On Saturday, May 12, Wayne and I took our 1958 Convertible D (Lady Bug) on an excursion around San Diego County. We recently re-acquired this car after trading it for a 1962 twin-grille Roadster in 1991. We eventually sold the Roadster and longed to have another Convertible D. It was not meant to be until Wayne contacted Doug in Carson City recently and he said he was willing to part with the car after all these years. Doug and Linda only put 9,000 miles on it in 21 yrs and the car had been sitting in their garage for the last 8 or 9 yrs not being used. After new tires, an overhaul of the brake system and tune-up, it was ready for the road.

What a sweet running car.  It was a beautiful sunny, southern California day to drive around town with the top down and visiting some of San Diego’s famous tourist sites. Soledad Mt Cross Veteran’s Memorial, Birch Aquarium, the beach at Cardiff by the Sea and the iconic Coronado Bridge. There will be many more trips to come in the future. Written by Nancy Baker - Owner of Personalized Autohaus

LadyBug (Coronado bridge in background)

CARS FOR SALE

Very rare 1968 911L soft window Porsche Targa.Original engine.Freshly painted newly upholstered seats new soft windows No accidents or rust VIN 11855034 55K CALL Wayne Baker (858) 586-7771  Cell (619) 743-1356  
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Sebring March 15-18. 2012 Florida

Wayne was privileged and honored to be included in the 12 hours of Sebrings’ 60th Anniversary celebration being held at the Sebring International Raceway by Ken Breslauer, Sebrings’ Media Director.

Eighteen of the past winners were there for an autograph session for the die-hard Sebring fans, signing everything from program covers, commemorative posters to T-shirts.

Also at the autograph session were 4 gentlemen from the very first 12 hour race in 1952. Wayne was joined by fellow winners Bobby Rahal, Brad Frissell, Charles Mendoza and Maurico de Navarez to name a few.

The day of the race Wayne and Nancy Baker and the other winners were lucky enough to be driven around the race track in a new Mustang convertible. I would estimate a crowd of at least 300,000 in attendance. Some come every year to this event and camp out for two weeks ahead of time just to get the right spot. Pure craziness.

P.S. Steven Tyler from Aerosmith / American Idol was there too :)

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Some Advice for New Porsche Owners

Being a Porsche owner for the first time can be an exhilarating experience. The thought of having a classic or new vehicle with such high performance should be an exciting prospect. Many Porsche owners say that one of the first things you should do is join the PCA  (Porsche Club of America). Doing this gives you a subscription to Panorama magazine and will provide you an opportunity to connect with other Porsche enthusiasts who will be thrilled to bring you into their world.

Another good thing to do is take some driver’s education courses. No, we’re not talking about the same classes you took inside a bungalow at 15 years old, but courses that will teach you how to properly drive your new super car and truly appreciate the performance capabilities that the Porsche has to offer. Learning how to drive a high performance car will totally change the way you experience your new ownership. After you take your lessons, drive as much as possible. After all, you bought the car for a reason.

Upgrading is another great way to get more enjoyment out of your new found Porsche ownership. There are tons of expensive and inexpensive upgrades and modifications for Porsches on the market that can greatly enhance your driving experience. You can focus on upgrading the interior, exterior, performance or all of the above.  You should choose the upgrades and modifications that you will enjoy the most, not necessarily what is expected.

A Few Reasons to Walk Away from a Porsche Buy

You may have been on the market for a Porsche for some time, but are not completely confident in your ability to not only find a good deal, but to pick a reliable car that won’t break down a few miles after you finish the sale. The truth is that there is probably no one thing that should disqualify any particular purchase, but there are a few things to be on the lookout for when thinking about making the final step of Porsche ownership.

Too Good to Be True – Let’s say you’ve found the model of your dreams and not only is it low miles and in near perfect condition,  but it is being listed at half the market price that the car is normally listed at. You may have very well found a miracle deal, but beware that the deal may be too good to be true.

Service History – While a PPI is an invaluable source of information on your prospective Porsche, they are not infallible. A full service history can provide a lot of additional information that can inform your decision.

Used Car Dealers – There are plenty of superb used Porsche dealers that are highly reliable and will sell you a great vehicle. There are also some dealers that are less than reliable. Do as much research as you can on any prospective dealer to find the right one for your purchase.

Private Sellers – Dealing with private sellers can be sort of a mine field when it comes to purchasing a Porsche. It’s important to go with your gut instinct some of the time here. Does the person seem trustworthy, forthcoming and do they have lots of knowledge about the vehicle? Make sure you know all that you can before going through with a sale with a private seller.

What’s Involved in a Porsche Restoration: Part Two

Last post we went through the first two steps involved in some classic Porsche restorations: rust repair and the paint job.  These posts should not be taken as a guide on how to repair a Porsche on your own, but a general list of things that are typically restored during the process. The amount of work that will need to be performed will depend on how neglected the car was and whether or not there needs to be any complicated engine work.

Brakes, Suspension and Wiring – the suspension is completely disassembled and ever part is bean blasted and then cleaned and refinished before reassembly. For such a small car, the Porsche has a lot of wire. Every circuit needs to be documented during disassembly. Color-coded wire helps, but marking the wiring and photographing the route and mounting location of the harness is essential when restoring the dash, gauges and any other electrical parts.

Engine work – engine repair and restoration is probably too complicated to go over in a simple blog post. The key with engine restoration is to know exactly what you are doing when attempting to restore or fix any components. Doing the wrong thing or not handling parts correctly can cause a significant amount of damage to the engine. The experts at Personalized Autohaus are trained professionals who know how to deal with classic Porsche engines.

What’s Involved in a Porsche Restoration: Part One

Restoring a classic Porsche can be an exciting prospect, but some people aren’t aware of the vast amount of knowledge and expertise required to effectively restore the car to its original condition. Many people who attempt to restore an old Porsche on their own may find themselves working on it anywhere from a couple of years to fifteen years. How long it takes depends on the person’s level of dedication, hours worked per week and level of knowledge on their particular model. Personalized Autohaus has expert mechanics and personnel to make a restoring a Porsche a much simpler process. The following are some of things involved when someone restores a classic Porsche.

Rust Repair – water damage and neglect can cause a lot of rust damage to the body of a Porsche. This can occur on nearly every part of the metal body, with some areas being much easier to repair than others. Large panels like door skins and fenders can be purchased, but smaller sections need to be replaced through metal fabrication, which requires an expert.

Paint – metal work and painting are often performed on a rotating stand for accessibility purposes. After a sealer coat is applied to help protect the metal, imperfections in the metal are fixed with a variety of tools. The more attention paid to these defects the better the restoration.  After the metal defects are fixed the car is given a primer coat. Block sanding is then used to level out the surface. Additional primer and surfacers may need to be used to fill in abrasions and scratches. Before receiving its final color coat, the car gets a sealant. As you may have noticed, a good paint job requires a lot of work and preparation in order to get the results that your restore Porsche deserves.

More steps to come!