e-Plauderei - March 2024

March 7 - Thirsty Thursday , March 9 - F1 Watch Party, JML Audio of St. Louis

March 10 - DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS

March 13 - General Board Meeting, Center of Clayton

March 17 - CPG Movie Night at Maddy’s Columbia, MO

March 31 - Easter Car Show, Forest Park

President

Die PORSCHE Plauderei

Vice-president

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

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 columbiaporsche group@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

President’s Message

March 2024

As I’m looking out the window watching my neighbor was his early model BMW M3, with temperatures on the 60s, I can’t help but think about all the articles I get on “how to store your car over the winter months”. What? Store your car? A lot of automotive writer do advocate this when it is nasty outside. Maybe it is colder and nastier where they live? The internet and car magazines are filled with tips and advice on how to prep, pamper and tuck you car away in the warm confines of a garage or storage space. There is an entire cottage industry that sells products for that. You can even cocoon your car in a plastic bag with a small blower attached!

I think we here in the Midwest are lucky. Sure, we get cold, wet winter weather. But we also get short intervals of warm, sunny days when we can get out, drive around and even wash our favorite sports car.

I, for one, like to keep my Porsche alive and running during these winter months, and have more time to think about things I wanted to do during the summer, but never seemed to get around to it.

One of the things I invested in long ago was a trickle charger, or now, they are called battery tenders. I learned the hard way that lead/acid batteries don’t like sitting dormant for a few months. Then, when it becomes a few years older, it gets even more sensitive to non-use. Other projects I’ve done on my 911 over the past few months included changing a dead hood strut and cleaning out the front radiators. The first job took all of ten minutes, while the second one required most of the morning, and a few extra hands. Other things to consider are changing your oil and filter (or have it done), read a few books on driving and wash/wax your car.

Have any other good ideas? Let me know what you do over the winter months and perhaps I will include it in my next President’s Message.

Thank you,

Steve Sullivan

Formula 1 Watch Party

Saudi Arabia F1

JML Audio of St. Louis, Fenton

519 Rudder Road, Ste A

10:30 am - 2 pm, March 9

Join your fellow motorsports fans for a relaxing viewing of Formula 1’s second race of the 2024 season as the most premier racing season takes to the track, Saturday morning, March 9th.

Josh and the staff at JML Audio of St. Louis in Fenton will have all the televisions in the showroom and shop tuned in to the race so you will have plenty of options to view one of the most technical advanced race series battle it out for opening season points.

These watch parties are informal. Food and drink will be provided for a relaxing morning of racing surrounded by fellow motorsports enthusiasts.

To make sure we reserve your place at the party and make sure we have enough food and beverages for all, please RSVP at

http://msreg.com/F1-WatchParty

There’s no better way to kick off your weekend with great racing shared with friends. Hope to see you there!

Daylight Saving Time Begins

2 am, March 10

It’s that dreaded time of the year when we lose an hour of sleep each Spring. Don’t forget that Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 am, Sunday morning, March 10. Make it easy on yourself - turn your clocks ahead when you go to bed, Saturday evening (if your clocks don’t automatically reset by themselves).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMz2N3-3ASo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHtIF1xjB1o

General Board Meeting Center of Clayton

March 13th, 6:30 pm

We are about of launch into the busy driving season of Spring and Summer. We have several new events looking for a place on the schedule and in need of people to help organize and staff. We would love to have your input and energy in the Region. It promises to be an active March Board Meeting at the Center of Clayton event center just north of Shaw Park in Clayton. Our Board meetings are open to all, and we invite you to join us.

We’d like to hear your ideas, and welcome you to join us at the Center of Clayton. If you are interested, contact President Steve at pres@stl.pca.org. Board membersyou only need to RSVP if you will not be joining us. All members who are planning to participate, please RSVP to pres@stl.pca.org. so we can alert you to the details of the Board meeting.

Movie Night at the Maddy’s

March 17th, 5:30 pm Columbia, MO

The Maddy’s will again be hosting ‘a night at the movies, at their home in Columbia, this time showing the 2023 film Ferrari starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz. The biographical drama, directed by Michael Mann, profiles Enzo Ferrari during the early years of the business. The film will be shown on a 110” projection screen with 9.1 channel surround sound.

We will start at 5:30 pm with social time, drinks and food, with the movie starting around 7:00 pm. Please bring your drink of choice and a light snack to share.

We will need to limit attendance to 25 people so please register early at

http://msreg.com/CPG-movie-night

Please contact Allen at maddya@missouri.edu for directions.

An autocross is a closed-course driving event, and they are held in a large open area - such as a parking lot - where the objective is to safely complete the course in the shortest amount of time. New to Autocrossing? Parade is a great time to give it a try!

June 9-15, 2024

Birmingham Convention Center

Phase 1 Registration

for the 68th Porsche Parade closes 11 pm, March 22nd

Registration for the 68th Porsche Parade in Birmingham, AL still has a few rooms available. Registration for the Parade usually sells out quickly, so you might want to take advantage of this rare opportunity to join your fellow Porschephiles for this gathering of the faithful for a week of all things Porsche. For more information or to register,

www.porscheparade.org

Easter Car Show

8 am - 4 pm, Sunday, March 31

Upper Muny Parking Lot

Forest Park

Over the years, St. Louis Region frequently participated in The Horseless Carriage Club’s Easter Concours d’Elegance each Easter Sunday at the Upper Muny Parking Lot in Forest Park. The Car Show commonly known as the Easter Car Show has been a fixture on the St. Louis car scene for 79 years, making it the oldest car show in Missouri.

We stepped away from the Easter Car Show for the last few years, but this year, our Region’s Group 356 is reviving Porsche participation in the car show. The 356 Group has reserved a club display space which they would like to fill with Porsches. Entry in the Car Show to be part of the Club display is $15 per car. While the objective of the show is to display cars which are 25 years old or older, it is possible for newer Porsches to be displayed in the Club display area. Gate to the Show open at 7 am with the Show opening for public viewing at 8 am. Awards will be presented at 3:30. It might be a good idea to bring a lawn chair or perhaps some water, because it could be a long day in Forest Park.

If you have an older Porsche (25 years old or older) which you would like to enter in the Concours d’Elegance competition, the entry fee for judged cars is $25 / car. Individual registration for cars in the judged category has to be made directly with Neal McIntyre of the Horseless Carriage Club at superbee231@hotmail.com or by phone at 314-494-0346.

But if you would like to be a part of the Porsche display, contact Mark Todorvich at enjoyen@yahoo.com before March 19th. Mark is organizing the display for Group 356 and also for St. Louis Region. He would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Each car on display will receive a commemorative dash plaque and show poster. The Car Club with the most entries will be awarded “Most Participant Club’ honors.

All vehicles display must be in original or restored to original condition. Commercial signs or For Sales signs are not permitted. Fire extinguishers are required for each vehicle.

For more information, contact Mark at enjoyen@yahoo.com or phone 314-973-1833.

Thinking about chasing the Solar Eclipse?

April 8th

In about 5 weeks on Monday, April 8th, we will once again have the rare opportunity to see an eclipse of the sun where the moon crosses between the sun and the earth and casts a shadow, briefly blocking out the sun’s light. Here in St. Louis, we should be able to see a partial eclipse, but by travelling around 100 miles to the south, we could see (Nature cooperating, of course) the total eclipse of the sun. The totality of the eclipse over areas such as Cape Girardeau or Carbondale, IL will last about 4 minutes as the moon totally blocks our view of the sun. This will be the last time this century that we will have the opportunity to experience a solar eclipse within easy driving distance of St. Louis.

We are still taking RSVPs for members interested in touring to one of the total eclipse areas. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to crowd into these areas to experience the eclipse darkness. If we want to get a spot in the area of totality, we’re going to have to leave early and make a day of this drive. Would you be interested in joining us? If so, let us know by emailing essincgroup@gmail.com. We are still investigating the best driving routes to the eclipse and setting up a venue where we can enjoy lunch and watch the eclipse together. We already have a couple dozen certified eclipse viewing glasses which we’ll pass them out upon arrival. Interested in joining us for the run to the sun? Please let us know. More details to follow.

Lots of Racing on TV to Come

We will have plenty of opportunities to watch the Porsche 963s compete in the IMSA GTP races this year. The NBC/Universal family of entertainment have an extensive schedule of viewing opportunities this year:

New yearNew history

The beginning of a new year marks the opening of a new year of activities for St. Louis Region, but it also marks the beginning of another year in the long and storied history of St. Louis Region. Back in late 1958, our regional founders put together the paperwork to apply to become a part of the Porsche Club of America which itself was still a very young organization. In mid-January, 1959, St. Louis Region was officially chartered as the 14th local region of the national club. As the years passed, 3 of the early PCA Regions faltered and were eventually dissolved and surrendered their charters back to PCA National - making St. Louis Region the 10th oldest of PCA’s 147 local regions.

Now that the history is out of the way, if you have been doing a little math, you might have recognized that this past January marked the 65th Anniversary as a PCA Region. In recognition of our anniversary, PCA National has sent us celebratory anniversary banners. President Steve Sullivan recently received the banners for us to use at our events during this anniversary year.

Join us in celebrating this accomplishment for PCA’s 10th oldest Region. Look for these banners at events throughout the year.

Reaching Back to Correct History

15 years ago, we searched through the old newsletters and papers in our Regional archives to assemble a historical summary for our Region’s 50th Anniversary Gala program. The efforts got off to a stumbling start because for the first decade of our Region’s life the Region did not have a regular newsletter for its members. There were occasional mimeographed pages (Awww...remember the smell of that mimeograph fluid and the smell of those pages freshly off the press? - back in the 60’s, that was the closest thing we had to getting high - but that’s another story...back on track)...Anyway, news of the first decade of the Region was spotty at best.

It wasn’t until 1968 as John Piatt was returning home from the ‘68 Parade that John, and his then wife Nan, sketched out a plan for producing a regular newsletter to be distributed to the members. It took a couple months before the first newsletter, then called the Porscheweiser, was rolled out in the early months of 1969. As a result, our records of our Regional officers for the first decade of our Region’s history are a little sketchy.

As we looked for the names of our early Regional leaders, we admittedly made some assumptions about those names. As a result, when we looked at the names of our Regional Presidents, we incorrectly assumed that the names seemed to indicate that Linda Clifford, Regional President in 1990 was the first woman to lead our Region.

In January, we received an email that shows that we have to correct our Regional history. The email came from Chezna Welsko. Chezna happened to stumble upon our Regional website as she sorted through the papers of her father who recently died. Those efforts had Chezna looking online for information about St. Louis Region which played a significant role in her early years. She pointed out that the list of our Region Presidents noted that ‘Theo’ Welsko was listed as Regional President in 1968 - that part is correct. But Chezna informed us that ‘Theo’ was her mother, Theodora, who often preferred the shortened form of her name ‘Theo’ over the more formal ‘Theodora’. Thus making ‘Theo’ Welsko the first woman president of St. Louis Region.

We apologize to Chezna for the error and gratefully correct our Regional history to show St. Louis Region welcomed female leadership long before it was common.

Tom and ‘Theo’ Welsko

Doing our ‘little bit’

Our national organization encourages Regions to broaden our focus not just to our cars, but to the people in our Region....in our community - “It’s not just cars, it’s the people”. With that in mind, your Regional Board set out a few years ago to search for ways to increase our impact in the community...to become a true asset not just to our Porsche owners, but to the community in which we live. More than 5 years ago, a Board subcommittee selected several local area wide organizations to make presentations to the Board to inform us about their work within the community. Frankly our goal was two fold - to have the Region make a real difference to the community and to answer potential tax benefits for our organization.

After the presentations, the Board elected to make a 5-year commitment to make annual donations of money and service to the ‘Little Bit’ Foundation. The Little Bit Foundation works with area school districts to support needy students. The schools nominate students who come to school in need of coats, clothes, school supplies, books, and if needed, food. And the support continues with tutoring and learning support as needed. ‘Little Bit’ quietly supplies those needs in a manner to support the students without embarrassing the children. For the past 5 years, we have been making annual donations to the Foundation. The original plan was for us to also supply physical labor in the school support efforts, but the restraints in place due to the COVID pandemic have hindered our physical efforts over the last few years.

“Little Bit’ has suffered a couple setbacks during the pandemic unrelated to COVID. The Foundation was originally based out of a warehouse in the Hanley Industrial Court which was flooded during the extreme rains and flooding of a couple summers ago. Little Bit has now relocated to North County and is now back to full operations with a warehouse restocked with school supplies, clothing donations, food and other support materials.

In early February, members of our Board gathered at the new Little Bit location for a tour of the facilities and to present our 2024 donation. Foundation leaders updated our members on their relocation efforts and their resumption of work to reach their stated goal - support of needy students in area schools. Despite all the work to recover from the flooding, more than 15,000 students in 50 school districts were able to benefit from the Foundation’s efforts in 2023.

With this 2024 donation to the Little Bit Foundation, we fulfilled our original 5-year commitment to support the Foundation. Our Charity Committee is now in the process of reviewing area charities to decide our path forward - either renew our commitment to the Little Bit Foundation or select a new recipient of our charitable efforts. If you have any suggestions for a future recipient of our efforts, please contact Steve Sullivan at president@stl.pca.org with your suggestions.

Little Bit Foundation Donation Presentation: St. Louis Region Charity Chair Linda Dunn, Little Bit President & CEO Miranda Walker Jones, Little Bit Chief Development Officer Michelle Abel, St. Louis Region President Steve Sullivan, St. Louis Region Treasurer Kelis Thacker, Past St. Louis Region President Nancy Goodman

Photos by Kelis Thacker Linda Dunn

Countdown to the Driver’s Ed Season

86 degrees one day...below freezing the next - prefect cabin fever weather. But it is also the perfect time to prepare for the driving and driving education season ahead.

Our Driver’s Education Team kicked off the 2024 HPDE season with an Intro to HPDE Driving seminar at the Center of Clayton. Several dozen potential track enthusiasts gathered in Clayton to take the first step towards an HPDE education. Our DE Team, led by DE Chair Todd Sylvanius and Co-Chair Sherrill Smith guided the potential DE students through the steps needed to prepare for the season ahead. Participation in High Performance Driver’s Education is a lot more complicated than just showing up and driving. The car must be prepared...the driver must be prepared...pre-track decisions have to be made.

Todd and Sherrill walked the potential students through the steps needed to prepare the car and themselves for their day on the track. They discussed the need for having the car inspected in preparation for the track experience... the equipment needed to make the day a success ( some provided by the Region and some needed to be purchased prior to coming to the track ), and the steps students should take before coming to the track.

Chief Driving Instructor Jim Smith prepared the potential students for what to expect once they arrive at the track...the classroom sessions... the driving experience with instructors...the on-track experience...and how the education will translate into their everyday driving.

The HPDE season kicks off in 2 months. Now is the time to prepare. See you at WWT at Gateway!

The Complexity of Modern Electronics

Today’s vehicles are electronic marvels...and becoming more so every year. Electronic sensors...keyless entry and start...touchscreens...today’s vehicles are almost more electronic than mechanical. Unfortunately, the complexity of the electronics requires trained hands when the decision is made to add new enhancements to a vehicle. One wrong cut or connection can become an expensive and time consuming repair.

Josh and the staff at JML Audio of St. Louis welcomed members into their Fenton headquarters to see what’s new in vehicle electronics and enhancements. The JML Audio technicians are trained in the latest electronics of today’s vehicles whether it be adding new audio equipment...infotainment systems...remote start systems...radar detection...and much more. Many of these enhancements require unique custom installations, and Josh opened the JML fabrication shop to the visitors to show that enhancements can be made in a manner that looks like it came that way from the assembly line.

JML Audio has expanded to include more than just electronic installations. The expanded shop now makes it possible to provide expanded interior and exterior enhancements. Thanks to Josh and the JML Audio staff for a look at the latest options available to increase the comfort and enjoyment of our vehicles.

Photos by Ric Smith

Porsche scratches that 55-year itch at the Rolex 24 in 2024.

Ric Smith

To say that Porsche was seeking redemption at this year’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona would be a huge understatement. With the disappointing results amid high expectations for Porsche’s factory 963 effort for 2023, Porsche does what Porsche does best; learn from mistakes, regroup, does their homework, puts vast resources in place and comes back swinging. 2024 was no exception, and the stage was set for an exciting and thrilling 24-hour race with a total of four V8 Hybrid 963 entries. Two were factory Porsche Penske machines while the other to were factory customer cars, including Proton Competition and JDC-Miller Motorsports.

A 24-hour race effort demands supreme technical engineering, comprehensive team and driver strategies, accurate timing, vast financial resources and of course, luck. In 2024, Porsche would rely on all these factors and more to bring home Roger Penske’s first win at Daytona since 1969.

For those who have never been to the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the spectacle and sheer scale of the Daytona World Speedway is something to behold. Granted, the IMSA 24 Hour race does not meet the attendance numbers of the NASCAR Daytona 500, it does bring with it a much more international dynamic, a more diverse set of auto manufacturers and powertrains, as well as a wide variety of professional and amateur drivers from various racing disciplines including Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, DTM, WEC and others. This year, manufacturer entries included Porsche, Acura, Cadillac, Ford, Ferrari, Lexus, Ligier, Oreca, Mercedes Benz, AMG, Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini, BMW and Corvette.

It also is uniquely customer centric, where attendees have much closer access to teams, pits, drivers and cars with a traditional team parade prior to the race, and an

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open infield where you can sign the start / finish line and explore the deceptively high banks for yourself. To witness the racetrack from the infield on the ground, gives you a true perspective of the enormity of the Daytona Speedway.

In contrast to watching the cars achieve high speeds on the high banks, tracking the cars as they navigate the infield is where the drama really happens, day and night. With 59 entries in total including 10 entries in the top GTP class, LMP2 (13 cars), GT Daytona Pro (13 cars), and GT Daytona (23 entries), there was plenty of action and this year, thankfully NO rain. There are no slow cars at this event, however witnessing the top GTP class cars move through the field with such breathtaking speed is truly impressive. For the first several hours of the race, the factory Porsche’s struggled to keep pace with the hugely impressive Cadillacs, while the Acura’s and BMWs trailed behind. Yet anything can happen at Daytona and reversal of fortunes often occur at the race continues through the night.

and the partying among the cities of motorhomes and makeshift bars against the backdrop of roaring engines for 24 hours, helps make the Rolex 24 so unique.

It was this year at night, where the Porsche Penske’s fortunes turned after struggling to keep up with the thunderous Cadillacs and took the lead as the race headed into the dawn

This year’s race included 13 hours and 17 minutes of racing in the dark, and strolling through the pits at night, provided a unique perspective as some unlucky teams worked to service, repair, even rebuild broken cars in the hopes of getting to the finish. The infield comes alive at night

hours of the early morning. Through the balance of the morning and into the afternoon, the lead changed among Porsche, Cadillac, Acura and back again.

As the Rolex has over the years transitioned into what some call a ‘24-hour sprint’, it is amazing to witness that after so many hours, the lead cars were within just seconds of one another. At hour 19, with just over 3 hours to go, six of the GTP cars remained on the lead lap, separated by just 75 seconds. With two hours remaining, the Penske #7 car piloted by Felipe Nasr paced the field, but this would not hold as with 75 minutes remaining, the #31 Cadillac of former race winner Tom Blomqvist passed the #7 Porsche and re-gained the lead. Nasr pushed the Porsche forward, holding a firm pace at just 3 seconds behind. With 50 minutes to go, the #13 Lexus of Parker Thompson caught fire causing a full course yellow to slow the competition. This triggered pit stops by many of the drivers, including race leader Blomqvist and the #7 Penske 963 of Felipe Nasr, who critically deployed a shorter stop and came out with the lead of the race. With less than 20 minutes to go, the #31 Cadillac in search of its 3rd Rolex 24 victory, continued to thunder through traffic, keeping pace with the Porsche, and closed the gap to 1 second. For the remainder of the race, the Porsche and Cadillac blitzed the field, with the lead gap shifting from 1 to 2 and 3 seconds. As the officials waved the Checkered Flag at 23 hours, 58 minutes, 24 seconds, the crowd and teams and drivers were a bit confused as it was discovered the IMSA officials waved the white flag prematurely, but IMSA regulations had apparently anticipated an ending like this with regulations that say that once the Checkered Flag is waved, the race is over...even if the race clock had not fully run out. That said, with the over 2 second lead, the # 7 Penske Porsche driven by Felipe Nasr, Matt Campbell, Dane Cameron and Josef Newgarden had won the first Daytona 24-hour race for ‘the Captain’ Roger Penske since 1969.

Ric Smith

Photos by Ric Smith

Rolex 24 at DaytonaWhere you can win and end up losing???

For years, IMSA, the sanctioning body responsible for sports car racing in the US, has had some very strange rules that they claimed have been aimed at keeping competition level to make sure no one manufacturer can put cars on the track that have an unfair technical advantage over the other competing makes. In past years, their B0P (Balance of Performance) rules would usually result in certain cars that seemed to be a little faster or better than the competition usually ending up having to carry a little extra weight in upcoming races or having to run intake restrictors that limited the amount of air that could flow into the car’s intake manifold.

For this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, IMSA changed the penalties and left all the manufacturers scratching their heads about what will happen next. Instead of issuing penalties that were applied to the next and future races, IMSA stripped the cars which it found in violation of rules of their series race points and sometimes issued fines for violations. For example, the GTD Pro winning Ferrari team of Risi Competizione got to keep it’s victory trophy and the drivers got to keep their Rolex watches and winning driver’s points that will be added up for the end-of-season driver’s championship, but the team lost it’s 350 manufacturer and Michelin Endurance Cup GTD Pro points and 320 GTD points...and a $25,000 fines was added on top of the humiliation. So going into the second round of the IMSA season at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Ferrari team finds itself as if it hadn’t even raced at Daytona. The Ferrari starts the race behind the second...fourth...fifth etc teams in the year long points race for the championship.

Did you notice that I didn’t mention the 3rd Place GTD Pro finishing BMW? That’s because the Paul Miller Racing BMWs were hit with the same penalties as the Ferrari - loss of 300 third place manufacturer’s and Michelin Endurance GTD Pro points and 250 GTD points. BMW North America went ballistic and had more than a few choice words about the penalties. On the other hand, Ferrari has been quiet about it’s penalties.

IMSA officials have refused to say just how the Ferrari and BMW violated the rules. The only comment from IMSA said both manufacturers “exceeded IMSA’s expectations as shared” in the rules. “The goal was to ensure the Demonstrated Performance would be within the target performance window - allowing for competitive equivalency”. Did you understand that? I’m not sure Ferrari and BMW do either.

Apparently, IMSA has decided to strip teams of winning points for BoP violations this year. Unless some more details become public, this could be a very controversial season of sports car racing in the U.S.

Clock ticking on manual transmissions in BMW

Several European automotive news sources are reporting that the BMW Board of Directors has decided that its time to phase out manual transmissions in all Bimmers. The reports site comments by Frank Weber, BMW’s head of Product Development who has openly said that weak demand for manual transmissions no longer covers the cost of developing those drivetrains.

Weber notes that “They are fun products, but let’s be honest, the volumes are getting smaller and smaller, and so it doesn’t make sense to develop them anymore”. Currently, the option for a manual transmission is basically limited to the sporty M-series of cars...the M2...M3 and M4, as well as the Z4 roadster. Weber added that as traffic congestion becomes more of a problem in the prime BMW markets, customers don’t want to stand in traffic, constantly changing gears as they inch forward.

So when will the manual transmissions disappear? Weber would not be specific, hinting that it won’t be an overnight removal. Some models will have a manual available a little longer than others, hinting that the manual might stick around a little longer in models like the Z4 roadster than in the M-series coupes. But Weber added, “If you want a manual M, you better buy it now.”

BMW has not made any official announcement about the retirement of manual transmission, but that isn’t really expected. Most BMW watchers believe it will be more of a silent disappearance than a big public announcement.

The move shouldn’t come as a surprise. Mercedes took away the option to buy a manual transmission in 2023. Audi pulled the plug on manuals back in 2018. And Ferrari is also silently eliminating the stick from its option list due to poor sales demand.

How did Ferrari ditch the stick?

There is no quicker way to start an argument among a group of Porschephiles than to suggest that it’s time for Porsche to do away with manual transmissions. The task of sawing through the gears during each acceleration seems to be a God given certainty among the disciples of the land of Stuttgart. But while the availability of manual transmissions is holding its own in the smaller engined cars, the manual transmission is losing its allure among the buyers and thus the manufacturers of the more upscale cars and sports cars.

Did you realize that it has been impossible to get a manual transmission in a Ferrari for a dozen years? The last Ferrari update of its notchy manual transmission was in 2008 when Ferrari rolled out a manual in the revival of a model known as the California. Technically, the California came with a dual-clutch transmission like the Porsche PDK, but the California still has a clutch pedal and gave owners the option of sawing the shift lever through the gears if they really wanted to. But no other Ferrari since has rolled out of the Maranello assembly building with a clutch pedal or a shift lever. Like Lamborghini...Mercedes...and McLaren, Ferrari ditched the manual for a dual-clutch tranny.

Why? Simple answer - $$$$. According to Ferrari’s marketing chief Nicola Boari, the last year that Ferrari offered a manual transmission in one of its cars, Ferrari got a total of 5 orders for the manual gearbox. Boari noted that the cost of making a manual transmission and designing and building a car with a clutch pedal and options needed to put a stick shift in a car was just taking valuable money away from Ferrari - money that could be put to a much better use in other engineering and design functions. Ferrari’s chief technology officer, Michael Hugo Leiters noted, “Ferrari is a design, performance, and state of the art-technologies. There’s no manual transmission that can beat (dual-clutch) performance, and therefore, we have decided to stay on the dual-clutch gearbox.” And there has been surprisingly little backlash from ‘the tifosi’.

Granted, the move away from the manual transmission and stick shift has sent the resale value of used Ferrari’s with a stick shift soaring into the stratosphere. If you can find one of the last Ferrari California’s with a clutch pedal and shift lever, be prepared to shell out around half a MILLION dollars to bring it home with you.

It might be a good idea to keep that in mind, the next time Stuttgart talks about shelving manual transmissions - especially since most EVs don’t use any transmission at all. Time and technology marches on!

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.

Robert Faerber

Michael Herbst

Paul Hogan

St. Louis, MO 63124 Maplewood, MO 63143 St. Louis, MO 63105 ‘99 911 Carrera ‘04 Boxster S ‘24 911 Targa 4 GTS

Jerry Larson

St. Louis, MO 63128

Samuel Phillips

Poplar Bluff, MO 63901

Greg Schmidt

Columbia, IL 62236 ‘22 718 Cayman T ‘09 Cayenne ‘21 Cayenne

Member Transferred In:

From Orange Coast Region:

Nicholes & Anna Ghnouly St. Louis, MO 63124

St. Louis Region membership as of February 1, 2024 - 1,188

Owned and Operated by PCA Member & Club Racing 4x Winner

r r i v e & D r i v e e x p e r i e n c e . E a c h r e n t a l c o m e s t r a c k p r e p p e d a n d i n c l u d e s f u l l t r a c k s u p p o r t a n d i n c a r i n s t r u c t i o n t h r o u g h o u t t h e d a y . P l u s , y o u ' l l r e c e i v e G a r m i n C a t a l y s t d a t a t o a n a l y z e y o u r d r i v i n g s k i l l s a n d i m p r o v e y o u r t e c h n i q u e , a l o n g w i t h s h a r e d r a c i n g f o o t a g e t o r e l i v e e v e r y m o m e n t .

W h e t h e r y o u ' r e a s e a s o n e d r a c e r o r a n o v i c e d r i v e r , o u r i n s t r u c t o r s w i l l p r o v i d e p e r s o n a l i z e d g u i d a n c e t o h e l p y o u m a s t e r t h e t r a c k l i k e t h e b e s t .

Ceramic Pro Paint Coating

Clear Bra Paint Correction

Paintless Dent Repair

Plauderei Anzeiges (Classified Ads)

For Sale - 1994 968 CS - Recently imported from Switzerland

93,241 km = 57,937.271 miles

Recently 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

Wanted - Old Grill Badges - I’m looking for old or interesting grill badges, any condition. If you have any cluttering up your desk or workbench, give me a call. Contact Steve at 636-219-3446 or e-mail ptarga79@sbcglobal.net.

St. Louis Region

Tentative 2024 Calendar

March

1 - Werks Reunion, Amelia Island, FL

7 - Thirsty Thursday,

9 - Saudi Arabia F1 Watch Party, JML Audio of St. Louis, Fenton

9-10 - President’s Meeting, Des Moines, IA

13 - General Board Meeting, Center of Clayton, Clayton

17 - CPG Movie Night at Maddy’s Home Theater - Ferrari

22 - Phase 1 Registration CLOSES, 68th Porsche Parade Birmingham, AL

31 - Easter Car Show, Upper Muny Parking Lot, Forest Park

April

3 - Phase 2 Registration OPENS, 68th Porsche Parade, Birmingham, AL

4 - Thirsty Thursday,

6 - Car Show, Lebanon, IL, 5 - 7 pm

7 - Maintenance Tech, JML Audio of St. Louis, Fenton

8 - Eclipse Event

13 - CPG Drive & Dine to Emmet’s Restaurant at Fayette, MO

21 - Tour to The Terrace at French Village, French Village, MO

21-25 - Spring Treffen, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, Sonoma, CA

May

2 - Thirsty Thursday,

3 - HPDE Instructor Training, WWT Raceway at Gateway

4-5 - Spring Porsche St. Louis HPDE, WWT Raceway at Gateway

8 - General Board Meeting, Center of Clayton, Clayton

11 - Porsche Cars & Coffee, Sunset Overlook, Columbia, IL

18 - St. Louis / Kansas City Picnic, Jefferson City, MO

26 - CPG Memorial Day Social at Danuser’s

June

2 - Mark Twain Run (limited participation)

6 - Thirsty Thursday,

9 - European Auto Show

9-15 - 68th Porsche Parade, Birmingham, AL

21 - Dan Sokol HPDE, WWT Raceay at Gateway

22 - Women on Wheels, WWT Raceway at Gateway

23 - Intro to HPDE, WWT Raceway at Gateway

29 - CPG Porsches and Pastries, 9 - 11 am, location TBD

July

10 - General Board Meeting, Center of Clayton, Clayton

11 - Thirsty Thursday,

20 - CPG Drive & Dine to Bek’s Restaurant in Fulton, MO

August

1 - Thirsty Thursday,

10 - Tour to Music Event, Pacific, MO

18 - All Porsche Car Show

31 - CPG Jefferson City Car Show with lunch at Sweet Smoke BBQ

September

5 - Thirsty Thursday,

11 - General Board Meeting, Center of Clayton, Clayton

15 - CPG Social at A Frame Winegarden on the Blufftop at Rochport ( formerly Les Bourgeois Winery )

20-22 - Porsche St. Louis Fall HPDE, WWT Raceway at Gateway

29-Oct. 3 - Fall Treffen, Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

October

1-3 - Fall Treffen, Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire Thirsty Thursday

3 - Thirsty Thursday,

6 - Porsches in the Park, Chesterfield

19 - Fall Color Tour to Hermann - St. Louis and CPG

November

7 - Thirsty Thursday,

7-10 - Porsche Palooza, Eureka Springs, AR

13 - General Membership Meeting, Center of Clayton, Clayton

17 - CPG Dinner at Grand Cru Restauarant in Columbia

December

5 - Thirsty Thursday

7 - Holiday Party

11 - Changing of the Guard / Planning Meeting

15 - CPG Holiday Gathering at The Roof in Columbia, MO

TBA - Grafton Winery Tour

TBA - Street Survival School

TBA - Porsche St. Louis Chesterfield Service Center Opening

TBA - Pups & Porsches

TBA - East Side Car Show or Tour

TBA - Winter Lights Tour

All dates are tentative and subject to change.

Additional events may be added at any time.

Delivery of some Porsches delayed due to slave labor parts

Volkswagen is reportedly delaying delivery of around 13,000 vehicles due to the fact that they contain a part which U.S. law says it is illegal because it was made by slave labor workers. Most of the vehicles are thought to be Audis, but there could be as many as 1,000 Porsches that are being held back until the parts in question can be replaced with legally compliant parts. The original electrical components were traced back to a manufacturing plant in the Xinjiang Uyghur Region in northwestern China. United Nations inspectors say that facility is basically a slave labor camp where workers are housed and forced to work in the plant. Apparently the United Nations investigation of slave labor was compelling enough to convince Congress to outlaw any products containing components made in that plant as part of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act which Congress passed in June of 2022. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been given the power to seize any products containing those components as soon as they enter U.S. territories.

Volkswagen says the components are being replaced with parts VW can prove were made in regular manufacturing plants. The replacement procedure is taking more time than expected and is delaying shipment of the vehicles to buyers and dealerships. Delivery is hoped to resume near the end of March.

Display Your Pride in St. Louis Region

We now have St. Louis Region badges available to members. These 3 inch diameter cast metal badges display a hard enamel inlay of our Regional logo. These top quality badges will last a lifetime. Each grill badge costs $30 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 both stickers and static cling reproductions of our Regional logo. These full-color 2 inch stickers have an adhesive backing to stick to your vehicle, tool box or anything you wish to decorate with our PCA logo. We also offer 2 inch static cling reproductions of our 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!

March Anniversaries

34 years

Steve & Clint Benesh

32 years

Sid & Madeline Raile

28 years

Rick Butler

25 years

Trent & Audrey Duff

Eric & Sally Kozak

21 years

Kent & Lisa Burke

Leonard Pranschke

20 years

Albert & Rick Orelt

18 years

Mark Hyman

17 years

Peter & Julie LeBlanc

Paul Newhouse

12 years

Lawrence Tychsen

10 years

Roger Macon

9 years

Robert & Stephanie Anderson

Nancy & Greg Goodman

Geoff Rhea

8 years

Chad Funkhouser

Mike Howard

Andrew Morningstar

7 years

George & Jessica Chronis

Mel Millenbruck

Charles Craig

6 years

Ron & Marci Diamond

David Guebert

Jim & Jane Zimmerman

5 years

Eric Cohen

Juan Echevery

John Rigdon

Frank Simo

Earl & Susan Westergom

4 years

Sean Greer

Scott Karchunas

Tom Kersting

Sondra Schol

Randy Starr

Mike Spenner

3 years

Thomas Erickson

George Niesen

2 years

Joseph Arico

Damian Gumpel

Tom Midden

Christopher Pickett

1 year

Rebecca Brown

Ryan Budinko

Steven Cajigal

Brian Dolan

John Johans

Warren Lewis Jr

Michael Mcleod

Bjanka Nusinovic

Robert Oberhaus

Chris Reeves

Robert Smith

Yufei Sun

Suda Suvarna

Michael Thoele

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 - dboyd@stl.pca.org

Stephen Curet - scuret@stl.pca.org

Linda Dunn - ldunn@stl.pca.org

Nancy Goodman - ngoodman@stl.pca.org

Morgan Howard - mhoward@stl.pca.org

Josh Landau - jlandau@stl.pca.org

Mike Molina - mmolina@stl.pca.org

Tom Campbell - tcampbell@stl.pca.org

Daleesa Curet - dcuret@stl.pca.org

Jim Fiss - jfiss@stl.pca.org

Dan Hinkebein - dhinkebein@stl.pca.org

Eric Kirkpatrick - ekirkpatrick@stl.pca.org

Arlene Molina - amolina@stl.pca.org

Marek Parafiniuk - mparafiniuk@stl.pca.org

Lisa Goforth-Naes - lgoforth-naes@stl.pca.org

Jim Smith - jsmith@stl.pca.org

Bob Tamsky - btamsky@stl.pca.org

MEMBERS with COMMITTEE

Robert Naes - rnaes@stl.pca.org

Sherrill Smith - ssmith@stl.pca.org

Kelis Thacker - kthacker@stl.pca.org

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

Morgan Howard (HPDE events) - stlpcahpde@gmail.com

Ric Smith (All Porsche Car Show) - carshow@stl.pca.org

Steve Sullivan (Regional name badges) - stevesullivan@stl.pca.org

Mark your calendar!

Listed with the date and the event is the name and contact information where you can get more information. Note: Club Board meetings are open to all, and members are welcome to attend.

March 1 - Werks Reunion, Amelia Island, FL

March 7 - Thirsty Thursday, www.msreg.com

March 9 - Saudi Arabia F1 Watch Party. JML Audio of St. Louis, Fenton

www.msreg.com/F1-WatchParty

March 10 - Daylight Saving Time BEGINS

March 17 - CPG Movie Night at Maddy’s Home Theater - “Ferrari”

www.msreg.com/CPG-movie-night

March 22 - Phase 1 Registration CLOSES, 68th Porsche Parade Birmingham, AL

www.porscheparade.org

March 31 - Easter Car Show, Forest Park, 8 am - 4 pm

email: enjoyen@yahoo.com

April 3 - Phase 2 Registration OPENS, 68th Porsche Parade Birmingham, AL

www.porscheparade.org

April 4 - Thirsty Thursday, www.msreg.com

April 6 - Auto Show, Lebanon, IL

April 7 - Maintenance Tech, JML Audio of St. Louis, Fenton

April 8 - Eclipse Run,

April 13 - Drive & Dine to Emmet’s Restaurant in Fayette, MO

April 21 - Tour to the Terrace at French Village, French Village, MO

April 21-15 - Spring Treffen, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, Sonoma, CA Registration CLOSED