A couple of weekends ago, we took a trip to Concord, California for the NorCal Vintage VW and Porsche Treffen. The show was celebrating its tenth year, and it's amazing the quantity and quality of cars that the show attracted. There was everything in attendance from a brand new 991 GT3 all the way back to a pair of early 1950s Pre-As in both coupe and cabriolet flavor. It was one of the better shows we've been to in a while, and we really hope it continues to grow. Check out some of our favorites and get a feel for the event's character with our following series of photos. Enjoy!
One of the major eye-catchers of the event was this 1952 Pre-A. It was there on the lawn in all of its chocolatey glory, and we could hardly hold in our giddiness. That is, at least, until a silver 1953 Cabriolet pulled in and parked next to it. It isn't often that you get to see such shining examples of Porsche's glorious distant past, but at NorCal Treffen, you can. It was especially fun to get a reflection of the Coupe in the moon hubcap of the Cabriolet.
It's hard to tell if the 911 R Gruppe guys show up at the NorCal Treffen because its become such a good show, or if its become such a good show because the 911 R Gruppe guys show up. Either way, we were ecstatic to see them in attendance, as there were some extremely well turned out 911s on the lawn that day. Each one looked more wild and exciting to drive than the last. Keep it up, guys!
This long-hood 911 was a favorite of ours, as it had received quite a bit of mechanical work, but the exterior of the car wears its patina quite well.
Speaking of patina, this good old Speedster had it by the bucket load. There's just something about an original paint car parked next to some cars with the deepest and shiniest paint you might have ever seen grace a fender. It screams "I don't care what you think, I love driving my car."
With the history of Porsche in sharp focus, there was even a beautifully restored Porsche Diesel Junior tractor that showed up. The gentleman that owns this tractor also has one of the best 912s in the world.
This beautiful long wheelbase soft-window Targa is owned by Michael, the event's organizer. That just goes to show that this event is for enthusiasts by enthusiasts. If you're a Porsche or Volkswagen enthusiast, there's a little bit of everything to see at this show, and it should easily be added to the calendar of anyone within a reasonable drive. For us, it was a four and a half hour drive, and it was well worth it. Great people and great cars make that the case.
One of the great bits of having the R Gruppe folks around is the glorious sound. This particular long-hood sounded spectacular. A bit like an asthmatic playing a trumpet, but, you know, in a good way.
One of the more interesting weird cars that showed up was this Chevrolet Corvair. Trust me, it's far from stock. As you can see, those are Porsche 944 Turbo aluminum spare wheels on all four corners, but that's just the start of it. This is an all-wheel-drive car, using the front suspension from a 964 Carrera 4, and the rear suspension from a 993. In addition to the suspension, this car also uses a 993 sourced 3.6 liter flat six and 6-speed transaxle. This car absolutely must be a riot to drive. Classic American looks with an all-German heart? Yes, please.
If you're looking for something admittedly a bit more German, but still absolutely insane, then you could be looking for this little Volkswagen here. This truck has Porsche wheels and 928 brakes. Looking inside where the old engine should be, you'll see nothing but a sheet of metal. You have to look inside the cab to see what's really going on here. Where the rear seats of the double cab would normally be sits a supposedly quite built-up Porsche flat-six engine. That has to be a rip-roaring good time.
We learned from this event that we should be definitely plan on going back, and you should, too. While the show has traditionally had more Volkswagen entrants than Porsche, the reverse was true of the 10th anniversary showing. Let's keep that trend alive and outshine the VeeDubbers every year from now on!
