The RennHouse - Is this a good idea?
08-13-2017, 01:32 PM
#2
SoCal seems like the most logical spot given the number of Rennlisters and the relatively higher net worth down that way. But if visitors that are Rennlist members or know people in the club could have a day a year, I'd be all over it. Then I could see what the fuss is all about before saving for an air cooled car.
08-13-2017, 03:27 PM
#4
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
SoCal seems like the most logical spot given the number of Rennlisters and the relatively higher net worth down that way. But if visitors that are Rennlist members or know people in the club could have a day a year, I'd be all over it. Then I could see what the fuss is all about before saving for an air cooled car.
As for SoCal, I thought about it but:
1) Its very expensive
2) There are so many Porsche related clubs and events already, it would probably get drowned out
3) Personal reason - Seattle is much closer to me
08-13-2017, 03:53 PM
#6
Race Director
If this goes forward, trying to involve PCNA or local dealerships is a must. Sponsorship, tools, maybe even free wrench time for sponsored events/weekends.
I don’t sell cars, but...if I had a guy who came in and bought a new 911 every two years like clockwork I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to buy a membership in this club and drag him out there once or twice a year to make sure he knew to buy the next one from me.
I don’t sell cars, but...if I had a guy who came in and bought a new 911 every two years like clockwork I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to buy a membership in this club and drag him out there once or twice a year to make sure he knew to buy the next one from me.
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08-14-2017, 03:42 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
Great idea, but who is gonna handle the insurance and what about race related damages? Or heaven forbid drunk driver damage..... There are a lot of hidden costs and liabilities to consider.
08-14-2017, 04:04 PM
#9
Instructor
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I think the highest demand would be for models of the GT3 / Turbo models, and exuberant driving may well lead to accidents, and would most certainly incur higher wear and maintenance expenses.
Some people are taken with the possibilities that the "sharing economy" provides. As a dyed-in-the-wool cynic, I think that most people consider their desires paramount, and they would beat these cars like the proverbial rented mule.
In the mid-to late-70s, VW introduced the Rabbit GTI to the US market, and the motoring press were smitten. This was one of those cars that could do no wrong.
A friend, who had a newly minted driver's license, wanted badly to drive one, in the company of his best friend. The two of them dressed up in blue blazers, looking like they had escaped from the local yacht club, and made their way to the local VW dealership one afternoon after school.
They told the salesman their their parents were wealthy industrialists, that they were about to graduate from a local (and quite expensive) residential prep school, and that their fathers would wire the money for two GTIs, if they happened to like it. For reasons I can not understand, the sales staff took copies of their driver's licenses, a few phone numbers, and turned them loose, unaccompanied, in a GTI.
The test drive lasted about 30 minutes, before they pitched it off a single-lane road and into the pines. Since the road was elevated, there was a bit of flight time involved before the car came to rest, inverted, after shearing off a half-dozen pines. The two boys crawled out of what remained of the car, and walked back to the nearest home.
About 8:00 PM, the dealership called one of the provided phone numbers, inquiring if the GTI on loan was coming back. The lady who answered said that there was no GTI, and that no one at that home was an industrialist, and no children went to the chi-chi prep school. She was a realtor, and her husband owned a beauty salon.
My friend returned home at 9:00PM, to find two furious parents waiting. He told them where the remains of the car were, and insisted that the other guy was driving when things all went wrong. The other guy was explaining to his parents the exact same thing.
In short, it cost $9,000 between both families to buy the remains of a GTI with 15 miles on it.
There are many people out there who will do stupid things that a sensible person wouldn't consider. You only need to run across one to knock things into a cocked hat, and it can be difficult to determine their unreliability before you turn them loose with tempting items of value.
Some people are taken with the possibilities that the "sharing economy" provides. As a dyed-in-the-wool cynic, I think that most people consider their desires paramount, and they would beat these cars like the proverbial rented mule.
In the mid-to late-70s, VW introduced the Rabbit GTI to the US market, and the motoring press were smitten. This was one of those cars that could do no wrong.
A friend, who had a newly minted driver's license, wanted badly to drive one, in the company of his best friend. The two of them dressed up in blue blazers, looking like they had escaped from the local yacht club, and made their way to the local VW dealership one afternoon after school.
They told the salesman their their parents were wealthy industrialists, that they were about to graduate from a local (and quite expensive) residential prep school, and that their fathers would wire the money for two GTIs, if they happened to like it. For reasons I can not understand, the sales staff took copies of their driver's licenses, a few phone numbers, and turned them loose, unaccompanied, in a GTI.
The test drive lasted about 30 minutes, before they pitched it off a single-lane road and into the pines. Since the road was elevated, there was a bit of flight time involved before the car came to rest, inverted, after shearing off a half-dozen pines. The two boys crawled out of what remained of the car, and walked back to the nearest home.
About 8:00 PM, the dealership called one of the provided phone numbers, inquiring if the GTI on loan was coming back. The lady who answered said that there was no GTI, and that no one at that home was an industrialist, and no children went to the chi-chi prep school. She was a realtor, and her husband owned a beauty salon.
My friend returned home at 9:00PM, to find two furious parents waiting. He told them where the remains of the car were, and insisted that the other guy was driving when things all went wrong. The other guy was explaining to his parents the exact same thing.
In short, it cost $9,000 between both families to buy the remains of a GTI with 15 miles on it.
There are many people out there who will do stupid things that a sensible person wouldn't consider. You only need to run across one to knock things into a cocked hat, and it can be difficult to determine their unreliability before you turn them loose with tempting items of value.
08-14-2017, 04:13 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
^^Great story. I had a first generation Rabbit GTI, great fun little car...would have been early 80's as the GTI did not come to the USA until 1983.
As far as making it work I think the only way you police this is to have it be an on-track deal with a driving instructor (who works for RennHouse) in the car at all times. Similar to Exotic Racing or Dream Racing in Vegas. I think Exotic has a location in LA now too.
As far as making it work I think the only way you police this is to have it be an on-track deal with a driving instructor (who works for RennHouse) in the car at all times. Similar to Exotic Racing or Dream Racing in Vegas. I think Exotic has a location in LA now too.
08-14-2017, 04:35 PM
#11
Race Director
Associating such a club with an existing track - like Thermal out near Palm Springs, for example - is also essential, since recreating the wheel is less efficient than just buying one. None of these considerations are deal-killers, but allying yourself with someone who already knows the ropes makes a lot more sense than starting from scratch.
Finding a mentor within a similar club/organization/group would at least help determine how extensive the "to-do" list actually is...
Finding a mentor within a similar club/organization/group would at least help determine how extensive the "to-do" list actually is...
Last edited by 5CHN3LL; 08-14-2017 at 06:30 PM.
08-14-2017, 05:00 PM
#12
Scared to Look
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Put it in Atlanta, across the street from Porsche of North America. That happens to also be close to the airport for those that would like to fly in for some driving fun and see the new Porsche building/track.
08-14-2017, 09:54 PM
#14
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I think the highest demand would be for models of the GT3 / Turbo models, and exuberant driving may well lead to accidents, and would most certainly incur higher wear and maintenance expenses.
Some people are taken with the possibilities that the "sharing economy" provides. As a dyed-in-the-wool cynic, I think that most people consider their desires paramount, and they would beat these cars like the proverbial rented mule.
In the mid-to late-70s, VW introduced the Rabbit GTI to the US market, and the motoring press were smitten. This was one of those cars that could do no wrong.
A friend, who had a newly minted driver's license, wanted badly to drive one, in the company of his best friend. The two of them dressed up in blue blazers, looking like they had escaped from the local yacht club, and made their way to the local VW dealership one afternoon after school.
They told the salesman their their parents were wealthy industrialists, that they were about to graduate from a local (and quite expensive) residential prep school, and that their fathers would wire the money for two GTIs, if they happened to like it. For reasons I can not understand, the sales staff took copies of their driver's licenses, a few phone numbers, and turned them loose, unaccompanied, in a GTI.
The test drive lasted about 30 minutes, before they pitched it off a single-lane road and into the pines. Since the road was elevated, there was a bit of flight time involved before the car came to rest, inverted, after shearing off a half-dozen pines. The two boys crawled out of what remained of the car, and walked back to the nearest home.
About 8:00 PM, the dealership called one of the provided phone numbers, inquiring if the GTI on loan was coming back. The lady who answered said that there was no GTI, and that no one at that home was an industrialist, and no children went to the chi-chi prep school. She was a realtor, and her husband owned a beauty salon.
My friend returned home at 9:00PM, to find two furious parents waiting. He told them where the remains of the car were, and insisted that the other guy was driving when things all went wrong. The other guy was explaining to his parents the exact same thing.
In short, it cost $9,000 between both families to buy the remains of a GTI with 15 miles on it.
There are many people out there who will do stupid things that a sensible person wouldn't consider. You only need to run across one to knock things into a cocked hat, and it can be difficult to determine their unreliability before you turn them loose with tempting items of value.
Some people are taken with the possibilities that the "sharing economy" provides. As a dyed-in-the-wool cynic, I think that most people consider their desires paramount, and they would beat these cars like the proverbial rented mule.
In the mid-to late-70s, VW introduced the Rabbit GTI to the US market, and the motoring press were smitten. This was one of those cars that could do no wrong.
A friend, who had a newly minted driver's license, wanted badly to drive one, in the company of his best friend. The two of them dressed up in blue blazers, looking like they had escaped from the local yacht club, and made their way to the local VW dealership one afternoon after school.
They told the salesman their their parents were wealthy industrialists, that they were about to graduate from a local (and quite expensive) residential prep school, and that their fathers would wire the money for two GTIs, if they happened to like it. For reasons I can not understand, the sales staff took copies of their driver's licenses, a few phone numbers, and turned them loose, unaccompanied, in a GTI.
The test drive lasted about 30 minutes, before they pitched it off a single-lane road and into the pines. Since the road was elevated, there was a bit of flight time involved before the car came to rest, inverted, after shearing off a half-dozen pines. The two boys crawled out of what remained of the car, and walked back to the nearest home.
About 8:00 PM, the dealership called one of the provided phone numbers, inquiring if the GTI on loan was coming back. The lady who answered said that there was no GTI, and that no one at that home was an industrialist, and no children went to the chi-chi prep school. She was a realtor, and her husband owned a beauty salon.
My friend returned home at 9:00PM, to find two furious parents waiting. He told them where the remains of the car were, and insisted that the other guy was driving when things all went wrong. The other guy was explaining to his parents the exact same thing.
In short, it cost $9,000 between both families to buy the remains of a GTI with 15 miles on it.
There are many people out there who will do stupid things that a sensible person wouldn't consider. You only need to run across one to knock things into a cocked hat, and it can be difficult to determine their unreliability before you turn them loose with tempting items of value.
08-14-2017, 09:56 PM
#15
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I'm seeing requests for a variety of locations, from Seattle to SLC to Sacramento, SoCal and Atlanta. It strikes me that if we can get the model figured out, it would be possible to do this in more than one location. No reason it would have to be done in only one place, right?