I took a ride in Charlie, with a couple friends that own 914s, down to 356 Unlimited, in Melbourne, Florida last Monday for their open house. Steve Hoffman has a reputation for restoring cars to their formal glory as well as anyone. And the open house did not disappoint. Enjoy the video shot while there.

There were a lot of cool cars there. A convertible that had been widened in the back, and even sported a bike rack receptacle in the rear bumper. There was also a 356 that a tree had fallen on before it rusted out. Yet, they plan to restore what is left of the coupe.

My favorite, though, was a 356 coupe that is painted a very unique green. When I asked the owner about the color he said it had a really cool story. Apparently, the original owner of the car lived in Hawaii, and his wife loved the color of the lagoon behind their house. He had the paint mixed in Hawaii to match the color of the lagoon, and shipped it to Porsche. The factory painted the car that color when it was finished, and the rest is history. Beautiful car.

After the open house Steve and his guys helped with a few things that needed to be done on Charlie before the Great Race:

  • Adjusted Valves
  • Adjusted Carbs
  • Tightened Generator Belt
  • Tightened Left Front Wheel Bearing