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September
12, 2004
0.0 hours
German Auto Show
Hello all, I'm still here! I know it's
been a while, but I've been busy building the rotisserie,
and now that it is about done, I'll be getting back to work on the Buick soon enough. I
took most of the suspension to the powdercoater last week and visited the Seybold compound
to talk Buicks for a while, so I'm still at it.
Unfortunately, my employer and I have
recently parted ways, so until I am again gainfully employed, my progress will be
interrupted somewhat. I don't expect that I'll be unemployed long, however, so don't worry
about me. If, however, you might be the sort of person capable of hiring people, I'm a
well-seasoned marketing expert specializing in the automotive markets (though marketing is
marketing). Here's my resume in
HTML format.
OK, sales pitch over and back to the
business at hand: Sensing that I needed a pick-me-up this weekend, my step-father, Aaron,
called me and asked me to accompany him to a local German Car Show that's held each year
at the German-American Cultural Center in North Olmsted, Ohio. I like cars, I like car
shows, and though I'm not any sort of expert on German machinery, I like looking at
anything that somebody has lavished time and attention upon. I also like great
engineering, something for which Germany is famous.
I had to convince Aaron to actually
take his Porsche 356 into the show rather than leaving it in the parking lot, and
I'm glad I did. As soon as we parked the 356, there was a crowd around it. Even this show
was not immune to a problem that I've seen a lot lately--people are sick and tired of
seeing new cars at car shows, not just me. There was a long row of BMW Z3 and Z4
roadsters, a pair of fresh-off-the-showroom-floor Mercedes SL500s, about two dozen Boxters
and a pair of VW Golfs (and not even the cool new R32s, either!). If I want to see new
cars, I'll go to the dealership and look at them. And apparently many people want to see
the older cars, too, if our experience was any indication. Get the old iron out there,
guys! Don't let our car shows turn into new-car showrooms for the fat-wallet
guys instead of the real hobbyists.
(And you Porsche owners who wear the
T-shirt, jacket, Polo shirt, hat, watch and sunglasses all at the same time really have to
get something else going on in your lives or stop trying to impress everyone with your
wallet.)
Anyway, here's some of what I saw
(click the thumbnails for full-sized images--they'll open in a new window):
Here's Aaron's silver 1964 Porsche 356C coupe. It
has a
slightly hotter than stock air-cooled flat-4, a 4-speed transmission and
the first-year 4-wheel disc brakes. A wonderful car to drive and ride in,
as well as inexpensive to maintain and drive. Just a perfect hobby car.
Extremely pretty 356 roadster, which is
different from a speedster with
its taller windshield and, in the early years, roll-up windows vs. side
curtains. This car was restored by the same restorer who did Aaron's coupe.
Latest restoration by Dennis, the same guy who
restored Aaron's coupe. This car is almost identical
to Aaron's except that it is one of only a handful 90-horsepower specials sold by Porsche
that year.
Dennis says many judges don't know what to do with it because they've never seen some of
its
details before and often dock him points for some of the very-original features. I love
oddball stuff
like that that confuses the "experts."
Here's the famous Speedster (note badge the arrow is
pointing to). The windshield is lower than
the roadster or cabriolet, though this later model does have roll-up windows (the
flap around the side
window gives it away). Very pretty car.
This really caught my eye: look at the side mirror
on this Speedster. Gorgeous! It's like artwork the
way it blends so perfectly with the car's lines. I saw the same mirror on a VW
Karmann-Ghia and it just
didn't have the same impact. It isn't just the mirror, but the way it works so well with
the car's lines.
Also dig the lightening holes drilled in the hood hinge! You can see the
"Speedster" badge
a little better here, something I'll mention again in a minute.
This is what I call badge engineering at its worst.
This guy took a retro "Speedster" badge (arrow)
and some bulky-looking fiberglass fairing behind the seats and glued them onto his new
Boxter.
Now, I'm no expert nor do I insist on keeping Boxters all-original, but trying to make
your
car something it isn't never, ever works well. The badges look TERRIBLE
just stuck
on there and the owner was actually trying to convince people that it was built
that way by Porsche,
the most egregious mistake badge-engineers can make in a place filled with
experts...
  
I love wacky colors, and these three cars
were just great examples
of what was in fashion 20-30 years ago. The reddish car on
the right may even be back in fashion today!
Never a fan of over-wrought 911s, this car caught my
attention
because of its restraint. Yes, it is a body kit car with 18" wheels,
but when I saw the water-injection setup and brown residue in
the tailpipes, I knew this was a guy who really drove and enjoyed
his car. The silver paint, tasteful wheels and body kit really
make a nice piece.
This guy flat-out loves his car. It was more
than a little rough
around the edges, but he used it at open-track sessions and was
probably a real handful for much newer and more powerful cars.
2200 lbs. and 220 horsepower can be a very formidable combination.
The road rash and chipped paint attested to this being an owner who
really enjoyed his car more than most and made it my favorite car
at the show. Kudos!
Aaron was quite taken by this '73 911T with factory
A/C. Even with non-original "cookie-cutter"
wheels, an extremely nice car. I wish I knew more about these cars to explain to you why
my step-father was so enamored of this particular vehicle. Nevertheless, still a very
pretty car.
We spotted this unusual '37 Mercedes in the parking
lot outside the show. By far the oldest
car there, it was really neat. Probably a 4-cylinder motor in it. These days, you very
rarely see
a "baby" Benz, with the big "Grosser" Benzes hogging all the
limelight. Note the turn signal
pointer just in front of the front door handle (the black box thing). Again, probably an
owner
who loves driving his car, if the tour badges on the grille are any indication.
 
Uh, mom? Don't be surprised if this shows up in your
driveway sometime soon, OK?
Aaron and I agree that a "pagoda" Mercedes SL roadster from about 1970 would be
a terrific little car for my mother. This was a 250SL 4-cylinder (as opposed to the 280SL
six)
in perfect "driver" condition. Except for a few dings in the front bumper and
repro
seatcovers that have not faded like the rest of the original interior, it really was quite
nice.
The asking price of $19,400 was not bad, though for that you could probably get an
almost-as-nice 280. All the same, keep your eye on the driveway, Mom...
We parked next to this 2001 Audi TT similar to
Julia's. It was only an FWD
180-horsepower version (compared to Julia's AWD 225-horsepower),
but they were asking SIGNIFICANTLY more than we paid for Julia's
car. Either we got a screaming bargain or somebody has an inflated idea
of what their cars are worth. Or perhaps some combination of both...
Same deal with this 2001 225-horsepower AWD
coupe--Waaaaaay too much money,
I don't care how well-preserved it might be...
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E-mail me at toolman8@sbcglobal.net
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Last modified on 02/06/2005
Thanks, Fidget!
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