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?

[wndsnd]

I recently joined the PCA and did a run with with North Country Region in the White Mountains last month.

I had a great time, the driving was fun, the people and conversations great, and overall it was a great experience. We all signed the PCA waivers that are standard at events.

James Smith was there with his 914-6 so there were two of us. To be honest, there weren't that many air cooled cars there period, but we all had a great time. I would encourage any one of us to join.

However, the PCA crowd is a very formal group in my opinion, and that can be a turn off to our DIY, drive the pants off, run them till they break and call the tow truck kind of guys.

PCA recently proposed a revision to their Bylaws, and they sent out a 14 page document of fine print..

Not that there is anything wrong with the PCA, but it's services and needs are different than ours.

I think we all want to see more of our cars and see them driven and appreciated. Tying in to the PCA doesn't make sense to me. The informality of this group is what makes it so easy to drop in and visit or stay and put your feet up for a while. No hassles, no expectations, and all the advice you need or don't.

I like Scotty's idea, but wouldn't ask the administrators to do more than they already do.

John