It’s not just the cars, it’s the people. A truer statement was never spoken, and it’s a fitting mantra for the various chapters of the Porsche Club of America. I gotta say though, the cars are pretty dang cool, too.
A handful has gathered here atop Cypress Mountain, just as the sun comes creeping over the pines. There’s a stone-grey, whale-tailed 930 Turbo, a new white 991 Cabriolet, a white-with-black-Fuchs Targa, a red 928S4 with the rare manual transmission, a slate-grey “basket-handle” 993, and a Boxster Spyder.
You couldn’t ask for a more varied snapshot of the brand, and as for their owners, they’re a heterogeneous mix as well. John Macfarlane founded the local chapter in 1975, and is on his 13th and 14th Porsches. Brian McCormack is on his first with the white Targa.
Porsches climb the hill up Cypress Mountain.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
On June 21, club members of the PCA Canada West region will gather in the Dundarave Village area of West Vancouver. It’s a charitable event, one that’s raised more than $60,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Canada. And it’s not just a car show – many of the members offer rides-by-donation up to the top of close-by Cypress.
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At 1 p.m. on the dot – German precision, naturally – a huge convoy of Stuttgart’s finest heads up the hill. It’s a sight not to be missed, and if your personal Porsche is still only a dream or a Hot Wheels, you can book your ride-along at www.showandride.ca. If you thrill to the yowl of an air-cooled flat-six, love having your hair ruffled in a cabriolet or Targa, or want to feel the shove in your back from a surging turbo or a thundering V8, it’s the place to be.
Not to mention there’s the chance to stand around talking about cars with a bunch of other like-minded folks. This is the Dundarave Show and Ride’s 10th anniversary, and it’s grown from a healthy 50-car turnout to a street-filling hundred-plus machines. All kinds of Porsches are present, from svelte classics to modern stuff crammed with technology and new car smell. There’s live music. There are Porsche owners of every age and description.
PCA Canada West region founder John Macfarlane shows off his new white 991 Cabriolet.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
Robert Rée is first atop the mountain this Sunday morning, a few weeks ahead of the event. His slate-grey 993 is a lovely little car, last of the air/oil-cooled machines. We’ve beaten the usual herds of cyclists by showing up early, but not the clouds of bugs. Quickly, we both jump in Robert’s coupe, crank up the pancake-six, and head out for a quick wriggle through the hairpins.
Rob’s the long-time coordinator of the event – and a car guy through and through. It’s not just Porsche stuff either, his first car was a 1939 two-cylinder DKW, he once piloted an Amphicar through the canals of the Netherlands, and he’s had all kinds of interesting British machinery in the past. E-types and air-cooled oddballs and adventures in amphibious cars: it’s a fun chat.
John Macfarlane on the other hand, is most emphatically Mr. Porsche. He’s been to the factory a dozen times, had multiple Carreras, and even had the very first 911 convertible in Canada. He founded this local chapter of the PCA 40 years ago, and wears a Porsche crest over his heart. Heck, even his belt is in the Martini racing colours. “Porsche,” Macfarlane says, “is my hobby.”
Brian McCormack’s white 1988 Targa on the road.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
Macfarlane’s machine is the newest here, a white PDK-equipped cabriolet with a crimson red interior. One way Porsche retains loyal fans like him is that they allow their cars to be spec’d exactly as an owner demands (providing your pockets are deep enough). X51 Powerkit, the two-tone wheels – it’s all just as Macfarlane wanted. The licence plate is personalized as well – “PCA-CWR.”
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Ordering a new Porsche, you get what you want, but many PCA members are after the classic stuff, either for reasons of budget or preference. Getting your hands on one of these things takes some hunting, and you never know what you might find.
Ray Gumbel, who also owns a 3.2 Carrera that formerly belonged to Macfarlane, found this red 1988 928 S4 for sale 10 years ago. “It was kind of like going to look at a puppy dog,” he laughs. “You already know you’re going to buy it.”
Ray Gumbel’s 1988 928 S4.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
Gumbel is the club’s Tour Director, and he’s got the right car for the job. His stick-shift 928 is built originally as a GT car, and he’s had it up and down the coast to California for all kinds of national Porsche events. “I work on it myself,” he says. “It’s not easy, but I like the challenge.”
Pretty much all the PCA club members put serious miles on their cars. The club organizes several long-distance drives every year, and you’ll always find a few members showing up at events like those held by our friends at Classic Car Adventures.
For this kind of adventuring, Brian McCormack’s white 1988 Targa is perfect. You get the open-air experience with sounds and smells swirling around the cabin, the classic flat-six rasp, and still a reasonable amount of cargo space for luggage.
Brian McCormack’s white 1988 Targa.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
This Targa’s not just for touring either. “I take it to our club’s autocross event once a year,” McCormack says, scooting through the corners. “It’s got turbo-style tie-rods, decent Bridgestone tires …” Light, agile, nimble, quick, practical – all the 911 attributes that are driving the price of these cars through the roof.
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“I do wish I’d joined the club first, taken advantage of the knowledge,” says current president Erwin Kremser, folding himself into the driver’s seat of his whale-tailed 930. What a beast: this is one car that comes with a reputation.
That surging hiss when the boost comes on lives up to the legend. Kremser got his Turbo nine years ago, and it does see regular use on the weekends. He’d like to see the club get into more motorsport-oriented events as new tracks open up in B.C.
Robert Rée’s slate-grey Porsche 993.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
One last ride: Joel Parker’s white Boxster Spyder. It’s a purist’s car, raw and fast. “Air-conditioning deleted, and sometimes I think about taking the radio out, too,” Parker says.
Half our group is headed off to Langley this morning for a cars and coffee event, but the rest of us stand around jawing about Le Mans, the relative merits of the new GT4, how long the manual transmission is going to be around, the rumoured enthusiast-special 911 GT car.
Like the club motto says, it’s not just about the cars; it’s the conversations, the laughs, and the shared experiences. We walk back to our respective Porsches (mine borrowed), fire ’em up, and head back down the hill. Forty years of this kind of stuff. There is no substitute.
The 10th annual Dundarave Show and Ride starts at 10 a.m. on June 21st in West Vancouver. Details and the option to sign up for a Porsche ride (with proceeds going to charity) can be found at https://showandride.ca/.
A collection of Porsches and their owners gathered atop Cypress Mountain in B.C. Porsche Club of America – Canada West region members will attend the 10th annual Dundarave Show and Ride charity event, which takes place June 21st in West Vancouver.
Brendan McAleer, Driving