Stammtisch with 356 Porsche Friends

A "Stammtisch" is an informal group meeting held on a regular basis, and also the usually large, often round table around which the group meets. A Stammtisch is not a structured meeting, but rather a friendly get-together...Well we had our first official Stammtisch at a friend's house here in San Diego, California and it was so nice to see friends and their vintage Porsches for a casual dining chit chat. The photos say it all!

"Stammtisch" with the sign above the garage at host house and Wayne and Nancy Baker's 1958 Convertible D " Ladybug" who arrived first. Full restoration by Personalized Autohaus

Cool touch with the numbers on the deck.....

356 Speedsters - if you didn't know the numbers will help ;)

Jean F. with her beloved 1955 Speedster -engine rebuilt by Personalized Autohaus in'12

The 356 Gang of San Diego ......

Wayne and Nancy Baker with another local 356 friend

Here's our round table discussion with the Speedsters in the background

Cool cars & Cool photos!

Chris S. rolling in with his cool yellow Speedster

The cars are always the center of the attention at these gatherings! So much to talk about....

Good idea by the host couple! Hope we will do this casual gathering again!

Lovely "356" cake to finish :) 

If you have a vintage Porsche Repair or Restoration project contact Wayne Baker expert - give us a call at (858) 586-7771 or e-mail waynebaker@earthlink.net http://www.personalizedautohaus.com

Restoration of '64 Sunroof Coupe

Friends: Follow the Restoration of the 1964 356 Coupe that we have turned into a Sunroof Coupe. We are currently working on the transmission and engine assembly.
Let's see how the car looked like before the body and paint job:

 Original paint was silver but has been painted several times - at one point it was a light blue shade

As you  see the '64 coupe with still intact roof

 Original interior black leather seats and white headliner

 The sunroof top came from another '64 coupe, which was rusted out but had a good roof and welded onto car as customer's request  

Glenn Roberts and Eric Benner working on the new sunroof piece

Fast forward several months in the body shop and after sandblasting, rust repair and fresh coat of paint the car is back at Personalized Autohaus. The new color is race silver and interior upholstering will be red. 

 Car is back at the Personalized Autohaus after the paint process

Restoration under progress. Check out front suspension! A-arms are original; they've been reconditioned and painted.

 Wiring under way.

 Rebuilt Transmission including Tall 4th Gear

  We will be posting more pictures after the final assembly of the '64 sunroof coupe. So stay tuned!

If you have an inquiry about a restoration project and would like to have a free consultation contact Wayne Baker at Personalized Autohaus at (858) 586-7771 or e-mail waynebaker@earthlink.net www.personalizedautohaus.com

Transport to West Coast Holiday 2013 - Santa Fe New Mexico

The Porsche 356 Registry West Coast Holiday is coming up next year from Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 through Sunday, October 13th, 2013 but it's not too early to plan your trip ahead.
For those of you who are not comfortable driving the whole distance from San Diego to Santa Fe we are offering a transportation service for up to ten cars. That way you can fly into Santa Fe  and just enjoy the driving tours, mountain drives and everything that Santa Fe has to offer. 

Contact us and register as soon as possible to reserve your spot for the transport. Call us at the shop (858) 586-7771 or Wayne's  Cell directly (619) 743-1356 or email us to waynebaker@earthlink.net. Thank you and looking forward to spending the West Coast Holidays with you! 

Sebring Fans - by Sports Car International

I found this article in the 1992 issue about Spring Break in Sebring. I have started to read the pretty interesting article about the sub-culture of fans surrounding the tracks and racing world.

Then I stumbled upon a paragraph about Wayne Baker racing back in 1983; here it goes:

Wayne Baker in his winning Porsche 934  in 1983 (photo taken at Mid-Ohio by Jack Webster)

....
It can be a rough crowd for drinkers. One group tried to sell the passed-out body of a mate for $40 - listing him as a rare "Beer-o-saurus". Times being tough, they were willing to take a case of beer in trade. Another group listed itself as " Drunks against MADD Mothers". In 1983 an inebriated fan wandered out to trackside at the old high-speed turn one to get a closer look, forcing eventual winner Wayne Baker to take evasive action and run off course. It was the same wild, weird year when water in fuel supplies knocked out the leading GTP car, giving Baker's GTO-class Porsche 934 one of Sebring's biggest upsets. 
...

This prompted me to verify the story with Wayne Baker: he said it happened in an instant and he just acted out of instinct. He seen a figure in the corner of his eyes what seemed like a blue shirt and blue pants wondering at the track and he swerved his car racing over 150 mph and barely avoided a potentially fatal collision. Luckily he ended up winning Sebring that year.

Wayne Baker (in center), Nierop and Mullen were the first ever to win an overall race in the GTO category.

New Restoration Projects @ Personalized Autohaus

A picture says more than a thousand words...

We have received this 1956 Speedster for a complete Restoration to restore its original beauty. It will be restored to its original exterior color, interior upholstering, engine and period correct accessories  by Personalized Autohaus www.personalizedautohaus.com

Engine needs complete re-build

Side-trim is missing, side view mirror not original

Original color "Poyantha Red" (which is an only '56 color) is showing uder dash board....

Front bumper is also not original....

Brake lights have been updated but will be restored to period correct fixtures

All around this Speedster is a beautiful car in great condition and will be in pristine original condition once restored :)

Our next ongoing Restoration project is this '64 Coupe that came in pieces to the shop.

It is a major restoration job with a lot of body work, but once done will be amazing!

Check out these retro brown seats...

In the body shop now....

Will keep you updated about the progress of both these cars and when completed we will post before and after photos! Thanks for the team working hard at Personalized Autohaus: chief mechanic Glenn Roberts; certified mechanic Eric Benner and shop owner Wayne Baker; who is restoring the engines.  www.personalizedautohaus.com



PCA event - San Diego Concours August 4th 2012

Porsche Club of America had it's annual Concours event first weekend in August '12.

Every color of Porsche on the grass.....

Beautiful black Speedster

Amazing little Carrera in Ivory

Councours champion - 1963 356 in Oslo blue

Unique discontinued Porsche design

San Diego bay provided the amazing views...

Downtown San Diego in background...

See you at the next event!

Wayne Baker Racing @ Road Atlanta July, 2012

Professional photographs credited to and copyrighted by Timothy Bath

http://www.timothybathphotography.com/

Wayne Baker - second from left in red hat standing next to white 914/6

Wayne Baker Racing : Dream Team!!

Wayne Baker Racing - the team 

Traffic jam in the sharp curves....

Wayne Baker Racing team: 1964 Porsche 904

Great rear shot of the 904

Personalized Autohaus Porsche Restoration

Owner Bob D. happyily driving his restored '62 Twin-Grille Roadster

This is the story of a 1962 Twin-Grille Roadster that was restored two years ago when the owner went on the Copperstate 100 Road Rally and ran into a horrendous sand storm.

Literally stripped the paint off the... front of the car :(

The remainder of the car was stripped down to bare metal and completely restored by Personalized Autohaus, G A Coachworks and Autobahn Interiors.

The Roadster was restored with original interior upholstery color by Autobahn Interiors.

Original engine was rebuilt by Personalzied Autohaus

Sandy A. holding her first place throphy at the Dana Point Concours in the wash and shine category. Not too shabby for her first time showing the car!

Personal Note: the '62 twin-grill Roadster is nicknamed  "Tgr" pronounced like tigger :)