WAY TO GO, OHIO
Stephan Szantai heads to the Mid-west for the VW & Porsche Reunion
Though not solely devoted to our favourite brand, Cincinnati’s VW & Porsche Reunion demonstrates the vitality of our scene in America’s Midwest. But last fall’s happening had much more to offer, from an open house to a highly anticipated auction featuring a collection of rare models – time for some Midwestern hospitality
Events where Porsches and Volkswagens mingle are certainly few and far between. Yet, mentalities appear to be evolving when it comes to the matter, with both groups now interacting more than ever. As it should… Some of us drove a Beetle eons ago. Who knows, a VW Bus might even be sleeping in your garage next to your 911 or 356, right? Cincinnati, Ohio’s VW & Porsche Reunion happens to celebrate both brands, due to their shared DNA. Part of the event’s success also lies in the residents’ pride in their
German heritage – German-born settlers represented over half the population as the city entered the 20th century. As you might expect, these historical ties with the Fatherland lead many Cincinnatians to love German cars.
Promoters of the show in question, under the guidance of the Cincinnati VW Club, have therefore decided to honour that long history with their VW & Porsche Reunion. Whilst originally destined for the vintage crowd, it now encompasses a larger pool of vehicles, including water-cooled Volkswagens/porsches and (since 2014) a small group of
Audis. The Sunday affair appropriately invaded Germania Park, a site whose purpose is to ‘maintain and perpetuate the German heritage in the Cincinnati area’.
But participants had other reasons to enjoy the weekend, as two additional events happened on Saturday – an auction and an open house. The former took place in Dayton, Ohio, located about an hour north of Cincinnati and featuring an exceptional Porsche/vw collection, nicknamed ‘The Taj Ma Garaj’. Some readers might be familiar with the place, as we unveiled it in issue #15 back in 2013. It belonged to John
Dixon, a colourful character who sadly passed away in 2014.
His collection included an impressive array of low-mileage vehicles, thus enticing car fanatics to travel from all over the USA – and foreign countries – in hopes of bringing home some of his treasures. This led to intense bidding. A rough and incomplete 1951 356 coupé went for $98,000 (1 dollar approximately equates to 0.75 UK pounds at the time of writing) before RM Sotheby’s commission. Among the other notable 356s we should mention a ’52 Cabriolet (just shy of $300,000), a stretched ’53 356 custom ‘Limo’ ($207,200) and
the pièce de résistance, a ’57 356A Carrera GT Speedster ($1,380,000).
In the ’60s and ’70s category, the hammer fell for a wide range of beauties as well, from a ’67 911 RHD coupé ($109,200) and ’67 911S ($335,000), to a ’69 912 (just over $100,000) and ’73 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring ($412,000). Oh, who said 924s aren’t collectible? Somebody spent over $350,000 on a 1981 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport… Ultimately, the 32 cars put up for sale generated over $5,000,000, not counting close to $700,000 in nostalgia/collectible items.
By mid-afternoon, the crowd met at Metalkraft
Coachwerkes in Cincinnati, another staple of the vintage Porsche world, which we presented in issue #33 in 2016. A lot has happened since we published that article, as shop founder Mark Schlachter has teamed up with one of the largest local Porsche dealerships – Porsche of the Village – to handle their restoration projects. He and his crew now work in a much larger facility, perfectly equipped with all the tools necessary to bring these old automobiles back to life. Fantastic cars, great people, excellent food… An ideal way to spend an afternoon prior to Sunday’s show. (Incidentally, supercars.net has voted Metalkraft Coachwerkes as one of the Top 30 Porsche resto mod shops in the world.)
The latter gathered close to 300 vehicles, neatly organised based on brand/models. Germania Park offered a large pavilion, home of a Biergarten used for events such as Oktoberfest – the perfect spot to enjoy a cool breeze during the hot day. Entry fees were reasonable, costing $20 per car, including two passengers.
Several Porsche clubs came to support the event, such as Drei Staaten Gruppe, which mostly gathers members from three neighbouring states (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana) as the name implies. Though the show welcomed a handful of newer water-cooled models, the air-cooled kind represented the bulk of the entries, with a nice selection of 356s wowing the crowd. Dick Weiss’ 1958 Carrera Speedster, which he bought 60 years ago, remains a favourite – Classic Porsche featured this incredible tub in issue #68.
Classic 911s joined the field as well, with former Classic Porsche columnist Dave Conklin’s recently completed silver 911S being the talk of the day. As a member of the R Gruppe, Dave added a few hot rod touches to his impressive project car, while performing a very thorough restoration using period-correct Porsche components. Not surprisingly, it received the ‘Best Porsche’ award.
What a memorable weekend! With three events very different from each other and a great variety of vehicles, the festivities had the right ingredients to please the Porsche enthusiasts. Want to join in 2020? Logon to cintivwclub.com for additional info about the next round of autumn activities. Tell everybody Classic Porsche sent you.