It’s Time To Go…

If you follow this site, you know about our recent 5,000+ mile trip that we took at the end of the summer.  This was our first real Porsche road trip in quite some time, and it showed us something very important – it’s time to go!

We like to drive our cars.  With COVID, though, we have had to stay at home when we should be enjoying them.  But even as Old Man Winter approaches, one thing is clear…it’s time to go!  So here are some tips that can help you find places to go and get off the couch!

1. It’s an old story for us, but join and participate in events with your local Porsche Club of America (PCA) region.  Dues are only $46 a year, and many events are free. We have been members of the Florida Citrus Region of PCA since 1998, the attitude towards our front engine water cooled cars has changed drastically, especially in the past two or three years.  We are welcomed and embraced by most members now.  We’re not asking why or how…we are just enjoying it.
2. Go to Cars and Coffee and Cruise-In events in your area, even if it is a local “hot rod” or “Classic British” or other themed event.  Our cars are “classic” by age and they are rare enough that people enjoy seeing them and telling their stories about them.  We are continually surprised at how many people have some sort of life history with a 944, 924 or 924S.  Unfortunately there is no national or regional online director of these events, but if you Google “cars and coffee near me” you will find events in your area.  And these are normally pretty laid-back events.
3. Autocross events are always a blast.  Local sports car clubs like your local PCA, BMW, Ferrari, Mini Cooper, British, and Mazda Miata clubs organize autocross events.  Our local PCA holds an autocross every month with the exception of the hot summer months.  SCCA also has SOLO events in some areas.  We autocross with PCA and Martin Sports Car Club here in the Central Florida area, with most events held in Tavares, north of Orlando in Lake County.
4. Plan a get-a-way with that special someone for a short-distance weekend and take the Porsche.  Get accommodations like an AirBnB or hotel, leave on Friday afternoon, driving not more than an hour or two, have a nice dinner, then go explore the area on Saturday in the Porsche.  Saturday evening dinner at somewhere nice and special, then a quick morning drive on Sunday and head home.  Just the three of you…you, your Porsche and…oh, yea, that special someone.
5. Go to a car show, or better yet, enter your car in it.  We just took our two 924S cars to the Festivals of Speed at the Ritz Carleton in Orlando near Disney.  The place was flush with McLarens, Bentleys, Ferarris, hot rods, customs…and a few Porsches, too.  But we were there, too, and again there were plenty of folks who sat with us under the trees next to the lake and talked about their lives with Porsche.  Win?  Naw.  Worth the day?  Absolutely.
6. High Performance Driver Education HPDE is a great way to learn more about your car and learn more about driving it.  If you are new to HPDE, you will be in a “slow” group with an instructor to guide you, along with classroom sessions so that you can learn even more.  And the 944 is the perfect platform for the new HPDE driver – admittedly, you don’t have GT3 horsepower or automatically-the-car-keeps-you-out-of-trouble systems to help you out.  You have to learn how to drive your car! What a concept!  And the weekends are no-judgement events with a lot of great people.  Give it a try.  The clubs and some private ventures such as Chin TrackDays put on great events.

We list the events locally to which we are going on the right column of our front page.  At this writing (October 7) we are looking forward to an Autocross in Tavares with PCA on Saturday, November 13.  Register in advance at ClubRegistration.net.  We also have Porsche Night at the Ace Cafe in downtown Orlando on Monday, November 22 – an evening “Cars and Coffee” where we fill the parking lot with Porsches.  (That night is also Mr. and Ms. 924S944.com 46th Wedding Anniversary!  How better to celebrate than with Porsche Night!)

So get off your butt, vacuum the Porsche, give it a quick shine and fill up the tank.  Here in Central Florida we have the advantage of NOT having to “put the Porsche away for the winter.”  (There’s a reason why we live here!”)  So get in gear and get out!  It’s TIME!