Nord Stern hosted the Porsche Parade in 1976. This photo features Gerry Sutterfield’s Gulf 917 ready to head out on the track at BIR. In front of the 917 is the 910 that Jack Zimmer from Carousel had rebodied by Troutman. It sat on the show floor there for a number of years and was a pretty big deal in 1976.
What caught my eye in this photo is the spare tire. Ironic that new Porsche’s no longer have spare tires but race cars circa 1970 did. You can see the driver is sitting slightly to the right. This is a because there was a tiny passenger seat in the cockpit per the rules. Many even had a small trunk and a number of road car features. All because these were sports cars and the rules makers thought you would take a tiny friend with luggage in case you had a flat running down the Mulsanne at over 240 mph honking your horn.
Photo by Leonard Turner.
The POrsche 924 was introduced this year. The car was delivered to what is now Porsche of Minneapolis. A quick call to Elmer Langre, would he be able to get the car up there and out of site until the introduction. We were staying at a cabin up there of of Gull Lake, where there was one other cabin of fishermen. Mom (Vietta) drove the car up there. A little over 10 years later, she would be driving her own 924 (her first Porsche she owned by herself), to what is now the Fall Fling to compete in her first autocross. Nord Stern provided driving instructors to show them the track. Dad was there with his 2.8 RSR clone (less the 2.8 liter motor) and the first Hot Rod 911 was there, being a chopped top 911 from California.