Mid US 914 Ramble

by JIM PHILPOT

For an all-too-brief weekend in late October, beautiful Lake Hamilton Resort, near Hot Springs, AR, was greatly enhanced when it became the idyllic setting for a gathering of more than thirty Porsche 914s, a quantity rarely seen in one place. The condition of the cars was indicative of the care and attention lavished on these unique autos by their proud owners. With the exceptions of the Limited Edition, and the very rare 916 and 914-6 GT cars, every version of the Type 914 was represented, including three all-out racecars and several highly modified streetcars. There were 45 official entrants, with accompanying friends and family members increasing the total number of attendees to 60.

Weather was perfect for the event, The Mid-US Ramble, held over the weekend of 22-24 October, 1999. It was organized and hosted by the newly formed PCA 914 Special Interest Group (SIG), with assistance from the PCA Ozark Region, and it would be difficult to find a more enthusiastic group of "car nuts"! Eleven states were represented, with one 914 being driven from Iowa, 1300 miles round trip. (One member, Brad Roberts, drove in from California, but not in a 914!)

Events of the weekend began Friday morning with a swap meet. (It seems there's always something you need, and something you need to get rid of, and you can haul a prodigious amount of "stuff" in the two trunks of a 914!)

On Friday afternoon, the first of two Tech Sessions was held, dealing with racing and all it entails. Sharing their expertise with the group were Jim Blakewell, J.T. Snapp, Ed Mayo, and Skip Page. Topics included: differences between SCCA/PCA Club and autocross competitions; and car preparation, made all the more interesting by a liberal sprinkling of "war stories" of exploits both on and off the track. The group had the good fortune of being able to examine three beautifully-prepared race cars, including the winning SCCA GT2 car of Jim and Laurie Blakewell (OK); a new, nearly-completed car of J.T. Snapp (AR); and Ed Mayo's  "Cockroach" (Don't ask! Such an unlikely name for a car that took top honors at this year's Parade autocross, piloted by Ed and his wife, Jan!).  Ed, in addition to being a long-time PCA autocross racer and shop owner in Dallas, TX, is a whiz at identifying obscure parts, having previously demonstrating his knowledge of Porsches by placing first in this year's Parade Tech Quiz!

After the Tech Session, a Scenic Tour gave everyone the opportunity to get out and enjoy the perfect weather and beautiful leaf colors, in the best way possible--- top-down driving in a 914, through the rolling countryside, whetting appetites for a delicious meal in one of Hot Springs' many fine restaurants.

Saturday began at whatever time was felt to be appropriate, because at 11 o'clock, all of the cars present, (and even some that weren't!), were to be judged in an Informal Concours. This meant the earlier the better for breaking out the old spit 'n polish. What an industrious bunch!

Saturday afternoon began with another Tech Session, this time an open forum, moderated by Ed Mayo. Topics discussed at this session included: Rust prevention; engine cooling; glass installation; and.....?

After the Tech Session, a Gimmick (non-timed) Rally occupied the attention of the group for several hours

Then came the Tech Quiz, consisting of identification of parts found on a 914. If we had all concentrated like that in school, there would be a lot more rocket scientists around today! There were parts in the photos rarely seen since the cars were assembled!

A banquet capped off the day, with a delicious buffet-style meal, plentiful door prizes donated by generous vendors (total value of the prizes was estimated at over $5000!), and the awarding of recognition certificates for the winners of the various competitive events, as follows:

CAR SHOW
    Best Stock 914-4 or 914-6:   Gary and Penny Perser (OK)- white 914-6
    Best Modified 914-4:   Al and Mike Swanson (TX)- yellow "916-4"
    Best Modified 914-6 or 914-8:   Rich Johnson (TX)- yellow 914-6
    Best Vicarious 914(judged from pictures):   Glenn Stazak( IL)- red 914-6
    Peoples' Choice:    Rich Johnson( TX)- yellow 914-6
    Dirtiest Engine Bay:    Craig Strain (VA)- blue 914-4  (the plastic bag did him in!)

RALLY
    1st Place: Gary and Penny Perser (OK)
    2nd Place: Al and Mike Swanson (TX)
    3rd Place: Tommy Williamson and son (MS)

TECH QUIZ (pictures and multiple-choice questions)
    1st Place: Ed Mayo (TX)
    2nd Place: Glenn Stazak (IL)
    3rd Place: J.T.Snapp (AR)

LONGEST DISTANCE TRAVELLED IN A 914
    Lawrence Bonkoski and Pam Schneider (IA)

As enjoyable as the organized events were,  equally enjoyable was the opportunity to see, in person, a wonderful collection of 914s,  meet their owners, associate faces with names,  and swap stories of how the cars were maintained, preserved, and restored.

Next year's event is bound to be even bigger!

Nimble 914's on a two-lane blacktop twisting through the Ozark Mountains under fantastic fall foliage and a clear Fall sky…a formula for truly memorable motoring. On Sunday morning, six of the 914's at the Ramble, two from Texas, two from Arkansas, one from Missouri, and one from Oklahoma, set off early in the morning from Hot Springs, following the lead of Charlie and Teri Davis for a backroads tour to the top of Magazine Mountain and beyond for a special lunch stop at the Wiederkehr Winery near Altus, Arkansas. Charlie set a spirited, but sensible pace that let us enjoy the performance of our cars on the challenging curves without endangering the participants or terrorizing the locals. The roads seemed to have been laid out by the engineering staff at Weissach because they were ideally suited to the excellent handling qualities of our cars. Smooth sweeping curves, inked esses like giant slaloms, second-gear hairpins, increasing and decreasing radius, uphill and down. We were constantly accelerating and decelerating, heel-and-toe downshifting before squeezing on the power and lipping another apex, the wail from the six Weber intake stacks just behind our heads blending with the nasal asp of the twin pipe sport exhaust echoing off the rock walls. Why did they put radios in these cars?

Magazine Mountain, the highest point in Arkansas, was great. A steep winding road with lots of switchbacks led to the summit, where the view was magnificent. The group hiked a short way to a gnarled old tree clinging to the edge of a rocky cliff. There we all signed the sacrificial Frisbee that we flung from the precipice, sailing into the trees far below. With the ritual completed, we continued on to the Wiederkehr Winery, which was founded by an immigrant Swiss-German family over a hundred years ago. We arrived with enough time to tour the gift shop and scope out the unique gift items and the impressive variety of wines produced at the winery. Charlie and Teri had reserved a large table for us in the intimate, excellent restaurant. We had been transported magically to the alpine region of Europe; this couldn't be Arkansas.

All too soon, we finished our superb meal accompanied by a prudent sampling of Wiederkehr's excellent wines. Good-byes all around and the six 914's dispersed, beginning the journey back to the real world. Porsches and the open road, a fitting conclusion to a wonderful weekend.


The 914 Special Interest Group has been formed in an effort to promote owner contact, facilitate the exchange of information, and ensure the public's awareness of the true value of the Type 914.
Information regarding the 914 SIG can be obtained by contacting Charles Davis: chuxter@airmail.net
P.O. Box 213, Weatherford, TX, 76086 940.682.4719