Mitch Leland of Fredericksburg, left, visits with Alan Bambina of Farmers Branch on Saturday at last weekend’s Boxtoberfest.” Both men have owned Porsche automobiles for more than 40 years. The Porsche car enthusiast event brought more than 200 attendees and 110 automobiles to town for the 17th annual event. Organizer Michael Shassere said Fredericksburg is the perfect place to host the event. See page D1 in this week's newspaper for the rest of story and more photos. — Standard-Radio Post/Ken Esten Cooke
By Ken Esten Cooke
German engineering and German culture are what keep bringing Porsche car enthusiasts back to Fredericksburg.
The 17th Annual Boxtoberfest was held last weekend at the Hangar Hotel, featuring 110 of the sportiest rides on the road.
“The first year, we had six cars,” said Michael Shassere of Cypress, Texas, organizer of the event. “This year, we have 210 people registered and 110 cars. There are Boxters, but we also have Turbos and some GT3s.”
Shassere said the car enthusiasts love the precision quality of the German Porsche automobiles, founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche in Stuttgart, Germany.
And along with Fredericksburg’s German flavor, the curvy Hill Country roads, are hospitable to the driving fans.
“We love the Hangar Hotel,” Shassere said. “A lot of people get here early and go on wine tours and visit the town.”
On Saturday, after two hours of “show-off” time on the apron of the Gillespie County Airport, drivers took off on a 250-mile loop with just one stop in Leakey for a barbecue and petrol fill-up. Drivers were split into four groups, with two circling clockwise, and two counter-clockwise.
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