Dive into the history and evolution of the iconic Porsche-only swap meet, celebrating nearly 50 years of bringing enthusiasts together. Steve Bond, long-time PCA member and swap meet chair, shares insider stories from its humble beginnings at a local dealership lot to its growth at Ski Round Top and eventual move to Hershey. The episode explores the unique culture of hunting for rare parts, the challenges of organizing such a large event, and how the swap meet remains a vital hub despite the rise of online marketplaces. Plus, insights into TechTactics East and the future of PCA events.
Have you ever heard about the Porsche Only Swap Meet in Carlisle, Pennsylvania? The Central Pennsylvania Region has been hosting this swap meet for 49 years. On this episode we have Steve Baun, the Swap Meet chairman, joining us on the podcast. We hear about how the swap meet got started, grew, and then faced challenges when the internet became popular. Steve tells us how the Swap Meet is improving by offering more for attendees to do and watch. We also talk about the recent Tech Tactics East event including the harrowing ride home through a blizzard.
"Welcome to the Porsche Club Insider, your one stop for all things Porsche and PCA. Here's your host, Vu Gwin, and the Insider crew. Welcome everyone to episode 210. We've got some fun topics, we're going to talk about the world famous Porsche-only"
Porsche is a famous car company from Germany that makes fast and sporty cars. Many people love their cars for how they look and drive.
Porsche is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs, and sedans. It is well known for iconic models like the 911 and the Cayenne.
"Welcome to the Porsche Club Insider, your one stop for all things Porsche and PCA. If you aren't currently a PCA member and own a Porsche, what are you waiting for? Grab that Vin, head over to PCA.org and make yourself a member."
PCA is a club for people who own Porsche cars. They get together to share their love for these cars and help each other.
PCA stands for Porsche Club of America, a large organization for Porsche enthusiasts in the United States. It offers events, resources, and community for Porsche owners.
"presenting sponsor, Pirelli. Pirelli tires have to achieve the highest levels of performance, safety, noiselessness, and grip on the road surface. Innovative tires that can satisfy even the most specific mobility needs of the end consumer."
Pirelli is a company that makes tires for cars. Their tires help cars stick to the road and drive safely and quietly.
Pirelli is an Italian tire manufacturer known for producing high-performance tires used in sports cars and racing. Their tires are designed for grip, safety, and quietness.
"most unique titles and that is the Central PA region swap meet chair and that is Steve Bond. Steve, welcome to the show."
A swap meet is like a big market where people bring car parts and sell or trade them with others. It's a good place to find special parts for your car.
A swap meet is an event where automotive enthusiasts gather to buy, sell, and trade car parts, accessories, and sometimes entire vehicles. It is a popular way to find rare or vintage parts.
"One of the cars I sold a car to was the vice president of Hershey Entertainment Resort Company. I'll use his first name. His name was Scott. He was an enthusiastic new owner of a 911."
The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that many people love for how it looks and drives.
The Porsche 911 is a legendary sports car produced by Porsche since 1964, known for its distinctive design and rear-engine layout. It is a central model in Porsche's lineup and highly regarded among car enthusiasts.
"That's all we had back then in 944. And he had volunteered at the ski roundtub. And I told him I was in this dilemma."
The Porsche 944 is a sporty car made by Porsche that was easier to buy than the famous 911 but still fun to drive.
The Porsche 944 is a front-engine sports car produced by Porsche from 1982 to 1991. It was known for its balanced handling and was positioned as a more affordable alternative to the 911 during its production years.
"And he said, why don't you come to Hershey? I'll handle it for you. And whatever you're paying here, I'll charge you that there. And Hershey at that time was not the monster it is today."
Hershey is a town in Pennsylvania where a big car parts swap meet happens every year. It's easy to get to and has places to stay and eat nearby.
Hershey refers to the location of a large annual automotive swap meet and car show held in Hershey, Pennsylvania, known for its accessibility and amenities including lodging and food.
"There was eBay and probably back then would have been like Craigslist or some forums or forums and stuff like that."
eBay is a website where people can sell things by auction or fixed price, including car parts. Buyers can bid on items or buy them right away.
eBay is an online auction and shopping website where individuals and businesses buy and sell a wide variety of goods, including car parts, often using bidding systems.
"There was eBay and probably back then would have been like Craigslist or some forums or forums and stuff like that."
Craigslist is a website where people can list things to sell or buy in their area, like car parts, but it might not be the best place for special or big parts.
Craigslist is an online classifieds platform where users can buy and sell items locally, including automotive parts, but it is less specialized and less efficient for large or niche parts.
"Like I remember someone, someone brought this carbon fiber fender, which was like a left sided carbon fiber fender of some random 911, which I don't know who would buy except for me because I wanted it as wall art."
A carbon fiber fender is a car part that covers the wheel area, made from a special light and strong material called carbon fiber to make the car lighter and look cool.
A carbon fiber fender is a lightweight and strong car body panel made from carbon fiber material, often used for performance or aesthetic upgrades on cars like the Porsche 911.
"They were like, you know, let's do a concours, people's choice concours, keep it simple. We added an autocross today after the event to keep people there and race their cars in the parking lot"
A concours is a fancy car show where people show off their cars and sometimes vote on which ones look the best.
A concours is a car show event where vehicles are judged on their appearance, originality, and condition. A people's choice concours means attendees vote for their favorite cars rather than having official judges.
"We added an autocross today after the event to keep people there and race their cars in the parking lot that they bought parks on the day before."
Autocross is a fun car race where drivers drive through a course made with cones in a parking lot to see who can go the fastest without hitting anything.
Autocross is a timed motorsport event where drivers navigate a course marked by cones, usually in a parking lot. It emphasizes driver skill and car handling rather than outright speed.
"I did a lot of racing and DE work for 30 years. So I was always looking for motorsports parts and cool looking shift knobs and just unusual things that I could personalize my car."
Motorsports parts are special car parts made for racing or driving really fast, which can make the car work better or last longer under tough conditions.
Motorsports parts are specialized components designed for racing or high-performance driving, often offering improved durability, weight savings, or enhanced performance.
"So I was always looking for motorsports parts and cool looking shift knobs and just unusual things that I could personalize my car."
A shift knob is the part you hold to change gears in a manual car, and people sometimes change it to make their car look cooler or feel better to use.
Shift knobs are the handles attached to the gear lever in manual transmission cars, often customized by enthusiasts for better grip or aesthetic appeal.
"Unfortunately, we all remember COVID. So COVID came rolling along and Hershey at that time as a company had really broadened their footprint..."
COVID is a sickness that spread around the world and made many events stop or change how they happen, including car events.
COVID refers to the global pandemic caused by the coronavirus starting in 2019, which impacted many events including automotive swap meets and shows by causing cancellations, relocations, or changes in event management.
""SCCA used to hold their East Coast Nationals there. That ended. So it affected a lot of things car related in Central Pennsylvania.""
The SCCA East Coast Nationals is a big car racing event where people come to compete and watch different types of car races.
The SCCA East Coast Nationals is a major event organized by the Sports Car Club of America, featuring various motorsport competitions including autocross and road racing. It attracts car enthusiasts and racers from the eastern United States.
""Meanwhile, I have Carlisle events in Carlisle, Pennsylvania doing a humongous car shows.""
Carlisle car shows are big events where people come to see, buy, and sell cars and car parts.
Carlisle car shows are large automotive events held in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, known for their extensive swap meets, car auctions, and vehicle displays. These events attract a wide range of car enthusiasts and collectors.
""He was a Corvette guide. So that was his dad. So I knew Lance for years coming up through racing and tracks. And we were a couple of years apart. So we were very similar in a passion for vehicles. Of course, he was Corvette. I was Porsche.""
The Chevrolet Corvette is a famous American sports car that many people love for its speed and style.
The Chevrolet Corvette is an iconic American sports car known for its performance and distinctive design. It has a strong following among car enthusiasts and racers.
"...there's this really dirty injection unit sitting on a table all by itself. That's it. And the guy behind sitting in a chair, and he says to me, go, this is a RSR high butterfly mechanical injection. He asked the guy, how much you want for it? The guy doesn't blink..."
This is a special part that helps get fuel into a Porsche race car's engine in a very precise way, making the car run better and faster.
The RSR high butterfly mechanical injection is a specialized fuel injection system used in Porsche race cars, notably the Porsche 911 RSR. It uses a mechanical method to deliver fuel precisely to the engine, improving performance and throttle response compared to standard injection systems.
"...lly comes. But it's stuff like that. You can find 959 wheels or Carrera RS magnesium wheels just sitti..."
The Porsche 959 is a very fast and special car made by Porsche a long time ago. It was one of the most advanced cars of its time.
The Porsche 959 is a rare and highly advanced supercar from the 1980s, known for its cutting-edge technology and performance. It is a collector's item and often discussed for its influence on modern sports car engineering.
"...I've held a Carrera, a 356 Carrera, a 4 cam Carrera roller bearing. In my hand, I've held one. And I mean, it doesn't sound crazy, but that is so rare and cool to actually see with your eyes."
This is an old and special Porsche car with a powerful engine that was made to race. It's very rare and valuable today.
The Porsche 356 Carrera is a rare and highly sought-after early Porsche model featuring a four-cam engine designed for racing. The four-cam engine is a complex and performance-oriented design that is prized by collectors and enthusiasts.
"...a 356 Carrera, a 4 cam Carrera roller bearing. In my hand, I've held one. And I mean, it doesn't sound crazy, but that is so rare and cool to actually see with your eyes."
This is a type of engine that has extra parts to open and close the engine's valves more precisely, helping the car go faster and perform better.
A four-cam engine refers to an engine with four camshafts, typically two per cylinder bank in a flat or V engine. This design allows for more precise valve timing and higher performance, especially in racing engines like those found in the Porsche 356 Carrera.
"And it was a lot of explaining of why this marketing material was being sold. Cease and desist is probably the term they used."
Cease and desist means a legal warning telling someone to stop doing something they shouldn't be doing.
A cease and desist is a legal order to stop an activity that is considered unauthorized or infringing. In automotive contexts, it can relate to unauthorized sales or use of trademarked materials.
"And you can get a good flavor of what Tech Tactics is. It is a day-long, full of technical presentations. And you get about 120 some people in the facility."
Tech Tactics is a special event where people learn how to fix and take care of Porsche cars. It has talks and demonstrations about Porsche cars and how they work.
Tech Tactics is a day-long event full of technical presentations focused on Porsche vehicles, often attended by enthusiasts and technicians to learn about maintenance, repair, and technical aspects of Porsche cars.
"you have the cars. We even had the pace car from the safety car from 24 hours of Daytona that Porsche cars in North America sent up just for this event,"
A pace car is a special car that drives in front of race cars to keep them safe and control their speed during certain parts of a race.
A pace car is a vehicle used in motorsports to lead the competing cars during caution periods or to start the race, ensuring safety and proper speed control on the track.
"the rubber marks from a 24 hour race. And they sent that up because Stuart McLaughlin from PCNA came up again and did a presentation on what this GT3 RS kit entails. Plus they sent the whole alignment machine that's special just to this car."
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a special version of the 911 made for fast driving on race tracks. It has better parts and design to help it go faster and handle better.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a high-performance variant of the 911, designed for track-focused driving with enhanced aerodynamics, suspension, and weight-saving features. It is known for its precise handling and powerful naturally aspirated engine.
"Rolf Kittlitz, care and feeding of Porsche center lock wheels, which is such a specific topic, but he had a full audience of understanding how you have to take care of these center lock wheels, even if you don't have them."
Center lock wheels are special wheels that attach to the car with just one big nut in the middle instead of many smaller nuts. This helps change wheels faster, especially in races.
Center lock wheels use a single central nut to secure the wheel to the hub, rather than multiple lug nuts. This design is common in racing and high-performance cars for quicker wheel changes and improved strength.
"Van Swensen, he did a presentation on using data acquisition for club racing in HBDE, which is, fortunately, just when I got out of doing HBDE was when data acquisition was becoming very easy for the common man."
Data acquisition is when a car collects information about how it is driving, like speed and braking, so drivers can learn how to drive better.
Data acquisition in motorsports refers to the process of collecting performance data from a car during driving sessions. This data helps drivers and teams analyze and improve driving techniques and car setup.
"using data acquisition for club racing in HBDE, which is, fortunately, just when I got out of doing HBDE was when data acquisition was becoming very easy for the common man."
HBDE is a special driving school where people can learn how to drive fast and safely on a race track.
HBDE stands for High-Performance Driver Education, a program that allows drivers to learn and practice high-speed driving skills on a race track in a controlled environment without competition.
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Welcome to the Porsche Club Insider, your one stop for all things Porsche and PCA.
Here's your host, Vu Gwin, and the Insider crew.
Welcome everyone to episode 210.
We've got some fun topics, we're going to talk about the world famous Porsche-only
talk a little bit about TechTactics East, but before I get into it, I want to thank our
presenting sponsor, Pirelli. Pirelli tires have to achieve the highest levels of performance,
safety, noiselessness, and grip on the road surface. Innovative tires that can satisfy
even the most specific mobility needs of the end consumer. Thank you all for listening.
If you aren't currently a PCA member and own a Porsche, what are you waiting for? Grab that
Vin, head over to PCA.org and make yourself a member. If you're looking for a Porsche,
we have the Test Drive program. Again, head over to PCA.org and we'll unlock some resources to
help you find that special Porsche. I can't believe it. By the time you listen to this,
it'll be mid-March, but at the time of recording, it's the beginning of March already. We have
a surprise in the sense where we've taken the show to the next level and Damon has,
he's sweating over there because he's been working feverishly to make this happen. This is
really the first time we've had someone remote. In a long time. In a long time. Manny and I
and Damon, we're sitting here at HQ, but our special guest of the day, he is sitting in
Pennsylvania. This gentleman has held many titles within the Central Penn region. He's
past president. He's currently the charity chair as well as the DE chair, but he has one of the
most unique titles and that is the Central PA region swap meet chair and that is Steve Bond.
Steve, welcome to the show. Well, good morning, Voo and Manny. How are you guys doing? We
appreciate you being the guinea pig for our first remote guest. Again, thank you to Damon.
I can't underline how much work he put into this. It might not be exactly perfect. We're still learning
the ropes of this new option of ours. I think it's going to work out really well and open us
up to having guests from all over the world. It looks easy, but it's not. If you look at the
help them, but I just watch them moving wires around. We don't know what to do. Manny and I
are just sitting here eating popcorn. Yeah, I'm sitting over here. You don't see me on the camera
because I am not touching a single button on the switcher today. You guys are getting this and
whatever you see is going to be post-production editing. So those of you that are listening
today, if you wouldn't mind, comment below and just give Damon and Ada boy for getting this
together. But let's talk about the world famous portion only swap meets. It's one of the things
if you come into PCA, especially if you're in the mid-Atlantic northeast right around the April
May timeframe for years and years and years, I think people just know that this is one of those
things that when you're coming out of the winter and the spring, this is the event you look forward
to. I went to three of these before I was a PCA member. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Everyone knew
about the swap meet back then. It was ski round top, but you read about it in the magazines, the ad,
and it was a place to go. So, yeah, it took me three years after going even going to the swap
meet to become a member. Now, I'm just realizing this and it may be something you call me a hoarder.
I call myself a collector, but one of the reasons why I love the swap meets, I think because I grew
up in Southern California and the drive-in theaters kind of converted into swap meets on
Saturdays and Sundays. And as a kid, I used to go there to get, you know, breaks for my bike or
wheels for my skateboard. So, once I got to PCA and I heard there was a swap meet dedicated
to Porsche stuff. Oh, man, I was like, I got to go. Well, that's the cool thing about it is that
every table is selling Porsche stuff. It's not like, they do it at Carlyle now, which is renowned
for their swap meets and it's just monstrous. But if you're looking for a certain forward part
or something, you got to look for a couple of tables. At this swap meet, every table is selling
Porsche stuff. And let's be honest, it's the hunt. It is the hunt. You, I don't need anything, you
know, and I still go, but you come across stuff that you didn't realize you needed. Oh, yeah.
And then, of course, you get it at that right price because that person that, you know,
schlepped it from their garage or basement probably doesn't want to take it home.
Well, then you got to think about what friend do you know that drove to the swap meet in an SUV
that can carry home the set of wheels or the fender or something that you are not going to
fit in your car or your Porsche, but you want to take it home. Well, let's rewind a little bit
and let's meet Steve. Steve, I think you joined PCA in what, the mid-80s? Yeah, I think you're
almost like a 40-year member. Yeah, I think I'm almost 40 years, though, a long time. Yeah.
A long time. I've known Manny for, before he was a PCA member, I think he was sneaking in
to the backwoods to ski round top, and he had a Corvette, I think. I'm not sure. No.
So when you first became active in the club, this wasn't a thing yet, right?
The swap meet? You know, the very beginning of the swap meet was a group of men
during a three, five, six generation that had a hard time getting parts. So they had talked a
local dealer who was an Audi Porsche dealership in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, to use their lot
on a Saturday, and these men would come in from Carolinas in Virginia, and they would just exchange
parts so they could fix their three, five, sixes and restore them. And that moved into ski round
top. After two or three years, it went from seven or eight men up to about 15 or 20, and the local
dealer said, you're killing my business on a Saturday. You've got to move. Fortunately, that
dealer had a twin brother that was the general manager at ski round top. And he said, I want to
use, use my parking lots. I have nothing going on in the spring. We're closed. So you fall
over there, and I believe it was the second year at ski round top. I was in my young 20s, and I
was a Porsche owner. And you learn real fast. If you raise your hand for something, you've just
volunteered yourself. And I first did that to the guy that had organized the swap meet Dennis
Frick, who's been in the club for many years. Oh, that's the name that rings the bell. Yeah. Yeah,
Dennis Frick buyout. He's known by many, many people for restoration. And at the end of that day,
I had volunteered to help him out. He said to me, Do you really like this? You did really great
today helping me. I said, Yeah, it was pretty cool. And he says, Great, it's your event. And
I said, What does that mean? You know, and so that kind of fostered the event. What year? What
year did it move to? I've always heard about ski round top. But I was before my time. When was
that? Was that like in the 70s or? Me, I was like 47, 48 years ago, where this is like our 49th
year of the swap meet. So do the math backwards. It was kind of neat. The event used to be the end
of March. So the in some old pictures, but they don't have today, unfortunately, there's still
snow in the back of the slope that was our backdrop. But the venue had a big parking lot. We had
lots of restrooms and the local police from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania had food trucks and they
raised money for charity and would come out and sell food. And it was kind of neat. I think with
my second or third year, Excel had just come out. And I learned how to use that. And I noticed a lot
of vendors would get there, you know, midnight, one o'clock in the morning and to reserve their
space, they go down and put paint buckets on their spots and sometimes get a little physical. And
it wasn't a pleasant scene. So the fourth year, I had instituted, you could pre-register, and I
was using Excel. I was so excited. I got this new technology. And everybody thought that was great.
I wouldn't forget that one in the morning to reserve their spot. They could reserve it a year
in advance. And that changed the game. We went in several years, filled that parking lot, filled the
secondary lot. And after probably about nine or 10 years of ski roundtub, we had maxed out the
gravel lots, the paved lots. We were parking on public roads, which we got rid of by the
Pennsylvania State Police. And he says, you get one warning this year, next year, it took me very
expensive. And it was that year we moved, the following year, we moved to Hershey, Pennsylvania.
And then the event took off again. Right. What was the, how did you get the connection to be
able to do it at Hershey? During these years of being a swap chairman, I had moved into working
in the automotive business as a salesperson. And it happened to be a Porsche store.
One of the cars I sold a car to was the vice president of Hershey Entertainment Resort Company.
I'll use his first name. His name was Scott. He was an enthusiastic new owner of a 911.
That's all we had back then in 944. And he had volunteered at the ski roundtub. And I told him
I was in this dilemma. He saw me meeting with the state police. And I said, wow, we're in trouble.
We're parked now on the public roads and we're a nuisance. They're going to find me next year.
And he said, why don't you come to Hershey? I'll handle it for you. And whatever you're
paying here, I'll charge you that there. And Hershey at that time was not the monster it is
today. It was much smaller company. And yeah, so we moved it to Hershey and just mimic the same
thing, kept pre-registration. We had all part, you know, paved parking lots. We had the hotel
available to us. And the event just took off again. And having a name Hershey is massive. It's
easy to get to all the roads, go right to it, lodging, food, restaurants. And of course,
chocolate world. If you like chocolate, I personally do. And you can go for a free tour and get a
free sample when you're done. So we had a lot of benefits moving to Hershey. And the organization
at the time with the leadership, Scott Landon, moving up to the president, we just grew with
that support of Hershey behind us. So for our younger members that are listening, you know,
25 years ago, if you wanted to buy and sell used Porsche parts, you did have online
opportunities. There was eBay and probably back then would have been like Craigslist or
some forums or forums and stuff like that. But it still wasn't as efficient. I mean,
if you wanted to sell one or two things, three things, it probably would be easy. But if you had
a truck full of stuff or a garage full of stuff, bringing all of that and selling it at the swap
meet would be a more efficient solution, I would think, especially big parts that you have to
package and ship. Like I remember someone, someone brought this carbon fiber fender, which was like
a left sided carbon fiber fender of some random 911, which I don't know who would buy except for
me because I wanted it as wall art. But how would you sell that back in the day? Right? So having
the swap meet as an option is a lot of fun. So the swap meet, as you can imagine, buying and
selling parts, but there's more components to the swap meet than that. You know, there was and I
think you brought up a great point. At that time, Craigslist and eBay, they were not the best at
navigating. You had a bid back then and it was the last 10 seconds and all that kind of jazz.
So the swap meet gave an opportunity for a lot of people from Florida to come up and bring their
wearers. We had a lot of the body companies that were making body parts and, you know, why body
kits would come up. And then we also had a lot of contingency of the Canadians coming down.
They could buy used parts, they would fill box trucks. And then they would back in to Canada
and they would pay duties because it's all used parts. So we would have people come down and
rent from us. You know, 20, 30 spaces bring several empty box trucks and they would walk
around all day long with cash and wagons and just buy parts. So it kind of the first 10 years of
Hershey, you had the South coming up and you had the Canadians coming down and we were in the middle
of central Pennsylvania and he had Ohio and those states coming in as well. And it was just
a huge growth. And as you can imagine, people said, I wish you had more and volunteers in our
club. We are a bigger club now. We were small at the time. They were like, you know, let's do a
concourse, people's choice concourse, keep it simple. We added an autocross today after the
event to keep people there and race their cars in the parking lot that they bought parks on the
day before. And Manny brings up a great point. You know, we kept it pours up pure. I can remember
in the early years being a tough swap chairman, walking around and seeing, you know, Ford and
Chevrolet and other jewelry on tables and parts. And I have to say to take the stuff off the table,
gentlemen, or to ask you to leave. They were like, are you serious? And I would say, yeah,
it's Porsche only. And you fast forward to today, 2026. I think what keeps our swaps so unique
and still relevant is like Manny was saying, it's Porsche only. We don't allow anything else to come
in. So it's just been a great event. Yeah, well, that's a I do want to point out the
background is an older background that you're using. But I think it's a nice visual. The dates
on there is not correct. The date for 2026 is May, May 2. Correct? Correct. Correct. So just
want to make a note. The main thing about the photo is that it's sunny. Yeah. Because that's
what the swap meet is known for, right? We joke about that with the weather, but it really
doesn't matter. I mean, if you're going to go buy parts, in fact, you kind of hope that the
not that you hope for rain, but you hope that the crowd will be less so that you can have
better chances of getting a better buy. But the swap meet was my first, I would say big PCA event.
I don't think I had gone to any event where I saw hundreds of cars, you know, all these booths
and vendors. It was my first big PC event. I think in its heyday when it was at Hershey,
you were getting well over a thousand Porsches that were parked. Yeah, you know, we had a
number of years of Hershey that were massive. Jerry Seinfeld, I've got the picture, I've used it.
I was much younger. He was much younger. But he did give us a picture with a friend of mine,
Jimmy, and he was in the middle of holding this huge Hershey bar. Oh, nice.
And he allowed us to use that image. It was in Pano and so forth. And he came about that we
caught him. He always came in all Navy and his license plates usually had the last run of each
model from Porsche. If you remember, that was in the articles a lot. So we would look for the last
model of maybe a 964 or a 996 and it would say a New York plate and have an unusual number at the
end of the model number. So if we knew if we found the car, if my volunteers found the car,
we knew he was on site. And I'd say go out and look for a guy dressed in Navy carrying bags,
he collected models. But Manny's right, there was a couple of years, we counted over 1200 Porsches
in the Porsche only parking area. We did have 6700 vendors and thousands of people. It was
organized chaos, quite honestly. As as being the lead of many events in the past, I can only
imagine you are so incredibly busy at the SWAT meet. Can I ask, have you ever had the opportunity
to find something at the SWAT meet? And what was like your biggest find? Probably you're
probably too busy to even shop. You know, for years Manny knows me for a long time. I did a
lot of racing and DE work for 30 years. So I was always looking for motorsports parts and
cool looking shift knobs and just unusual things that I could personalize my car.
And I used to get boards, so I changed cars a lot. So I was always looking for something.
But I think, you know, I don't think there's ever been a year, unfortunately, where I've been able
to enjoy the SWAT where I get to walk to the entire event. As you know, if you're running an event,
you put a lot of fires out. I want to make sure that the guest has a great experience.
So I make my team members that they're on point. If they need to get a break, I'll give them a
break. And I have fantastic volunteers to help this event run. But hey, you're right,
dude, it's tough. I am fortunate, though, the day we a lot of people set up on Friday, I tend to
sneak into their booth while they're unpacking their trucks, their cars, and they find those
one offs at the plot of the basement. And I'm like, Hey, will you take 10 bucks for that?
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