June 8^th Autocross

     June’s autocross was a definite success.  Thank you for all the members (and their friends) that traveled to Marshalltown’s Iowa International Raceway to make this an autocross to remember.  There were a variety of very competitive non-Porsche vehicles in attendance.  Steve O’Brien brought out the big gun (400 mm lens) to capture some of the day’s action.  Pictures will be available on-line in the next couple of weeks and the hard copies will be distributed at the next events.

     Thanks to Bob (and others) for announcing the times after the runs.  The announcements allowed drivers to get some instant feedback after their run.  As always, thank you to the timers and also to the flaggers.  It’s always great to see some new faces at our region’s events.  Lastly, be sure to visit our website and view pictures from the June 8^th Autocross:

http://www.pca.org/cia/pastevents/2002/autocross0602.htm

          RESULTS:        

Welcome To New Members:

·        Byron and Karen Davis are from Waterloo, IA and drive a 1968 911S.

·        Fernando Munoz is from Bettendorf, IA and drives a 1988 Carrera.

·        Kimball Thompson is also from Bettendorf, IA.  He has a 2002 996 Targa.

·        Kenneth and Danette Kremer live in Swisher, IA and have a 1990 944S2.

Welcome to the Central Iowa Region of PCA. We hope to see you soon at a club event!

Symbolic Motor Car Company and the Matsuda Collection

by Emmet Wolfe, San Diego Region
(From THE WINDBLOWN WITNESS)

     Now we know why Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld drive down from Hollywood to visit Symbolic Motorcar Company in La Jolla, CA. That’s where the good stuff
is! “So many cars – so little time!” To most of us, it’s more like “So many cars – so little money!” But even if we can’t buy them off the showroom floor at Symbolic, we can appreciate their beauty and engineering content and historical significance. And we had the pleasure of doing that recently when Symbolic hosted a tech session. It was a great opportunity for a close up look at many fascinating and exciting cars.

     Attendance at our monthly tech sessions has been growing steadily all year, and this one had well over 200 participants. Co-chairs Ted Myrus and Rich Caccese have organized some great hardware experiences. This one was a standout.

     Roger Phillips of Symbolic walked us through their current inventory of cars, which includes cars from the Matsuda collection of the Porsche Museum, which was purchased for resale in this country. Roger was very entertaining as he gave us a fast-paced commentary on all the cars as we roved through the showrooms. He provided a wealth of information and stories, and we enjoyed his knowledge and enthusiasm and humor. Roger quipped that he used to drive an Alfa GTA1600 with a license plate frame which said “My other car is a Porsche, but today I’m in a hurry.”

     What a fantastic collection of automobiles. It is truly an eclectic array, ranging from a red, 15 hp, one-cylinder, air-cooled, Porsche diesel farm tractor, to a 450 hp Porsche 959. The tractor has 3-point linkage, a power take-off shaft, and a central mower assembly for hay. It also has 3 reverse gears, which, Roger pointed out, is 2 more than any Ferrari. This particular tractor is believed to have been Ferdinand Porsche’s private vehicle. It seemed incongruous to see the Porsche crest on a farm tractor, but, come to think of it, we may also see the Porsche crest on a sport utility vehicle in 2002, like it or not! If you want to stump your Porsche friends, ask them to describe a Porsche Type 104. This is the tractor.

     The Porsche 959 (also red) represents a significant benchmark in automotive design. This 1987 masterpiece puts out 450 hp from 2.8 liters in road form, with twin turbos and intercoolers. It has a very sophisticated all wheel drive system utilizing a computer to send appropriate power to each wheel. Racing versions pumped up to 600 hp! It is a stunning jewel of the collection. Unfortunately, this particular car is not street legal for the U.S., so if you buy it, better be careful. However, when you press the go pedal, things in the rearview mirror get real small, real fast!

     There were literally scores of other unique and valuable cars on display, such as a Ferrari Tour de France (rich man’s toy for $700k), a silver Porsche RS61 (1.8 liter, 165 hp, asking price $195k – sold), a black “bathtub” or  “soapdish” Porsche (1500 super, 44 hp, asking $29k – sold), a blue Bugatti Type 35 (the navigator passenger on this one must work to adjust the timing and keep the fuel pressure up while underway, $175k), and a Porsche 910/6 (1980, 2 liters, 220 hp).

     One car of particular historical significance, in authentic condition with faded red paint and some dents, looking like it just drove in off the course, was an Alfa 2900B Gran Prix prototype raced with success by Tazio Nuvolari in 1938-39, and later owned by Phil Hill. A Wisconsin man bought it from Hill, and then re-sold it in 1957 for $7k. This same fellow stopped in at Symbolic recently, and viewed his old car. When he asked what the car was now worth, he was staggered to learn that it is now valued at somewhere between 12 and 14 million dollars! It was almost a case of “Call the paramedics! Code Blue on the showroom floor! Get the defibrillator paddles – Quick!”

    The Alfa had a unique engine design – twin supercharged straight 8 with the timing chain drive take-off in the middle of the engine. Remember how straight 8’s could wind up the crankshaft under torque? A degree or two of wind-up could affect the timing from one end of the engine to the other. This design helped overcome that. Of course, the straight 8 engine design eventually got leap-frogged by the more compact, tighter V-8 layout.

     There was a rare L88-powered Corvette on display. Runs only on 101 octane, with an asking price of $400k. Bill Vukovich’s 1952 Indy car is there too, with a variable spoiler, and an Offenhauser engine, which will rock the walls with explosive power from its big, muscular 4 cylinders.

     Another car of considerable historical significance was the last Bentley built before the company was bought by Rolls-Royce, in 1931. Did you know Mr. Bentley had been a locomotive engineer? You could tell from looking at this car. The hood is about as long as the Superchief. It has 3 huge and beautiful chromed headlamps. They just don’t make them like that anymore! If light output were proportional to lamp size, these things would light up the road clear to Seattle. Engine displacement is 8 liters. Roger joked that it takes about 3 buckets of coal per mile! This car has a leather fan belt. Yours for $750k!

     It is difficult to adequately describe these cars in a short article. Perhaps the photos will give you an impression of the extent and quality of the collection. If you want to see them firsthand, you can visit Symbolic during their normal business hours. It is really worth a visit. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I think a first-hand look is worth a thousand pictures. These cars are really spectacular. Try to keep from drooling on them though – they are for sale!

     Another striking car on display was a 1955 Ferrari Super Squallo. What a bullet! Gaping oval snout, 3.7 liters, 4 cyl, 300 hp, outside exhaust pipes, leaf springs, “banjo” rear end, drum brakes, and 2 sets of spark plugs. Install the “hot” set for starting and warm-up, and when you are ready to race, remove them and install the “cold” plugs. Are we spoiled in 1999?

     Symbolic tries to obtain the best examples of collectible cars. Many of their cars are low mileage “garage queens” owned by people who style around in them only on weekends. In their showroom, you’ll see a pristine black Porsche 914 (30k mi), a silver Ferrari Dino (4k miles), and a 206 racing Dino V-6 with 240hp. The Dino goes like a bat since it only weighs 2200 lbs.

     Also on display was a Ferrari 250GT V-12 worth about $1.2 mil, and a perfect (red, or course) Ferrari Daytona. This Italian muscle car puts out 365 hp at 8k rpm. It takes 2 hands to turn the steering wheel under 8 mph, but it lightens up at speed, and feels perfect at 130 mph! Pinin Farina did a great job on this one. Don Johnson of Miami Vice used to blast along Biscayne Boulevard in a replica of this original.

     There were also some quirky cars on display, including a 456A Ferrari (automatic, with 4 seats), a TR8 (300 built, 3.5 liter V8, 36k miles), a red MG TF, a ’53 Corvette (6 cylinder engine), and a Ghia Jolly (wicker basket seats!). Also, a 355 Ferrari with paddle shift (executive toy par excellence), a pristine blue 993, a Lotus Esprit twin turbo V8 (4.2 sec to 60 mph, 1g on the skidpad), a 355 Aston Martin (Cotswold green with magnolia & green piping, supercharged), and a like-new, gorgeous, white/grey 968 cabrio looking for a new home and wanting to stay in San Diego, like the rest of us.

     There was also a custom 1956 Chevy hot rod on display. This one had been bored to 465 cubic inches for 700 hp. Yellow paint job with flames, and side pipes, and a couple of giant slicks on chrome wheels with humongous offset on the rear. If you’re looking for a car, which will make you a standout in your neighborhood, this one is for you. It has been driven only on Sundays, and only for a quarter mile at a time!

     Symbolic also sells Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, and they had quite a selection of new and used ones. One was a red Continental R previously owned by Nigel Mansel the F1 racer, and then by Rod Stewart the rocker. Believe it or not, thanks to the magic of large displacement and turbocharging, this high torque luxo-mobile can reach 60 in 5.2 seconds. Gas mileage? Who cares. They also had another luxo boat previously owned by Wayne Gretzky, the Great One.

     The formula for horsepower says that HP is proportional to rpm, displacement, and cylinder pressure. Hence, you can get high HP through the use of high rpm or big displacement or high cylinder pressure (turbocharge or supercharge), or a combination of any of the above. RR and Bentley use big displacement engines pumped up with turbochargers, so they crank out mucho grunt power at low rpms. The RR Azure puts out 650 ft lbs of torque at 2200 rpm, and reaches peak horsepower at only 3000 rpm. Did somebody say “locomotive”? It also comes with drop-down walnut picnic tables in the back seats, and 4 umbrellas and a humidor in the trunk (really). Please pass the Grey Poupon.

     Back onto the Porsches, Roger showed us a 1944 Porsche Kugelwagen. It was in original (rough) condition, as befits a historical vehicle from this era. It had a history of wartime operation in the desert over 50 years ago.

     If you are really in a hurry, Symbolic also has a Porsche RSR on hand with an outlandish striped paint job to go with its “over the top” rear wing. And don’t forget to take a look at the Porsche 956 with “Joest Racing” all over the bubble canopy. Check out the driver’s seat and try to imagine how you would feel driving this car in a 24-hour race!

     Our thanks to Roger Phillips and his compatriots at Symbolic for a memorable evening. We really appreciated the opportunity to see the crème de la crème of unique automobiles, even if it did give many of us major cases of envy and lust!

Now, Just a Bundle of Modules

By Ted Ohland, Metro New York Region
(From PORSCHE POST)

        A Porsche bought in the Fifties still can do what Porsches are supposed to do: provide pleasurable motoring experiences. It can do this in spite of its lack of just about every modern convenience. Speedsters don't even have windows that wind down into the doors. In fact, if they were not Porsches, many people would consider them to be obsolescent. But Speedsters still run in competition and beat many of the four-wheeled technological wonders of the computer age.

        There was a time when there were no "modules" of the sort that control cars made in this last decade of the century. Fin de siecle Porsches (and lesser cars) are loaded with microprocessors. Even the cheapest car today is an electronically enhanced wonder on wheels.

        Computer control starts at the driver's door module, which commands the door locks and power windows. It continues throughout the vehicle. Today's cars are equipped with modules to control engine functions, antilock brakes, transmission, lights, mirrors, audio, supplemental restraints (airbags), climate controls, telephone, power seats, sun roof, convertible top. And of course there is a central electronic module, a master brain to coordinate the diagnostic functions of all the slave brains. It has been said that there are more electronic modules in today's cars than in some aircraft... and it may be true.

        A result of the modern automobile's electronic dependency is the impossibility of a repair on the road. Today, when a spasm in some system puts you in the breakdown lane, it's time to tie a hanky of surrender to the antenna. Nothing is fixable, or even adjustable. Fortunately, cars of recent construction are much more reliable than those built in the "good old days." Cars are better than ever. But for some of us they're not quite as much fun, even Porsches.

        Those old 356 bathtubs didn't boast a single computer chip, but they can still offer delightful driving experiences. And they will allow us to play in the engine room. Heading high into Colorado? It's time to get out some leaner carburetor jets and spend ten or fifteen minutes to replace the richer ones. Have to run on 82 Octane in Mexico? Take five minutes to retard the timing a few degrees by loosening a clamp and rotating the distributor in a clockwise direction, while watching for a spark to jump across the points as that notch in the fan belt pulley wheel lines up with the split in the crankcase halves.

     Today, this area of adjustment is handled by a few transistors, but that sure can't beat the satisfaction that comes from doing a job yourself, just because you know how to do it.

Just the Details: What is Carnauba
By David Bynon, San Diego Region
(from The Windblown Witness)

        Carnauba is a vegetable fat obtained from the leaves of a Brazilian palm tree called the "Tree of Life" (Copernica Cerifera). Pure Carnauba, in its natural state, is harder than concrete. One of its most interesting properties is that it swells and closes its pores when exposed to water.

        Having a great affinity to water, Carnauba has the ability to retain oil and has excellent gloss properties making it applicable in many industries, including cosmetics, automotive and food. In cosmetics, Carnauba is widely used in stick applications. Carnauba is the hardest natural wax and has lustrous composition making it the leading choice for food coatings, pharmaceutical coatings and polishes. Number One Grade Carnauba varies from a very pale yellow (white), through a greenish brown (yellow).

        Carnauba Wax is exuded by the leaves of the Copernica Cerifera palm to conserve the moisture within the tree and its leaves. The "Carnauba Palm" grows in the northern and northeastern parts of Brazil along the riverbanks, valleys, and lagoons where the soil is dark and fertile. The tree needs very little water to grow, is very prolific and attains a mature height of 40-50 feet. The natives in the surrounding area use the various products of the tree for many necessities in their lives; hence the name "Tree of Life." Of interest is the fact that only in northern Brazil does the Carnauba Palm produce wax. Palm leaves containing the wax are harvested from the trees during the period from September to March. The color and quality are governed by the age of the leaves, as well as the care used in processing the wax. The leaves are soaked in kerosene to soften the wax, resulting in a thick liquid that can be poured into molds for shipping.

        Being a natural plant by-product that does not react with paint, Carnauba provides a very hard barrier over your car's surface to protect against airborne contaminants such as acid rain, bugs, tar, road grime, salt, and bird droppings.  Carnauba also dramatically reduces paint oxidation by diffusing (refracting) UV and infrared radiation from the sun. Typical Carnauba waxes contain 3 to 5% Carnauba wax (not necessarily Brazilian No. 1 Carnauba) by volume. The greater the concentration of Carnauba; the greater the level of protection and the higher the level of shine.

      All of the quality waxes Autopia Car Care offers contain 30% or more Brazilian No. 1 Carnauba by volume. David Bynon operates the website Autopia-Carcare.com. Visit this site for more information about car care and as a source for most of the products and tools seen in this column.

Get Hooked Up!

     If you have e-mail and are not getting notices of Porsche Club events, please update your e-mail address by contacting: john-dyson@uiowa or jmdyson@mchsi.com or, phone 319-337-5367 or 319-335-9843. If you have a FAX number we can send information by that method.

     There are times that we might need to contact you about an upcoming event that we don’t have time to send a mailing. Please consider getting this information to us.

For Sale:

     Looking for a deal on seat covers?  Gerry Elseman has some Gray Sheepskin covers that were on his first Boxster.  $75 is a considerable discount over the over $300 new price.  Contact Gerry by email: gelseman@mchsi.com

     1983 911 SC (Convertible) – The exterior color is silver the top is black and the interior is burgundy leather, all tuned up prior to storage for the winter. There are new tires and two covers for the car; it has an equalizer stereo addition in the vehicle. Asking price is 18,750.  James Kluxdal: Home phone is 641-856-2831 and E-mail is crnajim@jetnetinc.net

     Unfortunately the time has come to part with 1988 911 Carrera Coupe. Great shape, needs a good home. 50,500 mi. Know anyone interested?

Dan Kaufmann: phone 563-332-2347 leave a message or email: DJKaufmann@aol.com

The Club’s Website

     Besides my recent venture into becoming the newsletter editor, I also keep up the Central Iowa Region’s website.  If you wish to look at the site, go to, http://www.pca.org/cia/  If you have any ideas for the site or contributions please let me know at jasonw@ninesixtyeight.com. Please visit our website, http://www.pca.org/cia/  Check out the pictures of past events, marketplace items, and our upcoming events calendar and information.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Tweeks Funfest for Porsche 2002

     July 20 & 21 is a great weekend that any Porsche enthusiast will enjoy. Tweeks Funfest for Porsche 2002 in Effingham, IL is a chance to see all models and years of Porsche cars and mingle with fellow enthusiasts. This year also features a return of the swap meet.

     Visit: http://www.tweeks.com/funfest02.html for registration and more information.

Porsche Parade 2002

       July 28 – August 3 is the week for this year’s Porsche Parade in Boise, Idaho. Parade week is an eventful time for PCA members that trek to the region of the country that is hosting the events and coordinating everything.  Besides the “big ticket” events (Concour, Rally, Autocross) there are many auxiliary events that make it a special time for the enthusiast. 

       A few examples of other events are: Art Show, Tech Sessions, Tech Quiz, various seminars, etc… Another treat worth mentioning are all the Banquets. There are door prizes – ranging from small items to the grand prize trip to Germany. This year they are planning to put the PARADE back into the Porsche Parade with an actual parade of cars through the downtown streets of Boise.

     Not only is this week focused on the cars, but it’s also a chance to see old friends and meet plenty of new ones.  Parade is one PCA event that is a dream-come-true for die-hard members that enjoy all aspects of PCA membership. Be sure to check out the official website: http://www.parade2002.org/ for more information. 

Airport Breakfast & Porsche Display

     On Sunday, August 25, Sertoma will have its annual Airport Breakfast.  Besides the planes that fly in from around the country, there are many car clubs that gives this event a taste of variety.  Shine your car up and park with fellow PCA members in the Porsche Display Area.  More details will be available as August approaches.

Picture from 2001 Porsche Display

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Last modified: July 10, 2002