Blog 9/5/2022

Membership

Welcome to Aaron Bilodeau from Thaxton, Virginia.  Aaron drives a
2009 Cayenne Turbo S.

Activities

Blue Ridge Region PCA Events

DateNameVenue 
Feb 8BRR-PCA Cars N Coffee & Planning Meeting - RoanokeThe Green GoatRegister
Mar 12BRR-PCA Full Board MeetingBRR-PCA Location TBDDetails
Apr 9BRR-PCA Executive Board MeetingShakers Restaurant - RoanokeDetails
May 14BRR-PCA Full Board MeetingBRR-PCA Location TBDDetails
Jun 1BRR-PCA TRSS Volunteer Registration June 1st Salem Civic CenterRegister
Jun 11BRR-PCA Executive Board MeetingShakers Restaurant - RoanokeDetails
Jul 9BRR-PCA Executive Board MeetingShakers Restaurant - RoanokeDetails
Aug 13BRR-PCA Full Board MeetingBRR-PCA Location TBDDetails
Sep 10BRR-PCA Executive Board MeetingShakers Restaurant - RoanokeDetails
Sep 14BRR-PCA TRSS Volunteer Registration Sept 14th Salem Civic CenterDetails
Oct 8BRR-PCA Executive Board MeetingShakers Restaurant - RoanokeDetails
Nov 12BRR-PCA Full Board MeetingBRR-PCA Location TBDDetails
Dec 10BRR-PCA Executive Board MeetingShakers Restaurant - RoanokeDetails

Cars n Coffee at Dale’s Diner – September 17

11076 W. Lynchburg-Salem Tompkins

Montvale VA 24122. Next to the defunct Tank Farm

September 17 2022 at 0930 hrs. Our usual time. 

Again seating is limited. Please RSVP to Gene Reed by noon on September 14

Cars and Coffee at The Green Goat – October 15

802 Wiley Drive SW Roanoke VA 24015

October 15 at 10:00 AM (That is 10:00, a half-hour later)

RSVP will be required by noon on Oct 12

IMSA Race at VIR

First, an excellent article written by Dave Hogan. It was a beautiful day and I hope some of you were able to attend.

A few pictures follow.

Street Survival – October

As a reminder, Sunday, October 16, 2022 is the next Street Survival School at the Salem Civic Center. 

The volunteers and instructors are the most critical elements to the success of Street Survival School…without you, none of this will happen.  If you know of anyone else that may be interested that has not participated in a recent Street Survival School, please have them contact Brett Randolph, or you can provide Brett with the contact information.

Brett Randolph, PE, PTOE

VDOT Salem Asst. District Traffic Engineer

540-494-3698 (work)

336-413-9810 (personal)

Brett.Randolph@VDOT.virginia.gov (work)

brettj.randolph@gmail.com (personal)

Racing

LeMans 1970

Porsche 917K

Porsche 550 Spyder

Can you imagine, ordering a 550 Spyder and having it arrive in a crate, on a truck, like an Amazon delivery? This was taken from a old issue of Panorama. Very cool!

This month’s journey into Panorama’s past is a pictorial study from the December 1957 issue where Editor Bill Sholar obsesses that “Few of us the fun of opening a surprise package like that shown in these pictures. Fred Blume, regional director of Colorado and Wyoming, ordered one of the 330 Spyders advertised in PANO and the pictures show delivery and uncrating. Sholar didn’t express how Blume liked his car, but noted that it was already for sale again.

Chaparral 2J

Remember this car? Chaparral 2J engine compartment Snowmobile is on top to power the Vacuum fans, the Snowmobile engine could push the car to speeds over 50mph without the Big-Block Chevy even being in gear.

Reinventing the Manual Transmission

Now you really can have it all, if you are willing to pay for it.

Swedish supercar builder Koenigsegg is using cutting edge technology to give its customers a very old-fashioned driving experience.

The company is known for its multi-million cars that are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 275 mph, but also breakthrough automotive innovations.

Now it has a nine-speed gearbox that can either work like an automatic transmission or a six-speed manual with a clutch pedal, depending on your mood.

It is similar to what is known as a dual-clutch automatic transmission, which typically does not have a clutch pedal and uses computers to switch between gears up or down almost instantaneously.

Koenigsegg’s has seven clutches, however, and is not only faster at making changes, but can skip over gears for even better response during sporty driving.

However, it is set to make its debut in a new model called the CC850, which has a gated manual shifter with six speeds. Here is how it works.

The car is also equipped with a clutch pedal, which works by wire and is not directly connected to the transmission.

Instead, it uses force feedback to give the driver the sensation of engaging the clutch as it does exactly that without the computer intervening.

You can even stall it if you mess it up, but the idea is to make the driving itself a more engaging experience, as most high-end supercars have eliminated manual transmissions from their lineups altogether in a quest to maximize performance and meet efficiency regulations.

More

Hogan’s Corner

Porsche Corral at VIR, 2012

Porsche’s Gone Bad

First

Second

A friendly greeting at the track!

Third

Before it became the 911…

Fourth

And Finally