Introduction . . . . and a Request
I’m a new dues-paying member of the 911S Registry and this is one my first postings. I’ll start with an introduction.
My name is Rick Kreiskott, member #1395 and I’m located in Tustin, California. I’ve had a lot of different cars, but only had one Porsche so far, a lovely little 1960 Roadster that I drove and enjoyed for about a dozen years before passing it on.
I love to drive (still) and all of my cars are drivers. Some have been cleaner and prettier, but any car I own is set-up --- and kept-up --- to go anywhere, any time. Seriously. I took a ‘real’ M3 on the Trans-Alaska Highway up to Fairbanks a while back; 8500 miles, solo. I can tell you that it’s 25 hours from Abbottsford BC to my place in Tustin, that it’s 22 hours to Dallas, and that Amarillo is half-way when I’m going cross-country. If anybody asks me about going for a drive --- you don’t have to ask twice.
Anyway, this is a Porsche group. I came to Porsche through my experience with Volkswagens. When I was growing up, VWs were garbage basically, or so I thought. To me, the best cars were American and the bigger, the better. That is, until I got outta school and had to drive 80 miles a day to and from work in my big bad Trans Am. Nine MPG comes to mind (on the highway!) Anyway, my sister had moved off to school and had left her ‘68 Bug behind, and she’d asked me to look after it for her. I didn’t touch the nasty thing, except to turn the engine over every week or so. Then? I drove it once, when my car was low on gas. And I found out that that dumb, nasty little VW used as much gas in a week as my Super Duty burned in a day. Made an impression. I don’t think I’ve owned a big car since. When I gave my sister her car back, I got my own VW. I wanted something a little more special so I went out and found a 1500S coupe, better known as VW’s own ‘Notchback.’ It was lot prettier than a Bug but was still easy to own and maintain. If you can adjust valves, change oil, and rotate tires . . . a VW will just about run forever. I put a couple hundred thousand miles on it, then sold it. Wanted to move up. To a Porsche.
So the Porsche 356 seemed like the next step. It's a lot like a VW: torsion bars, push-rods, 6-volt electricals, etc. Which is a good thing. But it’s also completely different: no pan, hand-built welded-up body, double the horse-power. Now when I was growing up the late 60s and early 70s, Porsches were invisible to me. And the 356? What a joke! Narrow cambered tires tucked-up under goofy 40s-style bodywork, with 75 hp? But after pounding around for a couple of hundred thousand miles in a couple of VW's air-cooled anachronisms . . . the whole Porsche thing made a different impression. The Roadster I finally found was a beater. But it was just about the niftiest mechanical thing I’d ever seen: even 30-years-old and beat, it was beautifully built, tight and rattle-free, and a real pleasure to drive; simple mechanicals, smooth lines, doors that clicked shut with my finger tips, tight shut-lines. I still think that the 356 is kind of an acquired taste, appearance-wise . . . but they sure are easy to use and live with. And very special.
But? The cars are slow, slow, slow. Especially for the money. Mechanically they're more than sturdy enough, but taking all that hand-made bodywork out to the kinds of places and on the sorts of roads I like to go . . . was just not fun. Or smart.
Which is exactly why I’m here. I always wanted to own a 911, but kinda held off. Having an old Porsche isn’t a casual thing for me, and an old 911 will fill a special place for me. . . one that's been empty since the Roadster went. I don’t have much experience with 911s; I’ve only driven a handful of 'em, all 1983-or-newer. (Not counting some 996 GT3 time --- Plan B for now.) My standard for small high-performance cars is BMW’s original M3, a car I’ve owned for most of the last 15 years. So looking at the numbers, an early 911S has similar power, but weighs several hundred pounds less ---- a combination that looks pretty attractive. I loved my Roadster, so I’m excited at the prospect of a light, tight car with a lot more power. Plus, 911s, especially the early ones, have a reputation for being kind of a handful.
So I'm gonna to find out for myself.
Which brings me to The Request.
I’m here looking for a car and I need everyone’s help, so pass this along. 911S Coupe. 1969 to 1971 --- for the dog-leg 901. Numbers-matching per the CoA, with the MFI --- either still on the car or available. I’m looking for a driver, so bumpy bodywork, faded paint, cracked dashes, saggy headliners, crusty upholstery are all just FINE. As long as the basics are sound, any car I get will only get better with time. Promise. I would love to get a car from inside our community, but there are a lot of cars and owners that don’t do clubs or show up at shows, so any tips or leads would be most appreciated. I’m set for a long search and I don’t mind travelling. Whatever I come up with, I expect to own for a while . . . and you’ll get to hear all about it. In the mean time, I’ll put up the vehicles I come across in the classifieds. Looking forward to getting to know more about the membership and the vehicle.
And hey, to kinda get ready . . . what are the best places that do vintage 911 bodywork? Anywhere in North America.
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