The Car Got Us Out by Shari Sanchioli

-An Article from the So Cal 356 Rag

We had been planning our 5 month road trip in our rolling home and garage (25’ Class C RV & enclosed car hauler) for over three years now and on September 19th, 2023 off into the distance we went. 

Our precious cargo was a 1965 356sc Cab that Joel Naive had bought brand new in Germany the year I was born. Joel and my Dad (Hugh Ness) were dear friends and colleagues in the electronics field. Joel was an avid Porsche collector and my Dad collected mostly Fords and Cadillacs. As a kid I would try to encourage my Dad to collect Porsches like Joel. 

In 2018 we were serendipitously connected to Joel’s son Greg Naive in Montana, long after both men had passed. 

White Mouse is what Joel affectionately named this car. The backstory is that Mickey Mouse was created on Joel’s birthday, which happened to also be mine! This resonated with me and the name was preserved. I am so grateful for the provenance of this car. 

We set off to drive daily on

a diagonal path to Maine.

Once in Maine, we slowed

our roll and stayed at each

campground for 5-10 days.

We had White Mouse to

show us around

town and beyond. 

A dozen or more day trips that

were 1-2 hours away, were enjoyed

in White Mouse, often to see

another state. Our overall path was

to cover the East Coast down to

Florida and come home on the

Southern route, 31 states in total. 

Doug drove the 50’ of rig to get us to each campground, then once we were there we unloaded (and loaded) White Mouse with ease. Thanks to our InTech trailer with the Rail Ryder Loading System created by Dale Hofius. This made having a car in a trailer a breeze, for all of the work is done outside of the trailer then with a push of a button, back into the trailer it goes.

We had countless memorable drives through The Appalachian, Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, as well as all of the random roads in between. This  created an adventure within our big adventure. 

One drive in particular stands out due to a random meet up with a fellow old car lover. We were traversing a steep climb on a narrow road that led up to a viewpoint. In some places there was only enough room for one car.  

When we reached the peak of this mountain, a man was pulled aside and parked, thankfully because this was one of those narrow places. As we slowly approached to pass by, with great enthusiasm he asked if he could stop us. It was as if he had just met his favorite movie star. His jaw dropped, his hands were in motion as he followed the lines of our car with his eyes. 

With a grand voice he began his narration of what he was experiencing. ‘Stop, please so I can take this in… the curves, the lines… this is art, it’s history… they just don’t make cars like this any more. This is phenomenal and I am here to soak this up! Thank you for making my day.’ 

We chatted for just a moment until a car approached us from behind. We thanked him for sharing our joy and to have a beautiful day.

The only time we got

stopped in our tracks

was in Nashville, TN.

The cold weather

finally got to our

So Cal car.

After trying to

warm up the

battery by

keeping it in our

RV for a couple

of days/nights,

we lyfted over to

an auto parts store

for a new battery. 

In Asheville, NC

we toured

The Biltmore.

We were able

to snag this

pic on the

road to the

gardens with

The Biltmore

in the

background.

Tres Chic.

Half way through our trip, we realized that our risk on the road due to our 6 volt lights was worse than we had anticipated upon departure. We reached out to Jules Dielen, thanks to his ad in our So Cal 356 rag, who sells LED lights for 356’s. He shipped us a light kit right away. 

Doug found it easy to switch out the exterior lights and boy what a difference. It was so nice to be better seen! It pays in many ways, to always have a 356 rag onboard.

With our car dialed in, off we went to South Carolina the day before my birthday (and Joel’s and Mickey Mouse’s). This ended up being one of our high points of our entire trip and what the title of this article is all about.

The car got us in!

I googled ‘what to do in Yemassee, SC’ and up popped a Frank Lloyd Wright Plantation only 14 miles away! I was so stoked that I didn’t feel the need to dig into the details - I was sold! I marked the address on our maps and was ready for a fun day to see an architectural delight, for I’m a big FLW fan.

The following day off we went on an iconic two lane road that had become very familiar to us, as Doug navigated us there. As we approached the address, there were two trucks on the left side of the driveway with three men working on the gate. In order to get off of the road, I slowly approached the right side.

They looked up and saw the car, smiled big and a moment later - as if I said

 ‘abracadabra’ the FLW style gate opened without a single word exchanged.

We smiled and waved as we slowly drove onto this

80 acre property that was

sprawling and majestic.

I stopped and took a few pics

of the beautiful weeping

willow trees dripping in

Spanish moss,

from my open window. 

There were some cars off to the distance on the left but it seemed as though that was the maintenance section. We slowly drove forward doing our best to take it all in. 

As we approached the heart of the property, it was distinctly FLW by the style of the arch. It was understated and dramatic, all at the same time. 

We remarked that we expected to see signs or that there would be a place to purchase our tickets. Yet it felt very welcoming and wide open, so we proceeded. Plus we had never been at a FLW property that wasn’t to be toured and enjoyed. 

A slow drive through the portico, past the expansive one story house with a line of rocking chairs on the porch for as far as the eye could see. The home itself blended into the background as only FLW can do so well. 

We turned left and drove past a lovely pond on our right. As we continued along we began thinking that this was a self guided tour, for no one was around. Disappointed that we would not be touring the actual home, the property itself was beautiful and full of mystique. 

In the near distance there was a blind corner to the left and a distinguished man standing to the right with a short white beard and holding a professional, big lens camera. He looked more shocked than we were - at seeing us appear out of nowhere, so I immediately backed up into a little spot of open land, which situated our car sideways to him and not facing him directly. 

I was about to chat with him to see who he was and more about this amazing tourist attraction, when all of a sudden I saw the man pumping his flat hand towards the ground as he looked down the blind corner that we didn’t have a view of.

Barreling ass around the corner came a burnt orange Mercedes Benz SUV, which I assume was his security guard. They exchanged a few words and by now, my sunglasses were off and both of my hands were in plain sight. The man opened the passenger door and promptly closed it, once he was in.

Then the driver shouted to us from his car, ‘who are you’ I replied ‘tourists’. He then asked ‘what are you doing here’ and I replied ‘tourist things’ - trying to be uncharacteristically concise and clear. By now, we were all on high alert.

He let us know in no uncertain terms that this was a private property and that we were trespassing. He said I will escort you out, but must have changed his mind, for two seconds later he sped away and was quickly out of sight.

We looked at each other and without words I began to drive out slowly, soaking up all that we could. All the while feeling excited that we had this chance and simultaneously holding our breath about the unknown. Surely we would truly get out.

He presumably dropped off at the house, what we later gathered was likely to be Joel Silver, a famous Hollywood Movie Producer and owner of this famous landmark. 

Joel would have been fascinating to chat with. He owns two FLW homes and has been restoring them with FLW’s grandson, Eric. He also owns a few of FLW’s Lincoln’s and has restored those as well. We almost met another car nut!

As we drove out the front gate, the man driving the Benz was there talking to the gate guys. Doug wisely said to me, ‘don’t stop to talk, just keep driving’ and that we did.

The car also got us out.