Charlotte, NC to Costa Mesa, CA

[LongRanger]

Did some driving this past week-end.

Flew out to Charlotte last Wednesday, where my car’s been, ever since I found it about 18 months ago. John Forbes at Black Forest Racing out in Denver NC has been taking care of the mechanical stuff. There are a couple of shops here in Southern California that I’m hoping might do the body work, so I’m bringing the car out here to have them take a look.

I’ve done lots of long-distance drives, but this would be my first long trip in any Porsche. I had a B Roadster for years but it never went further than up and down the west coast. 356s are fun cars to drive, especially the open cars --- the top was only up when it was parked --- but it was exhausting to drive, even for a few hours. So, when I stared thinking about a 911, I knew I wanted a driver, a car that would make the long drives . . . the kind that Roadster never did.

So, over the Memorial Day week-end, I drove 9110301059 from Charlotte North Carolina to Costa Mesa California, in two legs:

Left Charlotte on Saturday, 29-May, at 01:35 PDST
Arrived in Oklahoma City that night at 19:15 PDST
Drive time for the 1st leg was 17:40, including 6 gas stops and dinner; distance was 1738 km/1080 miles, using 67.8 gallons of fuel.

Got a room, took a shower, slept, then . . .

Left Oklahoma City on Sunday, 30-May, at 02:40 PDST
Arrived in Costa Mesa, CA that night at 22:30 PDST
Drive time for the 2nd leg was 19:50, including 7 gas stops, no meals; the distance was 2157 km/1340 miles, using 76.2 gallons of fuel.

My total driving time was 37:30.
Total distance was 3895 km or 2420 miles.
Total fuel was 144.1 gallons.
MPG for the trip was 16.8, at 64.5 MPH.

The mileages are off of MapQuest --- don’t trust any of the gauges, yet!

More comments and pictures to come . . .

Rick Kreiskott

[LongRanger]

1) John Forbes of Black Forest Racing --- been taking car of the car since I found it. Car ran great, too! . . . .

2) Travel light.

3) '1059' in the lot. I still can't get over how small the old cars are.

4) Leaving Charlotte. Thunderstorms started early in the evening, then eased up around Midnight. I couldn't sleep anyway . . .

5) These H1s are toast! . . . I can see maybe 10 feet in front of the car. Yikes. So much for night-driving.

Rick Kreiskott

[Reza]

wow. demonstrates again, old cars can be very reliable cars, especially when they have a practical logic to how they were designed+well maintained.

[boxster03]

Impressive drive

What seats?

Need chiro adj.

[Bill Simmeth]

Cool, congrats on the '1059'. You certainly lived up to your user name!!

[dlp72t]

Wow!! That's great. I'm hoping to drive a 911 from Conn. to Monterey in Aug. of next year. Those are LOOONG stage lengths. Good to know it's possible to cover that much distance in each leg. Congradulations.

[LongRanger]

1) Light rain in North Carolina. Took I-40 the whole way; not much traffic. Good thing, too, 'cause the H1s on the car aren't much more than marker lights at this point and definitely need to be repaired/replaced (see my posting under 'Parts') and no fun --- even with no traffic. But once it got lighter, I could make decent progress.

2) Love how green things are out in NC and Tennessee. In California, our Spring lasts, like a month . . . and by now, everything's already started turning 'blonde' for the summer. Don't get to see woods like this in Southern California. Or traffic! . . . .

3) The Office. 1059 never missed a beat, the whole time; started on one turn of the starter --- only a little 'spitty' when cold. Found a sweet spot with steady cruising at 120 kph/75 mph. This is an unconverted Euro car; 'divide by five, then multiply by three.' Only gauges I really watched were the tach and temp. Oil was 80 when it was cool outside, then went up to 90 in the dessert. Couple of drops of oil, from the front of the case, just behind the muffler, whenever it sat. New Classico 911R replica wheel and button. Fingertip-light controls, smooth ride, but kinda touchy --- especially in a cross-wind. Interior is kinda tatty . . . but no rattles, squeaks, groans, or nonsense --- after 40 years.

4) Tennessee roadside. Paint code '8383' looks like 'Carolina Camouflage.'


5) Crossing the Mississippi

Rick Kreiskott

[HalM]

You're a better man than me! It took me 4 stops going from Santa Monica to Charlotte in my '70E.

Congratulations.

[orange911]

Man, what a bad weekend to drive out of NC. We have had some terrible storms. Glad you made it home safe and incredibly in 2 days. My arse hurts just reading about it.
Rick, a GPS is good for calibrating the mileage if in question. H4s (with a multi-relay) work great for me. A lot cheaper than the H1s.

I have the same issue with the cross-wind. I was told a front sway bar is the ticket. Haven't done it yet, though.

Nice Story.

Olin

[Jim Garfield]

Hat's off to you for doing the drive in 2 days, I'll bet you had a few OMG moments towards the end of each day. I do a lot of long drives, and anything over 1k is a long day in the saddle when you're running solo.