This year’s Richmond Porsche Meet had a couple of significant changes from years past. The cocktail party that kicks-off RPM the evening before the Sunday concours took place at the Hampton Inn Richmond-Midlothian Turnpike location instead of at Euroclassics Porsche. If you’ve recently driven past Euroclassics location you’ll immediately know the reason for the change. Their showroom has been demolished to make way for a bigger and better facility that’s slated to open in the first quarter of 2026.
Even though we didn’t get to enjoy an evening surrounded by all-things Porsche, everyone still had a great time. Approximately 80 PCA members from the Shenandoah, First Settlers and Blue Ridge regions attended. It’s a rare sight to see a hotel’s parking lot look as good as it did the evening of the party when filled with Porsches of so many model types and generations. Manning the bar that evening were Mike Hatch and Rick Berkowitz. RPM Chair, John Odden, provided a delightful selection of hors d’oeuvres for the group to graze upon as they (no doubt) swapped car stories. Our thanks to the Hampton Inn for allowing us to use their venue for the evening.
Registration for RPM this year was the largest in the past 10 years. We had 125 Porsches on the showfield. The Concours d’Elegance took place on the No. 1 fairway of the Brandermill Country Club in Midlothian, VA. The country club is a new venue for the region this year. We had a great turnout for both the concours with 30 entries amongst eight classes. The Porsche Corral was also well stocked with beautiful cars that could have easily been entered in the concours. The key factor with every RPM is the weather. This year we had a high of 81 degrees and no chance of rain. We were gifted with the perfect setting.
The check-in and registration were performed by Lynn Stephens, Mel Rapovy and Cliff Krammes. Sean Rooks assisted John Odden with the packaging of the registration packets. We would also like to thank Engelbert Muelhaupt, Paul Felts and Barry Bader for their assistance with car placement on the showfield. Theresa Johnson accepted the lunch tickets from folks as they headed to the buffet for their lunch in the banquet room. Both Steve and Theresa Johnson provided a great deal of support this weekend with the logistics. Please know how much all of us appreciate your contributions to this annual event.
The Shenandoah Region would like to give a special thank you to Mike Hatch. Mike is a region member and owner of Brandermill Country Club. Many members said being on the No. 1 fairway felt like they were attending the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. First thing Sunday morning, a member of Mike’s team was drying the turf to prevent wet grass clippings from adhering to our tires!
This year marks the Golden anniversary of the Porsche Turbo model. It’s hard to believe it has been 50 years since the first Turbo rolled off the assembly line. To celebrate that milestone, those Turbos that attended were placed together in the tee box of the No. 1 fairway. We had seven Turbos in total. A few Turbos were also entered in the concours.
Our Concours Judging Team consisted of eight judges divided into two teams that were led by Head Judges Hank Weil and Roger Borsink. For over 3 hours they scrutinized each of the 30 cars looking for the smallest detectable flaw. After the judges had completed their difficult task of evaluating the cars inside and out, we all headed inside the Brandermill Country Club for lunch. An excellent buffet of cold cuts, potato salad, and tossed salad awaited us in the clubhouse banquet room. And for dessert, the chocolate cake was a huge hit! After lunch it was time for the judge’s results and the award presentations.
The Gay Jewett Memorial People’s Choice award went to Dick Pitman for his stunning red 1960 356 Roadster. David Cottrell received the President’s Award for his “One-Off” (as noted on the license plate) Brewster Green special production 911 S Coupe. Congratulations to them both.
Concours D’Elegance Results
Porsche 356 Dick Pitman
Porsche 914 Rick Berkowitz
Porsche 911/912 (1973 – 1998) John Stephens
Porsche 911 (1999 – 2012) Bruce Russell
Porsche 911 (2012 and on) John Odden
Porsche Boxster/Cayman Tie: Cliff Krammes and Dick Pitini
Porsche Modified Engelbert Muelhaupt
Porsche 944/928 George Michaels
Some lucky folks also took home prizes from this year’s raffle. Custom made items were provided by David Hay and Engelbert Muelhaupt. Porsche branded merchandise was donated by Euroclassics Porsche.
Once all the applause and congratulations were over, it was time for the driver’s meeting and the concluding event of RPM, a drive of course! This year’s drive saw 40 cars take part in multiple groups on an hour-long journey to Crazy Rooster Brewing Company in Powhatan, VA.
We would like to thank all of our members who attended. We are invited back again next year to the Brandermill Country Club for RPM 2025! We hope to see you there.
