President
Die PORSCHE Plauderei
Steve Sullivan St. Charles, MO 63304 president@stl.pca.org
Vice-president
Ric Smith Ballwin, MO 63011 vicepresident@stl.pca.org
Secretary Patty Paster Clayton, MO 63105 secretary@stl.pca.org
Treasurer
Kelis Thacker Clayton, MO 63105 treasurer@stl.pca.org
Board Members
Dave Boyd
Tom Campbell
Stephen Curet
Daleesa Curet
Linda Dunn
Jim Fiss
Nancy Goodman
Dan Hinkebein
Morgan Howard
Eric Kirkpatrick
Josh Landau
Arlene Molina
Mike Molina
Marek Parafiniuk
Lisa Goforth-Naes
Robert Naes
Jim Smith
Sherrill Smith
Bob Tamsky
Ted Zimmermann
President Emeritus
Steve Warren
Region Website: http://stl.pca.org
Region Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/stlpca/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/stlpca X http://twitter.com/StLouisPCA
Die Porsche Plauderei is the official publication of St. Louis Region, PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA. Opinions expressed herein represent the views of the authors only. Associate Regions, by this statement, are authorized to use materials in this publication provided proper credits are included. Deadline for articles or information for publication is the 15th of the month prior to publication. Submissions may be edited for grammar and length. Editor reserves the right to edit all material and to publish only material that is felt to be in the best interest of the Region. Forward inquiries and materials for publication to ESSINC Group, Box 510109, St. Louis, MO, 63151-0109 e-mail: plauderei@stl.pca.org Send changes of address to membership@stl.pca.org or by mail to St. Louis Region PCA, Box 510109, St. Louis, MO, 63151-0109.
Columbia Porsche Group Southern IL & SE Missouri Quincy / Hannibal
Allen Maddy Karl Robinson Mark Hickerson columbiaporschegroup@stl.pca.org southeasternmissouri@stl.pca.org qh@stl.pca.org
Membership Chair Safety Chair Social Events Chairs
Josh Landau Dan Hinkebein Tom Capmbell membership@stl.pca.org safety@stl.pca.org socialevents@stl.pca.org
Public Relations Chair Car Show Chair HPDE Events
Linda Dunn Ric Smith Todd Sylvainus publicrelations@stl.pca.org carshow@stl.pca.org Sherrill Smith stlpcahpde@gmail.com
Plauderei Editor Digital Media Chair Zone 10 Rep. Earlwayne Stumpf Dave Boyd Stephen Kemp plauderei@stl.pca.org websitesocialmedia@stl.pca.org Zone10Rep@pca.org
President’s Message
December 2024
What a fast year! I can’t believe we just had Halloween and are planning for Thanksgiving already. I thought of two things I need to do now...
First, besides my wife and family, is to be thankful for everything that we’ve accomplished, and for all the volunteers that made this possible. Countless hours go into the planning, organizing and executing the myriad events we have.
We’ve held over 50 events this year. This includes driving tours, picnics, auto shows, cars and coffees, tech sessions, high performance driving experiences, social hours, planning meetings and general board meetings. Not only do we have them in the St. Louis area, we’ve had events as far west as Columbia, as far east as Lebanon and Shiloh, and as far south as Ste. Genevieve and Carbondale. We do have a pretty large geographic boundary, and I’ve met a lot of new friends.
Second is to look at the 2025 calendar and start writing down the things I want to participate in. I don’t know about you, but my calendar seems to fill up very quickly.
For the rest of this year, we are hosting our Holiday Party at Westborough Country Club on December 7th, where we will once again be gathering toys for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign. Then, our annual Changing of the Guard / Planning meeting on December 11th will be a Pan d’Olive restaurant. And our mid-Missouri members close out our year with their relaxed holiday gathering at The Roof in Columbia, MO on December 15th before we all take a break to spend the holidays with our families and friends.
So, be thankful for everything you have, check your calendar for next year, and see you at a future event.
Happy Motoring!
Steve Sullivan
• High Performance Audio Systems
• Stealth Radar & Laser Protection
• Apple Car Play & Android Auto
• Clear Paint protection
• Window Treatments
• Wheel Restoration & Color change
• Back up & Forward Safety Cameras
• Custom front Skid plates & More !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMz2N3-3ASo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHtIF1xjB1o
Member’s Reception
Friday, Nov. 22nd, 6-7:30 pm
Porsche St. Louis Service Center
17455 N Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield
2024 has been an amazing year for the St. Louis Region of PCA, and we are proud to announce that we have had over 100 new PCA members join our Region!
To celebrate, we will be holding a new Members Reception at the beautiful new Porsche St. Louis Service Center in Chesterfield on Friday, November 22nd, 2024 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.
Registration has reached capacity and is now CLOSED.
Join us for a STLPCA Region New Member’s Reception at the stunning Porsche St. Louis Service Center in Chesterfield, located at 17455 N. Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield MO 63005 - north of I-64/40 and just west of the Boones Crossing exit.
Enjoy delicious light hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and exciting door prizes of some cool Porsche merchandise, tour the new facility and learn about our 2025 HPDE Schedule and Women on Wheels program.
Friday, November 22nd, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Porsche St. Louis Service Center, Chesterfield
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with your fellow Porsche enthusiasts!
StL PCA Holiday Party
Saturday, Dec. 7th, 6-9 pm
Westborough Country Club
631 S. Berry Rd, St. Louis
Begin your holiday season with the St. Louis Region Holiday Party on Saturday, December 7th from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Westborough Country Club, 631 South Berry Road (off Berry Road, north of I-44).
The Party is open to all members (adults only) at the cost of $50 per person for hors d’oeuvres followed by a sit-down dinner with dessert. Full evening beverage service of select wines and beer along with non-alcoholic beverages included.
When registering, you will pay and asked to select your entree of choice:
Flat-iron steak Chicken Salmon or Vegetarian
We will have a slide show during dinner to highlight all the events we had during the year. Also, a History table displaying old photo albums and memorabilia will commemorate our Region’s 65th anniversary as a PCA Region.
Space is limited and spots will fill FAST when reservations open NOV. 1! RSVP ASAP at msreg.com/Holiday-gala24 to reserve your place at the party. Registration closes when all spots are filled or at 5 pm, Dec. 2. No ‘Walk-ins” allowed. Festive holiday apparel and jackets for gentlemen preferred.
Once again, we will be collecting toys for the Marine Corps Toys 4 Tots program. Bring new, unwrapped toy donations to be donated to local children’s charities.
Changing of the Guard / Planning Meeting
Pan d’Olive
1603 McCausland
Dec. 11th, 6:30 pm
Our December gathering of the Board of Directors is always one of the most challenging meetings each year. We celebrate the successes of the past year, and then the challenge begins - ‘Where do we go from here?’ You never know what events might pop up at the Planning Meeting - like this past year’s Eclipse Run into Southern Illinois. As we review the events of the past year, we look at what worked and what didn’t and which deserve a place on the Calendar for the year ahead. As we review each event, we look for event chairs to shepherd each event to a successful conclusion.
This year, our Changing of the Guard meeting returns to Pan d’Olive, a fantastic Mediterranean restaurant at 1603 McCausland, south of I-64 at the southwest corner of Forest Park.
Our Board meetings are open to all and we invite you to join us. But if you can’t join us, we’d still like to know your ideas of where you want the Region to head in the year ahead. Was there an event you really liked and definitely want us to repeat next year? Let the Board know! Is there a new event you’d like to see our Region try next year? Again, let the Board know! These meetings often drag on past the normal Board meetings, but hopefully we can come away from the evening with a tentative plan of where our Region will be headed in the year ahead.
We’d like to hear your ideas. If you are interested in participating in the Planning meeting, please RSVP to president@stl.pca.org so we can reserve your space at the meeting.
CPG Holiday Gathering
5:30 pm, Sunday, Dec. 15th
The Roof, Columbia, MO
We get caught up in a hectic holiday schedulework parties...family gatherings....school events... it can take a toll on our time and our nerves. Our mid-Missouri members dial the crazy meter back a couple notches with a relaxed evening at one of their most popular holiday gathering places - The Roof, atop the Broadway Hotel at 1111 East Broadway, Columbia, MO. The Roof offers a casual gathering place with a relaxed atmosphere that’s perfect for conversation and fellowship.
Want to join in on the fun? Look for more details and RSVP on www.msreg.com in early December and join us on The Roof! Hope you can join us!.
EV SalesStronger than you think
Listening to the news, you might get the idea that sales of electric and plug-in electric vehicles are tanking, and the EV market is doomed...but the numbers show something different. Yes, sales of electric vehicles are not as robust as auto industry leaders might have predicted and might like, but everyone knew those projections were always a little overly optimistic. Looking at the actual number of EVs rolling out of dealer showrooms show sales are far from dying.
By the end of 2024, 1 in every 9 vehicles sold in the U.S. will be EVs. That’s a 20% increase over 2023 sales. Electric vehicle sales made up ore than 8.9% of all vehicle sales in the 3rd Quarter of 2024. Currently, there are more than 3.3 million electric vehicles rolling across the nation. Part of the reason for the ‘gloom and doom’ talk about EV sales probably comes from the fact that EV sales tend to be clumped together in only a few state. It shouldn’t be a surprise that California leads all states in the number of EVs on the road, followed by Florida and Texas. Connecticut and Michigan has also seen a significant growth in EV registration in 2024. Nearly 100,000 Illinois residents will enter 2025 with an EV in their garage
HPDE NEWS
From the High Performance Driver Education
Curious about driving on the track?
Introduction to HPDE SEMINAR
Saturday, Feb 1st, 10am-Noon
Learn what it takes to track your car during this FREE Seminar, where the DE Team will discuss event details, how to register, how to prepare and more! Registration is now open, use the following link: www.msreg.com/HPDEseminar2025
2 0 2 5
May 16-18
June 27-29
Team
Porsche St. Louis Spring HPDE
Porsche St. Louis Summer HPDE
June 28 5th Annual Women on Wheels
June 29 One Day Intro to HPDE
Oct 10-12
Porsche St. Louis Fall HPDE All event info will
HPDE Team
Todd Sylvainus, Chair
Sherrill Smith, Co-Chair
Jim Smith, Chief Driving Instructor
Lisa Goforth-Naes, Sponsors & Social Coordinator
One More Election -
We’re all pretty burned out on politics and elections right now, but unfortunately our Regional Bylaws says we have one more to go - the election of St. Louis Region Officers and Board members to serve the Region in 2025. This election is pretty much a formality. We welcome anyone who wants to serve on the Board to join us in planning and organizing the events the Region enjoys each year, so anyone who asks that their name be placed on the ballot will be welcomed to serve on the Board.
But there is still the formality of the Election as required by the Bylaws. You will find an interactive, electronic ballot attached to the email announcing the delivery of this newsletter. You can vote for those you wish to serve or vote in a write in candidate by opening the ballot, clicking on the boxes for those you wish to serve or typing in the name of someone wishing to serve the Region in 2025. After making your choices, return the ballot by either emailing to essincgroup@gmail.com or clicking on the ‘Submit Ballot’ button. Your ballot will be returned to the Region where it will be printed out and placed in the Ballot Box to be tabulated at the December Changing of the Guard gathering and Planning Meeting. You also have an opportunity to suggest any event you would like the Region to investigate by telling us about it in the comment section of the ballot
This is your Region. Please let your voice be heard by voting and letting us know what you would like to see the Region plan for the year ahead!
Cover story: Are you proud of your Porsche? Eric King
Are you proud of your Porsche? I am. Since a teenager, I’ve yearned for a Carrera. For most, funding the dream is the first hurdle. My ceaseless preoccupation continued through college where the best I could manage was a Volkswagen Rabbit. My tinkering revealed various parts on the car were emblazoned with the VW Audi logo. Add the era of Porsche Audi in the mix and my rationalized proximity from my Rabbit to my someday Carrera was made. I’m almost there! My life continues with mortgages, kids, and college always delaying the goal. Until one day, on July 2nd, with all the hurdles behind me, I realize now is the time. With the Carrera in the garage, I quickly joined PCA 2 days later on July 4th. Why did it take me 2 days, you wonder? Well, you can guess what I did on July 3rd.
I spent some time looking at the PCA website and noticed a section under News called ‘Photo Gallery’. I read that each month they highlight PCA members’ Porsches! I was determined to capture a special Carrera moment. On October 19th on our tour to Hermann I discovered the apple cider and donuts at Thierbach Orchards. Can you still taste it? Shamefully, I returned October 21st for more, and an excuse to drive. Walking back to my car, I stumbled on the moment. I captured the picture and submitted it to PCA that night. Within a few days, I got an email from Damon Lowney (PCA Insider podcast fame) informing me the photo was selected to appear in the PCA Photos of the Month for October and November 2024!
Why do I tell this story? I’m sure we all have one, and you are proud of your Porsche journey, too. Share your special moment with the only community that understands you, too. Visit the PCA Photos of the Month at www.pca.org/ news/photo-gallery and share your dream!
Eric King
Experiencing Fall Colors the Porsche Club Way
Hermann, MO
Oct. 19th, 2024
by Eric King
My excitement for sharing a drive with my PCA crew started not long after I joined. Only a few weeks in and I was able to convince Ric Smith to take a mini tour with me after taking delivery of his Carrera and mine only a month earlier. I had a great time on the twisty route on and around Highway 94.
My enthusiasm for the fall tour was amplified by the number of participants. Wow! Sixty-five cars and 120 people! My preparations started just days after registration opened. I researched our destinations on the web and the route we would be taking. I even thought about what music to play. The night before, I had everything ready and checked my alarm twice.
October 19th started out as a beautiful, crisp fall day. I noted that the trees had just barely started to turn color, but green was definitely the color of the day. I’m thinking another drive would be in order when the foliage turned to the vibrant hues we recognize as fall. Any excuse to drive will do.
I arrived at the commuter lot early since I volunteered to be a tour sweep driver. For over half an hour, I watched the members roll in one or two at a time. I studied each ne to check myself on my model and generation knowledge. Soon the parking lot was full, and everyone was saying hello and enjoying a conversation.
After a safety briefing, we were good to go. The event was so popular this year that there were four running groups. I was in the first group that departed. As the sweep driver for Group A, I was the
last car in line to enure that no one was left behind during the drive.
Soon I saw others in the community we shared the road with. My first thought was, “I’m sure most have never seen this many Porsches at one time.” I know from my own experience that I rarely see another Porsche on the road. To see fifteen or so in a row is a once-in-alifetime occurrence. My second thought was, “I feel sorry for those looking to merge onto the highway with us.” I could see the drivers’ faces straining to find the end of the line so they could pull out. They were either enjoying this marvelous exhibition or were frustrated. The four tour groups are designed to allow for breaks, so we don’t disrupt the citizenry.
These roads we were driving on were shared with our PCA family from across the nation back in the Fall of 2023 during the Treffen Gateway to the West. I’ve heard stories that many compliments were given to our club for our fabulous roads. I must agree. Most of the times I have driven this area, there has been very little traffic. Combining the day’s mild temperatures with the best of our curvy roads was the recipe for a perfect tour.
I moved here from Orange County, California in 2013. There are wonderful roads there too. The desert, mountains, beach, hills and valleys all offer a unique blend of experiences. No doubt Southern California has the right geography for good roads. I can easily think of a dozen I’d like to take my Carrera on right now. However, the problem is population. If I know about the road, then so do dozens of others at the same moment. I have never found myself alone on a road there...which brings me back to the blissful moment on Hwy 94. Yes, I was stuck in traffic. I was sandwiched between a Panamera and a Carrera with dozens more ahead and behind me. Not a bad state of affairs really. I will not forget this moment.
The ethereal experience began to fade as the Porsche train pulled into the Thierbach Orchards station. We kept our four groups, each pulling alongside the other. As we excited our cars, those who had been here before headed straight for the shed out back where they
Photos by Eric King
keep the fresh donuts and apple cider. Before I made it out of the parking lot, others were walking back holding them up high like an award that had been bestowed
on them. The thirty-minute stop seemed like plenty of time until I had to wait for my own share of the prize and the time needed to enjoy it with friends.
Time to go! It sounded to me like the Indy 500. Nothing better than 50-plus boxer engines starting. The four groups left single file from the parking lot and headed north for a short bit before turning south on Hwy N to meet up with Hwy 94 again. The ebb and flow of driving in a group was routine by now. I didn’t mind because who doesn’t like the sound of a sweet flat six winding up and slowing down? Eventually we made our way to the Christopher S. Bond bridge, the viaduct that brought us across the Missouri River to downtown Hermann. Whoops! What did we get into? Boy was it busy! Due to a local emergency, we ended up with a detour, but eventually found our way to the Riverfront Park. Parking was tight, so we ended up parking two and sometimes three cars deep in the parking spaces designed for vehicles towing boat trailers.
Photo by Brad Bloomquist
Photos by Eric King
Our pre ordered box lunches were ready when we arrived at the Riverfront Park pavilion. The delectable edibles were even better with the great conversations. The piece de resistance had to be the custom STL PCA cookie!
I couldn’t bring myself to eat it at lunch, so I brought it home. Steve Sullivan wanted a group picture, but as lunch wound down, folks started to disperse. We concluded the picture will have to remain a memory.
We said our final good-byes, walked around town, and visited a few stores. A good stretch after lunch prepared us well for the hour drive home. After the exciting morning driving the meandering Hwy 94, the unbending Hwy 100 was a welcome change and provided some relaxation and time for reflection. It was the end of a much-anticipated event, however my obsession was not fulfilled on Saturday. I returned to Thierbach Orchards on Monday for more apple cider and donuts. I had an excuse though; it was my birthday. Now what is my excuse for next weekend? Hmmmm. Oh, how about the drive I expected on the tour with the drizzling of fiery orange and red leaves falling on the road that need to be stirred by the wake of a sonorous Porsche. Yes, that will do.
Eric King
The Fifth Annual Ocean City NJ
PCA Boardwalk Reunion
by Miles Cramer
Editor’s Note: Veteran members Miles and Mary Cramer take us along on a trip to a PCA event in his NJ hometown which draws hundreds of Porsches each year.
This is the second time Mary and I have made this road trip to the East Coast, and this event does not disappoint! Held on the historic Boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey, this year 350 Porsches from as far away as Montana showed up for display in two rows, nose to tail, stretching for over a mile down the Boardwalk.
Wonderfully organized annually by Ellen Beck and Bob Gutjahr of Schattenbaum Region, presented by Porsche Cherry Hill, and hosted by PCA Zones 1 & 2, this event is supported by the entire Jersey Shore town of Ocean City, and helps to keep their business owners busy during the slow season. Ocean City is my hometown (OCHS class of 1969), with a permanent population of about 25,000, and a summer population of over 300,000.
We headed east on I-64 on Saturday, Oct. 12, and covered about 500 miles to Charleston, WV for the night. The next day, we drove about 100 miles on some really beautiful roads, with spectacular Fall colors scenery, to Elkins WV, where we visited with the DNR forestry manager and his RN wife who now live in the hand built log house I lived in back in the 70’s, when I worked at the outstanding little college there. We took in the sights for a couple days, then drove the 400 miles across the eastern Continental Divide, over the West Virginia high tundra, has a little slushy snow at high altitude, and saw more scenery along some of the best Porsche roads in America.
In Ocean City, we checked into our suite at the Flanders Hotel, a 100 year old, beautifully remodeled grand old Jersey Shore hotel right on the Boardwalk. Off-season suites are about $30 more a night than the roadside Hampton Inns we stay in, with full kitchens and ocean view. We were off to shopping and seafood, with real deal cheesesteaks,
fudge, and salt water taffy made year round. We even spent the day 20 miles up the road in Lower Bank, NJ walking through my family cemetery, visiting ancestry going back to the late 1700s.
The Reunion was on Saturday, the 19th, and Friday the town started filling up with Porsches. An evening dinner was held at the Scarborough Inn, a huge, fully re-done guest house now a B&B, with open bar and outstanding tacos with beans and rice. Then volunteers were off to their organizational meeting.
I started at 6 am at the local airport, helping to organize the swag orders for participants (sweatshirts, grill badges, hats, etc) as cars arrived for staging for the police escorted parade of 350 cars the 15 blocks to the Boardwalk. This event is impressively organized!
The weather was perfect, 70 degrees, light breeze, high clouds, Atlantic surf pounding and full of surfers. There were three tech sessions held on the Music Pier, and the Goodie Store was busy all day. Shops and eateries were busy, and the local business owners had a great day. I had old friends come in for the day, and we had a great time.
Saturday night once again, the Flanders offered the best buffet banquet you can imagine. Prime rib and every side dish were absolutely excellent, and a wonderful time was had by everyone. It’s not the cars, it’s the people (and yes, it’s the cars, too).
Sunday morning, Mary and I loaded up and headed west, making 600 miles that day before stopping Sunday evening. Those 12-way power seats are awesome! I must say I-70 through Indiana must be one of the worst maintained interstates in America, bumps and patches the whole way. Next time, we may look for another way. We got home before dinner on Monday and are seriously thinking about going again next year, as the Reunion will be recognizing Targas of every vintage (we have a sliding roof Targa 4S). Our whole trip covered 2275 miles over 10 days. We’ve now taken the car to the
Pacific coast, and twice to the Atlantic and Florida coasts. These cars are the best long distance road trip cars in the world!
If you want info on the event, you can just look up Porsche Boardwalk Reunion on your phone or computer, and sign up to get their info for next ear in October. Rooms at the Flanders go fast, and are not that expensive in low season, and Porsche guests get a discount.
Again, a shout out to our Plauderei advertisers who help take car of my car: Josh Landau at JML Audio of St. Louis for the new front and rear dash cam system and battery...Chad Force, Leslie Dement and Jeff Copeland and their technicians at Porsche St. Louis for fresh oil and brake fluid and new tires this year...and Eric Beutal at St. Louis Auto Detail with Mike Godat at Elite Customs for refinishing the nose and installing full front end clear film protection. Good stuff for road trips!
Miles Cramer
Taking a break
Lagging
sales and large inventories of unsold vehicles have convinced Jaguar to shut down all vehicle production for much of 2025. Annual sales of new Jaguar XE, XF, E-Pace, I-Pace and F-type Jaguars have slid to less than 65,000 vehicles worldwideless than 10,000 here in the U.S. Jaguar’s F-Pace SUV has been the only model getting any buyer interest. Dealers worldwide will try to get through 2025 selling left over 2023 / 2024 models currently in dealer and distributor inventories.
Jaguar says it will use the factory downtime to retool for a all-electric future for Jaguar. The company hopes to come back late in 2025 or early 2026 with just 3 electric models moving into the future.
Photos by Miles and Mary Cramer
Changes coming to the 963
The Porsche Penske 963 is basically what the racing world calls a ‘Spec’ car. All the WEC Hypercar and IMSA GTP race cars have to come from 1 of 3 approved chassis manufacturers. The racers also have to use approved transmissions, EV drive batteries, and numerous other parts which have been pre-approved by the race sanctioning bodies. The individual teams are permitted to write their own EV drive control software and to design and manufacture other race parts after requesting approval of the changes from the FIA and IMSA sanctioning bodies. These requested changes are known in the sanctioning world as ‘jokers’ - (don’t ask me why...that’s what they call them). Each race team has been given approval to ask for 5 ‘jokers’ or design changes over the 5 year projected life of the LMDh Hypercars and GTP cars.
Porsche has reportedly presented a request to the race governing bodies to allow Porsche to incorporate a ‘joker’ modification in the 2025 963. That change reportedly involves a modification of the front suspension to give Porsche more adjustability in the front suspension mounting points and front suspension pieces of the 963. Head of the Porsche Motorsport 963 project, Urs Kuratle, has told racing journalists that Porsche feels that it needs more adjustability in the front suspension.
The FIA and IMSA are reviewing Porsche’s requested and have yet to either approve or deny the requested modifications. This would be the second ‘joker’ that Porsche has requested on Multimatic’s approved base chassis that became the 963. The first ‘joker’ modification that Porsche requested involved the electronic front brake pressure sensors.
Porsche had been considering requesting modifications in the 963’s engine and powertrain, but the request for modifications was shelved by Porsche after the 963’s strong mid-season showing at the 24 Hours of LeMans in June.
The race sanctioning bodies say that Toyota, Peugeot and Ferrari have all requested and received approval in incorporate ‘joker’ modifications in their race cars in 2024. Each of those three teams has apparently used one of their allotted 5 ‘joker’ modifications in 2024. It’s probable that they will be requesting other changes for the 2025 competition year. The sanctioning bodies have admitted to approving those modifications for those 3 teams, but refuses to reveal what parts of the cars those teams were approved to modify.
“Almost” a perfect season
Porsche Motorsports can look back on 2024 with a satisfied smile. The Motorsports building at Weissach might have to build a couple more trophy cases to hold the trophies won by the factory backed race teams around the world. The winning accomplishments are definitely something to relish:
FIRST in the WEC Hypercar Driver’s Championship
SECOND in the WEC Hypercar Manufacturer’s Championship
FIRST in the WEC World Cup Championship
FIRST in the WEC LMGT3 Driver’s Championship
FIRST in the WEC LMGT3 Team Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTP Driver’s Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTP Team Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTP Constructor’s Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTP Endurance Cup GTP Driver’s Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTP Endurance Cup GTP Team Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTP Endurance Cup GTP
Constructor’s Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTD Pro Driver’s Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTD Pro Team Championship
FIRST in the IMSA GTD Pro Constructor’s Championship
FIRST in the Formula E Driver’s Championship
SECOND in the Formula E Team Championship
SECOND in the Formula E Manufacturer’s Championship
14 FIRST PLACE trophies
3 SECOND PLACE trophies
Not a perfect season...there’s still a couple trophies that could have been won, but definitely no reason to spend the off season licking your wounds. On to 2025!
Porsche rethinking EV Plans
There are rumblings coming out of the Porsche AG executive suites in Zuffenhausen that Porsche is recalculating its previously announced plans and goals to bring new EV versions of Porsche’s model line to the world markets - but the reason might not be what you think. Porsche had announced that it planned to change its powertrain mix to 80% EV by 2030. Those plans had originally called for the gradual phasing out of ICE versions of the Boxster / Cayman / Macan / Panamera over the next 5 years to eventually convert those models to EV only models. Porsche’s original plans called for Porsche factories to continue to churn out a mix of both petro powered and EV versions of those models while slowly decreasing the ICE powered versions and ramping up production of the EV models. Porsche executives had often said that it’s no big deal to make the conversion slowly. They say the factories should have no problem producing a combination of ICE and EV models at the same time.
There is no doubt that EV sales of all vehicles have slowed in 2024. Taycan sales in the US are down significantly in the 3rd quarter of 2024. But the real fly in Porsche’s future plans is coming not from the U.S. or Europe, but rather it comes from what has been called the ‘crumbling’ of the Chinese market. High end car sales in China are dropping like a rock. Porsche, Mercedes, GM are all seeing sales evaporate in China as Chinese buyers are tightening their belts and switching to cheap EVs built by Chinese companies like BYD, Li Auto, and Geely.
World auto market analysts say there is little hope for a rebound in the Chinese luxury car market in the foreseeable future. Porsche execs have openly commented that Porsche can no longer assume that China which was recently battling with the U.S. for the title of the largest market for Porsches will ever return to where it was a couple years ago. In fact, Porsche is dialing back investment in China and making moves to pare down a significant portion of its dealership network in China. Porsche is not alone in these worries. Mercedes and GM have also trimmed back their optimism about the future for business in China.
So in the mean time, Porsche is looking to produce a few more ICE engines for a few more years making it quite possible that we may see ICE powered Boxsters / Caymans and Macans a little longer than originally thought.
Sniffing out a future for older Porsches
When word was leaked that Porsche had applied for patent protection of a new 6-stroke internal combustion engine, a lot of people either laughed or shook their heads in disgust questioning why would Porsche waste time and money on a new ICE when the nations of Europe and around the world appear to be determined to ban the sale of cars using an ICE after 2035. Well, the answer lies in the fine print of the European Union’s governing body rule governing the ban on ICE engines. Down in the fine print of the rule designed to ban the use of petroleum based fuels in the future is a clause allowing the manufacture and sale of vehicles using ICE engines designed and built to burn eFuels such as the carbon neutral liquid fuel Porsche is developing and producing along with Exxon Mobil and its other South American partners. The primary objective of the new synthetic fuel is to be able to power any ICE now on the road without extensive modifications to the present day powerplants. That is really important to Porsche because there are a lot of old 356s...early 911s...914s...924/944/968s and 928s still rolling over the world’s highways. So eventually, the plan is to have all the older Porsches powered by the eFuels.
But those eFuels are probably not going to be cheap. Porsche and Exxon Mobil suspect that the eFuels will probably cost between $7 - $8 dollars a gallon. EU government regulators are working on a plan to ban the sale of petroleum based liquid fuels once there is a significant supply of the eFuels available. But the regulators are also realistic enough to know that the price of the eFuels is probably going to have a lot of older ICE owners searching for black market gasoline even after the sale of the gasoline has been banned. And the EU has ordered auto makers to come up with a plan to keep their older gasoline powered vehicles from using the petroleum based fuels.
Porsche engineers have applied for patents for a system to ‘sniff out’ petroleum based fuels and to disable the vehicles if petroleum fuels are detected. The Porsche plan calls for ‘odor sensors’ to be installed in the vehicle’s fuel system to detect a scent that could be added to the eFuel to indicate the liquid fuel in the vehicle is an eFuel - not a petroleum based fuel. It’s a plan very similar to the ‘odor’ presently added to natural gas and propane to help detect leaks of the odorless gases. The proposed Porsche plan would place an odor sensor in the fuel tank or fuel tank filler neck and a second sensor downstream of the fuel injection distributor. If those two sensors detected the prescribe
‘eFuel scent’, the vehicle’s ignition system would be allowed to send the electrical charge to the spark plugs to fire the plug and initiate the combustion cycle. If the two sensors did not detect the scent or if the two disagreed on the ‘odor’ of the combustible fuel mix, the electronic ignition would be disabled, thereby stopping the engine from running until the proper fuel was detected by the sensors in the fuel system.
Porsche engineers say the ‘odor scentsor system’ is actually a very simple system and could be fairly easily installed in older vehicles. The system would just add the two ‘noses’ to sniff out the correct fuel and a ‘piggyback’ module on the electronic ignition that would allow the ignition system to function normally when the correct fuel odor is detected or to shut the ignition down when petroleum based fuels are detected.
The fuel odor system would allow vintage Porsches to continue to legally roll across the highways even after petroleum based fuels are no longer available. It will be interesting to see where Porsche engineers take the ICE power trains into the future.
Is Audi’s F1 future in trouble?
It’s no secret that VW is tightening the belts of all it’s brands in efforts to cut its losses caused by declining auto sales. VW is talking (perhaps battling might be a better word) with its unions about cutting wages and possibly even closing German manufacturing facilities putting a lot of German auto workers out of work in 2025.
All that talk about cutbacks is being met with finger pointing at all the money that Audi has reportedly spent as they prepare to enter Formula 1 racing in 2026. As of this past March, Audi finished its purchase of the Sauber F1 race team. Under the purchase agreement, Sauber would continue to race as Sauber until Audi had its own new car design and powerplant ready to hit the track in 2026. F1 jounalists report that Audi has spent as much as $600 million to get their F1 effort to where it is today. Needless to say, there is more than a little grumbling in Germany about Audi throwing hundreds of million of Euros into F1 racing at a time that plants are being shuttered and workers are being sent home with no word as to when or even if they will be called back to work.
Now multiple racing journalists are reporting that the Qatar royal family is coming to the rescue to buy a portion of the Audi F1 team. Reports say Audi would remain in control, but the Qatar royal family’s oil money would help pay the bills. Rumors say we might see a formal announcement of the Qatari buy in at the Qatar Grand Prix on Dec. 1st. The Qatar royal family stepped in 15 years ago to save the Porsche family when the deal for Porsche to buy VW fell apart after then Porsche CEO Weideking botched the purchase deal. Porsche paid Qatar back 5 years later. Has the Porsche family reached out to its Qatari friends for money again? We could know in 2 weeks.
A Christmas Present for Ford EV Buyers
New car shoppers who are considering the purchase of an EV before the end of the year might want to browse around their local Ford dealer. Until the last day of 2024, Ford is quietly offering customers who buy or lease a new EV - a Mustang Mach E...F-150 Lightning or an E-Transit van in the remaining days of 2024 what Ford is calling the ‘Ford Power Promise’ at no charge.
Just what is the Ford Power Promise? The promise part comes with an 8-year, 100,000 mile high-voltage battery warranty. If anything goes wrong with the EV battery within the first 8 years or 100,000 miles of the EV’s life, Ford will replace the battery at no charge. But perhaps the most interesting part is that buyers who sign the purchase or lease contract before the end of 2024 will soon see an electrician at their house to install a FREE EV charger in their garage or driveway.
As one Ford executive noted, the early adopters who feel they just have to have the newest and latest gadgets have most likely already bought or leased an electric vehicle. But there is still a very significant number of potential EV drivers who have doubts about making the decision to sign the bottom line for the purchase or lease of an EV. For many, the doubts are based on how they will recharge their vehicle’s battery? Will there be a charging station available at their workplace or shopping destination? Will they have to reset their life schedule to make room for the time it takes to recharge the EV battery? Those questions can be a major factor in their final decision. Ford CEO Jim Farley posted online recently that “Nearly 90% of potential EV shoppers say they would be more likely to buy an electric vehicle if they knew they could charge at home”. So to answer that doubt, Ford has decided to throw in a free charger and the installation costs when a buyer signs the bottom line before New Year’s Day. This offer saves Ford EV buyers a couple thousand dollars in EV charger and electrician’s installation costs. Most industry insiders say the free charger and installation costs could prove to be a much more successful incentive to move EVs off the dealer lots than slashing the MSRP.
Ford and the entire auto industry is carefully watching buyer response to Ford’s offer. Will this help convince reluctant buyers that an EV can fit into their lives? This might be just the first of this type of offer to recharge EV sales into 2025.
Willkommen
St. Louis Region welcomes our newest members. We invite you to participate in our Region’s activities. We look forward to meeting you soon.
Muneeb Ahmad
Frontenac, MO 63131
Bart Childers Andrew & Lori Franke
St. Charles, MO 63301
St. Louis, MO 63117 ‘20 718 Cayman GT4 ‘17 Macan GTS ‘06 Cayman S
Caleb Harms & Jillian Schmoll
Byrnes Mill, MO 63051
Jeffrey Krogen
Chesterfield, MO 63005
Bent Longo
St. Louis, MO 63104 ‘06 Cayman S ‘24 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 ‘24 718 Cayman S
Brandon Meyer
Michael Renner
Daniel Veros Marine, IL 62061
St. Louis, MO 63116
Columbia, MO 65203 ‘06 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet ‘14 Cayman ‘03 911 Carrera
Kevin Werner
Jeffrey Winders Wentzville, MO 63385 Ballwin, MO 63021 ‘18 Macan GTS ‘03 Boxster
Member Transferred In:
From White River Region:
Logan Diebal Gerald, MO 63037 ‘22 911 GT3
From Wichita Region:
Brian & Melissa Komar California, MO 65018 ‘80 911 SC ‘02 Boxster
St. Louis Region membership as of November 1, 2024 - 1,227
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Plauderei Anzeiges
(Classified Ads)
For Sale - T-Design9 Magnum Magnetic
Phone Mount - Fits 2011-2018 911, 2013+ Cayman / Boxster. $65 or best offer.
See https://t-design9.com/magnum_magsafe_magnetic_phone_ mount_porsche.html for details.
lladerman@earthlink.net
For Sale - 1994 968 CS - Recently imported from Switzerland
93,241 km = 57,937.271 miles
Serviced by ET Tuning (1/8/24) - All fluids and filters flushed & changed
Compression Test
Cyl 1 - 200 psi - Cyl 2 - 185 psi - Cyl 3 - 185 psi - Cyl 4 - 200 psi
Service at JML Audio
Interior / Exterior meticulously cleaned & detailed
Paint correction resulting in Smooth glass-like finish
New battery - NO accidents - Always garaged
$70,000 - title in hand
Contact Raymond Frye at 314-971-6515
St. Louis Region
Tentative 2024 Calendar
7 - Holiday Party, Westborough Country Club
11 - Changing of the Guard / Planning Meeting, Pan d’Olive
15 - CPG Holiday Gathering at The Roof in Columbia, MO
All dates are tentative and subject to change. Additional events may be added at any time.
•
• Sim Racing Equipment Recommendations
• Sim Racing Driver Education
• Five Classes for All Skill Levels
• All Races on Laser Scanned Race Tracks
• Sprint and Endurance Racing
• Calendar of Upcoming Races
NEW St. Louis Region Car Badge NOW Available
A redesigned St. Louis Region car badge highlighting our Region’s 65th Anniversary is NOW available. These 3 inch diameter cast metal badges feature images signifying our Regional activities. These top quality badges will last a lifetime. Each grill badge costs $35 and can be purchased by contacting Steve Sullivan at ssullivan@stl.pca.org. They can also be ordered through our website store and through motorsportreg.com.
We have also received static cling decals for our 65th Anniversary. These colorful 2 inch stickers have an adhesive backing to stick to your vehicle or anything you wish to decorate with our PCA logo. These logos are printed on clear vinyl like the PCA logo you receive from PCA National when you receive your PCA membership card. These stickers and clings will be given out at Regional events this summer. These items are available NOW. Show your pride of the St. Louis Region!
December Anniversaries 4 years
54 years
Bob & Jeanne Lake
33 years
Ali & Kay Ehsani
29 years
Tim & Bonnie McGinley
25 years
Gerald Campbell
Michael & Janet Whealan
23 years
Joseph & Nancy Delleville
22 years
Randy & Azza Lopex 21 years
Darrin Tessmer
Clay & Barbara Kappler
Brad Schneider
David Porter
John Buhner
years
John & Maryanne Holzbauer 11 years
James & Ruth Gitlaff 10 years
Richard & Wendy Smith
Todd Sylvainus
7 years
Linda Dunn
6 years
John Brazeal
Rich Ikemeier
David & Nancy Jackson
5 years
Dan Hagrman
James Mcgrath
Michael Rollings
David Gilkerson
Dan & Becky Huebner
Jerry Linder
Samuel Pappas
3 years
Jack Becker
George Berberian
Richard & Korina Tweed 2 years
Jason Anderson
Nicholas Morris
Robert Naismith
Gregg Scheller 1 year
Charles Grbich
Kathryn Keifer
James Kimbrough
Christine Krieger
Eric Meyer
Justin Routh
Kevin Singh
Darrell Songer
Richard Stewart
Michael Wirrick
Trust your car to experienced Master Technicians who set the pace in the field of quality European car servicetechnicians with decades of experience in ‘pampering’ high performance and luxury European vehicles.
• Expert fuel injection service
• State-of-the-Art Hunter ‘no-touch’ tire mounting and balancing
• The latest electronic diagnotic equipment
Count on us to help your Porsche deliver the performnance that was originally designed into your vehicle. Let Reid Vann help you inject new life and excitement into your Porsche.
OFFICERS:
Any Questions?
Need more information about St. Louis Region or our events? Feel free to contact any of these leaders of St. Louis Region.
PRESIDENT: Steve Sullivan - president@stl.pca.org
VICE-PRESIDENT: Ric Smith - vicepresident@stl.pca.org
SECRETARY: Patty Paster- secretary@stl.pca.org
TREASURER: Kelis Thacker - treasurer@stl.pca.org
NEWSLETTER: Earlwayne Stumpf - plauderei@stl.pca.org
BOARD MEMBERS:
Dave Boyd - daveboyd@stl.pca.org
Stephen Curet - stephencuret@stl.pca.org
Linda Dunn - lindadunn@stl.pca.org
Nancy Goodman - nancygoodman@stl.pca.org
Morgan Howard - morganhoward@stl.pca.org
Josh Landau - joshlandau@stl.pca.org
Mike Molina - mikemolina@stl.pca.org
Lisa Goforth-Naes - lisagoforthnaes@stl.pca.org
Jim Smith - jimsmith@stl.pca.org
Bob Tamsky - bobtamsky@stl.pca.org
Tom Campbell - tomcampbell@stl.pca.org
Daleesa Curet - daleesacuret@stl.pca.org
Jim Fiss - jimfiss@stl.pca.org
Dan Hinkebein - danhinkebein@stl.pca.org
Eric Kirkpatrick - erickirkpatrick@stl.pca.org
Arlene Molina - arlenemolina@stl.pca.org
Marek Parafiniuk - marekparafiniuk@stl.pca.org
Robert Naes - robertnaes@stl.pca.org
Sherrill Smith - stlpcahpde@stl.pca.org
Kelis Thacker - kelisthacker@stl.pca.org
MEMBERS with COMMITTEE CHAIR responsibilities -
Dave Boyd (Digital Media) - websitesocialmedia@stl.pca.org
Allen Maddy (Columbia Porsche Group) - columbiaporschegroup@stl.pca.org
Karl Robinson (Southeast Missouri Group) - southeasternmissouri@stl.pca.org
Mark Hickerson (Quincy / Hannibal Group) - qh@stl.pca.org
Josh Landau (Membership) - membership@stl.pca.org
Dan Hinkebein (Safety) - safety@stl.pca.org
Linda Dunn (Public Relations) - publicrelations@stl.pca.org
Arlene Molina (Registrar) - registrar@stl.pca.org
Mike Molina (Registrar) - registrar@stl.pca.org
Tom Campbell(Social events) - socialevents@stl.pca.org
Lisa Goforth-Naes (Social events) - socialevents@stl.pca.org
Robert Naes (Social events) - socialevents@stl.pca.org
Todd Sylvainus (HPDE events) - stlpcahpde@gmail.com
Sherrill Smith (HPDE events) - stlpcahpde@gmail.com
Lisa Goforth-Naes (HPDE events) - stlpcahpde@gmail.com
Ric Smith (All Porsche Car Show) - carshow@stl.pca.org
Steve Sullivan (Regional name badges) - stevesullivan@stl.pca.org
