Twas the night before Christmas, where all through the shop Not an engine was leaking, not even a drop. The tires were filled to their max PSI, In hopes that dreaded flat spots won’t appear where they lie.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our friends and supporters! Have a wonderful, safe and enjoyable time with your family and friends. See you in the New Year!
You film them of course. Many of you may have seen this last year when it was first posted. However, it seemed appropriate to use as our Thanksgiving video. Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers and supporters. We produce this site for you and appreciated your comments, sharing, feedback and encouragement. Have a happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday!
It just might land you in jail. At least that’s what happens to a guy in Naples, Florida. According to an article in the Naples Daily News, A Porsche owner (we’ll keep his name out of the article so as not to add to his already considerable embarrassment) gets upset after a deal he strikes with two women isn’t honored.
Allegedly, the man hands over cash to pay for the women’s limo with the understanding they will come back to his house afterward. When the ladies drive off in the Hummer with his cash (and not to his house) things take a turn for the worse.
While there’s no information about a Porsche chasing a pink elephant Hummer limo through Naples, we can only assume that’s what happens. We pick up the story when the Porsche driver cuts off the Hummer in an attempt to reclaim his money. Unfortunately, to the ever lasting embarrassment of the Porsche driver, a local deputy intervenes after witnessing a “standoff”between the Porsche and the Hummer.
The Collier County Sheriff’s report goes on to recount the incident as the deputy watches the women in the limo give the Porsche owner a “handful of cash”. He then gets back in his Porsche and drives away. Surprise, surprise, just a few short blocks away the same deputy catches up with the Porsche and arrests the driver for suspicion of driving under the influence.
Watch what happens when Jeroen Bleekemolen takes his GTC class Porsche on an off-track excursion during qualifying for last weekend’s ALMS Baltimore Grand Prix. Talk about keeping cool and staying on top of things.
What’s even more amazing is that even after all this, he goes on to secure pole position and then win the race in his division! If the video above doesn’t show in your email simply click on Jeroen Bleekemolen loses tire and still wins race.
It’s time yet again for another Photo Caption Contest and this time it is sponsored by Porsche Design Driver’s Selection. If your caption is picked as the winner you’ll receive a Porsche Martini Racing Gift set that includes a: Martini Racing Beach Towel, Martini Racing Beach Chair, Martini Racing Volleyball and a Martini Racing Ice Cube Tray. Combined, these items are valued at over $225 and make a great addition to your trunk space for the beach, backyard or track.
PorchePurist Photo Caption Contest Rules
Look at the picture above and then using the comment form at the end of this post let us know your idea for a caption (if you’re viewing this post via email simply click on the email title or the comment link at the bottom to visit the site and post your entry. Entries sent via email will be added to the site.)
Submit your comment sometime between now and the 11:59 pm EST on August 18, 2011.
Please limit your comments to three (3) per person (just to keep things fair).
We (that’s John and I) will pick our favorite from among the entries and notify the winner via email and by adding a comment below. We’ll give you 48 hours to respond. If we don’t hear from you in that time we’ll pick the next favorite comment.
Offer is only good for residents of the US. Everyone can play, but if you’re shipping address is not in the USA we can’t send you the prize.
Win a Porsche Martini Racing Gift Set from Porsche Design Driver’s Selection
Porsche Design Driver’s Selection last sponsored our Mother’s Day contest and a lucky reader won a $450 PDDS Handbag for their mom. This time, if you’re caption is chosen as our winner, you’ll receive a collection of gifts from the Martini Racing collection geared toward the beach.
We have the ice-cube tray, beach chair (that’s me in the picture above) and towel ourselves, so we know how great these items are.
This contest ends on August 18, 2011. If we pick you as the winner, we’ll notify you via email and/or by commenting below to arrange shipping (so be sure you give us a good email address and be sure to subscribe to comments).
Additional Ways to Win
We have lots more good stuff to give away, (e.g. Flying Lizard team gear, Gift Certificates for Service Work, RC Cars, Die-Cast Models, Books, etc., etc.). What we need are great pictures to use for future contests. If you have a funny or interesting Porsche related picture you think is a good fit for our caption contest send it along to us at captioncontest@porschepurist.com. If we use your photo we’ll send you a PorschePurist shirt just to say thanks.
Ever since the pictures of the “floating Porsche”were first published on the web, speculation has run rampant about the person or people behind what is now legend and the outcome of this obviously beloved machine. PorschePurist.com had a chance to speak with the car’s owner earlier today and here’s what we learned.
Bill Musselman is a man used to floods
You can hear it in his voice as he assures me my call is welcome and not too early, “this is a fine time to talk, we’re still fighting the flood and trying to get ready for Derby in the same breath.” By “Derby” he means the Kentucky Derby and he and his wife (along with many others in the area) are preparing for it in earnest, flood waters be damned. When you live in a flood zone, along a river, you prepare for certain contingencies, “It was a crazy spring, we normally have a flood after the snow melts up in the West Virginia mountains and Appalachia and all that. We got through that one. I had the Porsches out in the garage and lo-and-behold we came with another big storm that was unexpected.”
Unexpected is right. NOAA or what you might know as “The National Weather Service” predicted the river would crest at a height of 24 feet. Very high water indeed, but nothing the area hadn’t seen before. Well, with four days of continuous rain, NOAA was forced to adjust their calculation and do so in a big way. They now calculated the river to crest at 34 feet; a full 10 feet higher then what was planned for. “That change in calculation was announced and boy everyone was scrambling. Everyone along the river was scrambling to find new ways to take care of their property and that’s when my buddy Smokey came in,” said Musselman.
“Smokey” is the mechanic of one of Bill’s boating buddies (you probably noticed the marina right next to Bill’s house in some of the earlier pictures). Using the original predictions from NOAA, Bill had jacked the 1992 Porsche American Roadster (Bill purchased the car in 1992 and it’s apparently the only “Fly Yellow” one of the 250 made) onto blocks giving it plenty of height and what should have been enough to manage the original predictions. As the rain continued for days on end, the river continued to rise. Bill’s house sits at the end of a point on the river in a marina community. The access road through the marina sits on much lower land than his house and consequently floods sooner. When the flood waters started lapping against the bottom of Bill’s garage door Smokey suggested they might want to try something different than the blocks.
Dispelling Rumors
“You know, I’ve got a bladder that takes a 27-foot boat. Let’s just put this sucker up on that,” said Smokey. “So, we did that, Easter morning, 7 AM and there was my easter egg basket,” proclaimed Musselman. In case you’re wondering Easter Sunday was April 24th. That means the Porsche sat on the float, tethered to the house and exposed to the flood waters, for close to two weeks. When I told Bill about the rumors his now famous Porsche had sunk and asked him to verify if she survived he said, “Oh Yeah. I’d say. I got her down and cranked her up and she’s happy as a lark.” When I asked him where the 964 was now he said she was back in the garage. You mean the house wasn’t damaged? “Oh no, it’s got a concrete foundation that’s 17 feet high and the walls are a foot and a half thick. The water just went into the lower level which it’s designed to do and then you wash it out.” The house itself sits on top of the massive concrete structure. Now that’s solid design.
There was one last rumor I wanted to dispel. It had been reported that Bill was some type of boat captain, perhaps even captain of the Belle of Louisville and that was why he was so well prepared for this event. Explaining this to Bill and asking about his career path Bill simply laughed and said, “no, no, one of my buddies is though [captain of a steamboat]. I don’t think many passengers would get aboard with me after seeing my car on a raft. I’ve been around boats all my life, but this is my first car-boat.”
The Air Dock Bladder System
Built by AirDock, Smokey and Bill used 3 bladders that make up a system for supporting a boat up to 27-feet in length and 7500 lbs in weight. With the turbo bodied cabriolet weighing in at less than half that amount, the bladders worked perfectly. “Two of the three bladders were in the back where the engine weight is. It was very well balanced. It was surprising.” Each bladder has ropes that tie/lash them together and then there is a separate pump going to each section (look closely at the picture above and you can see three air lines coming out of the pump housing).
What Now?
With the storm over and the water receding, life is slowly returning to normal. “The water has dropped drastically, it’s dropped 12 feet,” said Bill. The 964 is now back safe in the garage and sits next to Bill’s 2011 Porsche Carrera S. Having survived two floods (the house flooded once before in 1997) and 20 years under one roof and one owner it’s pretty safe to say this very collectible Porsche is a survivor.
We would like to give a special thanks to the owner of this lovely and now very famous Porsche for taking the time to speak with us.
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