What a great weekend to have the 356 Registry's annual get together in the West!...The 356 West Coast Holiday is always a favorite of ours. As we anticipated, we had a phenomenal time getting out and meeting everyone at the event. The weather in Santa Fe, New Mexico was excellent (barring the little rain we got on Thursday), the vests in our goodie bags were pretty cool, and the level of participation from the 356 faithful was higher than we've ever seen. This was probably the best 356 Holiday we've attended in many years.
Flat four Porsche bathtub enthusiasts were out in full force this year with estimates of as many as 260 cars gathered for the Holiday. The event was well attended, and managed to fill out the historic downtown area of Santa Fe quite well and attracted quite a crowd of onlookers. Even as early as Wednesday, the cars were rolling in and they just kept coming throughout the weekend.
The driving tours were very well organized, and again, participation was high. Some of the Native American reservation roads were not in the best of shape, giving us a few good pains in the backside, but 356s and their owners are made of sturdy stuff and and we were able to witness some amazing vistas. From Albuquerque to Santa Fe to Taos, we covered a lot of ground and the scenery was excellent. To whoever planned our routes, we'd like to say thank you!
Events like this allow us to connect with happy customers—Skeet Gifford had extensive body and paint work done at Stoddard after his 1958 356A Coupe was rear-ended on the way home from the 2008 East Coast Holiday event.
We finished off our time in Santa Fe with the banquet dinner on Saturday night. Over the course of the evening, trophies were presented, and Stan Gold gave a really great presentation of his time on the Peking to Paris rally in an early 911 featuring some excellent photography and video. Stoddard also donated a set of 5 of our new steel wheels to the charity auction. The winning bidder got a great set of wheels, but also helped provide support for the less fortunate children of Santa Fe.
After the event, we visited CPR Classic Porsche Restoration and noticed this 911 undergoing some metal work. The familiar orange tags made us smile. Closing panels and the fender joining panel are often victims of the rust from built up mud and debris.
It's said that most beauties in Southern California have new noses. This 356 is getting some rhinoplasty to repair the results of years of abuse and indifferent bodyshops.
More Stoddard metal going into a 356 restoration at CPR. The 356 is surprisingly more complicated from a metal standpoint than a 911.
