Atlanta area Porsche things to do/see

[sodly]

I will be in Atlanta next week (2/8-2/12) and was wondering if there are any interesting Porsche-related things to do or see there. Or are there any events scheduled, by chance? Is a visit to PCNA worthwhile? Road Atlanta? Which is the biggest/best dealership to visit (and drive a Cayman perhaps)... Ellis or Hennessey? Thanks for your input.

[madmmac]

Daddy D'Z BBQ.....oh man.

[sodly]

Restaurant reccomendations are always good, too.

[carnutzzz]

Not really.

I think Atlanta is the worst Porsche driving city in the nation. When I get behind the wheel- I typically aim North towards the mountains for open roads.

We do have some of the best ta-ta bars in the nation. I think there is a girl named Porsche working at the Oasis. Or maybe it was Mercedes... Is that close enough?

[Teutonics]

Hennessy is a fairly decent dealership to browse if you are north of town. The Ferrari/Aston Martin dealership is just north of there (usually have a couple of cars of interest), and the Lamborghini/Lotus dealership is a few miles south. Flashback Motorworks in Cumming (farther north) is a great facility to check out, lots of cars of all types.

Near Hennessy is also Dreamland BBQ. Saturday morning is donut derilicts (car gathering) in Chamblee. There is a BMW CCA show & shine the 11th in Lawrenceville.

[sodly]

My business is in Buckhead, I think. How far away are these places? Are there any Porsches (esp. old ones) in the Donut Derelicts? I've heard of a Morgan dealer north of town. Will they give test drives of Aero 8s? Anyone know?

[stormmaster]

Does anything ever happen in the Cobb/Cherokee county area?....Just curious

[atlporsche]

I do donut derelicts nearly every week. just look for the flat black '67 912 renegade. it's supposed to rain this week (I've got a leak), so I'll probably be in the other car. I'm the tall stick-like guy in the blue BMW cap.

a few other guys from the board usually show up.

sjd

[xlr8]

Donut Derelicts

[Jim Richards]

Yep, Donut Derelicts and a north GA mountain run in the Porsches is a great way to visit Atlanta.

[Sunroof]

You could boast that you drove every street, road, boulevard, etc that began with Peachtree!!

On the dealerships, both Henessey and Ellis are fun places for very limited visits, but I would not call that entertainment. Although they both have equal numbers of cars on display, these folks are in the business of moving cars. Most of the sales folks are new and older Porsches seem to have no appeal. The PCNA office is no different then walking into the executive offices of Pappa Johns Pizza!! Nothin there.......

If you want something different, go up (north) 400, exit at Mansell Road, go left and Hennessey is about 2-miles on the right. Get a free coke, check out the Cayman and then head west (right) on Mansell to Alpharetta Highway (Wachovia Bank on right), turn left and Dreamland Bar-b-que is on the right. After a rib-sticking pig out, exit back onto Alpharetta Highway (left-north) and crossover Mansell. Go north 1-mile and on the left is ANDRETTI. This is an old Sam's warehouse building that is now the home of the finest indoor go-kart track in the southeast. Tons of arcade games and serious karting. Fun time.

If that does'nt do it for you. Go further up Alpharetta Highway (about 3-4 miles) north of Mansell and on the right is the largest Ferrari, Aston Martin dealer showroom outside of Miami. Huge selection of great used cars and very friendly folks who love to talk high end vehicles. I always tie my hands behind my back when inside!!

Okay, if your still bored, head up 400 to the mountains and take on some of the best twisties this side of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Or simply do what most tourists would do and get tickets for the new Aquarium, check out the Jimmy Carter Library Center, World of Coca-Cola, and maybe the High Museum of Art (Andrew Wyeth on display now).

Have a great time and welcome to Atlanta.

Bob

[72olive911T]

Check out Automobile Atlanta in Marietta if your into
seeing some nice 914s and a few old 911's and 356's.

Drink a few cups of Caribou coffee and test drive everything
at Ellis.
Have fun!

[sodly]

Does Automobile Atlanta have much for sale (besides 914s)? I'd like to drive an early 911 or two, if possible. Do you think they might have any? Thanks everyone for the tips!

[JBO]

AA is a dump, and they never have many 911's. They are primarily a mail order parts house. They have a very small walk-in retail area. The owner is a 914 guru (his nickname is Dr. 914), and they do always have many 914's. I think you would be dissappointed if you made a special trip there.

[Sunroof]

Yeah ditto on AA. George (Dr. 914) is a pleasant guy but really protective about his special stable of nice 914s and a few 356s. They are all behind glass and no joy rides on his collection. I was there last week and they are getting ready to move somewhere off 400 near Windward or farther north. Anyways, no 911s, to brag about. Not really worth the trip; however, if you were a 914 owner, or in the market, it would be worthwhile to perhaps stop by a learn a few things from him. His business is primarily 914s from derelicts to the most rare.

Atlanta had a few great used Porsche car lots around years ago aside from the dealers, but these days you do not see large numbers together anymore for sale. As far as the old stuff, just hope the weather is nice and watch the roads. If you see a 1973.5T (Sepia Brown) with a Georgia tag that has "A73911". Say hello.

Bob

[Jim Richards]

Eat Mellow Mushroom pizza.

[aj88cab]

Peachstate PCA AutoX on the 12th At Gwinnett Co Fairgrounds.

http://www.gwinnettcountyfair.com/index.php

Bring your rental and thrash it!

[rouxroux]

mmmm.Dreamland BBQ, and if you need to "change YOUR oil", then a stop @ the Varsity is in order as well.

[stormmaster]

Varsity is a MUST.....there are BBQ places i like better than those posted here....but those are all a matter of choice

[2.7S]

I agree with stormmaster "Varsity is a MUST ", as for other restaurants I’ve been out of touch to long. I lived in Sandy Springs in 1973-1974 with my mom, dad, and the rest of the family. Oh, there was one restaurant I remember that was way cool. Aunt Jane’s I think. It was like an old farmhouse that had been turned into a restaurant and people would come for miles around to enjoy the food and service. Also, The Atlanta Underground. My friends and I always had a ball there. One night we were very lucky, we meet BB King…and listened to him jam for about 3 hours that night.

I don't know what the roads in that area are like today, but back then, I was in heaven. I use to car pool to Kennesaw JC with a kid that lived across the street from us. Rainy days I would drive my Baja buggy and on dry days we would take his Mazda RX-3 rotary, supper hot car. One of his best friends was a driver for the Mazda Factory Race Team. He would lend a hand on track days and his team support was well rewarded. The crew basically turned his streetcar into a full time street racer lowered to about 3" off the ground with over 150 hp and big brakes.
Our route to school started with a right turn onto Johnson Fair and down one block to a signal. We would proceed through the signal and down the hill and over the Chattahoochee River and it was on to Marietta. Just past the city square in Marietta we would turn right and take back roads the rest of the way to school. What a ball. One of the roads was about a half mile long and straight as an arrow. It rolled over a row of hills that were about thirty-foot high. First time I ever got way airborne in a car was in his car. The first time he took me over this route I think he was trying to scare the Sh’t out of me, as we took the first hill at 80 plus. I think he was surprised by my response, cause I asked him if that was all the faster his car could do over the hills. He smiled and responded by taking the rest of the hills at 100 mph. We became good friends after that. BTH, the fastest we ever hit one of these hills was about 130mph. That was way too much for both of us and we agreed never again at that speed.

I would like to say high to Steve Farmer, Waldo, Denny, and the rest of my friends in GA.

With that, have a great time in Atlanta.

Regards,
Larry