A week to D-DAY (Drive Day) and it’s been rather eventful in Catherine’s Copperstate prep world.

The first unfortunate hiccup involved my mechanical cousin.  We’d been discussing driving strategies, practicing our left and right hand & mouth co-ordination, when disaster struck.  Due to circumstances beyond his control, a conflict of business issues meant that he had no option but to politely decline the offer to co-drive (this year, at least!!!).  Personally I felt a hand written note on the front door saying “On a car rally, back next week” should be an appropriate solution, but apparently that’s not the way it works in CEO land.

Disappointed, but realizing that no amount of bribery or cajoling could counter the problem; I resorted to finding an alternative.  Amazingly, the opportunity to tear around the back roads of Phoenix is quite appealing, so within two phone calls and twenty minutes I found a suitable replacement that was not only keen, but available.

Reviewing the car, I decided that the odd looking amp living in the glove box really wasn’t necessary.  I’d removed the radio some time ago, which meant that this particular example of seventies audio technology was just taking up valuable space for “stuff”.  Fortunately, I choose my friends carefully, so was able to call on the assistance of a kind and car-inclined buddy called Brent, to come and help with this particular dilemma.  He arrived, with tools in-hand and promised that this particular problem would be an easy fix.  Before I could open the bonnet and pull out my toolkit, he was in the passenger seat, and tackling the screws…so far, so easy that even this gal could do it!

Unfortunately, before I could repeat “pass me another wrench, this one is too large”, there was a slight change in his overall tone as he turned upside down and disappeared into the seat well.  The calm demeanor now replaced with a few technical terms related to reproduction and random comments about removing an entire something…not looking quite so good.   I decided to take a more backseat approach to supervising at this point….actually not even back seat, more along the lines of standing behind the car and out of low flying spanner range.

Just when it looked like the amp was coming along for the ride after all, Brent had a Eureka moment, the glove box came out completely and we voted jointly for the hammer out a screw approach.   So, after a slightly longer, more dirt on his jeans than promised amount of time  we had the amp and assorted wiring lying on the ground & what do you know…. Porsche glove boxes are actually quite large!  To be sure that our, sorry…HIS highly skillful Maguyvering was successful, I turned on the engine to check lights and ignition were all working.  We seemed to be missing a brake light, but as that’s an easy fix, I put it on my list of weekend chores and waved an appreciative to my generous, although now slightly grubby, friend.

Sunday afternoon, and I removed the rear light lens with a view to ten minute bulb replacement.  However, I had forgotten that I’d now moved into the danger zone of less than 48 hours before the Egg was due to be transported to Phoenix.  Thanks to the barbaric concept of American vacation, the opportunity to plan a languishing pre-rally trip to deliver the car myself is not practical.  Instead, she’s being shipped with another four or five CA entrants…arriving cool, calm and collected at the end of the week.

So, back to the blown bulb…removing the lens, I found myself confronted with an extremely rusty and corroded back plate, that seemed to have fused together with the bulb completely.  Great, just what I needed on Easter Sunday when everything and everyone else was home enjoying chocolate bunny ears and egg hunts!

No other option than Monday morning & over to TRE.  Jeremy reassured me that this is standard in the vintage car world, eleventh hour fixes are not only commonplace, they’re to be expected.  Mechanics would fix it in a couple of hours, nothing to worry about.   No sooner did I arrive at the office, than I had one of those “Good News, Bad News” calls!

Bad News….the back plate corrosion was so bad that it just crumbled when they took the whole thing apart

Good News….reproduction part available at Sierra Madre Collection in Pasadena

Bad News….not sure how to get it collected

Good News….Catherine can drive to Pasadena!

One round trip to Sierra Madre, suppliers of all things 356, and we seemed to be back on the road to Phoenix again.  The Egg was ready and looking her usual charming self that evening, needing nothing more than a final wash and polish before the big day….today!

And so, at 11:00am this morning, I watched as she was loaded into a very large transporter, then waved her off knowing that the next time I see her, The Egg will be ready in all her resplendent glory with 74 of her newest best friends at the stadium in Tempe.

Copperstate 1000, 2012……..here we finally come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!