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Sonne Porsche
Inside your copy of this month's SONNE PORSCHE you will find a decal presented by PCA commemorating our club's 40th anniversary. The 40-year history of "Porschehawaii" from 1959 to 1999 is yet to be written, and many gaps filled in, but thanks to Joe Dizon, here is a beginning. The year was 1959 when a few dozen diehard 356 enthusiasts in Hawaii chartered the club, Joe Dizon caught the Porsche bug about this time -- being especially fond of Speedsters -- and served as President in the late 60s and early 70s. What follows are Joe's recollections as told to me at his Lanikai home, whose front yard boasts no fewer than four or five (I lost count) 356s, graceful rounded humps under tan and gray car covers. Joe says he bought his house with the sale of just one Porsche -- a prized Speedster! "I was the only guy (back then) who loved Speedsters. Everybody thought I was nuts. They said 'You're going to get all wet,' because there were no side windows and no wind wings. But I just loved the design. To me it was stolen out of nature, or something. I still love them. We bought two right here (in Kailua) at the Volkswagen dealer because nobody wanted them. I bought one for $300. It was hit in the back. I took it to the shop and they put on a brand new back end. It cost another $300 to fix it. Then I sold it and bought this house. "My wife drove a Speedster too, a racing Speedster. It had number '6' on the doors and the hood and a blue stripe down the middle. My kids called it the 'Striped Skunk.' My son in high school had three Porsches. No other kid in high school had three Porsches. Daddy brings one home and fixes it up and lets him have it. He'd have a coupe, then he'd want a convertible, and I'd give him one. I'd fix it up for him, then he'd go to work at the supermarket. He'd pay me the cost of the car. The kids always remembered that he was the only one to own a Porsche in high school. "I came on the scene in '59, didn't belong to the club then, but I started owning Porsches. One of the first club presidents was Dr. Paul Hoe, an orthodontist. Some of the earliest members were Bernard Chung, a contractor, Ed Fukada, a jet fighter pilot, Rolly Tyau, a Speedster owner, and Jim Drake, who built swimming pools. I was president for four years in the late 60's and early 70's. I took over for Paul Hoe. Ron Halfhill took over for me. Then Jim Drake. After four years (as president) I got burnt out doing the newsletter, composing it, printing it, and doing the books (and everything else). "We held the meeting in libraries and in peoples houses, including Bones Marshall's place at Hickham. We had tech sessions, racing films, Porsche movies ("Porsche Made by Hand"), lectures by factory reps and distributors. We had banquets and dinners. Sometimes we met at a Japanese tea house -- a big tea house in middle of a spring. We also met in Chinese restaurants and ate several course dinners. What gets members out is a tech session. You've got to get an expert . Talk about a carburetor. The secret (in the 356 motor) is the flood level on the carb. If it's too high you're over the falls. Too low and you're starving for gas. There's a trick to it .... "Our first concours was held at the Makaha Inn. It started with a parade through Waikiki. We had a "Porsche Queen," a beautiful queen sitting on one of the cars. We wore German helmets with spikes and ribbons. We had a rally to the concours (in Makaha), then driving contests, swimming pool parties with drinks, hotel rooms , dinner, with a tech quiz held after dinner. The Concours d'Elegance was held in the parking lot of the Makaha Inn up in the valley. I made all the arrangements. I knew al the high mucky mucks .... "We had a contest (to come up with a "Porschehawaii" logo). The guy who designed this was Don Cutting in about 1974. He was an architect. We had "Porschehawaii" badges made of ceramic and brass with purple, blue, red, and green. (During the presidency of) Jim Wayman ('72-'74) the name of the newsletter was chanced to SONNE PORSCHE, I guess because Hawaii is a sunny place. (Sonne is German means "Sun".) About the 356: "Unless you have an old one, you just don't know. These are the real ones." About the 911: " the guys with the early 911s had lots of problems. At national meeting a speaker would ask. "Anybody have problems with chain tensioners?" Everybody would raise their hands. (The new Porsche model) pitted one group against the other (356 vs 911). The 911 guys were called the "country club set." (This conflict) chased a lot of people away. The best way is 'all for one and one for all.' Joe's prescription for the club's success is an inspiring conclusion to this interview and an encouraging motto for our next 40 years: "All for one and one for all." Special thanks to long-time club stalwart "Bones" Marshall and Jim Wayman for their assistance. Please send your recollection of the club's early years to chip@lava.net or fax 263-3255
Not everyone thinks about fire on a daily basis. But it could happen at any minute. Yes! It could happen to you. If you are one of the 2% of the population who has a fire extinguisher in your car you will have an increased chance of keeping your car in the event of a fire. But what are you left with? If you use a Dry Chemical fire extinguisher, the damage to you vehicle is multiplied nearly 5000%. The minute particles that make up a dry chemical unit are in every orifice of your vehicle. The resulting damage of an engine fire , burnt hoses and lines don't compare to what the dry chemicals do to your engines interior components. Every surface is now coated with an abrasive, all oil passages are clogged and blocked off, and the injection system is now useless. In other words, a very expensive Re-build. A 'clean agent' fire extinguisher will prevent the horrifying damage caused by a dry chem unit. There are several types of clean agent units available today, all of them extinguish fires, some better than others. Halon, Fe-246, Cleanguard, Halotron and CO2 are examples of clean agents. I would like to invite you to a brief fire extinguisher training class during our next meeting. Extinguisher will be available for purchase or special order. Elks Club, Thursday, June 15 @ 6:30.
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