about: foundings

The story of how the RGruppe was formed:

In 1999, Freeman Thomas, the designer of Audi TT, Volkswagen Concept One (which later became the New Beetle), contacted the owner of a white 1969 Porsche 911S Coupe which was featured in one of the main articles in a recent issue of Excellence Magazine. The emphasis of article was on the Hot Rod nature of the Porsche owned by Northern California resident Cris Huergas with beautiful pictures of the white car along the San Francisco Bay.

They talked about how the factory had modified it's production cars in the late 1960's and early 1970's, what types of simple modifications could be made to give a car the right look, and of course, the 1967 world-record holding 911R. In May of 1999 came the start of a club called the R Gruppe, R for the 911R and "our" group, and Gruppe the German word for group. It also sounded like, "our group."

The original "R-Gruppe" logo concept came from a sketch by Freeman, which was patienly executed on the computer by founding RGruppe member #4, and Piloti Shoe Company CEO Kevin Beard. Debate and discussion on size,fonts,and the design of the "slide valve" assembly etc. ensued.

The first meeting of the RGruppe came at the Muckenthaller Concours in Southern California, and Cris (along with passenger Gary Schultz), made the 6-hour trek in the white '69 911S to Freeman's house for the event and some late night planning. Neighbor and 1974 911 Carrera owner Mike Mescaro showed us his incredible collection across the street. Bob Wake, Volkswagen Designer & master craftsman showed us his stock refrigerator-white Vannagon with 3.6-liter Carrera motor.

At the Muckenthaler show, racing legend Milt Mintner came by to check out Freeman's Tangerine 1969 911E with 2.8 motor (modified highly since then with twin-plugs and other goodies), and Jeff Zwart arrived in one of his Pike's Peak-winning Porsche's Carreras. Alfred Hu brought a one-owner Silver/Black 1967 911S Coupe with 30k miles and the original leather tie-down straps still in the plastic bags. Chuck Miller's blue 911 was parked next to the new RGruppe crowd in the corner. The level of concours-worthy early Porsches was staggering, but a lone 996 turbo was seemingly ignored up on a hill overlooking the 30+ year old vintage cars.

The first official event came to the sleepy coastal town of Cambria the next year (2000) and word spread very fast of the club. Diane and Mike Mescaro gave the group an incredible driving tour from downtown Cambria up to a spectacular winery. The 911 Registry was in attendance, and there were some wild rides including a white RSR with a temporary street licence and an orange 911 with a case of beer strapped to the roof-mounted luggage rack.

But 2001 proved to be even more extraordinary with the arrival of twin-plug motors, Carbon-fiber hoods, and a move to another hotel slightly down the coast. This year we have run out our lease in the little town, even though the 2002 event was as good as ever. Great people, incredibly creative cars, and lots of wonderful driving roads.

Stay tuned for more updates on the history of the RGruppe and future news about upcoming events. Or better yet, call your local Porsche owner that you're going to meet him and a friend for breakfast and a drive this Saturday morning.

The goal of the RGruppe has always been to leave your attitude to the car, not yourself. No egos allowed. And, It's better to spend an hour driving your vintage Porsche along the coastal winding roads than sitting in a chair admiring.

So, log off and drive.

The Porsche Crest is a registered trademark of Dr.Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG.