Our HCR enjoyed another great Ladies Luncheon on Wednesday, June 3rd from 11:30a-1:30p. It was held at The League Kitchen and Tavern in Austin. It was great visiting with our fellow members.
Our HCR enjoyed another great Ladies Luncheon on Wednesday, June 3rd from 11:30a-1:30p. It was held at The League Kitchen and Tavern in Austin. It was great visiting with our fellow members.
We had 40 members enjoying an amazing happy hour menu at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse! Join us during one of the club favorites the 4th Wednesday of every month from 4-7!
We had 40 members enjoying an amazing happy hour menu at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse! Join us during one of the club favorites the 4th Wednesday of every month from 4-7!
Another great monthly event that allows our HCR members and Porsche enthusiasts to enjoy some coffee, breakfast tacos, and visit with our amazing members. We had 36 cars to admire at Informal Get Together Rudy’s BBQ located at 7709 RR 620.
Another great monthly event that allows our HCR members and Porsche enthusiasts to enjoy some coffee, breakfast tacos, and visit with our amazing members. We had 36 cars to admire at Informal Get Together Rudy’s BBQ located at 7709 RR 620.
The Hill Country Region was represented at Porsche Parade by over 10 members! It was a full week of PCA activities, but our members also went to the top of the Olympic ski lift, took a curling lesson, made candles, and toured the Olympic museum!
The Hill Country Region was represented at Porsche Parade by over 10 members! It was a full week of PCA activities, but our members also went to the top of the Olympic ski lift, took a curling lesson, made candles, and toured the Olympic museum!
BEYOND THE HORIZON
The 1980s: Built on $217 | Part Two of Five A History of the Hill Country Region of the Porsche Club of America
Written by Ravi Govind, Club Historian and Archivist
The Hill Country Region entered 1980 with sixty members, one affiliate, and a total operating budget of $217.17. President Ed Rasmussen consulted the membership and filled the calendar anyway: five autocross events, three road rallies, three tech sessions, Porschedillo, a family picnic, and a Christmas party. The ambition exceeded the finances considerably, and it held.
It held until summer, when the weight of running a club on volunteer labor and almost no money caught up with Rasmussen. He resigned midyear, and Vice President Dean Jessen carried the club through to new elections. Connie Nelin took the presidency, with new member Ralph Renkert as vice president. Nelin departed for another region shortly afterward, and Renkert stepped into the chair without ceremony. He had bought his first Porsche in January 1980 and joined PCA two months later. He arrived at the presidency still new to autocross competition, but he already understood how to organize.
In February 1981, Renkert attended a PCA board meeting in San Antonio. There he met Bruce Anderson, newly appointed chairman of PCA’s national Technical Committee, a position he would hold for two decades. Anderson was also a founder of Garretson Enterprises, whose Porsche 935s had won Sebring and Daytona and supported a Le Mans-winning effort.
A month later, Porsche ran a magazine advertisement built around its Le Mans program. The timing was perfect. Porsche had entered three 924 Carrera GTs at Le Mans in 1980 and would return in 1981 with a 924 Carrera GTP that won its class outright.
Renkert looked at the advertisement and saw an autocross course. He took the idea to Carey Spreen, the Horizons editor and an experienced autocrosser. Spreen liked it. Autocross Chairman Rick Diaz liked it too. That left two problems: finding a venue and shrinking eight miles of French racetrack to fit a parking lot. Renkert called Anderson for a detailed circuit layout. It arrived within a week. For the scaling, he turned to coworker Greg Henthorn, who worked in computer-aided drafting, then at the leading edge of the field.
The two men measured a new L-shaped shopping center southeast of Round Rock along Interstate 35, on a site now anchored by an Outback Steakhouse and a Whataburger. Henthorn fed the dimensions into a mainframe and, within two days, produced a 1:22 scale reproduction of the Circuit de la Sarthe overlaid on the venue. The Mulsanne Straight came out at 800 feet.
Instead of another parking lot course marked by cones, drivers would compete on a scaled version of the world’s most famous endurance circuit. They called it Little Le Mans, Renkert’s name from the beginning. Years later, IMSA would launch a national sports car race called Petit Le Mans. Hill Country had been using its version of the name long before that. The event was open to all European marques, including Porsche, Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Maserati, and De Tomaso Pantera.
The original June 14 date was rained out. On July 19, 1981, forty drivers arrived with thirty cars. A neighbor brought a snow cone truck, creating the first refreshment stand at an HCR autocross. David McElroy took top time of day in his 911S at 36.745 seconds. Little Le Mans II moved to Tony Berger Center in 1982, sharing the site with the local Spokes autocross club. Spokes chairman Howard Phillips proposed dividing the venue, with two lots for HCR, the remaining space for Spokes, and each club paying half the rental fee. It marked HCR’s first autocross held on another club’s territory. Phillips took top time of day in a 1973 Porsche 914.
Little Le Mans III ran in 1983 at the Virgil T. Blossom Athletic Center in north San Antonio, arranged through Bill Lusk of the Longhorn Region. It was HCR’s first auto- cross held in another PCA region. During course setup the day before the event, a BMW M1 turned off the road beside the venue. The drivers were Mexican nationals who had not planned to attend. They returned the next day and entered.
Francisco Mendoza took top time of day at 40.30 seconds, the only time in Little Le Mans history that a non-Porsche won. By Little Le Mans IV in August 1984, other regions were calling to ask why the event was not on the schedule. McElroy won again, with Bill Carter’s 914-6 finishing just four hundredths of a second behind. Little Le Mans V returned to Tony Berger Center on June 23, 1985, and later appeared in Porsche’s national magazine. Renkert co-wrote the account with Carey Spreen.
The event drew 45 drivers and 35 cars, making it the largest autocross in club history at that point. Entrants came from the Longhorn, Lone Star, and Maverick regions. The field included a Lamborghini Countach, two Ferrari 512 Berlinettas, a Porsche RSR, and a pair of 930 Turbos. Close to a million dollars in exotic machinery gathered on a Round Rock parking lot. Mike Gochenour’s Turbo led the exotics before Mike Hallock’s 911 took fastest time of the day overall.
The circuit had also evolved since 1981. Wider gates for the fifth anniversary changed the course from its original 1:22 scale to roughly 1:20, easing the turns for long-wheelbase grand touring cars and shaving about two seconds from lap times. One photograph from the national magazine placed Bill Lusk’s RSR at the Virage du Tertre Rouge. Even the corner names had made the trip from France. Entries more than doubled the following year. Little Le Mans VI drew 110 cars and earned a feature in Motor Trend’s December 1986 issue.
The field ranged from a 1955 Porsche Speedster to a Lotus that had simply wandered in. Motor Trend described the event as closer to a picnic than a competition and credited Renkert’s organizing committee with keeping it that way. By the end of the decade, Little Le Mans had run for ten consecutive years.
The same year Renkert launched the event, Austin’s only authorized Porsche parts source closed. HCR responded by organizing bulk parts orders directly from national distributors. Members mailed payment by check and waited for their Koni shocks to arrive before the next autocross.
Porsche Audi of Austin opened several months later and became an immediate supporter. The parts shortage lasted only a season. By January 1982, membership had climbed from sixty to ninety. In 1985, Ron and Treeta Beard took over Horizons. Ron brought photography. Treeta brought editing discipline. The photocopied, typewritten pages of the early years gave way to real photographs and professional printing through Ginny’s, which became a sponsor. That year, the club’s bank balance stood at $1,120.13 and membership reached 130. The Region depended on members who took on more than one job and kept doing it.
Bob Cox, one of the original twenty-five founders, incorporated the Region with the State of Texas without title or pay. He also ran a European sports car repair shop at North Lamar Boulevard and Kramer Lane and organized Porschedillo for years. Rick Toms edited Horizons for much of the decade while organizing events well beyond that role. Al and Denise Dylla and the Beards opened their homes to the full membership more than once.
In 1988, the club put that service in writing. The Dyllas received HCR Family of the Year, and Toms was named Enthusiast of the Year. Just as the Region was reaching maturity, Porsche entered more difficult years. American sales, then the bulk of the company’s worldwide output, fell between 30 and 40 percent as the dollar weakened against the German mark. New CEO Heinz Branitzki suspended production to reduce inventory and told reporters flatly that the party at Porsche was over. HCR felt the effects. Membership declined, and Horizons returned to its earlier photocopied format.
Much of the club’s activity shifted to Texas World Speedway, an aging two-mile oval outside College Station that had lost NASCAR and IndyCar by the mid-1980s. It survived on club racing and track days, often shared with the Longhorn and Lone Star regions. Little Le Mans remained on the calendar. Porschedillo continued to draw Zone 5 crowds. The Shrimp Concourse, inherited from Longhorn a decade earlier, still ran each summer on Lake Austin.
The money was thin. The same people kept showing up. ■
With grateful acknowledgement to Hans Falk and Ralph Renkert, whose research and firsthand accounts inform this article.
PORSCHE
MUSEUM
VISIT
Story and Photos by Tom Hitchcock
My wife and I got married a year ago and we decided to delay going on a honeymoon to focus on buying a house first. Our trip to Europe was for our delayed honeymoon. We were only in Germany for a couple of days before also going to France, Switzerland, and Italy, but knew that I wanted to spend one of those couple days in Stuttgart to visit the Porsche museum.
I had never been to the museum before. In fact, although I had been to Europe before, it was my first time in Germany. Our trip was in May, so the weather was very nice. The metro has a stop right at the museum, so as soon as you get off the metro, there it is. It is a massive building and the streets are lined with buildings where Porsche manufacturing is taking place. There is a giant display in the middle with three pillars that have real Porsches attached to them, as you can see in one of the pictures.
Inside the museum, they give you a phone with an earpiece, attached to a lanyard, to take around the museum with you. Each item in the museum has a number. You enter the number on the phone and it will read off all kinds of facts and history about what you are looking at. I believe they offer human guides as well, but we liked being able to take as much or little time as we wanted at each stop on the self guided tour. It’s hard to choose a favorite item, but some of the highlights were seeing some concept cars next to the actual production car. It was neat seeing how the design started vs how it turned out. As well as seeing some rare and quirky items like the Porsche tractor, one of a kind race cars, and tons of racing trophies. They also had a full sized 911 Turbo made out of legos, which was pretty fun as well. At the end of the visit, there is a store to get souvenirs. I got a few things for my dad, who is responsible for my interest in Porsche’s, and sports cars in general. They let you keep the Porsche Museum lanyard, and I got a small Porsche 356B car in a display case that says Porsche Museum on it. Nothing too extravagant as we still had lots of traveling to do. It was a lot of fun and I’m very happy we were able to spend the afternoon there! ■
PIT STOP
Beyond the Beep
Understanding Modern Radar
Detection Technology
Written by Imran Ahmad
Owner, Driven by Design
Porsche has always been an engineering company. Every generation introduces technology that improves performance, precision, and driver confidence without taking away from the experience behind the wheel. Whether it’s Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes, PDK, or Porsche Active Suspension Management, the best technology is often the technology you hardly notice. It simply does its job. The same can be said for today’s premium radar detection systems.
Many Porsche owners remember the radar detectors of the 1990s and early 2000s. They chirped constantly at automatic doors, shopping centers, and seemingly every passing SUV. Eventually, many enthusiasts unplugged them, convinced they were more nuisance than benefit. Ironically, the detectors weren’t the problem. The world around them changed. Modern vehicles have become rolling computers equipped with radar for adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, and other driver assistance systems. Speed enforcement has evolved as well. Fortunately, radar detection technology has kept pace. Today’s premium systems are dramatically quieter, smarter, and more capable than the detectors many of us remember.
Understanding Speed Enforcement
Before discussing radar detectors, it’s helpful to understand what they’re designed to detect. Traditional microwave radar remains the most common method of speed enforcement, although officers may also use LiDAR (laser), pacing, aircraft timing, and visual observation. Each method presents different challenges, which is why no detector can promise protection in every situation.
The two technologies most enthusiasts think about are radar and LiDAR, but they operate very differently. Police radar transmits radio waves that spread outward much like the beam from a flashlight. At roughly 500 feet, the beam can be nearly 70 feet wide, allowing it to reflect from multiple vehicles before reaching yours. Those reflections often provide the advance warning that quality radar detectors are designed to recognize. LiDAR, or police laser, uses pulses of infrared light in a beam only about 18 inches wide at the same distance. Think of the difference between a flashlight and a laser pointer. That narrow beam allows an officer to target a single vehicle, often by aiming at the front license plate or headlights.
Understanding this difference helps explain both the strengths and the limitations of modern detection systems.
Why Today’s Detectors Are Better
The biggest complaint about older detectors was constant false alerts. Ironically, today’s biggest source of interference isn’t police radar. It’s the vehicles driving beside you. Early detectors couldn’t distinguish between police radar and the radar used by nearby vehicles. Modern premium detectors use sophisticated filtering, GPS intelligence, directional awareness, and signal recognition to identify meaningful threats while ignoring much of the background noise.
The result is a detector that’s significantly quieter and far more useful. When a quality system alerts today, there’s a much better chance it’s telling you something worth paying attention to. Laser technology has evolved as well. Premium integrated systems often use multiple infrared sensors positioned around the vehicle rather than relying on a single windshield-mounted detector. This broader coverage improves the system’s ability to recognize laser from multiple directions. Depending on the manufacturer and the laws where the vehicle is operated, these systems may also provide additional capabilities. Because regulations vary considerably between jurisdictions, owners should always understand the laws wherever they drive.
A Driver Awareness Tool
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding radar detectors is that they’re designed to encourage speeding. In reality, they’re best viewed as driver awareness tools.
Much like blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, or a quality dash camera, they simply provide additional information that allows attentive drivers to make better informed decisions.
No detector guarantees protection. They cannot detect every enforcement method, and because laser uses such a narrow beam, a laser alert may occur only after your vehicle has already been targeted. Good technology doesn’t replace good judgment. It simply gives good drivers better information.
Choosing a Detector
After helping enthusiasts choose and install these systems for many years, one question comes up more than any other: “What’s the best radar detector?”
The honest answer is that there isn’t one. Today’s premium manufacturers all produce remarkably capable systems. The differences are less about whether one brand works and more about engineering philosophy, installation preferences, software features, and how much customization an owner wants.
Uniden has earned an outstanding reputation for exceptional radar sensitivity and extensive user customization. Its lineup includes both portable windshield mounted detectors and fully integrated remote systems.
Escort remains one of the industry’s best-known names, combining strong radar performance with GPS intelligence, cloud connectivity, automatic software updates, and one of the most mature software ecosystems available.
Genevo focuses almost exclusively on premium integrated systems, offering extensive configurability, sophisticated multi-sensor laser technology, and clean OEM-style integration.
Valentine Research continues to enjoy an exceptionally loyal following thanks to its straightforward design, excellent radar performance, and its pioneering use of directional arrows, a feature now common on many premium detectors.
Fortunately, today’s Porsche owner has more excellent choices than ever before. Directional threat indication, intelligent filtering, GPS lockouts, smartphone integration, and sophisticated software updates are now available across multiple premium brands. Ultimately, the best detector is the one that complements the way you drive. A weekend drive through the Hill Country may call for different priorities than a daily commute through Austin traffic or a cross-country road trip.
Why Installation Matters
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned after decades of installing these systems, it’s that the detector itself is only part of the equation. Mounting location, viewing angle, windshield composition, power integration, and installation quality all influence performance.
Modern Porsches incorporate rain sensors, driver assistance cameras, and increasingly sophisticated electronics. Some models also use climate-comfort or metallic-coated windshields that can affect signal transmission. Understanding these variables helps ensure the detector performs as intended while preserving the clean interior design Porsche is known for.
Advances in 3D scanning, CAD design, and 3D printing have transformed what’s possible during an installation. Custom mounting solutions now allow displays, controllers, and exterior laser sensors to integrate discreetly into the vehicle, making the technology feel like it belongs there rather than appearing as an aftermarket addition. Whether choosing a hardwired windshield mounted detector or a fully integrated remote system, thoughtful installation improves both performance and long-term reliability.
Looking Ahead
One thing three decades in this industry has taught me is that radar detection technology never stands still. Artificial intelligence, cloud-connected databases, GPS learning, advanced filtering, and integrated laser sensing have transformed today’s premium detectors into highly specialized driver awareness systems.
Choosing a detector isn’t about buying the most expensive model or the one with the longest feature list. It’s about understanding the available technologies and selecting the system that best complements the way you enjoy your Porsche. As the cars evolve, so will the technology. Technology should never replace the driving experience. It should quietly enhance it.
That’s exactly what modern radar detectors have become: thoughtfully engineered tools that help attentive drivers make informed decisions behind the wheel. ■
Horizons Advertising Index
Paul’s air-cooled wife in his air-cooled 1986 911 Carrera 3.2
Paul’s air-cooled wife in his air-cooled 1986 911 Carrera 3.2
One of two additional condensers, with electric fan in driver’s rear fender well
One of two additional condensers, with electric fan in driver’s rear fender well
Smuggler’s box with new blower motor, modified housing, evaporator, and barrier hoses
Smuggler’s box with new blower motor, modified housing, evaporator, and barrier hoses
Dryer and barrier hose routing
Dryer and barrier hose routing
New Denso compressor
New Denso compressor
Upgraded belly condenser
Upgraded belly condenser
Beyond Stock
Written by Don Stevens and Paul Lucas
Photos by Paul Lucas
Keeping the Cabin Cool in Your Air-Cooled Ride
For many of us, our air-cooled 911s are meant to be driven— not just admired in the garage or at car shows. Yet when Texas temperatures start climbing into the 90s and 100s, even the most dedicated Porsche enthusiast may hesitate before reaching for the keys of their vintage 911. The reality is that while Porsche engineered these cars brilliantly for their era, air conditioning was never one of their strongest attributes, particularly in hot and humid climates.
A weak A/C system doesn’t just affect comfort. It can limit how often you drive your car, discourage passengers from joining you on excursions, and turn a relaxing weekend cruise into an endurance event. The good news is that modern components have made it possible to dramatically improve cabin cooling while preserving the character of an air-cooled 911. For air-cooled 911s operating in severe heat zones like the American Southwest, a robust, mechanically driven modernization remains the gold standard for pure cooling capacity. Here is how HCR member Paul Lucas transformed his 1986 3.2 Carrera from a seasonal cruiser into a true four-season ride.
Understanding Your Options
Most owners considering an upgrade generally have three paths available:
1. Repair the Original System
Replacing worn components and recharging the factory system is often the least expensive option. While it may restore some performance, expectations should remain realistic, especially in hotter climates.
2. Modernize the Factory Layout
These systems build upon Porsche’s original architecture but swap out inefficient components for modern, high-efficiency equivalents. This approach retains the traditional engine-driven compressor and substitutes modern, higher-capacity condensers, evaporators, blowers, hoses, and controls.
3. Convert to an Electric Compressor System
Electric compressor systems eliminate compressor drag on the engine and offer packaging advantages for some builds. However, these are typically more expensive systems that require significant electrical upgrades. According to many owner reports, this option may struggle to match the cooling capacity of a fully modernized engine-driven system in extreme heat.
Paul’s Project: Going “Full Griffiths”
I love driving my 1986 Carrera, but there are always overly warm spring days that cause me to ask the question -- do I choose the 911 for the weekend drive with my wife as co-pilot, or should I take a different vehicle that has much more comfortable A/C? Since I wanted the joy of driving my 911 year-round, I decided to pull the trigger and give my car a major A/C upgrade.
First of all, 911 owners should note an important distinction before upgrading. Porsche significantly improved the center and side dash vents in the 1986 and newer Carreras that significantly allow greater airflow. Earlier G-body cars can still benefit from A/C upgrades, but owners may want to investigate supplemental vent solutions. If you are retrofitting an earlier G-Body, under-dash vent diffusers are available to help bridge this gap.
For my car, I initially researched electric compressor-based systems -- to eliminate engine drag and save rear weight. However, data showed these systems struggling to match engine-driven systems in brutally hot climates. Furthermore, an electric setup requires a pricey high-output alternator that would displace the windshield washer bottle in the frunk, and they don’t include upgraded cabin blowers. Purists complain about the weight of the extra mechanical condensers, but we’re talking a mere 5 to 8 lbs. over stock components. Since I don’t track my car, the trade-off was a no-brainer.
I opted for a full system refresh from Griffiths. After discussing my goals for a black car in Texas with Griffiths owner Charlie Griffiths, he recommended a complete package -- a modern rotary compressor, uprated front condenser, high-efficiency evaporator, new dryer, barrier hoses (absolutely required to prevent small R134a molecules from seeping through vintage rubber), two additional driver-side rear fender-mounted electric-fan condensers, a “Hurricane” blower motor, an infinitely variable speed fan controller, and a new thermostat. The only retained factory piece was the decklid condenser, which I removed and flushed.
The Installation Process
The parts arrived well-packaged along with the most highly detailed installation manual that I have ever encountered. Anticipating a 15 to 25-hour project, I chose to tackle it myself and pocket the $200/hour shop rate for future maintenance funds. If you can handle a standard 911 valve adjustment, you have the mechanical skills required for this job.
The work kicked off in the smuggler’s box with the removal of the original evaporator and blower motor. Because 1986 and newer cars feature a lower-profile evaporator box, accommodating the upgraded Kuehl Hurricane blower required me to source a housing from a 1985 model. With a $150 used box sourced from a friend, the new blower fit beautifully with only minor modifications.
Next was the interior electrical work -- installing the variable-speed blower controller circuit board and wiring into the passenger footwell -- then feeding the fluid-filled copper thermostat line carefully through the firewall to avoid kinking. To survive the Texas heat, auxiliary cooling is mandatory. I mounted two additional fan-powered condensers in the driver’s rear fender well. With the car on jack stands and the rear wheel removed, mounting the units and trimming the included rock guards was straightforward. Power was easily tapped from the rear fuse panel.
Next came the dirtiest phase of my project -- the barrier hoses. This job shot the car’s 40 years of trapped road grit straight into my eyes -- so be sure to wear protective goggles during this task. Threading the stiff, new barrier hoses through the small rear firewall grommet, along the front passenger fender and under the chassis into the smuggler’s box, is a tight, twisting exercise. A second pair of hands is highly valuable.
The Verdict
With the new dryer, compressor and belt installed, and all fittings torqued, I took the car to a local specialist to have the system evacuated and charged. The Griffiths manual dedicates seven full pages to this critical process—so make sure your chosen shop strictly follows the manual. The results are stunning. I now get sub-40 degree vent temperatures on a 90-degree day, backed by a cabin blower speed that will practically remove your eyebrows. The investment in time and money has completely transformed the car for me. I can now use and enjoy my air-cooled 911 any day of the year, in the company of my favorite co-pilot, doing what we love most about our car – driving!
If you have questions for Paul, contact him at plauleluc@gmail.com ■
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