LETTERS
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? NEED TO EXPRESS AN OPINION ON THE CLASSIC PORSCHE WORLD? WELL, HERE’S YOUR CHANCE…
TRIGGERING MEMORIES
I have to tell you how much I enjoyed reading the latest issues (#51 and 52) of Classic Porsche magazine. I was particularly drawn to the features on Stirling Moss and Dan Gurney, both of whom I admired greatly when growing up as a car-crazy teenager in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
I was fortunate to see both drivers race on several occasions, including watching ʻDan the manʼ at the wheel of the red Volkswagen he drove in the Bahamas! My dad was a keen yachtsman and he sailed from Florida down to Nassau in time for us to watch the races.
I had heard that Gurney had been entered, but was also surprised when I discovered that Indianapolis legend A J Foyt was also there driving a VW. The rivalry between the two drivers was intense, with real bumper-tobumper action all the way down the straight. Quite how they didnʼt punt each other off the course Iʼll never know. It was wonderful to watch.
I also enjoyed the feature on Porsches at Goodwood. It was clearly well-researched and most informative. I attended races at Goodwood until the end, watching the likes of Moss and Hawthorn at their very best. I was there on the sad day that Moss had his massive crash, and can still clearly recall seeing the pieces of bodywork flying through the air. I recall there was a stunned silence when it was announced that Moss had crashed – he normally kept out of trouble.
These days I try to get to some meetings, but they are not the same – I enjoy the Membersʼ Meeting, but find the Revival a bit of a circus. It was fun in the early days, but too much of a crush now.
Anyway, without wishing to take up more of your valuable time, can I thank you for bringing us such an excellent magazine. William Stephenson, via E-mail
PETERSEN PERFECTION
I was recently on a business trip to the west coast of the USA and settled down on the flight to read the latest issue of your magazine. My plans were to be in Los Angeles for two or three days before flying back to the UK. I had no idea how I would fill in my time between meetings – that is, until I saw the article on the Petersen Museumʼs Porsche exhibition.
The display of cars looked second to none – I had never seen the Type 64 Berlin-rome car – so I mentally made changes to my itinerary so that I could spend half a day at the museum.
On the second day of my visit, I headed to Wilshire Boulevard and was immediately blown away by the architecture of the museum building. If it looked this good on the outside, I told myself, how good must it be on the inside? I was not to be disappointed.
I have visited many of the worldʼs best car museums including, naturally, Porscheʼs own in Stuttgart, but nothing prepared me for the Petersen display. Yes, it lacked the permanency of the factory museum, but the incredible selection of cars was nothing short of mind-blowing.
The biggest problem I had was self-created: I took too long going round the whole exhibition, and succeeded in missing a business appointment the same afternoon! Fortunately I was able to reschedule it for the next day.
So, I can thoroughly recommend your readers make time to visit the Petersen Museum if they find themselves in Los Angeles this summer. Trust me, it beats Disneyland hands down… Peter Knight, via E-mail
INSPIRATION
Thank you for making my life difficult. I bought a retirement project last year in the form of a rather rusty 1968 912.
My original plan was to rebuild the car along the lines of an old SCCS racer, but with a mildly tuned engine. But now having read the ʻSport Utilityʼ feature in the last issue, I have decided that I need to go down the pseudo-long-distance rally route, with roof rack and all. The problem is, I had already started to buy parts to make my car a race replica… So thank you for upsetting my plans. Joking aside, what a great car – I love the whole rally look. Iʼll send you photos when mineʼs done. Paul Canning, via E-mail
“QUITE HOW THEY DIDN’T PUNT EACH OTHER OFF…”