Any interest in forming local 914World Chapters?, One Lesson Learned from European 914 clubs |
|
Porsche, and the Porsche crest are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
This site is not affiliated with Porsche in any way. Its only purpose is to provide an online forum for car enthusiasts. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. |
|
Any interest in forming local 914World Chapters?, One Lesson Learned from European 914 clubs |
JeffBowlsby |
Jul 3 2014, 09:55 PM
Post
#1
|
914 Wiring Harnesses Group: Members Posts: 8,663 Joined: 7-January 03 From: San Ramon CA Member No.: 104 Region Association: None |
My recent visit to the 914 International meet in Italy opened my eyes to some interesting differences in the 914 communities here in the USA vs Europe. I had the great pleasure of meeting and spending a few days with our very own Gustl, Johannes, Peter and many others with the 914-passion and I think that common bond is an aspect of 914 ownership that most of us are interested in. 914s are not just about the cars – its about the people.
Europe is roughly ¼ the size of the USA, and they have multiple local 914-dedicated clubs mostly organized by country – 914 clubs exist in Germany, France, Italy, England, etc. These clubs meet from time to time locally to network, socialize and promote the 914 hobby in their regions (check out their individual websites). Once a year they all get together for a major high quality International 914 event somewhere in Europe. The International meet is always well attended (limited to 100 914s and their owners!), booked/paid a year in advance, and is hosted in a different country (by the local 914 club) each year on a rotating basis. It has official support from Porsche. The European approach is very supportive, and non-competitive in the negative sense. In the USA, we have no organized, local 914-dedicated clubs. We have no regularly (monthly-quarterly-ish) organized local 914 events. We have no annual USA National 914 event. Europe has nothing like our 914world.com forums…in a literal sense, 914world.com is THE international 914 Forum because we have many international members here. I would like to see if we can increase international participation on the forum in the future. The USA is much larger geographically than Europe which is a challenge for holding larger national events. PCA, SCCA, and similar groups are good events for some, and not that we want to withdraw from those, but they are not an ultimate 914 venue for most of us. Thanks to the camaraderie on this Forum, we do have a series of what I will characterize as fairly regular, regional, moderate-sized events that are always fun – Red Rocks, WCR, ECR, Okteenerfest, etc. Some locales have sporadic informal 914 breakfasts, drives etc. Only when someone volunteers to host an event does it happen – I think we as 914 Owners could all really benefit with better organization and regional leadership. New 914 owners need a venue to hang out face to face, and long-time owners can share their experiences. A real world, local, in person, ‘914 Garage’ experience is one of the great things about our community. My idea is that we form local/regional 914World Chapters to generally help better organize us and promote the 914 ownership experience on multiple levels. 914World.com will always be our playhouse. None of us wants a dues paying, card carrying, rules/regulations format and I don’t propose anything like that. The idea is intended only to be a way for 914 owners to connect locally and informally, and perhaps hold a national event in the future. I don’t see the concept as divisive, but rather as unifying us, prospering the 914 experience and being a supportive environment. What say you? Attached image(s) |
Porschef |
Jul 7 2014, 06:58 PM
Post
#2
|
How you doin' Group: Members Posts: 2,175 Joined: 7-September 10 From: LawnGuyland Member No.: 12,152 Region Association: North East States |
I think there is a stigma among 914 owners that the "911 crowd" looks down on 914's.
Mike, in response to that, allow me to offer an amusing anecdote... The weekend before last I was up at a family reunion up in Mass.; I drove the teener. My brother in law was there with his recently acquired 9whatever (I'm clueless with the newer ones) after selling his 930 (what a car!). A couple of family friends said they wanted to check out their "dream Porsche" or something to that effect. He kind of smiled somewhat smugly, but his jaw dropped when they walked over to the orange car... It's just that they've become so rare on the road. I think a lot of newer Porsche owners may have no idea what these are. Nevermind the typical driver. What was once thought of as funkugly (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) is now looked on as pretty unique. No, nothing looks like these. Not even that dang Italian car (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif) So there. |
poorsche914 |
Jul 7 2014, 07:26 PM
Post
#3
|
T4 Supercharged Group: Members Posts: 3,121 Joined: 28-May 09 From: Smoky Mountains Member No.: 10,419 Region Association: South East States |
How about the long-time 911 guys who are suddenly taking notice of the 914 and (gasp) selling their tail-dragger to purchase a 914 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)
I have been answering a lot of questions posed by a local 911 owner who once was very active in track events and autocross and is now searching high and low for the perfect 914 for both street and track. He drove my 914 and even in its "daily driver project" status, he loved the car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) |
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 27th September 2024 - 10:31 AM |
All rights reserved 914World.com © since 2002 |
914World.com is the fastest growing online 914 community! We have it all, classifieds, events, forums, vendors, parts, autocross, racing, technical articles, events calendar, newsletter, restoration, gallery, archives, history and more for your Porsche 914 ... |