Written by Horizons Editor
I will go on record and say that the Hill Country Region of the Porsche Club of America has some of the best members and events around. Not only compared to other PCA regions, but in general. Having said that, there are some events that shine that are not HCR run events. One event that has grown in popularity recently is run by a small and dedicated group of friends who share a love for two wheeled bikes and four wheeled classics. Held on every fourth Thursday of the month, Gruppechat meets for a Vintage Euro Night from 6p to 9p at Top Notch on Burnet Road. Known as an Austin burger joint to locals, and recognized from Dazed and
Confused and Varsity Blues to some visitors, Top Notch serves as a perfect period backdrop for a range of motor heads.
The creators of Gruppechat are Jim, Jed and Aaron. Each has a strong interest in BMX that started as soon as they could start riding. Aaron and Jed grew up in Corpus Christi and met when they were young. Aaron and Jim met while working at Odyssey BMX, where they still work today. The itch for a classic car had been in the back of their minds for a while, and once Jim purchased a 911, Aaron purchased one. Once Jed borrowed Aaron’s for the first running of the Hill Country Rallye, it was all over and their small group was cemented.
Outside of their newly formed small group, a desire for an ‘easier’ event to bring cars out of their garages and to get people together started to grow. While driving events are still paramount to enjoying their automotive classics, the idea of a weekday get together with other enthusiasts offered the social aspects of a driving event without the time commitment. What was needed was a centrally located parking lot show where people can congregate and then groups can go drive with like minded individuals. With Top Notch being so iconic for the Austin scene, it only made sense. In the summer, the long Texas sunsets provide some spectacular golden-hour opportunities for photographers. In winter, Top Notch’s lighted covered awning offers a unique atmosphere that is rare these days.
While the event was mostly friends and acquaintances with mostly vintage Porsches from the Hill Country Rallye, Gruppechat at Top Notch focused on all German vintage cars and quickly grew to European vintage cars. With Porsche and BMW still being very well represented, you can see several different makes roll in and out throughout the evening. To encourage others to bring their specialty cars, the group has played with featured marques themes with the local Land Rover chapter and then the Alfisiti representing Alfa Romeo. Both seemed to be a success.
As Gruppechat at Top Notch started to become a regular monthly event, second guessing started to creep in among some of the group. As a group specific to cars, they were more about driving than parking. Repeat cars and people month after month might get old rather quickly. But they were blown away that new people and new cars that they have never seen before were still joining the event even after the fourth or fifth consecutive month. The parking lot began to fill-up within minutes and quickly attendees started arriving early to secure a parking spot. It was then when the guys knew that they had something special and were adding to the automotive culture of Austin.
With some incredible growth of the event throughout the later half of 2023, the crew tried something new for the last group gathering of the year. For the first time, Gruppechat at Top Notch hosted a toy drive benefitting a local nonprofit. Launching something new always has its questions and the group wasn’t sure if the toy drive was going to mirror the success of the normal meet-ups. To their amazement, both trunk and frunk of the Porsche 914 were almost instantly filled. A Mercedes G-Wagen served as the secondary car to bring all the donated items back after the end of the toy drive.
Piggybacking on their 2023 success, Gruppechat hosted their first food drive benefitting Free Lunch in November and are proud to continue their toy drive for a second year. At Horizons, we wish them the best of luck in continuing their efforts to host automotive events focused on community and camaraderie.
