Cross Country Trip to 356 West Coast Holiday in WA...

For those of you attending the event this weekend in Stevenson, WA, there are some special cars and attendees from Atlanta and Knoxville.

These friends drove their cars from the Southeast starting last Thursday and arrived at the Skamania Lodge last night. They took the northern route through SD, WY, ID, OR, they spent much of it on secondary roads. They arrived without incident, only great experiences.

No chase car, just 3 cars, 3 guys.

The guys:
Chip Perry, Jim Johnston, and Pat Collins. All S Registry members as well.

The cars:
59 Carrera Coupe - with a fresh Jeff Adams rebuild of its glorious four cam engine. This is probably one of if not the nicest 59 Carrera in the country.
58 Speedster - the best driving 356 out there
59 Coupe - Jim's project car from TN, on its way to becoming an outlaw

The first two cars in the list are (were? :)) #1 cars. Jim's is a work in progress.

Chip's son posted a thread on the 356 registry that gives some highlights of their trip, but a steady stream of commentary and photos filled the inboxes of a few of us.
http://forum.porsche356registry.org/...bcbd8194a63c79

I wish I could have made the trip with them!

Introduce yourselves at the event. They have some great stories to tell!

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Cool ! Looks like you guys are having a ball

Just show's that there all meant to be driven!

Excellent guys...........

Well, they've made the turn and are heading back East now. But not before picking up People's Choice awards in the Concours for the Speedster and the Carrera

A few pics from along the way.

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Crater Lake

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Yosemite Valley

Thanks for sharing. Love the 356's and the beautiful PNW mountains are perfect as a backdrop. Safe travels home.

Happy to oblige, popowitz!

They are outta the mountains, but not before troubleshooting some VR issues on the Carrera... a mere 2300 miles from home. Wouldn't want it to happen with anyone else on trip... the best hands are on it!

They've now departed Yosemite and are past Mono Lake, making their way down to the desert SW.

Stopping in Dallas eventually to meet up with the 82 year old original owner of the Carrera, who hasn't seen the car in decades. The guy can't wait for them to stop by.

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First significant mechanical challenge of the trip happened this afternoon in Childress, TX.

Pat brought along a spare generator, and it came into good use on Jim's '59 Coupe.

Back on the road now.

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This is my last post on the subject. Chip has been updating the 356 Registry thread.

Here was the highlight of their trip in his words

"Now for the top highlight of our entire 356 cross country driving adventure: on Saturday night and Sunday morning we reunited the 1959 Carrera with its original owner, Jay Helt, who is now 82 years old and living a happy retirement near Dallas, Texas. Jay was a young U.S. Air Force Officer when he purchased the car new at the Porsche Factory in Stuttgart in the Fall of 1959. We spent four hours with Jay and learned how he first became interested in owning a Porsche (he owned two of them before buying the Carrera), what sparked his interest in acquiring a Carrera, what his purchasing experience was like, how he drove the car when he got it home, how he cared for it with the help of a German factory trained mechanic, what the car meant to him and his family, and why and how he sold it to a doctor from Kansas in 1965. I'll share more about these things in another posting, but suffice it say here that Jay was truly ecstatic and appreciative to see his old car again after 49 years, and riding in it brought back many fond memories for him. The nostalgic looks he gave the car while we were with him were just priceless. More details to follow later today after we get further down the road toward Memphis, TN ...."

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"Here's a closer view of Jay Helt behind the driver's seat of his old Carrera. We really enjoyed hearing his stories and observations on the car he last saw 49 years ago."

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A reminder of what are the most enjoyable aspects of owning our old cars, folks... the people and the driving experience

marvellous story - great pictures - top notch trip !

agreed.

I was lucky enough to witness a similar reunion of car and owner. A fellow board member had purchased a 59 356A down here in Sydney NSW, and via my late father I knew of the original owner, and the location they last moved to. After some detective work on the part of friends we were able to locate him and his family (his wife also ran her own 356A.)

The stories from "back in the day"were wonderful , and the appreciation was tangible.

I've attached 2 pictures that really sums up the visit. Its almost as if the original owner is being reunited with an old and close friend. I felt privileged to have been there.

The comment about this wonderful old car hobby we have is the stories and wonderful people we come across and can interact with. Long may it continue!

Justin

Great story about meeting up with the original owner, and an epic drive. Reading about things like this is what I love about this site. The value discussions - not so much..... let's drive these pigs! :D

..... let's drive these pigs!

Amen to that!

I probably should start a separate thread rather than trying to cover this in a single post. But the past 96 hours were an incredibly memorable experience for me.

Through good fortune and friendship I was handed the keys to this thread's star '59 Carrera for this past weekend's 356 East Coast Holiday in Fontana Village, NC. I just pinched myself again after I wrote that.

Driving 600 miles in this incredibly beautiful and rare car has left an indelible mark on my automotive psyche. I can recall every mile of the weekend as well as the great people I met at the event!

Consider me bonded with the four cam mystique... and thank you, Chip!

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