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By Phil Reese

Phil’s first Porsche was a 1964 901, which he thought was the same as a 356. He had previously driven and fallen head over heels for a 1961 356 coupe, which, luckily, a Porsche-knowledgeable friend pointed out, before he bought it, was totally rusted out below the door handles. This was in Baltimore for heaven’s sake. They use salt on the roads in wintertime.

Phil then came across the 901, in 1966, and he bought it, not knowing the difference between a 356 and a 911. He soon found out that it was not a 356. It was titled in Maryland as a 1965 911, but had been raced in Europe, then brought to the US, had the roll bar and other racing equipment removed, and sold as a regular car. 

He joined PCA in 1968. Rallying, autocrossing, concurs… the whole gamut. Including eight Parades between 1976 and 2017.

 In 1971, Phil got a job offer in Southern California. He packed everything he owned into the 911 and drove it to Oxnard, and switched his PCA membership to the Santa Barbara Region, where he remained a member until retiring to Las Vegas in 2012. During that time Phil served in all of the Region’s elected and appointed positions, from Newsletter Editor (6 years) to President.

Also, from 1976 through 1987, Phil served on the PCA National staff as founder and Chair of the Porsche Valuation Committee. The Valuation Committee supported PCA members, before the advent of today’s “Collector Car” insurance companies (such as Hagerty), in dealing with the various insurance companies for getting proper and sufficient coverage of their Porsches and in collecting in the event of loss or damage to the rapidly-appreciating older Porsches.

Since joining the LVR, Phil has been Rallymaster, and Editor and Co-Editor of the Newsletter Sandscript.

Between 1966 and May 16, 2024, Phil owned six 356s, five 911s, two 944s, and three Cayennes. Three of the 356’s were “flippers;” bought low, fixed-up to some extent, and then sold high in the then-climbing market for them.

All of the above omits Phil’s life-long career as a drag racer. But one of the photos attached is of his AA fuel dragster in 1963. (He has lots more photos.)

His wife Linda has been an enthusiastic partner in all the Porsche activities, although she has a preference for the roughly-a-dozen Corvettes she’s owned and raced. Linda won the Corvette Challenge at Los Angeles County Raceway in 2006 with a 2005 Vette convertible.