This year’s Amelia Island Concours was an absolute success, it was definitely an amazing effort by Bill Warner and the team who put it on because it is really the first major car event post Covid and it was no small feat to be certain. I was super glad to be a part of it and thankful to the McPherson College of Automotive Restoration for allowing me to come along on the trip. One of the features was a class of 935s and included in that class was this 934.5 belonging to David MacNeil.

In the days prior to the Concours itself, there are forums, auctions, and other smaller shows occurring so it is definitely worth coming a couple days before Sunday for those events. Incredible things can be seen around the Ritz and in this case in the parking garage with an alpha 6C and a 56 speedster.

Something which made this Amelia Island particularly stand out from others was it was also the start of my summer internship with Revs Institute in Naples Florida. They brought seven cars to the event and I was able to work with the team that was on site there and had a fantastic time meeting them prior to starting at the museum. Here I am with Pedro Vela, a member of the Revs team who is super active in caring for their cars at events as well as restoration and preservation work on the museums Automobiles. Here we are in the McLaren F1 022 which was shown at the cars and coffee and the concour. It was incredible to experience a car which has played such a large role in automotive history and one which is so different from anything else offered today as far as supercars.

022 was featured at the McLaren dinner Friday night and so we were tasked with putting it in the ballroom which was quite an interesting process to be a part of.

Here is a really special Corvette both to enthusiasts of Corvette and enthusiasts of sports car racing due to its significant race history at the 1960 24 hrs. of Le Mans under Briggs Cunningham. It is owned by Lance Miller, who, with his father Chip put on Corvettes at Carlisle and have been collecting rare Corvettes for many years. Unfortunately his father passed away a few years ago but his legacy is carried on through Lance showing car .

Prior to experiencing chassis 022 I had been aware of the McLaren F1 and had many friends that saw it as their dream car. I knew they were special cars but really learning about one and experiencing it in person definitely shifted my understanding and appreciation for the engineering and design that went into them.

One thing I was really looking forward to seeing in person was the sale of this 1960 Corvette. It is related to the above number three car in that this is the number one car which Briggs Cunningham campaigned at Le Mans, and the car which he piloted. Like the number three car it was converted back to a road car by Bill Frick after the race, though unlike the number three car, it was then heavily modified over the years. It no longer retains its engine or transmission but the important thing which it retains is it’s chassis tag as the bodywork and interior are so altered that the next owner will be affectively restoring the car around that tag. This car is also particularly interesting because it was discovered by Lance Miller and was initially bought by Kevin McKay the authority on Corvettes, who had discovered number three for Chip Miller. So they had somewhat of a promise that if they found the other car Kevin would receive it. The unfortunate thing is that legal battles ensued over ownership of a third-party someone who claimed their father had owned the car in the 70s and that it was stolen out of his driveway. The interesting thing about that is that all those legal battles and controversy were covered in articles in Sports Car Market and so it was very publicly known in the vintage car world. Despite this none of that was mentioned in the auction catalog or any of the press releases before the auction. Luckily, rumor is the new owner is the grandson of Briggs Cunningham and the car will be correctly restored and the Cunningham family will have an heirloom returned to them after so many years. It sold for $685,000 which was well under the one to $1.5 million estimate, so I am happy that the buyer was able to get a deal on the car but I feel bad for the two people who owned it prior to the auction that fought over it in court for many years and I’m sure spent far greater than the sale price of the car trying to claim ownership.

This is a great 935 which was restored a couple of years ago by Kevin Jeanette and his team at Gunnar Racing and debuted at the last Rennsport Reunion. It presents fantastically as all their restorations do and I loved the touch of the pink pig livery car cover.

The is quite an interesting car, it’s a Ferrari 275Gtb competition speciale which was raced by the Scuderia Ferrari team at the 24 hours of  Le Mans in 1965 and then went through a couple of private owners after that, the last of which being Preston hen who owns the swap shop in Florida. This car is been on display there as have many others for many years. He recently passed away but his wife is still showing the cars which is great to see, and this car is also maintained by Gunnar Racing.

On the surface this Corvette may look like stock stock 56 with a cool preserved 60s custom paint job, but in addition to that it is quite a special factory experimental car to develop the Rochester fuel injection for the street cars. It raced as well in the Bahamas speed week and the factory applied white with blue stripes is below the gold paint so the owner is having the gold paint effectively surgically removed to expose the original liverie.

Speaking of special 275Gtbs here is a four cam model with many unique features optioned through the factory, and the coach work of course in this case custom being carried out by Pinnin Farina. This car is cared for by Paul Russell and Company and is presented in largely original condition with its perfectly worn green leather interior just begging for its owner to hop in and take it down an interesting road, also worth mentioning is the color combination overall of this champagne color with green which I’ve certainly never seen on a Ferrari let alone any sports car so it is welcoming to see, as unique colors are just a bit more interesting.

I achieved a dream of mine during Amelia Island with help from McPherson College as well as Revs Institute which was being in a car at a Concours as it took the awards stand, and in a McLaren F1 no less it was a surreal experience. In this picture we are flanked on the right by Cam Ingram and his client in a split window Pre A 356 with tons of unique features to the 1952 model year. Cam operates Road scholars in Durham, North Carolina, one the finest Porsche Restoration facilities in the world.

Rolling on to the Concours field is the 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker with a stunning body which is evocative of prewar boats and planes. This particular car achieved best of show at the 2017 Pebble Beach concour and for good reason it is elegant sporty and restored to perfection with respect to being correctly done.

On my way out of town I was able to visit Dan Davis at The Brumos Collection. Brumos Porsche has played such a large role in the history of Porsche and particularly in their competition within the United States. The facility is modeled after a Ford plant it is a beautiful brick building with large windows, but don’t be fooled by it’s vintage looking exterior the interior is completely state of the art and the cars are in an ideal climate. This is really the ultimate home for any car collection but especially for a group of Porsches which are tied to such a long legacy of racing in America it is an example to be set in the execution of a publicly shown collection or museum.

This was a fantastic event and it makes me that much more excited for the Monterey Car Week and The Pebble Beach Concours because of how seamlessly this event was put together despite the year which COVID-19 has occupied. Below I have linked my video coverage from the event. I am super interested in vintage European sports cars and vintage competition and racing cars and I’m always looking to buy and collect them. If you or someone you know has one I would love to discuss it with you. Shoot me an email anytime at cameronsluther@gmail.com

 

One of the items that needed to be addressed on this 356 and any car that has been sitting for multiple years is an overhaul or rebuild of the braking system. In this case it is a custom set up of Ate 924 front calipers, stock 356C rear calipers and an Ate dual master cylinder for what I believe would be an early short wheelbase 911/912.

Necessary tools for this job are a synthetic lubricant for reassembly, WD-40 or something similar for cleaning up caliper piston cylinders, a grease gun or hydraulic gun of some sort which can transfer hydraulic pressure, a set of caliper kits, and ideally a tray of some sort to retain any liquid which comes out of the calipers as you disassemble and reassemble them.

Part of the reason why this 356 features 924 front calipers is that it has a 924 front steering rack. This was so that when it was running the 2000 mile La Carrera PanAmericana race the stock torsion bars would not become compromised, and instead it has McPherson strut front suspension. Attached below is a video of the whole process. If you or someone you know has a car like this or just an interesting old sports car or a vintage car be sure to shoot me an email at cameronsluther@gmail.com.

These are a set of Italian built Weber IDF downdraft carburetors which are mostly seen in Porsche four-cylinder applications. They belong to a 1964 356C, but are not factory items on this car. This is a custom built car for the La Carrera PanAmericana race in Mexico and part of that is that it got these Webers for increased performance on this 2000 mile endurance race. The car ran the event in 1994 and has largely not been driven since that time. I am bringing the 356 back to roadworthyness and part of that is going through and disassembling, cleaning, and re-gasketing these carbs.

Here’s the car. I will do a full length feature on its backstory and the man who conceived it. Below is a link to a YouTube video in which I rebuild the carburetors. If you or someone you know has an interesting vintage sports car or any vintage car with a cool story be sure to email me at cameronsluther@gmail.com.

 

This past Sunday we had perfect sunny weather in the middle of December, so it was the perfect day to take out the 365SC for a drive up the GW Parkway to the cars and coffee held in Potomac, Maryland.

Part of what makes an event like this fun are the roads on the way to and from and surrounding them, winding twisty sections perfect for a Porsche or other european classic sports car like this Mercedes 250SL.

After the event I drove the car around the area pretty much all day and it served as a great reminder of the durability of the 356 as a classic car. The car exhibited the exotic handling and a great sound of the fairly simple pushrod flat four on its factory Solex Carburetors.

I was able to ride in a friends Ferrari 308 which had a lot of similar traits to a 911. It felt light and nimble in corners, it was not supercar fast on paper but was very visceral in reality, and especially with the targa panel removed the stock exhaust tone, these added to the overall quick feel of the car.

I was also able to ride in a Lamborghini Countach in amazing untouched original condition with wear and patina in all the right places. I got the full experience with this Italian Bull as you will see in my latest Youtube video linked below. If you have a car similar to the ones mentioned in this blog I would love to buy it or even just hear the story on it. Feel free to email me any time, cameronsluther@gmail.com.

Potomac Cars and Coffee Video

 

This Summer in addition to maintaining and reviving some other European sports cars, I performed some maintenance on our 1965 356SC Sunroof Coupe. The first thing I did was rebuild the front hubs, and installed new Ate brake pads and rotors, which gave the car a smoother ride and has improved pedal feel.

Another thing I did was install these period style racing lap belts. I like everything about them except the size so I may install a smaller set but I will drive it more first and see if they grow on me.

Lastly I did a valve adjustment and tuned the timing and factory Solex carburetors, and the car is running better than ever. Future plans for the car are to keep driving it, install new tires, and fit a period correct VDO rally pack, which I think will go well with the 60s sports-purpose vibe of this 356.

Below is a Youtube video on the car which includes a short driving segment in the woods of Northern Virginia. Be sure to check it out. I am always interested in exchanging stories about old sports cars and would love to buy more like this one. Feel free to shoot me an email at cameronsluther@gmail.com.
https://youtu.be/YOp6b2mlkKE

Over the Summer I have been getting this 1977 Porsche 911S back on the road. My plan when I bought the car was to make it roadworthy in order to drive around in college in McPherson attending the Automotive Restoration Program. It is a factory Sepia Brown final year S which I bought from the 3rd owner, who had owned the car since 1989, last December. The 911 was stored inside the owners garage for twenty years and needed quite a bit of bringing back mechanically..more on that in a future blog.

My trip from Virginia to Kansas was conducted over three days with stops in Columbus, Ohio and St. Louis, Missouri, with some vintage car related stops along the way. Above, I stopped at the first stage of the Blue Ridge Mountains in order to let the car cool down a bit and check the oil level. It was late August at the time and as it is a 77 S there is no front mounted oil cooler, so it didn’t love the heat especially in the mountains with their thin air.

The benefit of going on this route was the picturesque views, both from the drivers seat and many scenic stops. I really enjoyed the duality of the 911 both as a capable sports car and usable road trip highway car throughout this trip.

At my stop in Columbus I initially parked outside of hotel but decided to move to the garage when I spotted this red Lotus Evora in the background. I swear it wasn’t just for the photo op!

The drive between Ohio and St. Louis was fairly uneventful due to the flat straight roads. Upon arriving downtown my classmate, who was also driving from the East, and I met up and checked in to the hotel and grabbed dinner.

The next day we stopped at Daniel Schmitt & Co. They are a dealer in vintage sports and luxury cars that have been in the mid west for over 40 years.

In one of their showrooms sat this stunning 356 Cabriolet, with a twist. This a factory 4-Cam powered Carrera 2. It looked to have a very presentable restoration. These Carreras featured very early annular disk brakes, which the standard pushrod cars wouldn’t get until the 356C/SC in 1964.

It was really neat to see their showrooms, workshops, and studio. They use this are to photograph cars in their inventory to list them on their website. This is a space which myself and friends see all the time online as the background to pictures of spectacular vintage cars so too see it in the flesh was quite and experience. (My mask was only removed briefly for this photo and was worn the rest of the time that I was there).

Finally at about 1 am the next morning we arrived in McPherson and started our Fall semester.

If you have a classic Porsche or other interesting sports car I encourage you to shoot me at cameronsluther@gmail.com. I collect and trade in them and love to hear stories about interesting cars and would love to discuss yours with you.

Be sure to check out my Youtube Video of the Journey below.

Cross Country, Vintage Porsche 911 Style

I’ve just completed my first year of Automotive Restoration studies at McPherson College in Kansas. Like many other students, my school year was cut short due to the outbreak of the Corona Virus. Here are some photos showing our last couple of days together before we all headed back to our homes around the nation and world.

One activity I’m involved in through the C.A.R.S. club is Judging, a group of AR students led by Wyatt Miceli and Brian Martin. Through the club, we judge at various car shows during the school year, leading up to our annual C.A.R.S. show. For practice, we usually judge the schools cars using the same criteria which we use out in the field. Because we had to leave, we ended up having on more meeting where we got out the schools cars, cleaned them, judged them, and drove them around campus in order to exercise them. I was in the schools 1964 356C coupe, which was great fun.

Though I would be taking the 356 home to Virginia on an open U-Haul trailer, I still wanted to wash it as it was fairly dusty and buggy from general driving. A good friend and classmate of mine, Stephen Duncan-Peters, was a huge help in this process as he let me use his supplies and gave me tips on cleaning the various surfaces. Here, he is cleaning up a set of forged Alcoa wheels which he got for his two door Tahoe. Be sure to check out his blog at stephendp.com

I was able to pick up a UHaul trailer the next town over and got all loaded up. I had never towed anything before in my life, so needless to say I did some practice runs on less busy neighborhood roads. I was delightfully surprised at how light the 356 felt back there, but then again I was well under the towing limit of my LX470.

Gas stations were definitely a challenge in terms of approach angle, but after the first few I got the hang of it.

Since I was driving from Kansas to Virginia, and I was really in no hurry, I made a stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I knew their car museum would be closed, but when I arrived I felt lucky to even be able to enter the gates of the speedway. For a moment I felt like I was arriving for a vintage racing event, a dream of mine. After I pulled across the street to take this picture, I went in to the store that this parking lot belongs to. It is an Indianapolis Motor Speedway memorabilia shop with items dating back to the 1950s. The owner and his friend were there, and because I am curious and eager to expand my knowledge of automotive history, I started talking to the two about their connection to the Speedway. As it turned out they had grown up nearby and started working as mechanics for the race as teenagers and continued to do so from the early 50s to the late 70s. They told some truly incredible stories. I hope to do a video segment with them next time I pass through Indianapolis later this summer.

I arrived back home and my father was able to drive the 356SC for the first time in many months, and with improved mechanical characteristics as a result of the work I performed while out at school, which I will highlight In future blogs.

I’m always interested in hearing about vintage Porsches that are for sale. My email is CameronSLuther@gmail.com

 

In late December I was privileged to be able to visit Parkhaus1, Performance and Parts, in Miami, Florida. Parkhaus is known around the the East Coast and all of America for being the place for Porsche.

One of the things which Parkhaus is known for is dealing in rare Porsche. Here is a 991.2 gt3 ready to be picked up. Parkhaus also performs expert restorations and service on vintage and late model Porsche’s.

Here is a shot of a few cars in their showroom. A 356A coupe, a 996 Turbo, and a 964 3.6 Turbo (seen in the background fitted with fuchs) shows the diversity and high level of the inventory.

Here is another shot of the showroom. I didn’t end up taking photos in the restoration and service shop but technical director Brad Tamm gave me a great tour around and I really enjoyed seeing what exciting projects they are working on. Parkhaus is moving into a new location in the New Year so I hope to stop by next time I am down there!

Does anyone know what these are? They are about the size of a thumb but have a tone of detail. There is a carrera cab, a 930, and a 944.

I found them in my room on a shelf. I think they may have been used by Porsche dealers in the 80s to show customers how the color looks on the shape of the car.

My father worked at Manhattan Porsche Audi Jaguar in the 80s so it would make sense that they came from the dealer but I’m not sure and he does not remember. If anyone knows anything about these please contact me! Send me an email at cameronsluther@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

Tesla has released their new Cybertuck concept which shows a radical new wave of design from the company. A lot of people don’t like it but I am a fan of it because it’s not like every other truck released by the major American auto manufacturers which produce most modern pickup trucks. I also like the numbers, the Tri-Motor truck costs 70 thousand dollars and has a 500 mile range. It can tow more than an f150 and has a faster 0-60 time than the Porsche 911 C2S (991.2).

When I first saw the  concept the design made me think of the Lotus Esprit from the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me. In the film the car transformed into a submarine. This design similarity is ironic because Elon Musk, founder of Tesla bought the the lotus movie car at auction a few years ago. At the time he said that his plans for the car were to make it work underwater and make it powered by Tesla electric motors.