. This occurs on the Thursday of the main week and is totally worth the trip. Just be sure to arrive early or carpool/take a taxi as parking is really limited. It really depends on what you’re looking to do and how much you’re looking to spend. Auctions cost some
money as
well as other smaller shows and events. But I would recommend checking out a free event or two (especially Concours on the Avenue) and maybe splurging on one or two of the more popular and exclusive events. 24
2.5 Hey, the article I stole didn't mention Porsche Werks Reunion. Guess I’ll improvise then, because this is the “Must-See” event for those you who worship All Things Porsche, and you
guys know you do !! 2015 will be the 2nd year of the Werks Reunion. The inaugural event last year was great. I truly enjoyed it more than I did the Porsche Parade earlier last year in June. Only problem, the corral parking with the other 750 Porsches, the meal tickets for two bad lunches, and a poor quality event polo shirt can set up back about a $160.
…. OR ….
If you chose to take the less expensive route you can park your Porsche on the side of the Carmel Valley Road that borders the Rancho Canada Golf course and just walk in. Lot of spectators were doing this last year. Nicholas and I plan on drive over to Cambria via Hwy 58 West early Friday morning, the day of the event. Breakfast in
Cambria, then up Hwy 1 to Monterey. To me driving Highway 1 is the best part of the entire trip. Plan on getting up to Carmel Valley for Werks by 10:am. Gives us plenty of time to stroll around looking at “more” Porsches, snap a few pix, and check out venders. After a few hours of looking at cars they all begin to look the same to me. So it’s back down the coast, maybe a late lunch on the coast somewhere, and on into somewhere inexpensive to crash (Gosh what a horrible choice of words) somewhere on the central coast. A quick, fun-filled day in the Monterey Bay on the cheap. 3. Where to eat There are so many delicious places to eat in Monterey but it really depends on what you like. My family’s favorite for years now is Joe Rombi’s in Pacific Grove. They offer amazing Italian food with some Gluten-free options! A less adventurous option that’s right in the middle of all the action is Benihana’s. It’s in the perfect location to grab some good food then head to the Wharf and Portola Plaza for some car sightings. Even the Fisherman’s Wharf has some great places to get some uber fresh seafood and other goodies. And they’re right next to the RM and Russo Steel auctions. Russo Steel auction is very reasonably priced to attend as a spectator. I remember $20 got us in last year. Even if you’re looking for a quick bite there are a plethora of delicious places such as the sandwich shop right across from Portola Plaza Hotel and even splurging at one of the local hotels for dinner is an option. One of my recent favorites is the restaurant at Casa Munras Hotel and Spa. If you have never been to Monterey in August it’s quite the place to be. In the meantime take a look at the Monterey Car Week website for a comprehensive list of events. If you’re
serious about going this August, start looking and booking
now before rates go up ! Actually it’s probably already too late to beat the rate hike of Monterey In August …...
Hope to see you up there!
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THE PORSCHE 911 WAS NOT DESIGNED AROUND ITS REAR ENGINE It’s an icon of a design if ever there was one. I thought everything about the Porsche 911— the original air-cooled ‘proper’ one—must have been written and said before…until I had one for a few days. Sure, being with the car is a bit like living inside a film you’ve seen many times: the first hand experience speaks much of what I’d read and heard of the design. But there were other things too, including a perspective on the Porsche 911’s design that may not have been said before… Walking around the car reminds of how the appearance of the 911 is ingrained in our mind unlike any other car design, because it is so distinct and we have known it for so long: there are no close references points (possibly the Alpine A110 was, once), and we can’t see the 911 with fresh eyes. Sure, we know it has an echo of the Beetle, and the 356 that connects them. Yet we tend to forget that, fundamentally, this is a properly unusual-looking car; its core proportions and volumes are utterly unique, and always have been. It seems very few people recognize that its unique proportions are because the 911 was designed to deliver on prosaic, even familial, function more so than any other sports-car ever: to carry two small people in the back.
No-one ever called it a GT (until the later, larger, water-cooled ones), yet the Porsche 911 is a two-plus-two—a notably unique position for a true sports-car. Because someone at the top of Porsche, presumably, dictated that the 911 would be for more than two people, the engine needed to be mounted behind the rear axle: in order to make space for the rear seats. But this is not consciously accepted as the unequivocal truth it must be: the idea that the brand was wedded to an engine-in-the-rear philosophy is surely a product of the intervening decades of 911-centric Porsche myopia for which there’s no real evidence; the 911 was preceded by the mid-engine 550, and then followed by the mid-engine 914, the front engine 924, and the front engine 928. The period 904 race car was mid-engined, as were subsequent competition models. The 911 is essentially the second and the last rear-engine Porsche design, reinvented a few times since. Even the first Porsche—what would evolve into the 356—began life as a mid-engine car. Anyway, this rear seat thing is also why the driver sits higher than other contemporary sports car designs: to allow a driver’s legs to be slightly more bent, which helps to gain some car length for the rear seats. In-turn, this makes the roof as tall as it is and the windshield as far forward as it is, afforded, also, by there being no engine in the front. As its flat-6 engine is only three-cylinders long, the rear overhang is no more than most front engine sports-cars—but is significantly lower. The back of the flat six is shallower than a luggage-swallowing trunk for a front engine sports car, too. Whilst people bang on about the car’s rear engine location defining its proportions, it’s more to do with the tall and far-forward windscreen, and the single sweep backwards from that point to the exceedingly low rear-most point, clearing the heads of two tiny rear occupants along the way.
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All of this was built within a length 15.7 (40 cm) less than a 2+2 Series 3 Jaguar E-Type, the 911's closest contemporary competitor in cabin package and performance.
In short, the 911’s proportions are more to do with it being designed to carry children than having its engine in the tail. This, then, is the 911 design story headline: it is utterly unique and all the more compelling for being a product of clever, rational packaging that places function over form. It’s not a styled car design, it is a designed car design. Taking this to its natural conclusion, lightweight RS versions with no rear seats are arguably less purist designs than the first 2+2 Carrera! This context to the Porsche design seems like it has been lost forever. But when you first walk up to an early air-cooled 911 with the keys in your pocket, it is likely that the first thing that grabs you is not the context of its distinct proportions but that it is an unusually tiny car. There is something impressive about the compactness of the early 911 that pictures of it fail to tell: here is a fast car, one that seats the family and some luggage, and yet it’s as narrow as today’s Volkswagen Up! city car and only as long as a modern Golf (but looks and feels even shorter). Memory and reports of it in its contemporary years do not so much speak of the car’s pettiness—all cars were smaller then. Things click when you realize that the original 911 is more than a foot shorter, 9 inches (23 cm) narrower, and 661 lbs (300 kg) lighter than today’s 991 C4—a car that, incidentally, is now longer, wider, taller, and heavier than the original front-engine 928 grand tourer. An early 911 is a car far, far smaller than anything fast today. A Toyota / Subaru GT-86 / BRZ is about 4 in (10 cm) wider, taller and longer. It's also heavier and, depending on the 911 you’re comparing it to, less powerful. Inside, the Porsche feels even shorter and narrower than it is. Your feet are closer to the front number plate than anything modern, other than perhaps a Lotus Elise. The lumpen fenders taper forwards, giving the give the impression that the up-right round lamps are almost as close to each other as those of a Mk1 Land Rover, and its hood falls fast just ahead of its low cowl to bring the road right up to you. Glance over your shoulder, and the body appears to end at the base of the nearby rear screen. Driving a 911 is like piloting something someone designed to park in Tokyo—not monster the mountain passes and autobahns of Europe. Yet, despite all that smallness on the outside, climb in and it's got lots of cat-swinging space inside: the lack of massive center tunnel and clear front floor space is enough to play footsy in; the low shoulder and deep, up-right glazing all-round; the compact but useful rear seats that flip to extend the rear parcel shelf into an anything-will-fit-in-if-you-push-hard-enough second boot. It’s a bloody small car, but it’s the opposite of cramped. Considering just the aesthetic design of the 911, the headline is that most people find it attractive but few would call it beautiful. It's a design most of us have seen all of our lives, looking at it objectively is impossible; the design signifies so much to each of its audience that we can’t see the wood for the trees. But there is a simplicity and perfect resolution of form and details. There is elegance and sculpture to it—particularly its side-window and the rear haunches. There is a puppy-like keenness to the face, and, somehow, a planted stance, too. Ultimately, its squat shortness and not-quitea-grown-up semantic mean that it falls just short of a classic, supermodel-like beauty conferred on the E-Type or Ferrari 275 GTB/4. From some angles, it does have a whiff of ugly ducking about it, though its charm and appeal is firmly down to the 911s not-quite-perfectness. From a designer’s point of view, the Porsche 911 is a very rich thing, a very fine thing, and a design almost impossible to see with fresh, objective eyes. I enjoyed a few days in one, though, and reckon I’ve realized a few things that have, until now, been untold parts of the 911 design story.
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Most of us remember the great Jimi Hendrix….. And Some of us may remember when the Jimi Hendrix Experience played here in Bakersfield in Oct. 1968 at the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium ….. Back in day musicians were becoming known for outrageous acts on stage. Pete Townsend had begun destroying his instruments at the end of the Who’s performances. And the Who drummer Keith Moon began destroying his drum sets on stage. Jimi accidently broke the neck of his guitar during a performance and decide to work instrument destruction into his act. He famously burned two guitars at three shows, most notably the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. In an effort to out-do The Who's destruction of their instruments earlier at the same event, Hendrix poured lighter fluid over his guitar and set it on fire. The first time Jimi tried to burn his guitar (London Astoria, March 31st 1967), he suffered hand burns and was hospitalized. Despite having bruised his ego a little, the move made Jimi Hendrix very popular internationally as an icon of that swinging generation.
A Rolling Stone Magazine cover showing Hendrix torching his Strat at the June ‘68 Monterey Pop Festival.
With the help of Paul McCartney, the Jimi Hendrix Experience was given a chance to perform in Monterey International Pop Festival. It was their chance to crack the American audience, which had previously rejected their first single. There were not only a large audience but also many journalists. At its finale, Jimi Hendrix squirted lighter fluid onto his Stratocaster, smashed it, and set it on fire. The above photos taken by Jim Marshall, and a film footage immortalized in the documentary Monterey Pop, made Hendrix an international icon. The photos later made Hendrix’s album covers and Rolling Stones put it on the cover for its 20th anniversary issue (picture top right). Manager Charles Gravis of the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium was very concern that Hendrix would try to perform the same in his “house” as he did in Monterey a few months earlier. So Mr. Gravis instructed the stage manager to turn on the house lights and unplug his amps before his last song was played. Mr. Gravis states that Hendrix was so infuriated with him over this that Hendrix took a swing at him, which failed to connect. The Bakersfield police department had officers escort Jimi from stage and to the dressing rooms where the pictures on the following page were taken by famous photographer Ron Raffaelli, who had been photographing the stage shots of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The photos of that performance have become quite famous and can be found quite easily when Googling Jimi Hendrix. 28
Jimi Hendrix performing in October ‘68 at the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium. Big concerns by the auditorium manager that Jimi may light his guitar here in B-town that night.
But I bet no-one even knows of the chaos that followed at the Civic after the show was brought to a sudden halt by the Auditorium Management that night ’68 over the Fire that never was !!
A very young officer Mac Anderson (later to become assistant police chief) enjoys a cigarette as he and Capt. Art Pillitari listen to the very annoyed Jimi Hendrix.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Drummer Mitch Mitchell watches quite intently beside Hendrix.
Jimi after he claimed down a little after the incident. Check out his guitar case in front of him and his chose of reading material, Mad Magazine and an Examiner tabloid with a feature article on a wife being kidnapped by a flying saucer.
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The Night Jimi Hendrix played in Bakersfield
Photos of Jimi Hendrix performing here in Bakersfield, Oct of 1968. Taken by Ron Raffaelli 30
Jimi Hendrix burning his Stratocaster guitar at the Monterey Pop Festival. Auditorium Manager Charlie Gravis said “Not in my House you’re Not” I worked as a AC technician for the City of Bakersfield for over 30 years and spent a lot of time working inside the Civic. Of course I was not around the City when this incident occurred, but this was a favorite story told by Civic staffers at retirement dinners. PCA Member, Mike Thomas ….
Frank Zappa was given this burnt Hendrix guitar that was thought to be from at a Miami Concert. The burnt guitar was in several pieces. Someone was found a person who could rebuild this guitar, complete with the famous burn marks. Several attempts were made by Frank Zappa’s son, Drizzle Zappa to sell it for One Million Dollars. It couldn't reach even a half-a-million dollar and was never sold by Drizzle at the time of the writing of my source material..
You Can’t make up stuff this good !!
Frank Zappa holding one of Jimi’s burnt Strat. Nicknamed the Zap-Strat 31
Past
Present
Future
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