Current PCA RS America Registry membership
as of 8th May 2008 is

5th May 2008

• RS America registry meet at California Speedway Fontana.
• RSA Artwork - a new artist discovered.
• RS America's Most wanted.
• The little known fifth RS America option.

Five years ago Southern California RS America registry members met at California Speedway in Fontana for an impromptu corral, to watch some very high-level amateur wheel-to-wheel Porsche racing at the big track, and to go on a lunchtime track tour. On 6th April this year there was a repeat performance - specifically a gathering of registry members in their cars heading out in a group to once again participate in a lunch time track tour of both the infield and the NASCAR banking.

You can read the article on the “Articles/Member” page of this web site, either by clicking on the image above ... or by clicking here.

Earlier this year I was at a Porsche swap meet in Los Angeles in my continuing search for RSA items, when I came across a small booth with some fantastic artwork depicting high-end sports cars. The illustrations displayed were truly remarkable. The perspective and shading was so sharp that it made the images look almost 3D. I met the artist who is a very unassuming, down to earth guy, who although quiet and reserved, is passionate about his work and it definitely shows in the finished product. I asked him if he would be prepared to create an image of my RSA and he agreed. We arranged for him to drive down to San Diego and take some pictures of my car, and a few days later he called to say that the first image was done. The following Saturday morning I arranged to meet him at the informal car show in Irvine, CA known as “Cars-n-coffee” and he delivered the first of several truly amazing images.

To view more of his work, and to find out how to obtain copies, either click on the image above or click here.

As some registry members may already know, several years ago - maybe five or six, the West Coast Parts manager for Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) - a gentleman by the name of Terry Wells, arranged for PCA members to have a tour of the Porsche West Coast parts warehouse in Ontario on the Eastern edge of Los Angeles. I had already decided that I wanted to go and pay the parts warehouse a visit and see just what RS America pieces they had available, but when Terry announced that for this day only, there would be a discount on all parts purchased by attendees, for me this became a must-attend event.

Terry also coordinated 12 Southern California Porsche Dealers and invited them to come to the warehouse and set up stalls outside in the parking lot in order to sell genuine Porsche items at a reduced rate as a sort of inventory clearance sale. This meant items including (but not limited to) take-off wheels and tires, boutique items such as shirts, jackets, hats, sunglasses, posters, model Porsches, etc. etc. were all going to be available to the Porsche faithful at a huge discount!! The boutique items made for an interesting swap meet sale, but for me, a chance to get hold of RSA items at a reduced pice was the clincher. I had decided to buy as much RSA stuff as I could in order to offer it to RS America owners - as a benefit of being an RS America registry member. This was a “win-win” because registry members got a source for genuine Porsche factory RSA parts, and I, in turn, had created a strong incentive for RS America owners to join the registry.

The big day arrived and I headed up to Ontario to the Porsche parts warehouse (along with around 700 other interested parties). Try to imagine my disappointment when, having found the parts manager, I asked him what RS America parts they had in stock .... and he said that because the car was a very limited production run, it was not “lean” for their warehouse facility to store components with such a slow turnover rate due to a small customer base requiring them! In fact, he said that in all the time he had worked there, he had never seen any RSA parts and was pretty sure that there weren't any at this facility. His guess was that these “special limited run” items would be stored in Stuttgart where they had more room!!

I remember being so disappointed I just wanted to get back on the freeway and head home. Then I had an idea. I went back to my car and pulled out the RS America owners manual supplement. I got the WAP part number from it and went back into the warehouse, but this time I asked a different person to check availability of that part number ....... guess what???? Yup! ........ they had 28 of them in stock! So when the guy asked how many I wanted, I of course replied ...... “All of 'em.”

With this major success under my belt, I decided to “go for broke” and asked about the “RS” and “America” emblems from the rear deck lid ........... they had 19 and 15 of each in stock! I couldn't believe it!! I bought ....... “All of 'em.”

By now you should be seeing a pattern here! I bought every piece of stock in the warehouse of the “RS” side decals located on the body work just forward of each rear wheel - both black and silver (the only two colors originally available from the factory). I also scored a whole ream of the Porsche 8 1/2” x 11” black and white RS America ad, often referred to as the “160 mph Air Conditioning” poster - PLUS a rare find indeed - the RSA Dealer Service Information - Technical Manual. This is an 8 page b&w 8.5” x 11.5” training booklet issued in 1992 only to dealers (not intended for the public) providing familiarization training data on the new RS America model due to be introduced for 1993. This manual has sections on: Engine, Fuel, Transmission, Running gear, Body, electrical and optional equipment. There is even a table comparing the RS America with the US 964 Carrera 2. As this document was never actually available to the public, I think it would be best if the exact details of how I managed to obtain the entire remaining stock of these particular items were to remain a mystery - purely to protect the innocent you understand.

A few years later I met a guy at the annual Porsche Literature swap meet in the Hilton at LAX who claimed he had a whole stack of factory RS America sales brochures for sale. I immediately struck up a deal and bought his complete stock, so these no longer available, mint condition, factory brochures are now available (to registry members only) via the Marketplace/Parts & Accessories page of this website.

So what are the most frequently requested RSA items today? .........

...... funnily enough, although all of the above items are requested on an ongoing regular basis, the two most frequently asked for items - which so far, I have not been able to find a reliable source for ... are owners manuals and tool kits.

I am trying to set up a deal with Porsche dismantlers to buy tool kits and manuals from 1993/4 911s. Interestingly, almost all Porsche dismantlers I have contacted so far have said that it is extremely rare to find the manuals and tool kits still in cars that are towed there! The question then arises .... what happens to these items when RSAs meet their demise and head off to the breakers yard? The only answer has to be that the owners keep these items for cars that they no longer own. I guess owners are given one last chance to clear out the car before it is scrapped.

So ..... if you once had an RSA, but don't own one now, and for whatever reason you hung on to the tool kit and manuals, please e-mail me because there are numerous RSA owners who do have the car ... but don't have the tool kit or manuals.

Most everyone who knows RS Americas is aware that the 1993 Carrera 2 came with 48 options .... whereas the RS America had only four ....

..... per the table above, right? ...... well ............ not exactly!

The truth be known, there was actually a fifth option available if you were ordering your new RSA from Porsche but very few people were aware of it.

For those of you knowledgeable types who are thinking it's metallic paint ..... you're wrong! I'm not referring to that. Personally, I wouldn't call the Midnight Blue metallic and Polar Silver metallic exterior paint a factory “option” really, I see them as more of a “choice” if you will.

So this secret option? Well take a look at your ID label either in the front of your maintenance manual, or under the front hood just behind the latch.

The largest number in roughly the middle of the label is the factory paint code for exterior paint (in the example below it is “L998 - color to sample”) and just to the right of the paint code is the two digit “X - code”.

So what exactly is this “X - code”, and what does it signify?

Well, the “X - code” was how you selected the interior trim color for your car. By interior trim I am, of course, referring to the color of your front seatbelts and the webbing door-pulls used to open the doors from the inside. All the rest of a stock RSA interior is black. There were three seatbelt/door-pull colors available, and they were as follows:

The red belts and pull-strap of “XX” was very popular with Guards Red and Black RSAs, while the “XY” blue was a favorite with Polar Silver and Midnight Blue metallic cars, but by far the most common option, was the “XZ” with all black webbing matching the car's black interior.

21st Feb 2008

• NEWSFLASH - NEWSFLASH - NEWSFLASH - New RS America article at your newsagents right now.
• RS America Autocross video - not for the internet challenged.
• Coming to Southern California the first weekend in April! Another RSA registry gathering.
• Send your favorite photo(s) of your RSA and I will create a web page on this site that you can brag about to family & friends.

A six page, full color article on the RSA was published in the February edition of TOTAL911 - a British car magazine dedicated to the Porsche 911. Although the magazine is distributed throughout the USA at major newsagents, magazine stores and bookshops, as it is 21st February (at the time of writing) the March edition of T911 will be arriving imminently - and the Feb editions are just about to be disposed of. I suggest that you get out there and snag a copy ASAP.

If you're unlucky enough to miss getting your own copy of this magazine .... you can always read the article here on this site as the 12th article on the “Articles/Road test” page, by clicking either on the image above ... or here.

On 26th January '08 PCA's San Diego Region had an autocross at the Qualcomm stadium parking lot, when club member and avid photographer Ted W arrived with a new camera mount system which attaches to the windshield via a large suction cup. Anxious to test this new piece of photographic hardware, he asked if I would be a guinea-pig and run a few laps with an in-car camera. Vanity being one of my greater strengths, how could I possibly refuse?

In addition to filming three laps from inside the car, Ted demonstrated his camera skills by running another camera from outside the car and, after a little editing, he put together a nine minute video in medium to high resolution ..... many thanks Ted. The only downside is that it's a file of over 30Meg - which means don't even think about trying to download it without cable internet. You could actually download it using a phone dial-up connection - but it might take a day or two. For those of you with fast internet access and good bandwidth (or a lot of patience) click on the image above or click here to see some good RS America action footage.

As mentioned in the news article below, April 4 - 6 is a huge Porsche weekend for Southern California. The biggest gathering of Porsches in the West coast will be happening out at Fontana about 35 minutes East of Downtown LA and RS America registry members will be there on Sunday 6th. In order for us to drive the lunchtime track tour in our own run group we have to have a certain number sign up. For this reason, if you are thinking about coming out to the RS America corral - I would be very grateful if you could please e-mail me so I can give you more details of the Sunday gathering and get a count of how many cars to expect.

For more information on the California Festival of Speed see the Sep-2007 news article below or click here.

If you send me a picture or two of your RSA I will be happy to post them on a web page on this site. If you would like to add captions - feel free!! Just send me what you would like to say and within reason - it will be posted on your page. The only requirement is that you please keep the content RS America related. To view some example pages click on the “Picture Gallery/Member Webpage's” link which is at the top of every page on the site.

11th Sep 2007

• PCA Parade San Diego - the RSAs came, saw & most definitely conquered!
• PCA Zone 7 rep, his RS America and the significance of four seconds.
• RS Americas having fun at La Junta CO.
• Coming up soon - the largest gathering of Porsches in Southern California ........ mark your calendars.
• Who are those guys..........? Mystery RSA owners - help needed in identifying them.

The RS America Registry was well represented at Parade '07 with a good turn out for the RS America corral as part of the Porsche Paddock on concours day and the RSAs also proved to be a force majeur dominating the Autocross. To read an article about Parade 2007 - San Diego from an RSA perspective click on the image above, click on the image below, or click here.

• PCA Zone 7 Rep. Larry S, his RS America and the significance of four seconds.

RS America Registry member Larry S of CA from Golden Gate Region drove down to '07 PCA Parade San Diego from the bay area in his Grand Prix White RS America, not just as another PCA member, but as Zone 7 representative - whch makes him part of PCA's national staff. This year he was requested by the PCA Executive Council to stay on as Z7 Rep, for his SECOND term.

He entered his recently acquired RSA into the national Parade autocross and later confided that he was not confident he would do well because this was only the SECOND time he had ever autocrossed the car ..... plus he was on street tires and didn't think he would be competitive.

Of the four RSAs competing in the class, he was the SECOND to go.

After his last lap ..... he was leading his class by almost exactly one SECOND (so .... are you starting to see a pattern here?).

Brent K of WA who used to be one of San Diego Region's top hot-shoe competitive drivers (before he and his significant other Christine moved to Washington) was the last car in the class to run, and, inspired by Larry's sterling performance, on his very last lap “drove it like he stole it” and crossed the finish line completely sideways in what might be called by some a “controlled” drift ..... to beat Larry S by 31/100ths of a second on an 1:20 second lap!

The crowd went wild (as did the announcer)!! So Larry, despite being on street tires, demonstrated some outstanding driving, to finish ... yup ... you guessed it ... SECOND!!

Three Registry members attended a PCA Rocky Mountain Region Drivers Ed event at a small but fun track at part of a municipally-owned airport in Southeastern CO by the name of La Junta. To read more about this little known track .... click on the image above or click here.

PCA's annual Zone 8 Festival of Speed is coming up East of Los Angeles at Fontana on the weekend of Fri-Sun April 4th-6th and the RS America registry will be gathering.

This event has a very full calendar of Porsche Club of America driving events including a club race, an enduro and a Yokahama Drivers Cup race on an exciting track using a combination of the high speed banking (a-la NASCAR) and the in-field .... for those brave souls not scared of turning right. For the majority of us Porsche enthusiasts that aren't participating in the above mentioned track events, there will be ample opportunity to watch Porsche drivers battling it out at just about the highest level of amateur competition, with this years event also promising significant historic Porsche Factory prototypes - 917's, 935's 962's and more! There will also be lunchtime track tours with the organizers (the PCA Regions of Zone 8) offering an opportunity to have run groups on the track tour comprised of specific models. This effectively means we are being invited to participate in a track tour in a run group comprised exclusively of RS Americas ..... now THERE'S a thought!!

In addition to the on track excitement, there will be other activities of interest to the Porsche faithful, including a concours with show cars on display being judged for originality and cleanliness, and a vendor village at which several local Motorsports outlets and Southern California Porsche Dealers offer their paraphernalia - often at significant discount. One of the best examples of a great deal that I'm aware of was a set of take-off genuine factory 17” 996 wheels (as in the owner had upgraded to larger wheels) - COMPLETE WITH TIRES that a dealer sold for $700!!!

To find out more about this years California Festival of Speed click here.

Those of you who know this site well may recall that five years ago Registry members gathered at this event in our RSAs and also participated in a lunchtime track tour - it really was an absolute blast! To read a report of this event from '03 click on the image above or click here.

When an RSA comes up for sale I try to contact the owner to invite them to advertise their car FREE on this website on the Marketplace/Vehicles page. One of the conditions of placing their free ad is that when the car sells, the seller agrees to let me know the new owners e-mail address so I can send them a personal invitation to participate in the registry - otherwise I lose track of yet another. This is a win/win situation because they get to advertise on a website frequented by people specifically interested in RSAs free, and in return, I'm able to contact the new owner and inform them about the registry.

In theory a great system where we all help each other ... right? Well, unfortunately significantly less than half of the people who advertise their car For Sale free on this site comply with the conditions. As a result, I occasionally get heated e-mails telling me my website is garbage (the actual term used this time was significantly more vulgar than that) because all the For Sale ads are for cars that have already sold. This happens because sellers don't inform me when they sell their car. This makes me unhappy. The bottom line is I know of several RSAs which have changed owners and I have no idea who now owns them.

I have decided to post a few images of RSAs that were spotted at Road Atlanta in August 2006, along with a call for help in identifying their current owners. If you recognize any of the cars pictured above, please either contact the owner and have him (or her) e-mail me, or .... if you have the e-mail address or other contact data for the owner, please pass it on and I will send them a personal invitation to participate in the registry. There is of course the possibility that these cars belong to current registry members and I am unaware of it. Either way, any help you can provide in connecting these images with their owners would be greatly appreciated.

20th May 2007

• PCA Parade San Diego - Registration for the Porsche Paddock is now open!
• The RSA owner who really knows a good Porsche when he owns one.
• A couple of customized RS America interiors
• RSAs run together at Carolinas Motorsport Park.

• Registration for the Parade Paddock is now open - mail in your form to join the RS America Corral before 1st June.

PCA members are invited to join in the Porsche Paddock at Parade San Diego on Monday 2nd-July this year even if they have not signed up for Parade. There is a $20 fee for participation and a few other requirements - such as keeping your Porsche on the Paddock field until 2pm.

Come on....... take Monday off work and enjoy a day in your RSA as part of a swarm of nearly a thousand Porsches. In fact why not drive down Sunday afternoon, clean the car, stay in a local hotel and then drive back Monday PM.

What.......? You're so incredibly important that your company would crash and burn if you weren't there for a single day? Yeah ....right!
We understand that the real reason you can't make it is because “she who must be obeyed” wouldn't be happy about you taking the time off. Think of it this way, if you miss this Parade there will be another one in Southern CA ..... probably in about another 10 or 12 years!

At least go and check out the Parade website and click on the “Paddock” link.

The Paddock is only open to members who have pre-registered by mailing in the form, so don't even think about just showing up and expecting to roll onto the paddock field with the rest of the RSAs. You'll need to decide if you're going fairly quickly because ....

• A man who knows a great deal about Porsche ownership.

One RS America registry member who has experienced Porsche ownership enough to really appreciate his RSA is Bill F of NC. Each of us appreciates our Porsche to varying degrees, from being blase about it - to full on obsession. Strangely, it seems Porsche owners do have a reputation for being ...... shall we say .... a tad "anal" about their cars. I guess it's all relative because if you have only ever owned one Porsche, your appreciation of it may differ from a person who has owned numerous Porsches. “Numerous” is a word that fits Bill F's Porsches very nicely as this retired NC Highway Patrol Major has owned more than his fair share ......

"What exactly does that mean?" you ask. Well, Bill has owned no less than 41 (forty one) Porsches - all models from 930 Turbo's to 356 Speedsters, 912's, 911's, 914's, 924's. Many were in excellent condition and over the years he restored a lot of them back to original condition. Bill maintains that the RS America that he currently owns is probably his favorite of all the Porsches he has owned because in his words “...it is beautiful, fast, rare and very much an attention getter”. Bill has entered his RSA (which has only 6,300 original miles on it) in several concours in the past five years - in every one of which he has won first place - usually scoring only a tenth or two off of a perfect score.

Bill says that often when he takes the RSA out for a drive, people see his Highway Patrol license plate and ask if it is a license to speed. He is often asked how does one obtain such a plate, Bill answers - all you have to do is have over thirty years with the State Highway Patrol.

So if you see an RSA with an 0911 license plate, make a point to say hello to Bill and ask him for more info about his “numerous” Porsches - he is indeed a very interesting man to talk to.

• Customizing RS America interiors

With only 701 RS Americas made you might think that there would not be many variations between different examples. While many of the more “particular” owners insist on keeping their Porsches in original condition, there are also numerous owners who choose to customize their cars to suit their own tastes, these modifications take many forms with some of the more popular being the fitment of wider 8” & 9” wheels in place of the original 7” & 8”, or perhaps the addition of 5-point harnesses and a fire extinguisher, a secondary muffler by-pass, or maybe a light weight fly-wheel and competition clutch. Most of these modifications are at least in the general vein of performance enhancements, but there is one area where customization is done almost exclusively for aesthetic reasons, and that is the interior. Below are some images of a couple of registry members cars which have had their interior customized ........... because their owners felt like customizing them!

The first member has gone to great lengths to ensure that only genuine Porsche components have been utilized in the upgrade of the cars interior. Every modification made used genuine Porsche parts fitted professionally by qualified Porsche technicians. The results, whether they suit your personal tastes or not ........ are really quite remarkable!

On a slightly more modest budget, Registry member Ed B of CA decided he wanted to customize the interior of his RSA and he certainly gave it a unique appearance by fitting maple door panels. One has to wonder if in keeping with the lightweight theme of the RSA he considered balsa!

• RS America Registry members at CMP.

Three Carolinas Region PCA members showed up at a weekend Drivers Ed at Carolinas Motorsports Park for a wonderful weekend (the weather cooperated) of tossing their RS Americas around CMP's challenging 2.1 mile, 14 turn course.

Jim W, Bill W and Rob P all of North Carolina had their RSAs out on the track. It is an interesting group of cars and drivers. Rob's RS America is already a full-on club racer. Rob moved right into club racing after a couple of years of Driver's Education events. Bill is an experienced PCA Instructor (now nationally certified) and after years of instructing has decided to join Rob in club racing this year. This was Jim W's first track event and he had a great experience. While Bill and Rob have been on the track together up and down the east coast this was the first time that we've had three RS Americas running together at the same track event.

25th Mar 2007

• A CALL TO ARMS - PCA Parade is in a different city every year, for '07 the venue is San Diego - find out how to join the
  RS America Corral in the Porsche Paddock!
• How many RSA owners does it take to change a light bulb?
• Revamped European car RS America road test article
• One out of every two RSAs made are in the Registry - find out more.

• A CALL TO ARMS - find out how to join the RS America Corral in the Porsche Paddock!

Every year PCA Parade is hosted by a different city, for 2007 San Diego will be Porsche central for the week of July 1 - 5. Although the traditional major events that happen at every Porsche Parade will still happen, Concours, Autocross, Rally, Tech quiz etc., there will be a few “extra curricular” activities, or variations of the usual events intended to give visitors a taste of San Diego. These include such things as a beach party, a day at Sea World, tours of San Diego back-roads and a victory banquet for around 1300 people - on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in San Diego bay.

For those of you who have not signed up yet - it is pretty late but at the time of writing this there were still a few open spaces before we reached maximum capacity. For more details go to the San Diego region website www.pcasdr.org and click on the parade logo.

For those of you who are in Southern California, but cannot or simply don't want to attend the whole parade, there is an opportunity to participate for one day only (Monday July 2nd) which is concours day. As a non-parade attendee you cannot enter the concours proper, however, there will be a Porsche Paddock which will enable Porsche owners to park their cars in groups of similar models. Cars in the Paddock will not be judged, it will be display only. For more information go to the San Diego Region website as per above, and click on Porsche Paddock, or - simply click on the following link Porsche Paddock. I have a hunch that RS America owners will enjoy the small slide show at the bottom of the page.

So how does one get in to the Porsche Paddock? Well, at the end of April there will be an announcement on the Parade website (for access see paragraph above) stating that the Porsche Paddock registration is now open. This will provide a form which you can print and complete providing details of your Porsche and contact data for you. You will then be required to mail this completed form with a check for $20 payable to PCA. You will be notified when your check has been received and you are in the Paddock.

Bottom line ......

• How many RSA owners does it take to change a light bulb?

As our cars get to be 13 or 14 years old, things start to wear out and consumable items start to illustrate just how consumable they really are. All things from wheel bearings, to clutches, to minor things like headlight bulbs. Surprisingly enough, when it comes to something as simple as replacing a headlight bulb there is room for making a mistake - especially if you are from the “I taught myself how to maintain my car” school of Engineering.

Every now and then an opportunity arises for not just the routine R&R maintenance (by that I don't mean “Rest & Recouperation,” but “Remove & Replace”) but additionally a chance to effect a simple, straightforward upgrade. Don T of CA did a little research and found a good upgrade for those notoriously dim H5 Headlights that came stock with the RSA.

To read his article on headlight bulb replacement/upgrade go to the “Articles” drop-down menu at the top of any page on this website, select “Technical Articles” and then click on the article - or - simply click on the image above.

• Revamped European car RS America road test article

The January '93 European Car RS America Road test article has been re-scanned and as a result is significantly more readable. To read it go to the road test articles page on this website and check out article number 10. A favorite quote from this article states ...

“If you prefer the roar of the engine over the sound of the stereo, consider this as one of the great sports car buys of the nineties.”

• One out of every two RSAs made are in the Registry - find out more.

Knowing that there were only 701 RSAs ever built, and seeing at the top of this page that the RSA registry currently has 350 members. This effectively means that 50% of all RSAs made are in the registry. To find out what percentage of cars had each of the four options, or what state has the most RSAs, or which color was the most popular go to the “Registry Statistics” page.

28th Dec 2006

• A CALL TO ARMS - Calling all RS America owners
• Planning ahead for a national RSA gathering on the West Coast - July '07
• Missing Road & Track RS America road test article found at last
• A Rare South American RSA
• RS America registry members show their colors at the Zone 1 Autocross

• CALLING ALL RS America OWNERS

With the regular ebb and flow of RSA ownership, cars are changing hands all the time and often an RSA owner sells his car and forgets to inform me - which I understand completely - we all have busy lives with not enough time to do the things we want. In the six years or so that I have been registrar, I expected to lose track of a few members and their cars due to change of ownership, and it does happen. What surprised me is that I lose contact with significantly more owners due to e-mail address changes. I guess with more and more spam being generated and received, people change their e-mail addresses in an attempt to avoid it.

Without me sending out regular monthly e-newsletters, members lose interest and stop checking the website for updates. This leads to loss of contact and therefore explains why when members change to a new e-mail address I often don't know about it. The net result is that when I eventually do send out an e-newsletter, I receive some form of “message undeliverable” notification somewhere between 25 and 30% of the time - which really is not a very satisfactory result.

Bottom line: In an attempt to update my records, I am therefore requesting that all RSA owners please send me an e-mail from your current e-mail account, and upon receipt I will verify that I have your correct e-mail address on file. I work hard to find time to create, update and maintain this website, and in return I ask that you please keep me up to date with your latest contact data.

Even if you have been receiving the newsletter, I would appreciate it if you could please click on the large gray “e-mail verification” button below - which will open an e-mail addressed to me - which I ask that you please send. Alternately - you are welcome to click on the “e-mail me” link on the bottom of every page of this website.

Please remember that all data you submit will be considered confidential, and as such, will not be posted or forwarded to any third party without your express written permission (including e-mail).

Please confirm the e-mail account you would like me to send future registry e-newsletters to.

• Upcoming national RSA gathering on the West Coast - 02 July 2007

This is a reminder to mark your calendars for Monday July 2nd - especially if you live in the South West. The annual PCA national parade will be in San Diego from July 1st to 5th, and Monday 2nd is concours day. One of my functions at this years Parade is that I am managing the Porsche Paddock.

The Porsche Paddock is basically a very large grassy area where Porsche owners will be invited to display their cars in groups based on Porsche model. Cars in the Paddock will not be judged. The registrar for each of PCA's Registers or “Special Interest Groups” will be invited to be “captains” responsible for managing for their specific model group, and the cars will be displayed accordingly. Needless to say, there will be an RS America corral which I am hoping will have a greater attendance than the corral at Hershey for PCA's 50th parade (click here to read about the Hershey RS America corral).

• RSA Road test article finally acquired

At the top of every page of this web site, I have a menu consisting of seven blue header menus and if you pause your cursor over each of these menu items, the sub-menus available below it pop into view. One of the top menus is “Articles” and this provides access to three categories of articles, specifically, Member, Technical and Road Test. If you haven't explored them yet ... please do so.

Until recently, clicking on the “road test” page would open a page providing links to 10 RSA road test articles.

For quite some time, I have been aware of a road test article from the September 1992 edition of Road & Track but, unfortunately, I had been unable to get a copy of it in decent condition. Recently, I happened to be browsing e-bay ... and there it was! So now, I am proud to present RSA road test article number eleven.

Click here to go to the road test articles page.

• A Rare South American RSA

Registry member Rodrigo T lives in Argentina and owns a Midnight Blue Metallic RSA with only 13K original miles. It would be interesting to find out how this “US & Canada market only” Porsche became the only known RSA in South America.

The car is in perfect condition, and has three of the four factory options available - Sunroof, Air Conditioning and Porsche CR-1 AM/FM Cassette radio. As can be seen on the roof of the car in the image above, this RSA is an award winner. Rodrigo sent in this picture which was taken at the annual Buenos Aires Porsche Festival. So, if Buenos Aires is in your travel plans, be sure to find out when the Porsche Festival is, and go and check out Rodrigo's car.

• Oct 2006 two-day autocross hosted by PCA's Zone 1

Registry members gathered over the weekend of October 7th/8th '06 at Fort Devens, MA for the PCA Zone 1 autocross which Don C of NY says was a great event with two different courses that were run over two days where your best time on Saturday, plus best time on Sunday equaled your time for the event.

Gathered in patriotic formation (red, white and blue) in the above image are:

• On the left in their Midnight Blue Metallic RSA are Brenda M and Sheryl S from RI
• In the center with their Grand Prix White RSA are George and Christine S of MA
• and in the Guards Red car are National Parade autocross winner Don and his wife Barbara C of NY

Brenda M finished first in class P10L which had a total of 6 cars

Don C of NY finished first in class P10M (which also had a total of 6 cars) with George S of MA in third.

Many thanks to Don for getting the group together, getting the picture taken and sending it to me, and congratulations to the three podium finishers in their RSAs - great job!

4th Sep 2006

• PCA Parade Portland Article
• The new highest mileage RSA
• RS America personalized plates
• RSA gathering in San Diego this coming 8th October

• RSAs at Parade Portland Article

Parade 2006 was a lot of fun. Portland is a nice place and the surrounding countryside is littered with “Porsche” roads. If you like to drive challenging roads with twisties, Oregon has some of the twistiest - if you prefer a more sedate scenic drive - OR comes complete with some of the best scenery. Portland International Raceway (PIR) was within 2 miles of the Headquarters Hotel for the track junkies, and was enjoyed to varying degrees by autocrossers and Drivers Ed participants. There were tours, rallies and concours (complete with an RS America corral) to suit almost all tastes, plus numerous other activities all crammed within one single week.

To find out more click here...... did I mention the banquets?

• Upping the ante in the highest mileage RSA contest.

After hearing about Dennis W of CA's RSA which has 127,000 miles last month, I heard from Ken M of CA who has 159,500 miles on his - which I think is remarkable. Then, I heard from Ed M of IL who said

“I have owned my guards red RSA since new - so I'm sure the mileage is correct. I turned over 181,000 on Sunday, July 2, on the way home from the US Grand Prix at Indy”

Which makes Ed our new high mileage champion! If you can beat that with more miles on your RSA .......... please e-mail me and let me know.

• RSA personalized license plates.

If you have a personalized license plate on your RSA and would like to add it to our gallery, simply snap a digital pic of it and email it to me.

• On October 8th there will be a gathering of RSAs at the Coronado Speed Festival in San Diego

Each year in October San Diego's North Island Naval Air Station hosts the Coronado Speed Festival this year it is on the weekend of 7 - 8 October and in conjunction with San Diego Region of PCA there is pre-event brunch and caravan to complimentary reserved Corral Parking on Sunday 8th. For details including the meeting place and time, how to get your complimentary Corral parking pass and how to purchase event tickets - click here.

The PCA RS America registry will be there in force and there could very well be a record breaking number of RSAs gathering in San Diego.

So mark your calendars and please e-mail me if you are interested in participating.

Remember, 30 RSAs gathered in Hershey PA at Parade 2005 ....... so 30 is the number to beat ........... let's see if Southern California RSA owners can give those PA lads a run for their money!

2nd July 2006

• PCA Parade in Portland OR - Aug '06
• The highest mileage RSA?
• RS America personalized plates
• World record attempt RSA gathering in San Diego this coming October
• Have a good 4th of July!!

• RSAs coming to PCA Parade 2006 in Portland Oregon

With only about one month to go, PCA's annual Parade is looming large on the horizon. From Aug 6th until Aug 11th, Portland in Oregon will be swarming with Porsches. There are over 750 Porsches signed up to attend with a busy schedule of events with everything from concours, to autocross, a Driver's Ed event at Portland International Raceway, banquets, scenic tours, wine tasting, banquets with special guest speakers, art shows, Tech Quizzes, Tech Sessions, more banquets and numerous events for kids of all sizes. If you have never been to a PCA Parade you definitely owe it to yourself to give it a try. You will meet all kinds of people, make new friends and visit a part of the US that otherwise might not be a destination you would select - but may well open your eyes as to how pleasant differing parts of the USA really are.

If you are registered for Parade, you will be aware that on Monday Aug 7th there is the National Concours at the Heron Lakes Golf Course where some of the finest show Porsches are judged to the nth degree for cleanliness and originality .... AND .... there is also a Parade Paddock which is basically organized parking for non-concours participants, enabling owners to park in groups of similar cars. At Hershey in 2005, this was the event at which the RS America corral took place, and yes, there will be another RSA corral at the Parade in Portland this year.

As it worked so well last year, I think it would be a good idea for RSA owners to meet on early Sunday evening (perhaps at a bar in the Parade Headquarters Hotel) and establish a plan to meet and corral together. To find out more, let me know you're interested by clicking on the “e-mail me” link below.

• 127,000 miles .... and still travelling in style.

So far, it would appear that registry member Dennis W of CA holds the record for the highest mileage RSA with 127,000 miles
...... if you know different .......... let me know.

• RSA personalized license plates.

If you have a personalized license plate on your RSA and would like to add it to our gallery, simply snap a digital pic of it and email it to me. If yours is one of those appearing in the May '06 news item below, please take a clearer shot and send it to me (if you haven't already done so).

• This October there will be a gathering of RSAs at the Coronado Speed Festival in San Diego

Each year in October San Diego's North Island Naval Air Station hosts the Coronado Speed Festival. This unique event features over 200 of the world's top racing machines from years gone by, competing on a spectator-friendly 1.6 mile course. These vintage race cars are chosen to compete on the basis of their historical significance and certified authenticity. This is a chance to get a close look at many significant race cars doing their stuff in the hands of their mostly amateur drivers & owners. I recall a particular race at this event a couple of years ago when a slightly over-enthusiastic owner/driver of a 1957 Ferrari Testarossa locked up his brakes and spun his car in the tight turns at the end of the main straight and ended up sideways, almost completely blocking the track.

It was interesting enough to watch this particular incident as he came within less than a foot of the K-rail in mid spin. The real clincher, however, was what was going on behind him on the main straight - completely unaware that he had spun out, were two other 1957 Ferrari Testarossas running at full bore totally engrossed in their own battle for the race. Ask yourself, when was the last time you witnessed not one ... but THREE $1.5 Million vintage Ferraris ... in what looked to be the last few seconds of their existence?

So how did it turn out? Well, with the assistance of some well-designed and well-positioned corner worker stations, and some rapid thinking by attentive corner workers, the two onrushing cars were notified of the hazard just in time and avoided what seemed certain to be a disaster. This is what happens when you have a well-organized event like the Coronado Speed Festival run by no other than Steve Earle of the Monterey Historics fame.

The PCA RS America registry will be in attendance and, as the “Registry/Statistics” page of this website shows that there are 52 registry members in California, and only 28 members in PA .... yet there were 30 RSAs in the corral at Parade in Hershey PA, I'm confident that if you get off your duff and commit to being there, maybe float a coat of wax over your RSA, there could very well be a record breaking gathering in San Diego.

So mark your calendars and e-mail me if you are interested in participating so I can start coordinating.

30 is the number to beat ........... let's see if So CA RSAs can give those PA lads a run for their money!

• Happy 4th July!!

I thought that the above picture is appropriate for the 4th of July and is intended to maybe get you to pause and realize ....... life is good!

8th May 2006

• One Registry member had his RSA SERIOUSLY upgraded!
• Longevity - a search for the highest mileage RSA.
• Does your RS America have personalized plates?
• Canadian RSAs.... where are you?

• One SERIOUSLY upgraded RSA

One registry member had his RSA professionally modified to give it an additional 140 bhp and a further 150 ft/lbs of torque. To find details of how he did this and to discover the resulting change of the cars character click here

• In search of ..... “the RS America most travelled”.

Registry member Dennis W of CA contacted me recently and asked:

“Something I think would be interesting - maybe only to me, is what mileage folks have on their RSAs. Ours has 127,000 on the odometer. We don't race it, but it is used as a commuter car almost every day.”

So ...... if your RSA has more than 127,000 miles then please let me know.

• Personalized plates.

I have seen, and am aware of, quite a few RSA owners with personalized plates and thought it might be interesting to show a collection of them on the website. So, if you have such a plate, please snap a digital pic of it and email it to me. If yours is one of those above - please take a clearer shot and send it to me.

• Canadian RSAs

A new registry member from Canada asked me a very good question. His name is Carl D of Quebec and he asked “How come on the registry/statistics page of this website, there is a table showing the location of all the registry members by state, but all the Canadian RSAs are all lumped into a single line titled “Canada” and not broken out by province?”

In order to remedy my recently identified omission, I have added a further chart below the one showing the total number of registry members and their location - especially for those members from north of the border. I have entitled it “Canadian RSAs” and appropriately given it a shot of Susan G of Vancouver BC's stunning midnight blue metallic RSA as the header. Click here to find out how many Canadian registry members there are, and how they are distributed throughout Canada.

20th April 2006

• This months member article about RS Americas is published nationally!!
• RS America.net rear window decals now available.
• RS America Service Info Technic booklets available.
• Not receiving the Registry e-newsletter? Here's why.

• This month's article.....

1. When you receive the e-newsletter please acknowledge receipt by typing a brief (just a word or two) reply e-mail (please do not use the automatic acknowledgement your e-mail system may have).
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21st January 2006

• The return of RS America.net !!
• At last! RS America.net Polo shirts are available.
• This months Tech article - What to do if your front hood release cable breaks.
• Feature your RSA as the photo of the month.

• RS America website returns!

Since the last newsletter I have been dealing with significant medical issues which have out-prioritized making significant changes to this website. I appreciate the enthusiasm of those of you who noticed the lull and sent messages asking what had h