Der Sportwagen

November / December 2016 66 CLUB MEMBER SPECIAL By Jim Rand Old Shoes & Old Cars MAINTING HISTORY T he great thing about being a contribu- tor to Der Sportwagen is that I get to see things, visit places and meet peo- ple I probably never would have otherwise. About a year ago the magazine's editor, Stan Thorne, emailed me a suggestion for an ar- ticle. Two mem-bers of the club had owned 911Ts since the early 70's, and Stan thought there would be some interesting material to be mined. C a t c h i n g both own- ers for phone i n t e r v i e w s , finding and scheduling a location for a pho-to shoot; it all takes time. Finally, 12 months later, on a clear, crisp fall morning in Octo-ber, we met at Kansas City's National Airline History Museum. There, over coffee and donuts, I was able to sit down face to face with Rodolfo Are- valo and Allen Bolte. This is when the club motto, "It's the people, not just the cars" came true. Both drove their well used, but beautifully maintained Porsches to the han- gar for me to use as automotive models. But sitting back and discussing their most enjoy- able times in their Porsches and participa- tion in club events was most interesting. At one time, both cars were in service as daily drivers. Rodolfo's 1973½ Guards Red 911T has amassed slightly over 146,000 miles. Allen's turquoise 1971 911T, al- though the senior vehicle, has recorded just a hair over 98,000 miles. Rodolfo purchased his Porsche new while living in Austin, Texas. However, his most memorable drive, shared with his wife, was while living in Washington State, where they wound their way on the quiet back roads from Spokane to Bend, Oregon. "The road feel in my '73, in my opinion, is much better than the newer models. You get more feedback, less dampening of the senses". As a testament to Porsche's durability, Ro- dolfo has only had a minor overhaul done to the engine, while the body saw a re-paint 15 years ago. Allen found his 1971 coupe sitting on the lot at the then KC Porsche dealer, Art Bun- ker. The Porsche bug bit Allen a few years earlier when visiting Germany with a col- lege friend. While in Frankfurt they attend- ed the auto show, where the Porsche 901 was being showcased. The sporty lines of the 901 caught Allen's attention, and once back in the states, those legendary curves were not forgotten. In 1974, Allen found himself at the Bunker dealership, admir- ing the low mileage, 28,000, 911T. There a deal was made and Allen drove it home. Other drivers have not always been kind to

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