Don Fowler was sitting in the dentist’s chair as the dentist poked and prodded around the inside of his mouth when the dentist—a fellow car enthusiast—told him he had just inspected an old Porsche Cabriolet.
“He told me it was pretty rough,” says Fowler, of Summerfield, North Carolina. “He said he wanted nothing to do with it. He said I could have it if I wanted it.” So Fowler got the seller’s information and inspected it himself.
“I’ve been fooling with Porsches for 40 years and I’ve never seen one so eaten up underneath,” he says. Besides being in poor condition, the 1958 “Normal” Cabriolet was also disassembled. Regardless, Fowler bought the car and spent a month bolting it back together.
The Porsche’s original owner drove the car through Cherokee, North Carolina, decades earlier and had a photo taken with an Indian. Porsche used that photo in a calendar and Fowler has had the photo on his wall for 30 years! DON FOWLER COLLECTION
The silver Porsche had a black hardtop, black interior, and tan rubber floor mats. “I try to find out the history of my cars,” he says. “The original owner was an Air Force pilot stationed in Germany. He bought the car from the factory and met Ferry Porsche on delivery. He shipped the car to New York and drove it home to Texas.”
Finding a barn-find Porsche doesn’t happen too often in the dentist chair, but Don Fowler’s dentist was a car guy as well. He asked Fowler if he might be interested in a rusty convertible, Fowler said, “Uh huh.” DON FOWLER
On the way, he stopped in Cherokee, North Carolina, and took a photograph of the Porsche with an Indian. He sent that photo to Porsche, who later used it for a calendar. “Coincidentally I’ve had that photo hanging on my wall for 30 years,” Fowler says. “What are the chances of that?!”
Deciding it was too much for him to restore, Fowler posted the car on eBay. It was listed for a week, and jumped $20,000 in the last six seconds—certainly something to smile about, and to thank the dentist for the kind referral.
Fowler later learned who bought the Porsche. It was the CEO of Angie’s List, an online website for good referrals. From the dentist to Fowler to the new CEO, the next owner could possibly be you—but you’ll need a good referral!