Get Involved with PCA: Appalachian Adventure

mountain roads924S944.com participated in the Appalachian Adventure this weekend in north Georgia – Lake Chatuga near Young Harris, GA.  This two-day event was put on by the Appalachian Region of the Porsche Club of America, and included a People’s Choice Concours/Car Show, a gimmick rally, a very difficult Porsche trivia quiz, lots of mountain driving and of course, S’mores by the fire in the evening.  It was a lot of fun, and nine of the almost fifty cars in attendance came from our home region, the Florida Citrus Region in Orlando.

img_2933We drove our ’87 924S to the event.  With this many Porsches in the Concours, the cars are, of course, split into classes.  With only our car and a very nice 86 944 Turbo entered, there were two in our class.

Unfortunately, the shiny red Turbo won the People’s Choice Concours in Class Seven.  Voting was close, thought, and the 924S944.com 1987 Porsche 924S got a lot of attention.  Comments like “I had one of these as my first Porsche” and “I love my Cayman, but I wish I hadn’t sold my 944” were common.

Of course, the event was filled with all manners of Porsche.  The only model not represented was the 914 – “Best of Show” was a red 356 Cabriolet, and Nort Northam’s 89 911 Speedster was a big hit, winning his class in the Concours.

Nort’s Speedster is a rare bird with only about 800 of them coming to America.  It is also rare in that he actually drives it on the road, although for long trips like this one, he trailered it to Georgia.

speedster at elliottsNort and I were able to visit Elliott Grafton at his nearby farm in Blairsville, GA.  For those of you who don’t know, Elliott is the go-to guy in the Southeaster U.S. – and farther – for all things 944.  You can see by the photo that he has a few 944’s around his place, and he sells parts and even complete, running cars.  He also dabbles in BMWs, and currently has an out-of-place Alfa.  It was a nice visit, and the opportunity to ride in a rare Porsche Speedster though twisty mountain roads with an accomplished racer like Nort Northam should not be discounted.

So get involved in PCA – PCA membership is inexpensive, and these events are a lot of fun.  Get out there with the rest of the Porsche folks and be proud of your car!  Get involved in these fun weekend events, whether it’s a weekend of driving, gimmick rally days, Cars and Coffee, or whatever!

Remember that 924S944.com will be at Daytona International Speedway in October 25-28.  If you have never been to a Club Race weekend before, know that there will be a ton of cars in the SP1, SP2 and SP3 classes with everything from early 944’s to 968’s racing on the Rolex course.  Join us there!  We will be running Nort Northam’s SP2 1984 944.

Author: Kevin Duffy, 924S944.com LLC, DeLand, FL

After retiring from a career in Law Enforcement, Kevin Duffy turned his attention to one of his passions, Porsche 944's and 924S's. He owns 924S944.com LLC in DeLand, FL, rescuing and restoring forgotten Porsches, bringing them back to a useful life. He is especially interested in the rare-but-beautiful 924S Special Edition. He can be found at Porsche Club events, including track days, tours and shows, as well as other car-focused events around the southeastern United States.

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