Any interest in forming local 914World Chapters?, One Lesson Learned from European 914 clubs Options

[JeffBowlsby]

My recent visit to the 914 International meet in Italy opened my eyes to some interesting differences in the 914 communities here in the USA vs Europe. I had the great pleasure of meeting and spending a few days with our very own Gustl, Johannes, Peter and many others with the 914-passion and I think that common bond is an aspect of 914 ownership that most of us are interested in. 914s are not just about the cars – its about the people.

Europe is roughly ¼ the size of the USA, and they have multiple local 914-dedicated clubs mostly organized by country – 914 clubs exist in Germany, France, Italy, England, etc. These clubs meet from time to time locally to network, socialize and promote the 914 hobby in their regions (check out their individual websites). Once a year they all get together for a major high quality International 914 event somewhere in Europe. The International meet is always well attended (limited to 100 914s and their owners!), booked/paid a year in advance, and is hosted in a different country (by the local 914 club) each year on a rotating basis. It has official support from Porsche. The European approach is very supportive, and non-competitive in the negative sense.

In the USA, we have no organized, local 914-dedicated clubs. We have no regularly (monthly-quarterly-ish) organized local 914 events. We have no annual USA National 914 event. Europe has nothing like our 914world.com forums…in a literal sense, 914world.com is THE international 914 Forum because we have many international members here. I would like to see if we can increase international participation on the forum in the future.

The USA is much larger geographically than Europe which is a challenge for holding larger national events. PCA, SCCA, and similar groups are good events for some, and not that we want to withdraw from those, but they are not an ultimate 914 venue for most of us. Thanks to the camaraderie on this Forum, we do have a series of what I will characterize as fairly regular, regional, moderate-sized events that are always fun – Red Rocks, WCR, ECR, Okteenerfest, etc. Some locales have sporadic informal 914 breakfasts, drives etc. Only when someone volunteers to host an event does it happen – I think we as 914 Owners could all really benefit with better organization and regional leadership. New 914 owners need a venue to hang out face to face, and long-time owners can share their experiences. A real world, local, in person, ‘914 Garage’ experience is one of the great things about our community.

My idea is that we form local/regional 914World Chapters to generally help better organize us and promote the 914 ownership experience on multiple levels. 914World.com will always be our playhouse. None of us wants a dues paying, card carrying, rules/regulations format and I don’t propose anything like that. The idea is intended only to be a way for 914 owners to connect locally and informally, and perhaps hold a national event in the future. I don’t see the concept as divisive, but rather as unifying us, prospering the 914 experience and being a supportive environment.

What say you?

[scotty b]

If it ain't broke...... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)


We try every year to have get-together's out this way. Sometimes we have a great turn out, sometimes we don't. Having even more specific/individual groups won't make that change. All of the regulars see the event threads and decide whether they can make it or not. As Dr Daffuq said, I am on other forums that do segregate into more localized groups and I see 2 things. The locals either participate in the local forums almost solely, or they don't bother with it and stick with the main forum. I for one hardly ever go on THE HAMB's main page, I only go on the local group However, I almost never check the Early S local forum, but am always on the main board.

[SirAndy]

If it ain't broke...... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Some would argue that it is broken. As far as i can tell all of the usual 914world events have had a noticeable drop in attendance over the last few years.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[MoveQik]

If it ain't broke...... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Some would argue that it is broken. As far as i can tell all of the usual 914world events have had a noticeable drop in attendance over the last few years.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

I would agree. 10 cars at an event really sucks. I know past WCC and Red Rocks events have had 30 cars. Those days appear to be gone for the moment. I know there are 914's in AZ but there are only 3 or 4 of us that make events on a regular basis. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

We tried a Yahoo group for AZ for a while but it went nowhere. I am pretty sure any regional group would result in 3 guys meeting each month. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[McMark]

We tried a Yahoo group for AZ for a while but it went nowhere. I am pretty sure any regional group would result in 3 guys meeting each month. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) But I also agree with Bowlsby.

One thing I feel like has contributed to the decline in attendance is a general increase in the level of restoration. There are so many nice cars that some people feel intimidated about bringing their 'crappy' 914 to an event. There are also more FULL restorations going on than people driving and maintaining their cars. Personally I would love to see more people in cars that run and drive, but aren't pristine at these events. I keep brining my POS hoping to inspire people. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)