Well, it was 1988. My mom had a brand new Saab that needed an oil change at the dealer and I was all too eager to take her at my dad's request. I was 25 at the time. By the time I got home, I had missed the opportunity to play golf for the first time on a real golf course with a relative. So, I opened the local newspaper and in the classifieds saw an advertisement in the next town for a 1974 Porsche Targa, $5500. Well, my dad and I had looked at Porsches together all over the NY/NJ/PA area since I was 12 or so, but the timing and money were never right for him - always 356s. He loved 356s. I announced I was going to go look at this 911 and he eagerly said he was coming. He was 57 at the time. Well, about 3 hours later the silver 1974 911 targa was in our driveway. That car served as an inseparable bond between my dad and I until December of 2015 when he gave it to me, about 1 month before he passed. For the next six months I had that car torn apart and redone including a newly rebuilt 3.2 to replace the ailing and leaking 2.7. In 2000 I bought a 356 and restored it with Bruce Baker in Collegeville, PA and we had forged a great bond. Bruce took on the 911 project knowing how much it meant to me and Performance Automotive in Malvern did all the mechanical work. The car got done so quickly because Bruce made it is focus. Today she is a pure dream. Better than at any point in her previous 29 years of ownership. My dad would be so proud of her. She joins her younger brother, a new speed yellow 7 speed 991 convertible......and of course, that 1988 Saab with 51K miles. Oh, the 356, while no longer mine, still lives around 10 miles from me and now belongs to a guy who has become one of my best friends.
