Happy new year! I hope you enjoyed the holidays and when not with family spent some time driving your favorite automobile on twisty roads. I am surprised how quickly my first year as president went by. It’s been very rewarding working with a great board and club volunteers. They make my job easy and our club special.
Looking back, when I was 10 or so I would get home before my older, teenage brother and read his car magazines cover to cover. It really made him mad. I think he had a Corvair Monza Spyder at the time. I didn’t understand most of what I was reading, but eventually started to catch on. I sent requests to all the advertisers and asked for their product stickers. It was surprising how many complied. I’m not sure why I did that, but had quite a collection and it started me down the dark path of being a car guy.
At one time, my brother had a ‘66 GTO with three duces. My first car was a hand-me-down ’67 GTO I bought from my parents for $1,700. That was all the money I had back then. Unlike other muscle car owners, I put on Koni shocks and radial tires – a sign of things to come. What really caught my attention was his classmate who lived two streets over and got a screaming 911S from his parents. It was so different than most other cars. Years went by until I read a Car and Driver article about a black 911 Carrera wide body with a whale tail. I was hooked!
I never dreamed of being in a Porsche club or knowing so many people with so many amazing cars. Fast forward 10 Porsches later, when I turn over the engine of our GT4 and drive down the street, my heart begins to throb and I’m taken back to when I was that kid.
Well, enough of that. With all the amazing events we had in 2024, I look forward to it being even more spectacular in 2025, including a European vacation with a tour of the Porsche factory and a drive in a Porsche around Germany and the Autobahn. For more information, check out our proposed ten-day adventure on the website or the flier on page 35 oft he magazine.
On a personal car note, a good friend found a clean ’97 911 S2 in ocean blue metallic. After he decided not to buy it, I sold my ’68 911L to make room in my garage. I didn’t know much about 993s because I think I was too busy raising kids during those years. I love the solid feel, the way it drives, and looking at those wide hips. So, while I miss my sort-of-rare early 911L, it’s fun to have one of the last air-cooled Porsches.
Speaking of events, Activities Chair Lionel Neff was an obvious choice for the 2024 Man of the Year award! He has spent an enormous amount of time and detail planning many of our events, although he is always open to more ideas and help for fun drives and outings. Behind the scenes, Secretary Doreen Shinn takes care of MotorsportReg, club emails, board duties, and much of the club business. She is the 2024 Woman of the Year! Congratulations Lionel and Doreen, and sincerest thanks for your commitment to the club! These two were honored at the Annual Holiday Brunch in December at Spanish Hills Club. (Each were offered new Porsches for their service but turned them down because they already have cool Porsches. That saved the Club a lot of money.)
Special thanks to past Woman of the Year Doreen Pankow and all her helpers for organizing the annual event at Spanish Hills. Lots of raffle prizes were given away. I won a cool book A French Kiss with Death: Steve McQueen and the Making of “Le Mans.” At least it looks cool. I haven’t been able yet to get it from the clutches of my wife.
The club donates money at the end of the year to non- profits in our communities. Money is raised by collecting $5 or $10 per person at every paid event we put on. This year, the board voted to send checks to the following organizations: $5,000 to Ventura County Medical Center Auxiliary for a new pediatric care room adjacent to the Ronald McDonald kids cancer center; $2,500 to Unity Shoppe in Santa Barbara; and $1,000 each to two groups helping the Mountain Fire victims. We also paid $200 for our named brick at the Camarillo Historical Society.
I’m planning on going to the Streets of Willow Springs on March 17 for a “Day Away from Work.” It’s a fun Driver Education event co-sponsored by our club with the Grand Prix and Los Angeles regions and is a great way for first timers to gain track experience. It’s been a few years since I have participated. I hope some of you will join me. It’s amazing what your cars will do.
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Steve Doll