More Smiles To The Mile

John Parrish’s Signal Red 1961 Porsche Is More Than Just Transportation

                I knew I was in for a treat the minute I saw the three-car garage. And what a treat it was. A beautiful Signal Red, 1961 Porsche1600 Super “356-B.”

                As a teenager John Parrish bought, rebuilt and sold many cars. Back then he never owned a Porsche, but he admired them and still feels that the coupe design is “the most beautifully designed car ever built.” He bought his first Porsche in 1971. “It was a ‘64 in fairly poor condition and I literally rebuilt it from the ground up, the whole nine yards,” he explained. It was a registered “356-C.” John owned it until 1977 and sold it when his family began to grow.

                In 1995, John began looking for his second Porsche and bought his present car in 2000.

                “It was in pretty good condition,” he said. “Porsches are notorious for rust, but this car was stored for about seven years and was not driven during that time. No rust on the body, but the internal engine had rusted and needed to be rebuilt, as well as all the rubber components replaced.” John replaced all the rubber and rebuilt the brakes. “The most difficult aspect was adjusting and tuning the four Weber racing carburetors to operate properly.” This was done by a Porsche specialist in Greensboro, N.C., who rebuilt the carbs and then taught John how to keep them in tune.

                The reconditioning effort was completed in the summer of 2001. Since then it’s been nothing more than tune-and-run. John explained, “These cars need to be driven and were meant to be driven hard. I drive as often as I can – weather permitting — about 4,000 miles a year.” While riding with John, I commented: “This is not just transportation, this is fun!” He agreed, saying driving his Porsche provides, “more smiles to the mile than any car I can own.”

                John is a member of the Porsche “356 Registry,” an organization that serves as an important source of information for owners who maintain their own cars. There are about 7,600 members worldwide and they publish a newsletter, maintain a website and provide tips and technical information. For example, through the Registry, John learned how to boost the head lamp candle power, which has made a significant improvement to visibility when driving at night. And more recently, he found a source to add a shoulder harness to the conventional seat belt.

                The Registry also provides historical background on the design, development and manufacture of the “356” models built between 1948 and 1965. Approximately 75,000 cars were made, of which fewer than 15,000 exist today. These car bodies were hand-made by teams of seven workers. It was their job to weld together the five main pieces of the body, install the interior, windshield, the engine, and the mechanical components and fit the doors. The process took about four days. Painting was done at a separate location. For these cars, the test for quality is to measure the gaps in the body assembly. The smaller the gaps, the higher the value.

                Anyone who knows John understands that “Porsche and Parrish” are a perfect match of man and machine. The Porsche automobile is a product of continuous design improvements. John had a distinguished naval career and was the Navy’s leading expert in Personnel Management and Total Quality Management/Leadership. Today, John is a consultant in management performance with a primary focus on improving his golf game.