Gulf Coast Holiday
Great event! Over one hundred 356’s and great weather. I had forgotten that even the secondary roads are posted at 70 MPH in Texas. We trailered the ’64 Irish Green Coupe down and just got out ahead of the first snowstorm. A long drive down but the Holiday was held at a very nice resort north of San Antonio. After cleaning the 356 and doing some shopping we had a very good barbeque outdoors at the Resort.

There were a dozen 356 folks from Colorado (there should have been more if we expect Texas at our Holiday next year).

About eighty 356 went on the police escorted drive through the Hill Country. I had planned to put some miles on the new engine in the ’64 Coupe but it was not a sedate drive and not the way to break in the new engine. After the drive there was a vendor set up and we sold enough parts to pay for the trip. That night we had a private tour of the Alamo. The wife of one of the organizers is a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas who are responsible for the Alamo. So we had a privileged tour. Afterwards we walked a few blocks to the Riverwalk and had a great meal at a Mexican restaurant (of course).

Saturday was the concours day and a good hundred 356’s were on the grass. I had time to talk with Bill Jones who is a well known restorer in Texas. His black Carrera Coupe took Best in Show. He also ran cars at the Indianapolis 500 and shared some great stories with me.

I also met Bob Hagestad who use to own the Porsche dealership in Denver. He now has a VW dealership in Irving, Texas. We talked about his racing days and he had great things to say about his mechanic-Al Lager. After the concours was the Awards banquet and it was well done with a great German band and dancing after. That area of Texas has a strong German heritage. We bet Rosie and Roland danced the night away but we turned in as we wanted to get an early start back as we heard there was more snow expected in Denver. We got home with no problems except in our own driveway.

Progress
The Shop ’64 Coupe that we picked up in Albuquerque came back from the painter in beautiful Slate Gray. And guess what? I sold it to a guy that wanted that color and wanted to do his own engine and interior. So I don’t get to do the final assembly, which I really enjoy, but the sale gives us some time and space.

Scot’s ’55 Coupe went to the painter and will be painted Turkish Red. A nice deep maroon which is the same color as the door caps and rear interior pieces on the Shop ’57 Carrera. So we will paint them at the same time.

Work on the Carrera is fun but takes more time as I want to do it close to show quality. I had all the chrome done and bought new glass which make the 356 look new.

Autoweave has just the top to finish on the Shop ’58 Cabriolet and when it is done we will take the Carrera for it’s interior.

So the plan is to get the Irish Green ’64 Coupe ready for sale; do the final assembly on the Shop ’58 Cabriolet and get it ready for sale. The Carrera will take more time before it is ready for sale as we still have to finish the installation of the wiring harness. Being a right hand drive 356 has caused some issues with wiring.

BJ has started the extensive metal work on Andy’s ’62 Coupe. Since it will need a parial front clip, BJ cut the damaged front sheet metal off which give him access to the battery box area which all has to be replaced. He is able to build the battery box with new parts on the work bench which is a whole lot easier than doing it with the 356 on jack stands. Once done he just welds it in and then can finish the front clip. This is the same approach I used when I restored Barb’s Twin Grille Roadster almost twenty years ago. (Have I been doing this that long? Guess so as we are closing in on our one hundredth 356 repaired or restored. We will have a big celebration when that happens).

Events
Do not forget the 22nd Annual Exotic Sports Car Show and Concours D’ Elegance. It will be June 5th at the Arapahoe Community College. Please enter your 356 either for judging or display. To get an entry form contact Sandy Martin at 303-691-9339 ext 32. The pre-registration fee is $30 and all proceeds benefit Cerebral Palsy of Colorado. We usually have at least twenty 356’s and sometimes more than the Porsche 911’s.

There is still room for the 356 Holiday in Banff, Alberta, Canada. This is June 20-July 5. You can register at www.356Holiday2005.com or E mail bert@356Holiday.com or call 403-240-4856.

The RM356PC has a tech session May 7th at Carquip in Boulder. Tom Conway is a lifetime member of the RM356PC and is the most knowledgeable Porsche person we’ve ever met. Plan to attend the Tech Session.