Porsche Parade 2013 – Our Trip There

By Vic Rola

When PCA announced several years ago that its annual grand event… The Porsche Parade… was going to be held in Traverse City, MI, Carol and my plans were set; we were going! My ninth Parade and Carol’s fourth. Car preparation for Parade is a must. Not just the cleaning and prepping part, but the service part, also. And that’s where our Parade started.

After returning from an RGruppe event in WV last fall, the 911E developed a misfire. The mechanical fuel injection (MFI) was initially the prime suspect and that was worked on by Zuffenhaus in Monroe, NC. When the car was returned to east TN, the problem re-introduced itself. Multiple weeks were spent at Rick + Janis Berry’s shop, Eurotech. There, the MFI was re-inspected, plugs were checked and replaced (three times), all the spark wiring was replaced (twice), the distributor components were replaced, and on and on, including draining the fuel tank and replacing an inside fuel filtration device. Multiple calls were placed to Zuffenhaus, Skip Trammell, and to early 911 guru Ed Mayo in Ft. Worth, TX.

The problem was finally determined to be a faulty distributor when Ed sent a ‘care package’ which included an inspected distributo r (the faulty distributor was sent to Burnham Performance on the left coast for re-build). Once that service issue was corrected, Carol and I attacked the car with zeal, preparing it for Concours judging.

The trip to Traverse City was an uneventful thirteen hour tow. We left Jefferson City at 0630 Vic and Carol Rola’s 911E in the Concours prep area.Concours prep area was filled with everything from early 356s to Caymans.July 2013 5The authentic 1977 935 of Peter Gregg!Friday morning, pulling up to the Grand Traverse Resort at 1930 that evening. Ed Mayo met us at the check-in area, and we immediately moved the 911 into the Resort’s underground concours prep area. Ed had been holding the last spot in that area for us and was under some pressure to let it go, so it was imperative to get the car in. Thanks Ed (again)! The Grand Traverse Resort is a gorgeous facility, well staffed with extremely courteous employees, very nice rooms, and a little bit of everything, for everyone!

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