I was really getting into the 356talk on the internet. Unfortunately, the screen on my portable—which has the modem—stopped working. The fine folks at COMP USA have had it for about a month now and are not making any promises that it will ever be done. If you have e-mailed me recently and not heard back, now you know why. Just before it broke someone asked me the approximate time that it take to receive one of Porsche's authenticity certificates. The answer at this time is 2 - 3 months. They hope to improve this, as things settle down from their recent move.

This reminds me that a passage in Dr. Thiriar's Speedster book comments about the high proportion of U.S.-destined Speedsters fitted with "coupe" seats. I asked Howard Adams if this was his perception, while preparing past certificates. He agreed that there were a significant number and that a high proportion of them were from servicemen who had taken European delivery, people who had the chance of trying them out before ordering. There was a suggestion floated that these men-in-uniform with the financial ability to purchase a new Porsche in 1955 may have had a few extra deserts at the Officers Club. I don't know, I was still wearing diapers

Another casualty from my disabled computer is my inability to discuss "Carrera pedals," which are an option listed on Steve Serio's 1956 pushrod Speedster. We had an interesting theory, based on Ron Roland’s parts collection and my parts manual research, but it's all on the computer. Maybe next time. If you know about Carrera pedals please step forward.

This lack of computer is probably just as well, since I had several articles to write and our book on Watkins Glen is in the disastrous final edit phase. The author, Philippe Defechereux, has provided me with some information though, that I thought might be of interest. It concerns why German racing cars were often silver, when the official German racing color was white.

1934: When the 750kg Grand Prix Formula was instituted, every ounce of weight was precious. The first Mercedes-Benz W 25 racers were 2 kg (4.4 Ibs.) overweight. Neubauer, already the racing director, took the bet that no one at that time would challenge the German team if it chose to not paint its cars, letting the natural aluminum be the color of the car. To further back his argument, he proclaimed, "White shows stains too readily, especially the exhaust gas smear of superchargers, which is not good for the image of the sport." He was right; no one challenged the unpainted "Silver Arrows." The elimination of the paint allowed the large cars to just make the 750 kg maximum weight. Auto-Union, under the guidance of that Porsche fellow immediately followed suit.

1952: When Mercedes-Benz filed its entry for the 1952 Le Mans 24 hour race Charles Faroux asserted that the cars should arrive in the "traditional white German racing color established between 1908 and 1914." Neubauer then had his legal men check the ACO regulations. The discovered that the article addressing this issue (#47.1) stated the following: "The established national colors must be carried as often as possible, but it is not totally forbidden to act otherwise." The 1952 300 SLs ran at Le Mans in silver.

Speaking of colors, I've had correspondence concerning a couple of not-right-for-the-year verified colors. Not surprisingly, in both cases they carried the standard Porsche paint numbers on the plate on the hinge post.

I also got a letter about my favorite topic—fire. You'll be pleased to know that #10712 has recovered from its unpleasantness last October and has been tested on the local road course for all of those Porsche 50th anniversary celebrations that we can't afford to attend. In any event, thanks to John Powers of Bath, Ohio for the following.

"The Fred Mitchell story of his 1956 1500 GS Carrera coupe 12272 brought back a long stored memory. He mentioned selling the Weber-equipped engine to a fellow in Shaker Heights, OH in 1961. The fellow installed the engine in his Carrera Speedster, it caught fire and consumed his car!

"In 1961 I was an undergraduate with Mark Greenbaum of Shaker Heights at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD). In the three years I had been aware of Mark he had had three 356's, each more exciting than the one before. I had a '61 Corvette with 4.11 rear, big tires, and two four barrels. Those carbs could throw gasoline in every direction with the best of Webers.

"At some point I asked Mark what was the attraction of those little engined cars. He took me for a ride in a coupe through a very squirrely park that I never forgot or equaled. I scared myself silly in the 'vette and later blew a head gasket trying out a dealer's used Alfa Romeo Veloce Spyder.

The story I remember is that Mark bought the Speedster from Bruce Jennings, whose crew probably installed the engine. At the time Johns Hopkins undergraduates were all male, so Mark and I ran into each other often 20 miles away at Goucher College for women.

"I saw the Speedster briefly at Hopkins. There was much backfiring and sheets of flame out the back every time he moved. A fellow had to be careful where he parked a plastic 'vette. Then one awful day soon after he was visiting at Goucher, the car caught on fire in front of a dorm. The local fire department thought the phone call was a hoax and didn't respond. The car burned to a shell.

"I heard the story and the next day bought a fire extinguisher, which I used on those twin four barrels within six months. I don't remember ever seeing Mark again. By the time the 'vette died I had tried a few more 356's. The C coupe I bought new in 1964 is still fun. I don't remember 'The Pleasures of 356 Porsches' being on the Hopkins curriculum, but it certainly was a lesson taught there."

Story update, July, 1999:

Received in email this from E. Boyd Eichenlaub Jr. 7/22/99 --Webmeister:

The Porsche Carrera said to have burnt to a shell was, I believe the same
one I owned and purchased new in April or May 1958. I bought the car from the Austin Davis dealership in Brookfield Ohio. At the time I lived in Ellwood
City Pa. I raced the car during the 1958 season, mostly regionals but
several nationals including Cumberland Maryland. When I sold the car (Oct
1958) it was in perrfect condition and even had a spare set of alloy wheels
and tires.

The car went to a "butcher" in Cleveland Oh., the same fellow who owned the
OSCA that my brother Jim used to win the 1958 class H modified championship. Later the butcher sold the carrera to Bruce Jennings and that connects the stories.

Regards,

Edward B. Eichenlaub Jr. aka E. Boyd Eichenlaub Jr.