Finding Gold

Member Feature Stan Pearlman

by Mark Johnson

Turning 87 years old in 2022 means you’ve been around a good long time. Having lived within the Porsche community since you were 30 equates to a sum of 57 years of “a Porsche way of life”! Stan Pearlman is that man, and he is considered the most senior living member of Gold Coast Region of the Porsche Club of America.

Born in 1935 and raised in Miami Beach, Stan graduated from Miami Beach High School in 1953. He is an accomplished athlete, having captained the MBHS football team as a quarterback in his senior year. While Beach High was small by standards at that time, they punched well above their weight limit against the larger schools in the Miami area. In his senior year, Stan played offense and defense—i.e., both ways—and was selected for the Greater Miami All-City First Team Offense and Second Team Defense by the local newspaper. By the way, he dated the captain of the cheerleader squad. They were both captains, so it worked. More about that later.

After graduation from Beach in ’53, Stan moved from football to a second passion, water skiing! At 13 he had taken up the sport and during times on the water he began to learn, then master, the six-foot ski jump. It took quite a bit of practice and determination, as on the first attempt at the jump he became disorientated in the air, dove into the water, and broke his nose. Eventually, with dedicated effort he took first place in the Junior Division at the Greater Miami Water Skiing competition. He moved on to teach water skiing and was soon invited to join the Cypress Gardens Water Ski Show in Winter Haven, FL. He was showcased in ski jumping, slalom skiing, and the very difficult barefoot events. At 18 years old he skied everywhere and often. Following his freshman year at the University of Florida, Stan was invited to join the Chicago-based Tommy Bartlett Water Ski Show. The Tommy Bartlett show toured the Midwest for eight weeks, visiting various cities and performing four shows each weekend. It was two cars, one pulling the ski boat, the other pulling the 6’ jump, and a van pulling three additional smaller “jump” boats. The Tommy Bartlett Show was a water skiing “barnstorming” crew visiting many of the small and medium-size Midwestern towns, almost any place with a lake big enough to hold boats and skiers.

Stan graduated from UF in 1957 with a degree in communications. He sold advertising for a Miami newspaper and for the Greater Miami Visitors Guide. With a few years of advertising sales under his belt, Stan moved from Miami to New York City. It would be the first of three round trips between Miami Beach and New York City over the next several years. During his first foray in NYC, he started his third passion and became owner of a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. It was a fun but somewhat impractical car for the city, so he sold the Corvette.

After the sale of the ‘Vette and at 30 years old, Stan Pearlman acquired his first Porsche, and the real fun began! This car ignited a new passion for Porsche autos, starting his 57-year-long affair with the brand. The 1965 356C was purchased from a dealer on Long Island. The 356 was fresh and different. Stan found the car a joy to drive, full of performance and capable of being driven hard. He joined the Porsche Club of America region out on Long Island. On the Island, he learned of “autocrossing.” In his first event he finished 13th out of 14 participants in his class. Autocross with PCA was thrilling and captivating for this 30-year-old. In learning about autocross, Stan found the three key attributes which were required for success: great tires, controlled speed, and experience. Tires can be purchased, but speed–being fast–is improved through practice. We expect that slalom water skiing gave Stan a great leg up on the competition. Water skiing requires hand-eye-foot coordination, balance, vision, plus anticipation and timing to get around the course quickly. These are virtually the same attributes needed to traverse an autocross course. The 356C was fast, and with the right tires and experience, the speed around the course improved. After a few quick years in the Big Apple, Stan moved back to Miami Beach in 1966 with his 356C. In Miami Beach, he transferred his PCA membership to the recently formed Gold Coast Region of PCA. The region was in its third year at that point but was already finding success with the many quality Porsche folks in South Florida. Walt Lohmann was President of GCR at the time. With Walt’s encouragement and that of other members, Stan improved his performance with the 356 in learning the finer points of autocross. Attending with several Gold Coast Region members Stan Pearlman traveled to Porsche Parade in 1967. The ’67 Parade was hosted by the Potomac Region in Arlington, VA. This Arlington Parade offered Stan his first experience in a Concours events. Concours would provide a challenging stationary event to complement his substantially improved driving skills in autocross.

Stan Pearlman on the slalom ski!

As a first-time competitor in Concours, how did he do? No guess is necessary as Stan won first in his class with the 356C. This win set up a long and remarkable series of participations in Porsche Parade concourse events. Stan eventually traveled to fifteen Parade events and won a total of twelve times in his Porsche class. Traveling to many Parade locations and competing in both Concours and autocross, he found it necessary to carry two sets of wheel and tire setups. One set was for the Concours, and the second for the autocross. If you want to win, you must have the right equipment. Stan became GCR President in 1968, following Mr. Bob Simmons. In 1968, PCA National awarded the Gold Coast Region host duties for Porsche Parade. Walt Lohmann was Parade Chair. The event was held in Palm Beach at the Colonnades Hotel. The gala drew roughly 400 Porsche Club members and their vehicles to South Florida. At the time, this was considered a very large participation in both cars and people for a national event. As found in the Gold Coast “Condensed History,” the 1968 Parade was entitled “SONNEFEST,” which translates to “Festival in the Sun.” Of course, it rained the entire week of Parade, and the event gathered up a second moniker; “Soggyfest”. With Walt leading the Parade team, and Stan as President, the club of 100 members we able to host a successful event despite the three days of continuous hard rain. It was quite the accomplishment for a small region. At the end of a very successful year, Stan handed the president’s gavel to Lee Wood (Die Porsche Kassette, “FINDING GOLD,” December 2021). As the years progressed, Stan acquired, sold, and drove a total of eight different Porsche automobiles. Each was driven with great skill, speed, and properly maintained, which was essential for those Concours wins. Beyond the 356C, he had a 1967 911S, a 1972 911T (later to become a 1972 2.8L 911), and his favorite, a 2005 997 Carrera S.

This 997 Carrera S was a winner in every aspect. The 2010 Parade was held in St. Charles, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. Stan, his son Ron, and grandson Max each competed in autocross using Stan’s 997 in the P11 Class. As skill would have it, the Pearlman boys swept the podium for the class each driving the Carrera S. Son Ron took the top spot (1st), Stan held 2nd, and grandson Max took 3rd! Now get this: the total time difference between between 1st and 3rd place was 1.7 seconds. We should also note that this was Max’s first national autocross event at 18 years old. It is obvious that speed and carhandling abilities run in the family. Stan’s 997S wasn’t only a speed merchant, it was also Concours worthy. The Pearlman Carrera took 2nd in Class at the St. Charles Parade Concours. Additionally, the Carrera S took 1st Place at the Hershey, PA Parade Concours (2005) and 1st Place at the Charlotte Parade Concours (2008). Stan and the 997-911S were given an unofficial title of “The Fastest Parade Concours Winner” because of his excellence and winning ways with both Porsche disciplines at the many parade events he attended.

When not enjoying the Porsche lifestyle, Stan’s daily work efforts were centered around the communications industry. During the time in Miami Beach and three individual work sessions in New York City his employment related to resort and travel advertising. Stan worked at times for Gannett Newspapers, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and others in Resort & Travel, and Liquor Division advertising. It was an interesting career which allowed him time to enjoy the Porsche camaraderie. Although it wasn’t exclusively limited to advertising, sales, and marketing. Much of Stan “The Man” Pearlman’s success in autocross with his various Porsche autos could be attributed to the knowledge and efforts of a very good friend and highly respected Porsche technician, Butch Stokes. Starting with the ’67 911S and for every Porsche that followed it was Butch Stokes who kept the cars in top condition. According to Stan, if there was ever any kind of problem, Butch knew how to solve it.

Stan partnered up with Butch and together they owned and operated a Porsche repair and tuning shop. The operation was a success for quite some time, until they moved on to other opportunities. The reader may remember that it was Butch Stokes who performed the service and engine repair work and servicing that brought the KREZY Kremer back to life. (Die Porsche Kassette January 2022 – Member Feature, Joe Scalia.) Small Porsche world.

Stan (Center, 2nd), Ron (R, 1st) and Grandson Max (L, 3rd) swept the podium. They were featured on the cover of Die Kassette, August 2010. Only 1.7 seconds in elapsed time between them. Stan with the 1972 2.8L 911

Stan at home in the Trophy Room, with the Bay Bottom Crawl 4-footer, and several other awards.

Stan has two children from his first marriage: a son, Ron, and a daughter, Jill. After a short time together, they divorced. Ron and Jill were raised in southern California by their mother, and both still reside in the Golden State.

His second marriage to wife Neida was a perfect union. They spent 51 years together. Neida enjoyed the Porsche experience as much as Stan and was involved with all things Porsche for their time together. Neida was successful in her own right in working up the corporate ladder with companies such as Macy’s and Bergdorf Goodman. Her success kept her quite busy, and her love an appreciation for Stan’s Porsche passion allowed him to pursue much of the PCar fun for their time together. Unfortunately, Neida passed in 2014, and Stan’s personal life changed yet again. Attending a Miami Beach HS class reunion a couple of years later Stan inquired with a few fellow classmates about that cheerleader captain, his high school flame, Ms. Judy (Lewis) Bernstein. Judy was not in attendance that year, but at the insistence of several friends she attended the following year and she and Stan became reacquainted. Their high school infatuation was rekindled. Today, Stan and Judy live in her home in Palm Beach Gardens, part of the PGA National golf development. They are active in the community. The planned community allows for great bike riding. Every morning Judy and Stan get great exercise by pedaling around the neighborhood. They also attend local events, concerts, and enjoy sharing time with neighbors in the area. Visiting their home in Palm Beach Gardens is a treat. On the day of our visit, Judy was entertaining a few lady friends while Stan shared his passion for all things Porsche in their TV/Rec room. The room is full of trophies filling two bookcases. Yes, there are multiple autocross and concours accolades, but also a very large volume of tennis trophies won by Judy. Their shared enthusiasm for athletics and a healthy lifestyle has afforded their excelling at all they have touched. While Ms. Judy’s awards for tennis rival Stan’s for his Porsche accomplishments, the physical size of the trophies are a bit different. One of his awards is huge. It generates multiple questions as to what Stan might have accomplished to acquire a four-foot tall, twenty-five-pound trophy. To say it is a BIG trophy would be an understatement. For many years, the Gold Coast Region held a major autocross event in Key West. This autocross was called the Bay Bottom Crawl. The Bay Bottom Crawl drew a substantial volume of skilled drivers each year, in many varied vehicles, not exclusively Porsches. The Crawl awards included this monstrous perpetual trophy. Each year the winner’s name would be engraved on a plaque at the base of the four-posted, big cup, with a winged spirit holding a laurel wreath on top. Win the Bay Bottom Crawl three times and take the trophy home on a permanent basis! Stan Pearlman had won twice, back-to-back in 1968-69. However, Stan had competition in the form of Mr. Harry Heinl in his Ford GT40: Harry won in 1970 and 1972. This was a REAL GT40, driven by Mr. Heinl to compete in the Bay Bottom Crawl. If either of these two won again, the trophy would go to a permanent home. (“Google” Harry Heinl GT40 if you wish.) The headline of the newspaper article stated: “PORSCHE WINS BAY BOTTOM CRAWL.” Stan Pearlman beat Harry Heinl in the GT40 by 0.1 seconds over the challenging autocross course that ran roughly two minutes in length. The four-foot-tall, twenty-five-pound ornate Bay Bottom Crawl trophy is sitting in Stan Pearlman’s TV room, having been permanently retired in 1973. In addition to his role as GCR President in 1968, Stan also held the role for the two-year period of 1978-79. Those were productive years for our region. Ms. Judy is not a car person, unfortunately. Stan has adjusted his life to match this lovely person. A few years ago, he sold his last Porsche, a 2002 996 Carrera. That car won 1st in Class in the San Diego Parade autocross, and 1st in Class at the Ft. Worth Parade Concours de Elegance in keeping with Stan’s long history of excellence. As local traffic increased along with the chances for a vehicle accident or incident, he decided to “retire” from driving his favored marque. He could not bear the thought of having such a beautiful car simply sit in the garage, or worse, being wrecked by an inattentive driver. Stan lived the “built to be driven” nature of Porsche. So, rather than not drive the Carrera, he sold it. Today, he still wheels around in a “turbo,” but the vehicle is a non-Porsche brand when he drives.

Ultimately, Stan and Judy spend a couple hours each day riding around their neighborhood for relaxation, and to stay fit. They both are in super shape and the bicycles keep both physically active and allow them to find a mutually rewarding physical activity, as water skiing is no longer an option. Stan remains a member or PCA Gold Coast Region. He is no longer active, but he enjoys reading the region’s news in Die Porsche Kassette. Several back issues are kept on the end table next to his seat, and he reads them cover to cover. In visiting with Stan, the stories, photos, trophies, and glorious memories never stop. To put it simply, he’s probably forgotten more about what he’s done with Porsche automobiles than most all of us have ever done with ours.

Mark Johnson

Stan Pearlman has lived the Porsche way of life. We should all be so fortunate.

Happy Home Loans Start With Us

We offer home purchase and refinance loans at historic low rates with low fees and other benefits just for PCA Members!

1-800-206-8807

Scan the QR Code

www.jpmbenefit.com/pca

Special PCA Member Loan Program PCA Member Passcode: Panorama2021

JPMBenefit—5055 W Park Blvd, Suite 300, Plano TX 75093

This is not a loan commitment or guarantee of any kind. Loan approval and rate are dependent upon borrower credit, collateral, financial history, and program availability at time of origination. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Corporate Address: 3701 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Charlotte, North Carolina 28273. Cardinal Financial Company, Limited Partnership (NMLS ID 66247, www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) has the following licenses: AZ Mortgage Banker License #0925883; Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. Loans made or arranged pursuant to a CaliforniaFinance Lenders Law license, License No. 603K498; Kansas Licensed Mortgage Company #MC.0025207; Massachusetts Mortgage Lender/Broker License MC66247; NV Mortgage Company Licenses #3967 & #3968; Licensed by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance #8701663; Licensed Mortgage Banker -NYS Banking Department #B500951; Rhode Island Licensed Lender #20132934LL; and is also approved to lend in: AL, AK, AR, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NH, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY. Additional licensing information can be found at: https://cardinalfinancial.com/ licensing/.

Visit the NMLS Consumer Access website for regulatory information about us. Cardinal Financial Company, Limited Partnership (NMLS ID 66247). Copyright © 2020 Cardinal Financial Company, Limited Partnership. All trademarks and trade names are the property of Cardinal Financial.