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The Porsche Club Eastern Cape has proven that its members are more than simply people with pretty vehicles -- they are enthusiasts driven by purpose.
Following the recent Porsche Club Parade held in and around Gqeberha, the club is paying it forward with final act of kindness and will donate R50,000 each to Cheshire Homes Homes and CMR – a Christian child protection organisation in Gqeberha – this weekend.
The Porsche Club Eastern Cape has enjoyed a long-standing friendship with Cheshire Homes while the decision to supporting CMR came at the request of Shawn Heat, owner of Detail My Ride – one of the main sponsors of the Porsche Club Parade.
Through raffles, donations and sponsorships the club managed to raise the funds for the generous donation.
President of the Porsche Club Eastern Cape Karl Illenberger, said helping people with disabilities is a matter that is close to his heart.
“I know what it means to a person when someone cares for them, and that involves a great deal of hard work for the care staff – we never know whether we might need this help ourselves one day, which is why this commitment is so important to all of us at the Porsche Club.”
Porsche Club Eastern Cape member, Rainer Kupper said the club had a long legacy of assisting some of the regions most vulnerable residents.
"Donations to those in need and to NPOs are part of the Porsche Club EC’s DNA," Kupper said.
"We donate regularly because, as a club, we can make a positive difference in this way, and our members actively support this.
"At the Porsche Club Parade, we held raffles for various items, and the company Detail my Ride from PE is donating the money raised from the Porsche car wash event at the Courtyard Hotel.
"Then our sponsor, Mr K, significantly increased the total amount. This means that today we are able to donate R50,000 each to Cheshire Homes and CMR."
The Porsche Club Eastern Cape, officially registered in Germany as number 248, which coincidentally matches the length of Aldo Scribante Raceway’s 2.48km circuit, had “humble” beginnings, starting out with only four members.
The now 80-member strong club, with owners from East London to the Garden Route, is one of four officially registered Porsche clubs in SA.
Gqeberha resident, Illenberger, co-founded the Eastern Cape division of the club 33 years ago and also hosted the first SA Porsche Club event held in Gqeberha in 1998.
Since then, the event and the club has grown significantly with about 50 cars attending the first event and now having hosted 120 vehicles in September.
The parade happens every two years, and moves around to different cities — Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Durban and East London [KuGompo City].
The oldest vehicle on display at this years event was a 1971 Porsche 911, with various models throughout the decades also on display.