German AutoFest; Really, a Porsche circus.(Escape Roads)(Brief Article)

Byline: PATRICK C. PATERNIE

* Nary a Borgward nor Bimmer nor, most importantly, anyone from the legal department of a certain Stuttgart-based sports car company was present at the held Sept. 14 and 15 in Ventura, California. There were, however, about 600 Porsches and thousands of Porsche enthusiasts in attendance accord- ing to event organizer Bob Campbell.

Although it could not be advertised as such, the was for all practical purposes a Porsche industry show (think a mini SEMA for Porsches) with 100 display booths spread between two exhibit halls at the beach-side fairgrounds. Ancillary activities included technical seminars, car shows, a swap meet, a used car corral and a literature/model car expo that lent the event the aura of a six-ring Porsche circus; or maybe Disneyland, as the 67 cars participating in the Speedster Fest were lined up a la Le Mans start-style, on a palm tree-lined Main Street between the exhibition halls.

But to get to the Speedsters, mostly 356s with a jellybean-colored array of 911 variants mixed in, one had to traverse a parking lot full of swap meet vendors hawking steering wheels, seats, alloy wheels and numerous other Porsche parts, some still attached to donor 911s, 914s and 356s in various states of decay.

Those seeking an entire car might also be pulled off course to answer the siren's song of cars for sale in the shadowy confines of the exhibit hall that served as the used car corral. Inside could be found an unfinished Beck Spyder kit, a 911 racer claimed to be legal for any series short of NASCAR, a ``virtually rust-free'' primer-spattered 1965 911 and a Chevy V8-powered 944. There were a few ...