It was just last week I was having a debate with a friend about setting the parking brake in our 993. He argued that it wasn’t necessary and that simply keeping it in gear (on anything but the steepest of hills) was all that is needed. I let him know he was entitled to his opinion, but I felt better setting the hand brake, even on flat surfaces. He told me I was being paranoid and nothing would change his mind. Well, I hope he’s reading this story and sees the picture below…
The picture above is what appears to be a Porsche Boxster being pulled from Brush creek near Paririe Village, KS. Apparently, the Porsche slipped out of gear while parked and rolled down the embankment into the water. Fortunately, no one was in the car at the time and only the owners pride (and bank account) were hurt. Don’t let your Porsche roll off on its own. Set the parking brake!
It seems like collectors can’t go wrong with anything once owned, touched or glanced at by Steve McQueen. I’m sure your remember Steve McQueen’s Porsche 911S selling for $1.375 million last year at the RM auction in Monterey. What about the driving suit that McQueen’s character Delaney wore during the film? When it sold for $984,000 Hemmings opined that McQueen might just be the “latter-day incarnation of Midas”.
Profiles in History, a dealer in “guaranteed-authentic original historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed photographs and manuscripts” announced today that more McQueen items from Le Mans will be auctioned this July in their mega Hollywood auction.
Steve McQueen Le Mans Racing Jacket
Among the items up for auction is the jacket shown above worn by McQueen “between scenes and during idle times on the set”. Profiles in History has set the estimate on this Simpson Nomex fire resistant race jacket between $80,000 and $120,000.
Steve McQueen Heuer Monaco Watch
The Heuer Monaco watch above (Heuer didn’t become Tag Heuer until a merger that took place years after these watches were made) is one of four (three blue and one gray) supplied by Heuer for the filming of Le Mans. To date only one other has appeared at auction and it sold in 2009 for $87,600. Estimates for the Monaco presented here range from $200,000 to $300,000; a steep premium over the last sale. I asked the reason for the higher estimate and was told by the auction house’s PR firm that the provenance on this watch is “iron clad” with a notarized letter from the movie’s prop-master testifying to the fact that the watch was worn by McQueen.
Michael Delaney Team Gulf Rain Jacket
This is the original Glenoit & Lillja dark blue insulated rain jacket with gray trim featuring embroidered “Team Gulf Sweden” patch on the left chest and “Gulf ” patch on the left shoulder. Much of Le Mans was shot in the rain and McQueen can be seen wearing this jacket both on screen and between takes on the set in numerous publicity photos. It was obtained from the costume supervisor on the film who kept the jacket for the past 40 years and comes with a signed letter of authenticity from him. It is estimated to fetch $80,000 – $120,000.
Heuer “Twin Set” Stopwatches
This pair of Heuer stopwatches—Auto-Rallye and Monte Carlo models—are mounted side-by-side on a Heuer chrome backplate and were used by Steve McQueen during the making of the Le Mansto time racecars on the track. The watches come with a notarized letter of authenticity and are expected to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000
Even More McQeen/Le Mans Items to be Added
While the date for the auction has yet to be set, the press release today did allude to more items to come. When pressed for more information we were told, “There will be more McQueen items at the auction. This is what we’ve announced right now. There will be an official catalog available for download from the profiles in history website shortly.” So, keep your eyes and ears tuned, as this is one auction we can’t wait to see the results from.
Special thanks to Steven Leed of Royal Jewelers for the heads up on the auction.
At some point last Thursday night a group of thieves planned and executed a coordinated attack on a used car dealer in Salem, NH. Their take? A Mercedes Benz, a Land Rover and a 2003 Porsche 911 Cabriolet. At this point, there’s nothing really strange about the crime. Thieves steal cars all the time. What they don’t usually do is rub it in the face of local police.
Around 2:00 a.m. the stolen Porsche 911 was spotted in the parking lot of the police department in the bordering town of Methuen, MA. What was it doing there? Donuts! That’s right, donuts. Apparently the thief thought it would be funny to take his joy ride right under the nose of the local law. He was right, it was funny. So funny he decided to do it again. Just 2 hours later the same Porsche came back and started doing donuts in the police parking lot once again. This time a cruiser was ready and gave chase only to lose the Porsche as it raced into the nearby town of Lawrence.
It wasn’t long after the cruiser lost site of the Porsche that police received a call about an accident involving a 911. By the time authorities arrived at the scene the driver was no where to be found and the Porsche was trashed.
As of today, the police are still investigating and the Land Rover and Benz have yet to be recovered.
Porsche knows how to throw a party, especially when they have some exciting new cars to show off. On the eve of the NEW York Auto Show, the Big Apple welcomed Porsche’s top execs from both PCNA and PMNA as the company debuted the all-new Boxster and Cayenne Diesel to a packed house of lucky journalists and VIPs at a lavish downtown party. PorschePurist was lucky enough to get an invite.
The 2013 Boxster was only one of the 4-wheeled stars in attendance as Porsche showcased the new Carrera S Cabriolet, Panamera GTS and Cayenne Diesel as well. The Boxster looks stunning in person both inside and out while the new Cabriolet has a top that is a work of true engineering excellence. The GTS interior features ample yards of Alcantara and the Cayenne promises 28 MPG and ridiculous range from the diesel engine.
Not to leave the motorsports fans out of the fun, Porsche also brought the stunning No. 21 Martini Racing Porsche 917 LH from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart while Paul Miller Racing showed their new 2012 GT3 RSR fresh off its recent Sebring debut where it was the top finishing Porsche in ALMS. Porsche drivers Vic Elford, Bryce Miller and Pat Long were on hand to chat with the crowd. Elford enthusiastically recalled driving the 917 and hitting 244 on the Mulsanne in this particular 917, which was a vast improvement over its predecessor. That one was downright frightening. His lap average speed at Le Mans in the 917 was over 150 mph! A gentleman and brave fellow indeed.
Porsche President and CEO Detlev von Platen talked about the new cars while Porsche Communications GM Steve Janisse discussed the all new LA-based customer experience facility near LAX and the expansion of the existing Atlanta facility.
Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on the new Boxster. It looks amazing and from all accounts, drives even better than the previous generation. If you haven’t done so already you can check out the rest of our album on our facebook page.
Today’s post is by PorschePurist.com contributor Roger Garbow. Roger is the founder of Ridgefield, CT-based Full Throttle Marketing, and Vice President of Car Guy Nation. A member of the International Motor Press Association, Roger is a contributing writer for the Fairfield County Business Journal, Ridgefield Magazine and China’s most exclusive lifestyle publication, Fortune Character.
The New York International Auto Show doesn’t open to the public until a sneak preview on April 6th. However, members of the press get two days (April 4th and 5th) to walk the floors and attend all the premiers and previews. PorschePurist is in NY as of tonight, at an event hosted by Porsche, for a sneak preview of the North American debut of the new Boxster and Cayenne Diesel. Starting later tonight (or possibly early tomorrow if the party goes late) we’ll be posting pics to our Facebook page and if possible we’ll put together a post documenting the night’s event. For now, here are the specs on the new Cayenne Diesel and another video of the new Boxster.
Pricing and Specs for the Cayenne Diesel
A number of sites have compared pricing of the Cayenne Diesel to the already available Cayenne S or V6 models. However, at $55,750 the newly available diesel Porsche is more aptly compared to the Cayenne Hybrid. In this instance it’s a bit more than $14,000 less while delivering nearly identical torque numbers and comparable fuel efficiency.
240-hp, 3.0 liter V6 turbo diesel engine with SCR-technology and permanent all-wheel drive system with self-locking center differential
406 lb.-ft. of torque
Ability to tow over 7700 lbs and the torque to do it with ease
0-60 mph acceleration in just 7.2 seconds and a top track speed of 135 mph
20 mpg city / 28 mpg highway / 23 combined on its U.S. EPA label
up to 740 miles on a single tank of fuel
engine block is constructed from compacted graphite iron (CGI)
8-speed Tiptronic S transmission, without the Auto Start/Stop function
mechanical safeguard in the fuel tank filler neck ensures only diesel fuel can be pumped
Peak Performance from the New 2013 Porsche Boxster
Don’t forget to check back with us and visit our facebook page for more updates, info and pictures.
Some companies use social media well (Porsche for instance), some not so great. Falken Tire is quickly becoming one of those who do it right. Earlier last week Falken launched a YouTube video announcing a contest on their facebook page.
The contest rules were/are simple. Visit the Falken Tire facebook page and click on the “ENTER HERE” link you’ll see on their timeline. If you’re not yet a fan (meaning you haven’t “liked” their page), you’ll be presented with the graphic above. Once you give them a thumbs up, you’ll be asked to enter your name and email address. That’s it. Presumably Falken will use your information to market to you, but in exchange you get the chance to win a brand new Porsche 911.
Almost every sport has its own group of “SuperFans” and the ALMS is no different. In fact, if you’ve attended the 12 Hours of Sebring any time in the last 20 years then there’s a good chance you’ve seen some beer drinking cows walking around on their hind legs. No, it’s not the hot humid air and yes, you might have had too much to drink, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are walking, talking, beer drinking bovines strolling around the track hoping you will “moo for a brew”. This year, the race isn’t the only one celebrating an anniversary at Sebring. ALMS SuperFans, The Sebring Cows (Team Bovine to you and me), are turning 20. We reached out to the cows on Twitter to ask a few questions and here’s what they had to say.
PorschePurist.com’s Valerie Roedenbeck gets caught in a Sebring Stampede
PP:What is the history of the cows?
Cows: [In] 1992, Original Cow and a few of his fraternity brothers later to be known as, Old Cow (should not need ask why), Stunt Dick Cow (do you really need to ask?) and Stingy Cow (yep, squeezes boogers out of Lincoln’s nose), were at yet another Sebring and this year he brought along his Halloween costume because he would, “never wear that again.”
As Original Cow and Co. were walking around Green Park, several good looking young ladies wanted a picture with the “cow guy”. Being the enterprising men that they were, one of them thought that a beer should be offered in return for the photo. Thus, moo for a brew was born.
As they continued around, attentions were drawn, photos were taken and beers were consumed. The very next year the herd was born. To the herd was added those mentioned above and Big Cow (my father). Slowly, over time, a core group of the cows [came to] exist. Big Balls Cow (its his beads), Holy Cow (beer be with you!), Zoo Cow (from the nearly world famous Animal Section of Dick Howzer Stadium at Florida State University where baseball is played), Builder Cow (he builds stuff for a big corporation), Wrestler Cow (was a wrestler, not professional), Dr. Cow (he’s our vet), and Dalmatian Cow (his suit is handmade and looks more like a dalmatian). This year, rejoining the herd after a brief absence will be Wisconsin Cow (from duh!) and Bionic Cow (one leg!). If ever we have a first year cow, he is given the moniker of Virgin Calf. Big Balls Cow was the first Virgin Calf. There have been others who have come and gone and their names shall remain nameless (because we cannot remember them).
PP: When did you start?
Cows:Me personally, Holy Cow, I started going to Sebring in 1984 at the ripe age of 6. I was raised just south in Lake Placid, FL. I was to remain a non-cow until 1999 when I was of age to join the herd. The cow with the most experience at Sebring is Old Cow, who began attending in 1959 [but not as a cow]. The majority of the herd were fraternity brothers and started attending in the late 60′s early 70′s. Most were present when the race did not run in 74! My generation of cow started in the mid-80′s, we had to wait to be cows till the late 90′s for obvious legal, ethical and moral reasons. Three other of my generation began attending in the late 90′s as they were not raised in the area.
PP: What inspired the cow suits?
Cows:See above. The original cow suit has been donated to the Sebring International Raceway Museum.
PP: How many cows are there?
Cows:Since 1992, there has never been no cow at Sebring. After 1992, at least one and as many as 18 (we decided that was too many). This year a Baker’s dozen are expected with a Virgin Calf.
PP: Do you do this for yourselves or is it charity related? If charity related, who do you raise money for and how do you do it?
Cows:We do this because people will give us a beer or two. We wear the cow suit at Sebring because we are the cows. Happily, we need no further reason. We do this for fun’s sake. So that we can have fun, spread fun, and enjoy fun. We wish to be respectable (somewhat), fun, honest and safe. The suit is easy to wear, but hard to live up to. Other philosophical drivel, blah, blah, blah.
PP: Are there any misconceptions about the cows you would like to clear up?
Cows:Happily, we do not work for nor are endorsed by Chick-fil-A, Dell computers, the Wisconsin, California or any state’s dairy boards. We are just cows, not pawns in the grand scheme of some corporations marketing plans.
PP: What would you want people to know about the cows?
Cows:The commercials are lying. The happiest cows come from Green Park!
PP: What’s the strangest things you’ve ever been part of at Sebring?
Cows:Often, young ladies will feel enticed to show us their udders. Well this urge to share udders is not just restricted to the younger ladies. Some of the seasoned citizens of the Sebring Nation got together to give the cows a good showing of udders. There were about 6 of them… ladies I mean, not udders. Anyway the short of it was one of the most spectacular showing of udders that many of us have ever witnessed. That, and I was almost thrown on a bonfire for BBQ…
PP: Do the cows attend any other races besides Sebring?
Cows:The cows did make an appearance at Petite LeMans in October of 2010. Only 5 or 6 were present. They report that it’s a totally different event. We have plans on attending the 24 Hours at Le Mans, however we are unable to secure sponsors at this time. Anyone???
PP: Do you hang out with the Drunk Monks of Sebring or is there a rivalry between you two?
Cows:There are some of us who do hang with the Drunk Monks. In fact, as far as I know, I am the only ordained Cow Monk. Therefore, Holy Cow. They are a more diverse group of folks (allowing women into the order) and we like them a lot. The Cows have no beef with them. In fact we share a motto. Be respectful, have fun, be honest and be safe. [Editors Note: We too have been ordained into the "order" and have the towel to prove it!].
PP: Has anyone ever tried to “tip” a Sebring Cow?
Cows:UMM… see the video below. The cow in question is fine, he was a cow the following year and has yet to rejoin the herd. His name is forgotten to time.
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will be auctioned this July in their mega Hollywood auction.
