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Sonne Porsche
Newsletter January 2000 Articles
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Unbaffled Presidential
Exhaust Notes
By Mike Cripps
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OK...it's the new millennium. Been there. Done that. Now back
to life's more important fantasies like Porsches.
February will bring our first club event of the year with a Valentine's
Sweetheart run on Sunday, Feb. 13. Seems like there has been some
conversation lately about a North Shore run, so here goes. We
join the Corvette and Camaro Clubs at the Toys-R-Us parking lot,
Pearlridge, for a drivers' meeting at 9:30 a.m., launch at 10:00
and drive up to the Helemano Plantation for brunch and the Dole
Maze (this is today's version of the old A-frame Pineapple Hut
on Kam Hwy before dropping down into Haleiwa). Then on around
the North with a stop for beer up Kahuku way and back via the
windward coast. Hope to see you there.
This month's meeting is at the Waikiki Elks Club at 6:30 p.m.
for business, 7 p.m. for dinner, on Thurs., Jan 20. The past few
meetings have generated a lot of discussion as to what we want
to do this year. If you have some ideas please come on down and
share them. I promise to bring along a picture of the soon to
be marketed 2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder just in case you forgot what
a Boxster looks like. It is the sincerest form of flattery.
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Le Mans Class-Winning
Porsche 911 GT3
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SONOMA, CA -- The ultimate new Porsche 911 race car made its
U.S. debut here Sunday, July 25, 1999 in the American Le Mans
Series Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sears Point Raceway.
The Porsche 911 GT3 arrived in the wine country coming off a successful
international debut at last years 24 Hours of Le Mans. Two Porsche
911 GT3s finished first and second in class at Le Mans, 13th and
19th overall. At Sears Point, drivers Dirk Muller and Cort Wagner
will co-drive the Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 entry, to be
run by Florida-based Alex Job Racing. Muller, from Germany, drove
one of the 911 GT3s at Le Mans, while Wagner currently leads the
American Le Mans Series GT class driver's points standings.
The 911 GT3 is the latest chapter in the story of special road
going Porsches designed for customers who race or just dream of
racing. The car is powered by a 3.6-liter, six-cylinder, horizontally-opposed
aluminum engine, which can cover 0-60 mph in just under six seconds.
The GT3 can reach a top speed in excess of 187 mph.
Weighing 66 pounds more than its 911 Carrera "brother," the 911
GT3 has a power-to-weight ratio of a top-flight athlete -- just
15.26 pounds/bhp. The car has 273 foot-pounds of torque at 5,000
rpm and the engine revs to its rev limiter speed of 7,800 rpm.
While the race car has made its way to American soil, the production-based
version of the GT3 is not slated for sale in the U.S. or Canada.
The Grand Prix of Sonoma, is Round 4 of the new eight-race American
Le Mans Series.
(courtesy Porsche Cars North America, Inc.)
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On-Line Interactive
Learning
for Porsche Dealers
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ATLANTA, -- Porsche Cars North America launched an interactive
web site last year that ties all of its dealers together via the
Internet. The endeavor is designed to improve communication with
dealers and thereby provide better service to Porsche's customers.
Complete with a reference library, video collection, chat rooms
and links with Porsche engineers, the web site replaces all of
the company's print and video training and reference materials.
In addition, information is now updated on both sides of the Atlantic,
and factory planners can communicate with dealer showrooms.
"A Porsche buyer isn't choosing an appliance. Our clientele is
the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable in the world," said Fredrick
J. Schwab, PCNA President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our dealerships'
staff must be better informed and connected. The online web site
has just taken our penchant for technical innovation and applied
it to information systems."
"Our web site is quickly becoming a way of life for our dealerships'
staff," said Dave Parsons, Porsche Cars North America Sales &
Marketing Training Manager. "In the morning, they pour a cup of
coffee and go online.
They can get the latest information on new vehicle options, study
in our reference library, e-mail a video clip or specifications
to a prospect, view images of new accessories, or even chat with
other Porsche dealers.
" The company will soon offer an on-line basic certification program
for every dealership employee, from vehicle detailers to administrative
staff. The objective is to enable each employee to confidently
discuss Porsche's product range and rich heritage. The firm's
strategic partner in the venture is The Gary Stock Company, a
suburban New York-based training firm with long ties to Porsche
and the auto industry. The web site went online Jan. 1, 1999.
(courtesy Porsche Cars North America, Inc.)
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