Author Archives: venividivelo

Rasant Products Open House: The New Kid On The Block

View the Rasant story

The deep rumble of a hot-rodded Porsche motor “speaks” to most people. If it doesn’t, it should at least pique the curiosity as to why and how they make cars go faster than their stock counterparts and that’s exactly what Rasant Products (Rasant) does. I’ve heard of motor builders such as Wicked Sixes, Polo Motors, Rothsport, and…

An Emory 356 Outlaw: From Barn Find to “New York Special”

View the Emory Outlaw story

Look out New York, there’s a new Outlaw in town and this compact renegade is not only “Special” but means serious business. Flashback to an unseasonably warm fall afternoon in Brooklyn… Canvas top folded back, hair whipping across my face, the smell of new leather and petrol in the air, and the sound of the…

Air-cooled Cars & New England Brews: The Westoberfest Rally and Beer Festival

Brett Sloan's red Porsche 911T parked on the side of the road in front of a red barn and trees

There are so many reasons to love fall and the changing seasons: cooler temperatures, harvest season, festivals, the fall foliage and let’s not forget – pumpkin beer! So when we received an invitation from the Small Car Company to join them on their air-cooled rally to Westoberfest, we were excited to jump in–literally–and experience our…

Bare-bones Porsche 356: The Mechanics Training Chassis

Porsche 356A Training Chassis engine

When I first read that Porsche produced a bare-bones 356 solely for the purpose to train mechanics in the ’50s, I was puzzled and intrigued. Why would Porsche ship a functioning shell-less car and not just stand-alone motors or transmissions? Porsche produced two 356A Training Chassis for the US with only one left in existence…

Endless Summer: Highlights from Westport’s Air-Cooled Classic Car Show

Fall has officially arrived, but with temperatures in the northeast drifting into the high 80’s last weekend, it sure didn’t feel like it. So it was a slightly different experience at this year’s 5th Annual Small Car Company’s Air-cooled Classic Car Show – mainly, it was just hot. But the heat didn’t stop car enthusiasts…

LA Literature & Toy Show: The Annual Indoor Swap Meet & Automobilia Expo

Lit is short for Literature, and the 36th Annual LA Literature & Toy Show (Lit) attracted P-car collectors and enthusiasts from around the world to the LAX Hilton in Los Angeles for a long weekend of “shopping” and restoration shop tours. Presented by restoration parts dealer Stoddard, Lit is part indoor swap meet of new and…

Rain or Shine: The Morning Shift at PEC LA

I arrived in Los Angeles for the annual LA Lit & Toy Show (Lit) held at the LAX Hilton which attracts P-car collectors and enthusiasts from across the country for a long weekend of “shopping” and shop tours. But first, cars and coffee. The morning began with a stop at the Porsche Experience Center Los…

Zuffenhausen In The Park: Extra Horsepower at Santa Anita Park

While the website was down for maintenance, winter flew by in the blink of an eye. And as we’re settling into a new season, I realized there were some unposted experiences to share from the past few months; one of which is Zuffenhausen In The Park in Arcadia, California. During a trip to Southern California in…

Driven To America 2: A Porsche Gathering at de Seversky Mansion

In fall, just before Northeasterners store their Porsche’s for the winter, they gathered at de Seversky Mansion in Old Westbury, New York to celebrate Max Hoffman, the first man to import Porsches to the US, and the second annual Driven To America (DTA) car show. In addition to importing Porsches, Max Hoffman was also the first to…

Rennsport Reunion VI: Porsche Paradise

After dreaming of attending Rennsport Reunion for many years, last month that dream finally came true. We made it to Rennsport Reunion VI (RRVI) held at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. It was Porsche paradise! Taking place every four years, Rennsport Reunion (Rennsport) is the world’s largest four-day gathering of everything Porsche related. The…

Luftgekühlt 5: Air-Cooled Overload

Renngeschaft 2018 Luftgekuhlt 5 Car Show Ganahl Lumber Yard Porsche 356 911 Pre-A Early Porsches Patina Patrick Long's Porsche 356 Porsche RSR Sunoco Fuchs 911R 964 LuftAuto 001

Luftgekühlt 5 (Luft 5) is a one-day event at Ganahl Lumber Company in Torrance, CA and the title pretty much sums up the day: Air-Cooled Overload. As a first timer to Luft, I went solo to experience the popular Southern California air-cooled car show. The trip started with a flight from NYC to AZ, followed…

From 901 to 911: The Birth of An Icon

Renngeschaft 2018 The Birth of An Icon Porsche 901 to 911 Petersen Museum The Porsche Effect

There are several historical Porsche moments scattered throughout The Porsche Effect exhibit at The Petersen Museum, including the birth of the iconic 911 with early concepts, clay models and the first 901 chassis patent drawing. It’s clearly visible that early Porsches, including the 356 were inspired by the Volkswagen Beetle and having grown up with…