If, as former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill once famously said, “All politics is local,” then all Porsche enthusiasm is local, too. Sure, you have your Rennsport Reunions, your Werks Reunions, your Big Honkin’ Museum in Zuffenhausen, but on an entirely different level are the local Porsche club events. One of the nicest local Porsche gatherings on the calendar is the Porsche Club of America’s Los Angeles Region (and Zone 8)’s annual Concours d’Elegance. This year’s gathering was the 56th for the club and the fifth time they’ve held it at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica. It was a pleasant panoply of Porsches and planes.

About 250 of Stuttgart’s finest made it out this year from the LA club’s 2,000 members.

“It’s definitely a significant event,” said Porsche Club social chair Donna J. Slatton. “This is the largest we’ve ever had.”

The Museum of Flying is easily worth the $5 it cost to go in. The LA area has spawned numerous aerospace companies over the last 100 or so years, and examples of the local product are strewn throughout, from a Cassutt III Formula One Air Racer to a Rutan Verriviggen and a Waco GXE Model 10.

Prior to discovering the Museum of Flying, the concours was held at The Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, site of the annual Greystone Concours. But that facility is owned and operated by the city of Beverly Hills and included a little more bureaucracy.

“Did you ever work with the EPA?” asked Scott Mann, concours emcee and chief driving instructor of PCA’s Zone 8.

“Everyone’s so dad-gummed nice,” said Slatton. “Everyone has been fabulous.”

The friendly, local quality of the event also helps to dispel certain Porsche stereotypes.

“People have a mystique of the rich lawyer cutting everyone off on the freeway,” said Mann. “Here the cars are something that can be accepted by everyone.”

Hey, we would have accepted any of the 250 cars on hand. While there were several 356s, the majority of the entries consisted of modern 911s, from a gray 50th Anniversary model to several GT3 RS supercars. Best of Show went to Pat and Betsy Wadman’s 1973 silver 911 Targa, a car that has won before at other events.

Best of all, concours like these are where new members join the club. Slatton had heard from 20 attendees who said they were going to go home and sign up. Welcome members!