Garage Find: Porsche Winning Race Cars in the Back Room
You never know what you’ll find in driving the roads of America. On my way back from Werks Reunion Amelia Island this year I had one of those experiences.
My 1973 914 conked out on I-95 on my way home during this 1,000 mile round trip in a 48 year old car. Sitting on the edge of I-95 just outside Savannah late Friday afternoon with a car that I didn’t hold out much hope with finding a mechanic that worked on 914’s.
A Google search of Vintage Porsche Mechanic, Savannah identified German Auto Service. I gave them a call and after multiple rings the phone was answered and I tentatively asked if they worked on 914’s. The answer was yes, what’s the problem? I asked if they could look at my car and described the problem of the car just dying on the freeway.
The first question was: “Does it have its fuel injection or carbs?” I was in luck, this mechanic knew enough about 914’s to ask that very specific 914 question. He even offered to find me a tow truck and wait for me after hours to see if he could get me on my way. Luck was with me on this Friday afternoon even though I had not won anything at Amelia with my beauty.
I was towed to the far side of Savannah talking country music in the cab with the tow truck driver while we tried to find All German Service on Causton Street in Savannah as the sun set.
We pulled behind a high fenced yard filled with old Porsches and Mercedes in the yard with a big Powerboat in the service bay. Out bounds the owner, shaggy-haired Rob Parker commenting what a great looking 914 it was. He said, “I’ve got the 914 that won Amelia last year in the garage.” Puzzled, I walked back behind the boat and around a Porsche in the bay next to the boat and there was revealed the Amelia winning 914 pictured above. I guess, he does know 914’s. Garage find one: Amelia winning race prepared 914.
I am embarrassed but relieved to say my 914 was fixed in 15 minutes once he identified that I had “crappy fuel hose clamps” that had let go.
I asked about a business card from Rob and he would me through a labyrinth of hallways in his shop to his office that had a glass wall looking into another room with a tangerine race prepared recreated Porsche 934. It turns out it was his race car that he had won the HSR Sebring race with recently. Since I used to race a Porsche we traded “do you knows” within the HSR racing community and I realized that this was just not any German car repair shop.
After swapping stories I had to head off with owner/mechanic Rob Parker cautioning me to find a hotel for the night and make the drive to Asheville the next morning. Rob saved me off the side of the road for the charge of a tow so I really owed him. The Porsche community is so great.
After crossing that monstrous bridge out of Savannah in the dark in a 48-year old go kart with 48 year old headlights that aren’t very good, I stopped at the first hotel I found. It was actually a motel, but that is another story.
My 914 purred all the way home the next morning without incident and a smile on my face that I had made such a garage find on my journey.
I still owed Rob and German Auto Service more than thanks so I decided food was the answer with a Uber Eats delivery of a bucket of coffee, breakfast sandwiches and a dozen donuts from the famous Savannah bakery, Duck Donuts. Rob and I touched base and now Facebook friends later he is a follower of the Air Brigade.
Tags: Garage Find, All German Service, Porsche 914 Repair
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