PCA Gold Coast – Member Profiles For year’s end 2021 we have a special treat for everyone. We feature the Gold Coast Region’s “second oldest living member” in the history of our club, and what a great feature it is. “I’m just Lee Wood! Only seven letters, no middle name, and no nickname!” In working with our members we offer a basic set of questions for them to have them start somewhere. Our very first question is: “Name/nickname?” Lee’s response is well, PRICELESS. Lee was born in Miami in 1941 and turned 80 this past April. He has spent most his life in Miami or Miami Beach. His profession prior to retiring in 2002 was Funeral Director. The family business, founded by his father, was called “Walsh & Wood.” They were a smaller operation, but they serviced an elite clientele. Although retired for nearly twenty years to the keys, Lee still maintains his professional funeral license. He and Rosemary, his wife, have had a place in Plantation Key, the next key south of Key Largo, since 1959. Rosemary and Lee have been “going together” since they met in 1958, when Rosemary was just 13! (Lee was 17, so at least they were close in age, sorta.) While attending the University of Miami, Lee remembers picking up Rosemary from grade school in his Lincoln. Apparently, she fit in well with the college crowd. They were married in 1963 after dating for five years. They celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary in June. Their two children are adults. Chris (no middle name) Wood is 47 and living in North Carolina. Holly Wood, their daughter, (“another long story” per Lee, also no middle name) is four years younger than Chris. [Side note: It seems we will all need to get the insight regarding the missing middle name - and the long version of Holly Wood!] But, what about the Porsches, you may ask? Buckle your seat belts; it’s quite a ride. Currently, Lee owns and maintains two PCars. The first is a 1962 356B “Normal” Cabriolet in Summit Grey. The second is a 2004 base Boxster (986) in Arctic Silver. Lee’s 356B has been raced, and has been presented nationally in many concourse events, mainly during the 1960s and 1970s.
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Die Porsche Kassette
Rosemary & Lee Wood with their 2004 Boxster at their home in Tavernier, FL The car and Lee have received over 100 trophies at these judged events. Special recognition for the Summit Grey 356 occurred when Lee’s Porsche was chosen for the centerfold of the October 1971 edition of Road & Track. The national magazine covered the 16th annual Porsche Parade in Sun Valley, Idaho in ‘71... more on that later. The ‘04 Boxster was acquired by Mr. Wood after reading about the car in Die Porsche Kassette classified section. Thinking a second Porsche would be similar to “another hole in the head,” Lee could not resist. The 986 had 34,000 miles at the time and while on paper it may have sounded “blah” (his words, not the writer’s), the car is absolutely flawless. It was new to him and with 225hp it felt fast when compared to the 60hp in the 356B. Lee has enjoyed the Boxster by attending the 2020 North Carolina tour, the Lake Placid “Mural” tour, and the Tradewinds Park Car Show & Picnic. Closer to home they have enjoyed the Tour of the Keys and Islamorada Fish Company, all of which are Gold Coast Region PCA recent events. What pandemic? Over the years, Lee Wood (no middle name, NMN) has owned a total of four Porsche vehicles. His very first was a 1961 356B 1600 that was purchased new for $3,600! This was a seriously basic car; Signal Red and black vinyl interior with one option, a single headrest. No radio, but a black plastic plate with “PORSCHE” inscribed covered the hole where the radio would have been installed. The 356 purchase was inspired by his father’s many trips to the 12 Hour Race at Sebring. Senior Wood would watch the 550 Spyder, the Giant Killer,
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Mark Johnson, staff writer dominate over the Ferraris while being driven by legends such as Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, and Stirling Moss. Young Lee was 21 at the time and he had no real idea of the value of the car. Back in the early ‘60’s the Gold Coast Region did not exist, only the Miami Sports Car Club, so he joined that group and went rallying. According to Lee, “it wasn’t until 100,000 miles later when I went to sell it, did the awakening happen.” We can only imagine the value of that 356B today. Along the way, Lee befriended a Delta Airlines pilot who traveled to Germany each year to purchase the latest Porsche. It was a religious pilgrimage in a sense. The pilot’s last Porsche was a 356 Carrera 2, which was sold to GC PCA members Bill and Jean Robinson. This latest purchase by the Delta guy was among the first 911s to reach the shores of the United States, and it was a true head turner! The pilot offered to sell Lee this new 911. This Delta captain also suggested that Lee’s old 356 be sold to members of a new club, Gold Coast Region, PCA. Bam, done! Mr. Walt Lohmann was President of GC PCA at the time. The club was meeting at the Tropical Acres Steak House on Griffin back then. Gold Coast Region was only four years in existence. Walt took Lee under wing, along with a substantial number of other early members: Stan Pearlman, Bob Simmons, Freddie Ratliff and others. Later they were joined by Buz and Donna Hawn, George Hauser, Jack and Joyce Fuller, Steve and Dottie Kidd, Mike and Barbara Joffee, Dennis DeFrancheschi, Bud and Cauleen Styles. The list goes on and on and is exceptional in quality of members. In Lee’s estimation, Gold Coast became the greatest region of PCA. It’s members were unstoppable on the track, premier in concours judging, totally dominating anything and everything they touched. At the Boston Parade, the Gold Coast Region took 6 of 10 overall awards in competition against all the Porsche Regions in the USA at that time. Lee (NMN; just 7 letters) Wood is a self - proclaimed Concours Nut! He certainly leans toward stock condition for his cars, but he’s not above painting the fan shroud Candy Apple Red and will add lots of chrome to highlight the beauty of a Porsche flat-4 or flat-6. If it comes
