With the 2024 driving season upon us here in the Northeast, Saturday March, 30 brought beautiful spring weather and stunning Porsches to Kinchley’s Pizza Tavern in Ramsey, NJ – a pizza restaurant staple to Bergen County and surroundings since the 1930’s! Today’s selection of Porsches ranged from a 1960’s driver 356 through to an electric Taycan and nearly everything in between.

Some highlights included an orange 997 GT3 – manual – and and Rory’s tangerine orange 914-6 which has to be one of the best in the country.

NNJR PCA Badge Pride, on display:

Rory’s 914-6:

People’s choice opportunity?? It might be the white 718 Spyder with tartan/plaid interior or the original owner, low-miles, pristine Iris Blue Carrera:

Original-owner, Iris Blue Metallic Carrera!

356, twin-grille with saddle colored interior…driven!

Kinchley’s Pizza, thin-crust greatness in Bergen County, NJ:

We love local Porsche Club of America events. Check back soon with Sportscar Advisors for regional PCA event coverage and thanks to NNJR and Kinchley’s Pizza Tavern for the hospitality!

Sportscar Advisors had the fortunate opportunity to do an early morning run to Hayfields in North Salem, NY. A low-key cars & coffee meetup in Northern Westchester, NY, this event is filled with true enthusiasts who bring out unique and well-maintained examples of a wide variety of vehicles. A Porsche 964 fitted with roof rack and carrying luggage? Check. Porsche 930 Turbo? Check. Porsche Speedster M491? Check. Alfa Romeos? Check. BMW E30 M3s? Check. Countach? Check. Vintage Maserati? Check. What could beat this variety of cars along with a fantastic cup of Joe and a really great egg, cheese and avocado sandwich? Not much, this is pretty much as good as it gets for C&Cs. A relaxed, non-judgmental crowd of enthusiasts just enjoying their cars on a Sunday, catching up for an hour or two – or three!  That’s Hayfields.

Here today, our post focuses on the Porsches of Hayfields, 2019. We will share other vehicles in a future posting:

Gulf Blue Long-Hood 911:

Porsche Speedster M491:

Yellow Long Hood 911 (Bahama Yellow?):

964 with Luggage Rack / Hockey Gear:

Blue 911 T:

911 (991) Turbo S:

930 Turbo:

For a Sunday morning Cars and Coffee meetup the assortment and variety of vehicles is impressive across many makes, but the Porsche turnout is superb bringing a wide swath of modern and vintage air-cooled cars. The above is just a small sampling of the Porsches from one Sunday in the Summer of 2019. It’s great to see such variety and quality and this is a wonderful place to visit. We highly recommend Hayfields cars & coffee, but get there early as it fills up fast and parking is limited.

When we think of all-time great Porsche race drivers legendary European names like Herrmann, Behra and Ickx come to mind. And in discussions of Elford and Bell much is said of European drivers’ contributions to the world of Porsche motorsports. For sure, these legends of motorsport did much to raise the Porsche brand. But what about great Porsche hot shoes from the US? Have they been all but forgotten? We think not!

We believe some of the greatest Porsche race drivers are Americans. If you dig deep to understand the success of Porsche Motorsports around the world, it is evident that American drivers have played a huge role in bringing notoriety to the brand both in the US and abroad.

From Le Mans to Daytona, American drivers have recorded some of the greatest wins in Porsche motorsports history. These drivers are noted as Porsche masters and categorically driven to succeed in Porsche cars and Porsche cars only. They may have had forays into other teams and stints with other manufacturers, but when you think about the great achievements, it’s with Porsche where these drivers made their mark and a large part of how Porsche made their large footprint in global motorsports competition.

To honor great American Porsche race drivers, we put together a brief list of five professional drivers from the good ‘ol USA who piloted Porsches to success in competition all over the world. Here are a our favorites – in no specific order of accomplishment, quickness or greatness.

Mark Donohue – Born Haddon Township, NJ in 1937 – Famous for Driving: 917/10 and the 1,000+ horsepower 917/30 Can-Am car and IROC Carreras. Mark was educated as an engineer, but became a serious driver. He worked with Penske Racing and Helmut Flegl at Porsche to develop some of the most powerful Porsche’s ever including 917/30. He won the inaugural season of the IROC series in a Carrera RSR and set the Closed Course Speed Record at Talladega in the Porsche 917/30 running the car up to 221mph. During the development of the motor for the 917, German Porsche engineers often asked Donohue if the motor finally had enough power. His smug reply was, “it will never have enough power until I can spin the wheels at the end of the straightaway in high gear.” Sadly Donohue died in F1 practice for the Austrian Grand Prix in 1975 shortly after setting the record at Talladega.

Courtesey Nigel Smuckatelli

George Follmer Born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1934 – George Follmer was the 1972 Can-Am Champion standing in for Mark Donohue in the Penske 917/10. Follmer raced extensively in SCCA, NASCAR, dabbled in F1 and other major motosports series. Follmer took the 1976 Trans-Am Championship in the Vasek Polak#16 Porsche 934.  Folmer continues to be active in vintage motorsports events keeping his driving skills very sharp.  Check him out in this video as he flogs the Bob Akin 935/84 machine around Laguna Seca at the HMSA Charity Invitational.

Courtesy Mike Bryner

Peter Gregg– Born in New York City in 1940 – Peter Gregg was a 4 time winner of the 24 Hours at Daytona. In each of these races he piloted a Porsche. He purchased the Jacksonville, FL Brumos Porsche dealership in the mid 1960s from its original owner and won the 1973 and ’74 Trans-AM Series in his Brumos Porsches. Peter carried the Brumos Porsche racing programs through the 1970s with Hurley Haywood winning the 1975 Camel GT Series in new Carrera RSR. Sadly in 1980 Gregg committed suicide in Florida. It’s rumored that Gregg suffered from Bi-Polar disorder and that injuries which kept him from driving in some races deepened his personal sadness and struggles. His lasting legacy though is the winning years of Brumos Porsche in the world of professional and GT racing. Peter Gregg is forever a hero in the eyes of Porsche Motorsports enthusiasts and a legendary American driver.

Courtesey Nigel Smuckatelli

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Vic Elford is one of the top, all time greatest Porsche drivers ever to hit street and track circuits. Born in 1935 in the UK, Elford is famous for his 1968 win at the Rally of Monte Carlo in a Porsche 911. He is also known for notching multiple wins at the 1,00okm Nurburgring, for Porsche’s first overall win at the Daytona 24 Hours and several Le Mans class wins. Elford is also the master of the Porsche 917 having driven five versions of the famous Porsche beast.

It is Elford’s career, the Le Mans racing efforts and the Porsche 917 that the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia, PA has decided to Celebrate this coming weekend with Porsche Legends Day. This upcoming event marks the 40th Anniversary Of Porsche’s First Le Mans Win. The Museum is bringing in the “Hippie” 917 and Elford to wow friends and those interested in Elford’s stellar motorsports career and those interested in laying eyes on the famous “Hippie” 917. We give a huge hat tip to the Simeone Museum for bringing in one of the world’s greatest drivers and one of the greatest Porsche race-cars of all time.

PORSCHE LEGENDS DAY AT SIMEONE MUSEUM
THE GREAT VIC ELFORD WILL BE THERE!

Philadelphia, Pa. – The fortieth anniversary of Porsche’s first win at the Le Mans 24-hour race will be honored with a “Legends of Motorsport” weekend at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, located here, on November 5th and 6th. The guest of honor for the event is famed Porsche racer Vic Elford, and will feature the second-place car in that 1970 race: the “Hippie” Porsche 917 LH. The event is sponsored by the Philadelphia Metropolitan Porsche Dealers Association.

The Legends weekend begins with an “Evening with Vic Elford” dinner on Friday, November 5th beginning with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. Dinner is followed by remarks from Elford about his distinguished career driving for Porsche, Chaparral and others. Tickets to this event are $75 each and include admission to the next day’s presentation.

The Legends of Motorsport Demonstration Day on November 6th begins at Noon with a presentation in the main museum area by Dr. Simeone, concentrating on the origins and legacy of (arguably) Porsche’s most famous race car: the 917. The Museum’s “Hippie” Porsche 917 will be the centerpiece, flanked by two other racing Porsche’s, the Havoline 962 that won Sebring twice and a 911 Monte Carlo Rally car, similar to the car in which Elford started his Porsche career. After the presentation, Dr. Simeone will introduce Elford, who will entertain the crowd with stories of his years racing at Sebring, Le Mans and the Targa Florio.

The final portion of the event is the Demonstration run. The cars will be moved onto the 3-acre parking lot in back of the Museum where each, in turn, will be fired up and driven by Elford. The Simeone Museum is one of the few places in the world where visitors can see, hear and smell vintage race cars being run on a regular basis.

Admission to the November 6th Legends Demonstration day is included with regular museum admission: $12 adults; $10 senior; $8 students; children 8 and under, free. More information on the Legends weekend is available on the Museum’s Web site: http://www.simeonefoundation.org/

CAR SOLD by private party – For Sale: 1987 Porsche 928 S4 VIN# WP0JB0925HS862214 – Looking for that ultimate 1980’s GT cruiser? Drive an all original Porsche 928 S4. With only 67,300 miles, this 928S4 sports a gorgeous, original, metallic silver exterior, burgundy leather interior and sunroof. The automatic transmission is perfect for city driving and long stretches of highway cruising. This powerful Sports GT has always been adult owned by non smokers and no kids inside. It is NOT a concours car but more a really nice driver with great looks in smart condition. This Porsche speaks class, style, finesse and muscle! Put all 316 horsepower to the ground and fly.

All major service has recently been completed by local Porsche specialist CIM Motorsports including:

• Timing Belt
• Water Pump
• Brakes
• Tires

This car is all original with no paintwork. It has been garage kept and is very clean. We have all the goodies including the original bill of sale and window sticker, books & records, extra keys and more. Contact us for further information.

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The 28th Annual Historic Festival took place at Lime Rock Park on September 3-6, 2010 bringing the raw excitement of vintage racing to the scenic Litchfield, Connecticut hills.  The entry field included over 300 classic pre-war and sports competition cars in 10 groups. Groups were as follows:

1. Pre-war Sports and Racing Cars: Motorsport Trophy
2. 50s Competition Cars: Lime Rock Challenge
3. Porsche 911 and 914: Klubsport Kup
4. Best of British Production Sports: Chairmans Chalice
5. F. Ford & F. Junior: Starter’s Delight; Group 5a, F. Ford: The Stimola Memorial
6. Abarths & Alfas Galore: The Turin Tankard
7. Wild, Wild Horses – Big Bore Production: Detroit Dilemma
8. Speedy, Eclectic Mix: Sports Racing Cars: The Bennett Bowl
9. Minis Against the Rest: Giant’s Despair
10. Memories of Gilles, F2/Formula Atlantic: Fabulous Formulas

Participants in the Historic Festival actually begin their weekend on the previous Tuesday, August 31st with “test and tune” sessions. By Friday, September 3rd practices and qualifying have begun and the first race events are run.

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CAR NO LONGER FOR SALE –  1971 Porsche 914-6 Club Racer
This unique 914-6 was built by Deman Motorsport in Blauvelt, NY in 2001. The owner’s log book shows 10 track days at a few PCA club events. The car has NO RUST and has had NO ACCIDENTS.  It was professionally converted to a light-weight 2000 lb. autoXer / club racer and features a 3.0 flat six motor from 1982 911SC producing 210 Hp at the wheels.

The flat-6 motor features the following tweaks:

• Cosworth 10.1 pistons
• 906 cams
• Race valve springs
• 40mm Weber carbs
• Electromotive single plug ignition
• Raceware Rod bolts and Head Studs

The suspension and other drivetrain tweaks include:

• 1977 930 Front suspension and brakes
• ZF Limited Slip differential and rebuilt gears to dog teeth in all gears
• Syncro Rings
• 914 Trans

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Sports Car Advisors visited the Monterey Peninsula this past fall to cover the ALMS Monterey Sportscar Championship. While the ALMS is always an amazing show, the real star of our west coast journey was the Canepa Design/Museum experience. We only knew of Bruce Canepa’s Pebble Beach Concours winning cars from other major auto blogs, but it was our turn to lay eyes on some of the hottest and most coveted sports, collector and rare race cars in the world. In advance of our visit to Monterey we had arranged a viewing with the Canepa museum curator. We left Carmel-by-the-Sea in the late morning  for the scenic drive to see the Canepa museum, but much to our chagrin on the day of our visit, the curator was out sick and unavailable to walk us through the museum. (more…)

The 2009 Monterey Sports Car Championships at Laguna Seca saw amazing action in ALMS GT2 class. Once again, Corvette racing and Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsches battled heavily with Risi Ferrari; so heavily that at the final lap of the race, Magnussen in the Corvette ended up hitting the wall hard, bumped by Bergmeister in the the Flying Lizard Porsche GT3. Everyone has seen and heard about this by now, but it’s certainly worth mentioning as one of the scary highlights of the year. (more…)

For Sale: 1991 Porsche 911 (964) Carrera 2,

A stunning, 1991 Carrera 2 in Guards Red/Tan Leather with 94,581 original enthusiast miles.  This two owner 911 was purchased from the original owner in Atlanta, GA in April 2004 and has been in New York since with a PCA member.

With the strong 3.6 Liter Flat 6 and a 5 Speed gearbox the car is well-equipped to put the power to the ground and then some. (more…)