Farewell to an Aeronautical hot rod…

Posted on September 23, 2012 by digitaldtour

On Friday September 21, Southern California witnessed the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavour, anchored securely atop a specially equipped 747, as it made it way over Los Angeles and Orange County landmarks, with its final destination being Los Angeles International airport. And flying escort on the shuttles last tour, would be a pair of T-38 military jets. One of the landmarks identified for a fly over would be Pasadena, California’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Since my office is located in South Pasadena, I took my camera to work on Friday, with hopes of possibly capturing a glimpse of the shuttle.

Throughout the morning, the shuttle’s progress was monitored online in our office, with location updates shared by those interested in seeing the shuttle. Around 11:30 AM, the shuttle was reported leaving the Santa Monica area, so our office staff headed outside in hopes of catching a glimpse. So outside we went, climbing up onto the roof of our office for a better view. After about ten minutes, our neighbors in the next building, who were also standing on top of their taller office, yelled over that they could see the shuttle approaching. So off I ran towards the back of our roof…

and there is was, with its two escorts, heading straight towards us…

Little did we know that our office would be directly beneath its flight path…

As the shuttle passed overhead, it started banking to the left, beginning a sweeping turn towards its next destination (JPL), with the San Gabriel mountains serving as a backdrop (above and below)…

With another left turn, the shuttle was flying towards us once again (see below)…

On this approach, we could clearly see the shuttle perched atop the 747 (above and below).

And then it was on us again, with just enough time to grab a couple more shots before it banked right, and was off to its next destination with escorts in tow…

Hard to believe that this final shuttle flight signified the end of this chapter on NASA’s space shuttle program. Looking back at the Endeavour’s statistics, over the course of its 25 missions, it successfully orbited the earth 4,671 times. Ironically, the Endeavour was retired after completing only 25 missions, well short of the 100 missions that it had originally been designed and built to sustain.

On a positive note, this event brought the population of Southern California together for an hour to celebrate the technological excellence that had created the space shuttle. And how cool to see other people also on rooftops, hoping to view and cheer on the shuttle. And for that hour, we were all able to focus on and celebrate this technological milestone, forever linked to America’s space exploration history.

(All photos by the author)

Celebrating 9/17/2012; the one year anniversary of digitaldtour.com

Posted on September 17, 2012 by digitaldtour

Today marks the one year anniversary of the debut of my blog, digitaldtour. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the positive feedback and support that I have received during my first year of writing, and sharing my photographic passion for Porsches and all things automotive through my blog. During this past year I have had the opportunity to meet some incredible people who I can now count as friends, and I really appreciate them taking the time to share their automotive stories with me.

I would also like to thank everyone who has subscribed to my blog or has simply taken a moment to read one of my posts or check out the accompanying photos. I hope you will continue to find my blog of interest and worthy of a return visit.

As I stated one year ago, the launch date of my blog was significant in that it shared a series of numbers commonly associated with the Porsche 917K, which has always been one of my favorite Porsche race cars, and is still synonymous with the classic Porsche race cars of the 1970s. So imagine my delight at the opportunity to come face to face with this beautiful, 1969 Porsche 917 K at Porsches Rennsport Reunion IV, as seen below…

So here’s looking forward to a second year of blogging, and the cool cars and stories just waiting to be discovered and shared…

(All photos by the author)

The Vintech P-550 tribute; A one – off prototype infused with Porsche 550 DNA…

Posted on September 12, 2012 by digitaldtour

What if Porsche had continued to further refine the design of the their 550 Spyder? And what would it have looked like if fully developed as a 550 coupe?

Well. below lies the answer; the Vintech P-550 Tribute.

The car (as seen above and below), is a one-off prototype conceived and built by the French firm Vintech; a company that specializes in the fabrication of prototype vehicles for the automotive industry. The Vintech P-550 tribute was created as an independent, in-house project, to serve as a showcase for their design and fabrication talents, along with their expertise and abilities to creatively manipulate carbon fiber.

Several weeks previous to its showing at Cars&Coffee, the car made its world debut in Monterey,California at The Quail Motorsports Gathering, held on August 17, 2012.

Not only is the entire body created from carbon fiber, but so is the fuel tank, front hood, gull-wing doors, rear deck lid, bulkhead, rear strut bar and the engine fan shroud. The attention to detail is incredible, and even more impressive when one realizes that the entire body is carbon fiber and not aluminum. And its flawless silver paint finish was just the right icing for this cake…

An example of the very cool Porsche wheels, machined and further customized by Vintech (above).

The flawless, carbon fiber fuel tank, fuel sender and polished metal fuel filler and cap (above).

One of the subtle design details found up front, on the underside of the hood, was the masking off of select, molded in recesses, which when viewed up close, reveal the hoods true nature; black carbon fiber, contrasted against the beautiful silver paint finish. And all of these details were captured and reflected in the carbon fiber fuel tank (as seen below).

As expected, the same high level of detail found on the exterior was carried over and applied to the interior.

Even the gull-wing doors are a work of art, from their seamless carbon fiber construction, to the upholstered inner door cavities, leather pull straps and the sliding plexiglass side windows. Anchoring each door is a hinge mechanism designed as sculpture; each hinge appears to have been carved from billet stock and then highly polished, and integrated into the door and roof structure (as seen below)…

The flush fitting, polished metal gull-wing door hinges, nestled into the top of the P-550s roof.

Mounted out back (as seen below), is the custom-built 3.0 liter, four-cylinder motor (manufactured to Vintech specifications), breathing through a pair of dual, double throated Weber carburetors. Power is directed to the rear wheels through a Porsche type 915, 5 speed transmission.

The beautifully crafted, flush mounted dual rear deck grills (above and below).

More automotive jewelry; the polished metal, air intake trim found on each of the rear deck air intake scoops (below).

The polished metal venturi, mounted atop the dual, double throated Weber carburetors (above and below).

Strategically placed within the car reside a pair of custom, spyder style sport seats; each revealing a glimpse of exposed, brushed and cross-drilled aluminum frame, clad in light gray leather, accented by a darker gray fabric center, and trimmed by terra-cotta red piping. Even the side sills were detailed by a pair of recessed, light gray leather inset panels, also trimmed with the terra-cotta red piping ( below).

Fender mounted, Sebring style rear view mirror…

With the mornings event winding down, the caretakers from Vintech began the process of closing and securing the rear deck, front hood, and doors (below).

All buttoned up and read to go…

With the motor warmed up, and a blip of the throttle, the Vintech P-550 tribute was underway.

Given the interest paid to this car throughout the morning, hopefully this will not be the last time we see the Vintech P-550 tribute at Cars&Coffee or in the automotive press…

(All photos by the author)

Porsches, Poodles with attitude, an Ultima Can Am and a 1955 Ferrari 250 Europa GT…

Posted on September 2, 2012 by digitaldtour

Saturday morning, August the 25th dawned cool and clear as I set out from my house towards my final destination, Cars&Coffee / Irvine. These early morning conditions were a welcomed break from the heat wave conditions being experienced by Southern California. However, it was the low coastal cloud cover and light drizzle that I encountered as I neared Irvine. These conditions came as a surprise, and would wind up setting the tone for the rest of the mornings activities.

Regardless of these damp conditions, by 6:30 AM the parking lot at C&C was already filling up, with many of the participants eager to share their stories from the previous weeks Monterey Motorsports Reunion events.

Porsche row was once again well represented by a bevy of early 911s…

The morning’s dew cloaking Porsche row…

Parked amongst its Porsche siblings, was this 1973 911E in Gemini Blue (shown below), with only 52,000 miles showing on its odometer. This particular car turned out to be for sale, and represented by one of the local Orange County automotive brokers ; the firm autokennel. Even more surprising was the asking price -$99K. Its been amazing to see how much these early 911s are appreciating in value, in addition to the increasing difficulty in finding a clean example for sale…

As I’ve noted in previous posts, I began attending Cars&Coffee back in 2008, and have observed over time an increase in the number of participants bringing their pets (primarily dogs) to the show each week, thus my “poodles with attitude reference”. Unfortunately, not every pet is well-trained or behaved; the worst example I’ve seen was a dog that decided to relieve himself on a freshly polished custom chrome wheel, attached to a stunning hot rod. Unfortunately, the dogs owner appeared oblivious to the carnage that his dog had just rendered to the wheel finish, and the two of them simply walked away. The other down side with some of the untrained pets are the land mines they leave behind for the unwary pedestrian, both on the parking lot surface and planted medians that divide the parking lot rows. (This condition reminds me of navigating the sidewalks of Paris, France during the summer months, when they are visited by the owners and their pets out for their daily walk).

Another interesting observation I’ve made is recognizing distinct personalities exhibited by many of the dogs present each week. A classic example of this was the “Poodle with attitude” (as seen below)…

After walking through the event, the owner returned to his car, opened up the door for his dog to climb in. The dog jumped in, sat down on the front seat, leaned back and then proceeded to put its paw up on the owners arm just as they were leaving; quite the hilarious sight…

Parked right next to the “poodle with attitude” car, was my friend Matt’s Porsche; his incredible 2007 viper green GT3RS…

Another of the friends that I have made since attending Cars&Coffee is the owner of this British Racing Green Ultima Can Am, as seen below…

During a conversation that morning with my friend Eric, I happened to mention that the very first time I saw an Ultima Can Am was on the Cable TV Show “Supercars Exposed”, being driven by the host of the show, Tanner Foust. I told Eric that the car in the show sure looked allot like his car, to which he replied “it should, because that was my car featured on that episode”. Talk about a small world…

At this point of our conversation, several people approached Eric to ask about his car. Through Eric;s discussion, I learned more about the car, and that he had purchased this car in kit form, and proceeded to build it component by component from the ground up.

And because the car was classified as a” rolling chassis”, it did not come with a motor or transmission. So Eric had to source both; He had a friend build up the potent V8, which includes the unique Hilborn fuel injection system (seen above and below), and for a transmission, he ended up sourcing a transaxle from a Porsche 911.

Parked out on the very last row of the lot, was a Ferrari that I had seen drive into the event earlier that morning, but at the time did not have a clue as to its year or model designation. I had been looking for this particular Ferrari for the better part of the morning, and finally located it due to the large crowd of people gathered around it. Still not knowing the build date year or even the model designation, I decided to photograph the car in hope of finding some type of identification, or to overhear a conversation regarding details. One of the most striking visual features is its two-tone paint treatment; the basic body color in white, and on this particular car its painted, teal colored roof (as seen below)…

Regardless of this vehicles age, the chrome plated bumper, grill trim, driving lights and headlight bezels all appeared as if brand new…

Even the Borrani wire wheels appeared like fine Italian jewelry…

By the time I made my way around to the passenger side of the car, I began hearing conversations regarding some background details on this car. Several of the C&C regulars, obviously well versed in all things Ferrari, acknowledged that this particular car was in fact a 1955 250 Europa GT, and added that it had also been a participant in the 2011 Mille Miglia event (the participant decals were displayed on the windshield, placed low on the passenger side). Confirmation of these discussion was found within the interior, in the form of a commemorative placard from the 2011 Mille Miglia event, that was found resting on the passenger’s side, teal colored carpet (see below).

It was hard to believe that this car had in fact competed in the event, since it was in flawless, museum-like condition.

When I returned home later that morning, I decided to educate myself further regarding this particular Ferrari model, so imagine my surprise when I googled “1955 Ferrari 250 Europa GT”, and up popped an image of this very car! A classic example of the automotive depth of treasures that reside right here in Southern California, and why each weeks Cars&Coffee event holds the promise of another new discovery…

(All photos by the author)

The 12th Annual Uptown Whittier Car Show: Cool Cars displayed under Heat Wave Conditions

Posted on August 24, 2012 by digitaldtour

This past weekend saw the return of the 12th Annual Uptown Whittier Car Show, held in the midst of the current heat wave that descended upon Southern California, and Saturday’s weather was no exception. By the shows start at 9 AM, the temperature was already racing towards 90 degrees ( 32 degrees Celsius).

My first encounter of the morning was the hot rod flamed, black 1956 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia coupe race car from a local shop; Whittier’s own VW Gold MIne, as seen below…

Parked just down the street from the Karmann Ghia, was this sole representative from Stuttgart; a white 1964 Porsche 356 SC coupe.

Further down the street was this beautiful 1930s vintage Chevrolet sedan; with a visible case of extreme negative front camber…

I did overhear the owner talking to a friend about the car’s airbag suspension, thus the extreme camber angle when the car is lowered.

Out back, the car even included a period correct, fold down luggage rack, positioned just above the rear fuel tank…

Further down the street was another classic; a Black, 1954 Cadillac Coupe De Ville (as seen below).

Hanging out with the other Cadillacs parked along Cadillac row…

Parked around the corner, and located at the far end of the street, was this white, fiberglass bodied twin turbocharged roadster (below)…

Race inspired, purpose-built interior (above and below)…

Turbocharger and polished exhaust pipe (above and below)…

Twin turbocharger symmetry (below)…

Parked directly across the street was this beautifully prepared, candy red 1932 Ford highboy roadster, complete with flames…

While shooting the car and studying some of its unique details, I met the owner who was nice enough to share some of the details behind the building of this hot rod. I learned that this car is actually a showcase for the owner’s business, which just happens to be a paint and body shop (Bravo’s Auto Body), specializing in custom paint, and that is located in nearby Pico Rivera.

Obviously, all of the body work, paint and flames were produced in-house by the owner himself, Manny Bravo. The body panels were as smooth and flat as glass, which was the perfect medium for catching reflections.

One of the hidden and easily overlooked details on this car is its quick change rear end; fortunately the owner mentioned this fact to me, so I crawled under the car to get this shot below.

While in the process of shooting the right side of the car (below), the owner asked if I had noticed anything odd about the paint and flames on this side of the car. As I looked closer, the owner suggested l take a look at the opposite side in direct sunlight. Once I walked over to the driver’s side, I immediately understood what he was talking about. Apparently, between the painting process and the materials used, he was able to apply both the red paint and the flames in a way that depending upon the lighting, the contrast between the background and the flames will shift. When the car is viewed in shadowed lighting, the red background reads as a dark value and the flames appear lighter in color. However under direct lighting conditions, the flames read as the dark value, whereas the red background reads as the lighter value. Definitely an interesting effect…

Further south down the street, was this root beer brown metallic, 1934 Ford 3 window coupe.

Parked over on the west side of the street was this bright orange, 1930s vintage Ford highboy roadster, built along the lines of a 1960’s AA/Fuel altered race car, complete with a big block, fuel injected motor, and included a period correct “Moon speed equipment” fuel tank secured just ahead of the front axle…

Overhead view of the Kinsler fuel injection venturi /”stacks”…

Located further down the street was this white 1955 Corvette coupe, represented by the owner as an original condition, unrestored vehicle…

Arranged out back in its trunk was a period Coca Cola display, which included a vintage Corvette advertisement…

Parked across the street and located south of the Corvette, was this lite blue Chevrolet Thriftmaster Deluxe with canvas side and rear shades.

Located just to the north of the lite blue Chevrolet Thriftmaster Deluxe, was this two toned Tri-5 Chevrolet Bel Air / Nomad wagon…

Parked over on the east side of the street was this pristine, 1955 Chevrolet Panel in sea foam green and white, and in better than new condition…

Reflection in the side of the black 1963 Lincoln Continental parked to the left of the drivers side…

And parked just several cars north of the 1955 Chevrolet panel, was this beautiful 1963 Buick Riviera. Looking at this car brought back fond memories of my dads black on black 1964 Riviera…

The last car I photographed from the show was this amazing copper-colored, 1950 Ford coupe; lowered suspension and complete with a chopped top, shaved door handles, frenched headlights and smoothed bumpers front and rear. Obviously a lot of time was spent block sanding the entire body, as the finished paint simply glowed, displaying flawless, distortion-free reflections. By far one of the nicest customs in the show.

Ironically, these photos are just a small sampling of the many cars assembled for this years show. Given the huge spectator turnout, there seemed to be something for everyone, regardless of the high temperatures. Hopefully next years show will witness another collection of equally cool cars, but hopefully under much cooler conditions.

(All photos by the author)

Hot Rods, Hamburgers, Customs, Olympics and Coca Cola…

Posted on August 11, 2012 by digitaldtour

What better way to celebrate the end of the week, than with a car show on a Friday evening? Or for those of you like me ( my wife describes me as car obsessed), how about encountering a car show totally by accident? Well, that’s exactly what occurred last Friday evening, as my wife and I were driving home after going out to dinner.

As we were exiting the mall, I spotted a coned off section of the parking lot that appeared to be full of custom cars, classic Chevrolets and hot rods, all in close proximity to the Ruby’s diner (http://rubyscruise.com) located towards the west side of the mall. Since my wife had some shopping to do for her mom, she dropped me off so I could check out the cars, and would return when she was done. So off I headed into the middle of this unexpected, surprise (at least for me) car show. As I made my way through the aisles of the parking lot, checking out the diversity of cars in attendance, I realized that I recognized several of these cars from other cars shows. And just when I was wishing I had my camera with me, my wife drove up. By the time we arrived home, I had decided to grab my camera and head back to the car show before I lost the remaining daylight. Within 15 minutes, I was back at the mall, with camera in hand, ready to capture the cars gathered for the evenings event.

My first subject for the evening was this beautiful matte green, 1932 Ford 5 window coupe as seen below…

One of the most unusual and obvious features on this car is the engine; in this case, the owner chose to install a 401 cubic inch Buick “nailhead” motor as seen below.

After walking around the car multiple times, shooting it from a variety of angles and focusing on specific details, the owner approached and we struck up a conversation.

I asked if he had shown this car down at Cars& Coffee in Irvine, since this was one of the cars that I recognized. It turned out that I was correct; the owner had shown this car only once at Cars&Coffee, back in March…

His car looked just as good on this night as it had the first time I saw it. The build quality and detailing found throughout this car is spectacular…

Next up was this beautiful, plum-colored 1932 Ford sedan…

Mounted up front ahead of the grill, and secured onto the period correct California license plate, was this vintage Olympic Games of Los Angeles, circa 1932 badge (as seen above and below)…

And located out back, applied onto the rear body work, was this design accent celebrating the artistry of pin stripping…

Parked just up the row at the opposite end, was this black 1963 Lincoln Continental, as noted by its license plate.

The black paint on this car was flawless; every surface smooth as glass and acting like a mirror, reflecting all of its immediate surroundings.

Located just across the row, was this stunning example of a true American classic; a flamed, chop top Merc. And what was even more amazing was that this car appeared to have been driven to the event, and not brought in by trailer.

Every surface and detail on this car was flawless, and obviously a lot of time and effort had gone into the building of this custom show car.

But even cooler was seeing that the owner actually drives this car, and had brought it to the show to share with others; a true celebration and tribute to the Southern California car culture.

Parked several rows over behind the Merc, was this black on black, 1950s vintage Ford F-100 custom truck…

complete with a Ford Motorsport / SVO V8 engine tucked in between the front fenders…

and once again, another black paint job that shone like a mirror…

And parked over in front of the diner, amongst the other hod rods on display, was this raspberry colored coupe with polished aluminum velocity stacks rising skyward through its front hood…

Back over across the lot, and half way up the nearest row, was this black vintage Pontiac coupe with red interior…

complete with rear trunk badging as seen below…

Below are several of the classic Chevrolet sedans that were present; the first being this beautifully presented, pale green 1950 4 door Deluxe, parked next to the black Pontiac…

followed up by this spotless, late 1940s vintage blue 4 door, with period appropriate chrome front grill and accessories…

Another of the cars parked out in front of Ruby’s was one of the many 1960’s muscle cars in attendance; in this case a black, 1969 Camaro Z-28, showing off its spectacular paint finish…

As evidenced by the reflection above, parked immediately to the right of the Z-28, was this bright red hot rod; a 1932 Ford highboy roadster complete with flames…

And its ultra clean engine compartment.

Classic flames and stamped louvers…

complete down to the pinstriped accents…

As the sun set and the neon signs and architectural trim lit up, it was time for one last photo to capture the spirit of the event…

So should you find yourself in Whittier on a Friday night (from May through October) with some time to burn, just look for the Ruby’s Diner in the Whittwood Towne Center, and you will be rewarded with a local car show that weekly celebrates some of the nicest hot rods, classics and muscle cars from throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County areas.

(All photos by the author)

The devil’s in the details…

Posted on August 6, 2012 by digitaldtour

How many times have you looked at a particular make or model of car without ever stopping to take notice of the many smaller, unique features or design details that collectively combine to define each car, and create sufficient visual interest to grab your attention?

Saturday, July 28th was one of those mornings where I suddenly found myself drawn to a study of these lesser details, rather than obsessing about shooting each car as a whole.

The following photos represent that mornings shift in visual perspective…

And if you look closely, you will actually see that each vehicle is truly a sum of its parts…

(All photos by the author)

Thank you from digitaldtour…

Posted on July 29, 2012 by digitaldtour

Today marks a milestone for my blog, and I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge it.

I have just surpassed 1000 followers to my blog, and wanted to thank all of you that have found my blog (digitaldtour.com) to be of sufficient interest and worthy of following. I truly appreciate all of the comments and encouragement I have received, and hope that you will continue to enjoy my future postings…

Thank you all and Regards,

Chris

(Porsche GT2 photo by the author)

On a clear day you can see…Stuttgart

Posted on July 28, 2012 by digitaldtour

Sunday morning, July 15, 2012 started off slightly overcast, as the Porsche 356 Registry began staging cars for their yearly Concours event, once again held at the Lantern Bay Marriott, overlooking the harbor in Dana Point, California.

By 8 AM, the full range of 356 models gathered had been assembled and aligned in rows on the lawn. After the last 356 had been staged, the remaining Porsches queued up awaiting entry onto the grounds (911s, 912s, 914s, etc.), were allowed onto the lawn and staged just to the west of the 356 Concours display…

Around 9 AM, the judges were called and assembled for their last-minute instructions, at which time they donned their event – issued green polo shirts. Armed with clipboards, scoring sheets and stop watches in hand, they all headed off in teams towards the gleaming rows of Porsche 356s, patiently awaiting their turn to be judged.

The first row of the event had been reserved as a showcase for the days most rare and unique examples of the 356 model. Situated within this row were examples of 4 cam Carrera 2s, in both Coupe and Cabriolet form, a sole example of the ultra-rare 1952 Glockler Porsche, and several amazing examples of highly modified 356 models, commonly referred to as “outlaws”.

The rare #44, 1952 Glockler-Porsche special; #3 of only three “Glockler special” cars produced as seen below…

Amidst the unaltered 356 model Porsches, were several examples of highly modified Porsche 356s, referred to as “Outlaws”. The title is due in part to the level of modifications / alterations made, and the cars departure from a “100% Stock” configuration.

Now it was time to check out the remaining rows of 356s…

An example of the 1955 Porsche 356 “Continental”coupe as seen below. The Ford Motor Company apparently took exception to Porsches use of the “Continental” name, and as a result, Porsche stopped using the name on its 1956 models.

After making my way through the multiple rows of Porsche 356s, it was time to check out the “other Porsches” that had shown up in support of their 356 siblings…

By 1:30 PM, the judging had been completed, scores tallied, and the awards presentation began. One by one, as each of the class winners was announced, the winning car and owner would drive up to the front of the show area, where they were presented with their trophies.

The silver 1957 “outlaw” speedster shown below won first place in the “outlaw class”; an even more impressive result given that this event was the cars debut, and very first concours competition…

The class winners from the event on display below, each representing a specific class and model year.

And after observing this impressive gathering of Porsche vehicles, both vintage and newer models, it’s easy to see why Southern California is often referred to as Stuttgart West, as witnessed by the incredible diversity of Porsches found at this event.

(All photos by the author)

Lighting strikes twice; an encounter with a Porsche 356/2 Gmund Coupe

Posted on July 20, 2012 by digitaldtour

Well, it happened again; another encounter that spawned a delayed case of extreme Porsche deja-vu.

It all began with my coming face to face with an incredibly rare Porsche 356 on Saturday morning July 7 at Cars&Coffee. As I was driving into the parking lot around 6 AM, I noticed a curiously proportioned Porsche 356 already parked between several other Porsches. After finding my spot and parking, I headed straight towards the middle of Porsche row, where this unique Ivory colored 356 was located.

I quickly realized based upon the profile, unique contours, the shape of the hood, the presence of a split windshield and several other subtle design details, that this Ivory colored 356 parked before me had to be one of Porsches earliest production models; a Gmund coupe. By the time I made my way to the back of the car, the details observed out back helped to validate its identity.

The broad contoured rear fenders, accented by the pair of small, dual beehive rear tail lights, combined with the small, sharply raked rear window and vintage California license plate, all worked together to establish this car as a true Porsche Gmund Coupe.

The single grill on the rear deck lid also held a subtle clue as to this cars identity; a commemorative badge proudly displayed, which translates to “A Legend becomes 50”; a reference to the 1948 debut of Porsches Gmund built vehicles, beginning with the first 356 (356-001).

As I circled the coupe, photographing it from a variety of angles in an attempt to record its very presence at the event, I could hear parts and pieces of conversations taking place in the groups standing around the car. The common questions being asked had to do with the nature of this car; what model is it, and what year was it built? The thing I find very interesting is that there seems to be three very distinct camps with opinions regarding the total number of Gmund vehicles built. In one book that I read, the author suggested that between 1949 and 1951, Porsche produced a total of only 49 Porsche 356/2 Gmund models. He went on to state that of the 49 total produced, 41 had been built as coupes, while the remaining 8 cars were constructed as cabriolets. The second camp believes the Gmund production numbers to be at 50 cars. However, it is the third group that appears the most optimistic. Accordingly, their research suggests that Porsche initially produced a total of 52 Gmund vehicles, and later crafted an additional 11 Gmund bodies, intended solely for racing.

I later learned from a very reliable source that this particular car is actually chassis number 50 (356/2-050). That number makes it one of the last Gmund coupes produced by Porsche. The one missing piece of the puzzle however, has to do with the cars build date. Is this a late 1950 or 1951 model?

The genesis of the 356 hood handle and early Porsche badging (as seen below)…

For turn signals, the Gmund models utilized “trafficators”; a semaphore type device that would rise up out of the side of each front fender, and centrally located between the front edge of each door and the front wheel well (as seen below)…

Fresh on the heels of my encounter with the Porsche Gmund coupe at Cars&Coffee, when I arrived home after work on Monday evening, I was greeted by two car magazines that had just come in the mail. The first was “Excellence”, the Magazine about Porsche, and the second was “Christophorus”; the Porsche Factory’s in-house publication that celebrates all things Porsche. Because the June /July 2012 issue of Christophorus would be # 356, it was only fitting that Porsche dedicate the entire magazine to a celebration of the 356. As I thumbed through the issue, I discovered a section highlighting five cars of significance selected from the Porsche museum, one of which just happened to be a 356/2 Gmund coupe. Interestingly enough, in the brief write-up about the museum car, a reference was made regarding its rarity; a total of only 52 Gmund vehicles produced. After finishing my review of Christophorus, I shifted over to Excellence and began skimming the articles. Midway through the magazine, I turned the page only to discover an article titled “Pure Joy”: 356/2-045 – Out of the mud grows the lotus”, and a photo taken of the front end of a red 1950 Porsche Gmund coupe. That’s when it hit me; this car was virtually identical to the Ivory colored coupe that I had just seen in person. After eagerly reading the article, I learned that the car featured in the article (chassis # 045) had undergone an extensive 2 year restoration, which concluded with its entry into the Pebble Beach Concours event in the summer of 2011, where it scored a first place victory in the “Postwar Sports Cars, Closed” category. Even more impressive is the fact that the car is owned and had its restoration commissioned by a member of the Porsche family; in particular Hans-Peter Porsche, one of Dr. Porsches four sons.

My wife frequently asks why I attend a car show every week, and asks “aren’t the cars always the same ones? And my answer is always the same – “there is something new every week, and you never know what rare and exotic treasures will show up “. This statement could not have better described my early morning encounter with the Gmund coupe…

(All photos by the author)