This months Panorama magazine

X2 MikeIB!

This is one reason - but not the only one - that I have never had any Porsche badges or emblems on my speedsters.  I don't present the car(s) as a Porsche, and if people mistake it for one, that's their problem.

 

 

GROUNDHOG DAY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

awesome.

But how do we get out of this never-ending loop?   I know, buy a real 356 and put Intermeccanica script on it.

Yeah Bob, your car looks nothing like a Porsche 356 because it has Intermeccanica badges on it, LOL

I've been hesitant to write anything so as not to upset the masses here but what's the big deal if this topic has been discussed before? So what. A lot of topics on here get rehashed just with someone else having the problem.

 

New members, new experiences, new stories.

What goes around -- goes around, and around, and . . .

 

It's all fun.  As to the thumpers, I would have to stand up in court and plead "Guilty, your Honor".  To answer ECB's question: No it's not always obvious, at least to me, that a car is FG or steel..  After all, what you see is the paint, and the paint is often quite good.  I got yelled at at Carlisle last year for tapping, ever so gently, a cool looking car I had no idea about.  It was FG, turns out, and the owner, watching over it carefully, was offended that I tapped his car -- seemed to think I was going to hurt it, or something -?-  I apologized.

You're right, Robert. No harm on rehashing old topics. The older members sometimes forget that they had the same questions and reactions when they first started in the hobby. Most of us have evolved to the "Who gives a rat's ass?" plateau and have little patience for the young grasshoppers who are troubled by what they believe is an elitist, arrogant attitude of the automobile purist. 

I, for one, have run the cycle: flicked my lights to an oncoming 356, pulled over to chat with anyone driving a 356, joined the local 356 car club, subscribed, read any and all 356 related media. While some of those owners were welcoming, some were not. While it's easy to be surprised or angry by some of their comments and reactions, it should be just as easy to understand and accept.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Really? Ask Enzo Ferrari or Ferdinand Porsche. A beautiful work of art, both in looks and performance, is designed and built and purchased by the fortunate few that can afford such a masterpiece or have spent their kids' inheritances. Then that luscious piece of machinery is duplicated over the carcass of the lowly VW Beetle or the plastic Fiero. Really? Any royalties for the use of that design? No?

 

That 356 driver on the side of the road is excited when he sees that unusally copper colored but familiar shape racing up to the side of him. He greets the smiling and enthusiastic driver in the copper speedster. Formalities concluded, the questions are exchanged. A replica? At a fraction of the cost? Plastic? No pedigree? Just like mine? Who is this idiot in the tarted up plastic car? How the hell do I get away from him? "Bye now". What an ass, this poser in a plastic car.

 

The funny thing is, we have similar elitism between our ranks here. From the lowly "Starter" replica to the "Sky's the limit" super replica, there are heated conversations and dissention among the SOC masses.

 

In the end, what's important is what you're happy with. Politics aside, live the dream you want and drive the friggin thing.

 

 

Good points, Terry. My only addition is to hope the clown-car elitism thing is dead. As somebody way out on the stupid end of the pool, I look at more reasonable people with envy.

 

... in the end, we're all just doing something that makes us happy (hopefully). I completely understand why "P" car guys don't want us around. I couldn't care less. When we don't ant each other around because our pooie don't stinky (and yours does), there's a serious issue.

 

We're supposed to be the fun side of the island.

Very well said Terry.  There is and will always be a pecking order whether real or replica.  Drive to enjoy and forget the dramas...

I think the snobby Porsche purist guys are probably snobby as hell to the other Porsche owners who don't measure up to their standards. A Boxster? 914? 924? "Is that rust?" "Why did you paint it that color?"

 

Guys like that are a small minority in every endeavor; they're not unique to Porschedom. I got the "that color" question once myself, from an apparent MG purist who did not recognize my car as a fake. I told him it'd been painted that color when I got it, over BRG, and he suggested I change it back when the time comes. I told him I'd consider that strongly.

 

Anyway: Snobs gonna snub. It ain't no thing.

 

 

 

 

I am sure no expert on snobbery, but ultimately I gotta believe it's all about the money.  Cars, houses, jobs, wives, boats, dogs, vacations, whatever -- if someone has some 'tude about something, it usually has to do w/ money, and how much he had to put fwd to get [whatever he's snobby about].  Just sayin' . . .

Having been on both sides of this fence, here is my take. I have owned a 72 911s Targa, 63 356 Coupe, 76 912E, and a 83 911 Cabriolet and my current Speedster. I have known a lot of PCA guys but I never joined. I generally found them to have a faux sense of exclusivity that was undeserved. They reminded me of the early Datsun 240Z buyers. These seemed to be Porsche wannabes but could not afford a ticket. I also once observed a guy and his buddies walking by my car and obviously discussing it's "realness." One knocked on it and proclaimed it authentic. Bottom line is everyone is full of **** and all that matters is are your having fun with YOUR little plastic toy. 

YES !!!!!

Indeed I am.  Just fired it up for the first time in several months.  Took about 1.5 sec to catch and get going.  What  a beautiful day for a drive.

 

Now, WTF were we talkin' about?? . . .

Havin' fun with our toys, El Frazoo.  That's what we're talking' 'bout.

Actually, Marty, I don't have IM badges on it either.  So there...

 

 

As I say, if people want to mistake it for a Porsche, I can't help it.

I agree 100% with you guys; we know how to have fun with our replica/tribute cars. I have two very good friends that are mid year(63-67) Corvette owners and concours?#s-matching, date-coded etc. etc. etc. freaks that are so focused on pointing out whats not right with every car they see @ a show, that I don't think they really even enjoy the hobby for what it's supposed to be....FUN!!! 

 

Well people come up to you and say hey that is a nice porsche, while it has no badging except an IM badge on the grill.... I often answer, thanks I like the car too.  If I have time I might enlighten them on it being an IM, but if I don't have time I just let it go... life's too short to try to enlighten 'all' admirers of Henry's 356 eh Canadian sculpture.

 

As luck would have it, I went for my first drive with the local 356 club yesterday. This is the same group Terry mentions in his post.

 

 

 

 

 

And I'm finding the same things he did. Most of them are great people, some you can tell are a little put off by what they see as our 'imitation' cars, and one or two are more than a little put off.

 

I'm still on the fence about whether I'll hang out with this club. They have some gorgeous cars, a lot of knowledge that I can learn from, and are for the most part a fun group. And they meet about a mile from my house and put on some nice events.

 

I'm really just looking for a local group to go on rides with. If the static from the few gets to be more than I want to deal with, I'm outta there.

 

One way of looking at it is that there are buttheads everywhere. Some of them drive slow in the fast lane. Some of them bring screaming kids into restaurants. Some of them think they've been placed on earth to enlighten the rest of us about the only true way to worship God or Ferry Porsche.

 

You can let them mess up your day or not. If it's a happy situation otherwise, except for the butthead, you can adjust your own attitude and not let yourself get too bent out of shape by them. I think the best way of coping is usually just to ignore or avoid them.

 

But if you're a twisted little wise-ass like me, you can even make sport out of purposely provoking buttheads.

 

Sometimes, it's the best revenge.

 

 

Good for you Mitch.  I did the same with the North Shore PCA guys a few years ago.  The fun far outweighs the few snobs in the group.  

 

A lot of fitting in has to do with ones own personality and not just the car you pull up in.  One thing I have to say is that those anal fockers are really organized and they do put on nice events and cruises/dinners.  Another tip is to find a local club that is not just 356's.  My group is a combo of pre-1990 European rides.  I find it more interesting then just 356's all the time and its nice to hear a Ferrari 12 cylinder once in a while.  

Peter Venuti and I did one better - in our local PCA-affiliated 356 club, Peter is Vice President and I am the Website Administrator.  I can easily foresee some time in the future when a couple of the club's executive slots are filled by replica guys!  But, to be honest, it doesn't really matter.  Like the rest of us on here, we're in it for the rides and cruises and the fun of it all.  Heck, years ago, Hoss and Chris and I went to a PCA historic event at Watkins Glen, never mentioning that we drove replicas.  No one ever said anything and we all had a ball!

 

Here's the group as we were getting ready to drive the old Road Course (6 or 7 miles long).  That's us in the front corner and Hoss is back in the pack somewhere.  There were only 100 slots available and were filled by a LOT of 356's:

  

Gordon

 

I remember when you and Hoss were at Watkins Glen for that Vintage Grand Prix weekend.  That was the time when I had sold my Red Rooster and was without a Speedster.  I believe I was working on an MGB Sebring clone at the time, which I have now sold. 

 

I'm glad to be back in Speedsters.