Northern California Porsche Fans Gathered for Annual Meet-Up
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For nearly three decades, the place for Bay Area Porsche lovers to be on the first Sunday in June is the Loma Prieta Region Porsche Club - opens in new window or tab. Concours and Swap Meet in Hayward, Calif. This gathering is not your typical highbrow concours event for well-heeled motoring enthusiasts—but rather a down-home meet-up of Porsche fans, family, and friends.
Hosted by Parts Heaven, an eBay store - opens in new window or tab. (also based in Hayward Calif.), this event is a show-and-shine, swap meet, and social tech session rolled into one. Porsche owners from the Porsche Club of America Zone 7 convene with their machines. You’ll find every kind of Porsche—from dusty survivors to cars fresh from the showroom. It is one of the largest gatherings of experts on the arcane and obscure features of older vintage Porsches.
These enthusiasts are happy to answer questions about their car, and welcome the opportunity to help others with Porsche-related issues. It’s common to see groups of owners engaged in deep conversations about esoteric topics—from setting off-idle carburetor synchronization to the ideal tool kit for a late 1970s 911.
Bill Disser's 1958 Porsche 356.
In Northern California, there are as many Porsches on the road as there are minivans. If you want to see rare Porsches, this is the place.
This year’s Concours and Swap Meet was the best attended in many years, with more than 60 Porsches on display,” said Peter Ridgeway, Porsche Club Concours Chairman. “I was particularly impressed with Mark Mathis’s GT3 RSR track car that he brought all the way from Canada.”
Mark Mathis’s GT3 RSR track car.
This year’s gathering had a great selection of early air-cooled Porsches. Many were half-century-old air-cooled Porsche 356s and 912s that were still in pristine shape.
Wolfgang Reif's 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster.
“This year the top awards went to Bill Disser with his 1958 Porsche 356, Wolfgang Reif with a 1957 Porsche 356, and Ed Shapiro with his 1969 Porsche 912,” Ridgeway said.
The event is one of the remaining Porsche-specific swap meets in Northern California, rivaling similar events in Southern California. Participants start to set up at 7 am, with a crowd of enthusiasts already forming and eager to find a treasured part or accessory.
“This Concours really kicks off the exotic car show season in Northern California” said Al Uejo, the owner and founder of Parts Heaven. “For Porsche people, this Concours is a special social event.”
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