How I spent my weekend., My dad's first ride in a Porsche Options

[Part Pricer]

Both of the kids are away at college. My wife had to work all weekend. So, I was sitting at home Saturday morning trying to decide what to do with myself. Well, the weather forecast was great and I have a running 914 sitting in the garage so “Road Trip” was really the only thought. All I needed was a destination.

I remembered mention of the local PCA chapter holding an autocross in Philadelphia, so I went to their web site and looked up the details. The event was being held at 7th & Pattison. My best friend lives at 8th & Kater (it’s close by, do the math). A few quick phone calls and my agenda was set. Drive down to Philly on Saturday afternoon and stay at my friend’s house for the night. Sunday morning my buddy and I would head down for the AX. My daughter, who is a student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, would stop by the autocross and watch her dad try not to make a fool of himself. Then, I would head over to South Jersey and go out to dinner with my parents.

On Saturday morning, I went down to the garage and went over the 914 to make sure everything was in order. My trip was going to be around 330 miles round-trip on some pretty unfriendly highways (Saw Mill Parkway, NY Thruway, Pallisades Parkway & New Jersey Turnpike), so I wanted to double-check everything. Everything checked out, so I packed my trunks and hit the road.

As most people here know, driving a 914 is a unique experience. My car was running and handling well. So, that was fun. But, the most interesting part of the experience is the reaction of the other drivers. Driving down the NJ Turnpike, people would rush up along side me and smile and wave. At first I thought, damn maybe they are trying to signal me that something is wrong with my car. But, I was getting a lot of “thumbs up” from people as well so I surmised that everything was fine. I must have had 30 to 40 of these encounters on the turnpike on Saturday afternoon.

Let me also note that I am extremely happy that my car is Ravenna Green. I really appreciated my “high-visibility” when I was in a pack of SUVs doing 90+.

Anyway I got to Philly, put my car in my buddy’s garage and spent the night.

Sunday morning, we got up and headed a few blocks down to the AX site. My friend had just gotten a new BMW so he wanted to try that out. That saved me from having to explain the shift pattern of the 914 to him. I was greatly surprised when we got to the site. I had remembered the area as an old, dilapidated, pothole-filled parking lot. I found a newly-paved, large, flat expanse of asphalt. It was a great site, a nice course and was run so efficiently that over 80 drivers had gotten in 5 runs each by just after 1:00pm. Nice event, nice people, good fun.

The highlight of my trip came later when I was at my parent’s place and we decided to go out to dinner. My sister had come over and I had thought that we would just all pile in her Taurus to go to the restaurant. But, my dad said, “I’ve never been in a Porsche”. I thought for a split-second and said, “Sure, you can ride with me”. Now, let me tell you about my dad. He is 87 years old. He has had both knees replaced. And is probably less limber than you would expect from an 87 year old. He just doesn’t bend well. If the 914 did not have a removable roof, there is no way we would have gotten him in the car.

This is a time when I wish that I had brought my digital camera. It took about 5 to 10 minutes to get him into and situated in the car. We pretty much had to deal with one limb at a time. It was almost comical. But, after we got him in the passenger’s seat, he had the biggest grin on his face. We took a long way over to the restaurant and I could tell my dad was having fun as I put the car through its paces with some spirited driving. His grin just got bigger as I took the car up to the red-line before shifting. The smile didn't leave his face. It was a great experience.

We got to the restaurant and it took another 5 to 10 minutes to get him out of the car. At dinner, he kept telling my mother how much fun it was. However my mother, who is 86, decided to take a pass on a ride home.

After dinner, my sister said that she would take my parents back to their place so we wouldn’t have to cram one of them in the 914 and I could hit the road.

I gladly waved to everyone on the 160 mile trip back home.