This Brigade of Porsches is on Patrol

A Hagerty Media Article on Air Brigade as appeared June 7, 2025, written by Paul Stenquist.

 https://www.hagerty.com/media/people/this-brigade-of-porsches-is-on-patrol/

This Brigade of Porsches Is on Patrol

Paul Stenquist. 07 July 2025

Jim Moore, the Commander of the Air Brigade®, a Porsche driving club in western North Carolina, wasn’t always free to exercise his air-cooled passion.

It’s easy to fall in love with classic Porsches. They’re not only superb machines but have a fascinating story to tell. Air-cooled Porsches are the offspring of a rudimentary 1930s car meant to transport Germany’s masses, which evolved to become world-class performance machines. 

Air Brigade Commander Moore's 1986 Porsche 911 Carrer 3.2 on Patrol at Black Mountain Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Jim Moore, a former ad agency executive who once oversaw General Motors advertising efforts at Detroit agencies, harbored a secret love for the sexy German cars for decades, but keeping his Porsche passion under wraps was mandatory for a guy who handled multi-million-dollar GM accounts. So, for many years Moore’s 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 remained covered up in his Birmingham, Michigan, garage while he loyally oversaw the work and finances of the General’s advertising. It would take the American automaker’s bankruptcy to resolve that dilemma.

After GM filed for Chapter 11 in 2009 and Moore’s agency took a tumble, his Porsche was suddenly less of a liability and he was a free man. In fact, he felt so free from the restraints of GM servitude that he bought another Porsche, a 1969 911 T/R that had seen action as a C-Production SCCA race car.

Commander Moore driving his 1969 former Porsche factory 911 T/R at Waterford Hills Raceway outside Detroit during the Trans-Am Reunion. Photo: Paul Stenquist

Used to the rigors of the 24/7 ad biz, Moore soon found himself involved in various business ventures, including an e-learning website aimed at hunters, a popular breed in Michigan. But by 2016, Moore and his wife Linda had experienced more than enough Michigan winters, metro Detroit potholes, and high local taxes, so they sold the business and their house and moved to Asheville, North Carolina, a town that boasts moderate weather and a wealth of great driving roads, two things guaranteed to make any car lover happy.

Moore soon found that the Carolina roads that wind through the Blue Ridge Mountains were perfect for driving his air-cooled Porsches, but a guy—even a retired guy—can’t spend all his time driving solo, and the lack of a project that would allow him to exercise his organizational and business skills left him with lots of time on his hands. Too much time. Having spent the better part of a lifetime selling stuff, he figured that he could sell his love of Porsches and beautiful mountain roads to others as well. As a longtime member of the Porsche Club of America, he knew that a lot of his Carolina neighbors had older Porsches gathering dust in garages, so he got in touch with 10 owners and organized a drive. It was a hoot, so he contacted still more Porsche owners and organized more drives.

The very first outing Moore organized in May 2018 was simply a group of 10 Porsche owners who got together for a drive on North Carolina roads. The sight of all those pretty air-cooled sports cars undoubtedly helped inspire the Air Brigade® name. Courtesy Air Brigade®

That was the beginning of Commander Moore’s Air Brigade, which now boasts a website and 1196 members worldwide. From among that substantial membership, about 50 are actively involved in the bimonthly drives. Many members just watch from the sidelines and participate via the website, which offers classic Porsche editorial, authored primarily by Moore, and various other relevant material. Prior to a drive, Moore mails notices to about 150 members who might want to participate. The lucky 15 are chosen on a first come, first-served basis. “We drive where I want to go,” Moore says. (After all, he is the Commander, a title he claims with tongue firmly in cheek.)

Air Brigade® members preparing to depart on a monthly drive. 1972 Porsche 911T Targa, 1974 Porsche 914 and a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2. Courtesy Air Brigade®

Prior to the pandemic, Moore organized some drives for as many as 50 cars at a time, but he now limits each drive to 15 cars, all air-cooled 356, 911, 912, and 914 variants. All built prior to 1998, when Porsche mothballed the air-cooled powertrains. Along the way, the group will stop at a restaurant. The establishments that host the Air Brigade are happy to have them, since folks who can afford classic Porsches generally don’t hesitate to open their wallets. Moore tries to choose businesses that might need a boost, due to losses suffered during the pandemic or from the recent hurricane. He also tries to avoid driving through depressed areas, where a parade of rich folks in their expensive cars might cause resentment.

A comfort stop along the road at High Five Coffee outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Pictured in the foreground, a early Porsche 356 (Polo Red) in front of a later model Porsche 993 Cab in black). Courtesy Air Brigade®

Moore says there are about 50 active members in the Asheville area who are regulars on the drives through the mountains. Most Air Brigade members have more than one Porsche, including some very special cars. For example, an “Emory Outlaw” 1957 356A, modified by Emory Motorsports, has been part of the brigade, as has a 964 Carrera RS, a car sold only in Europe from 1991 until 1994. Approximately 80 percent of the regularly active brigade participants drive 911s, but there are also half a dozen 912s that show up regularly. While most driving members are men, there are at least half a dozen women who occasionally pilot their classic Porsches on Air Brigade drives.

The original Air Brigade® registered trademark logo featuring the fan of air-cooled Porsches.

“I thought about turning the Air Brigade into a money-making venture,” Moore says, “but that would change things. I just do it for the love of driving.” While Moore hasn’t turned the Air Brigade into a for-profit enterprise, his ad business instincts have led him to trademark the brand and, when necessary, protect it with legal action. The concept and name have proved to have broad appeal, and imitators sprung up almost immediately after the website went live. “This was my creative idea,” says Moore. “I was annoyed that people were trying to copy it.”

In addition to his work for the Air Brigade, Moore is president of the Appalachian region of the Porsche Club of America, which boasts 742 members. He still owns the ’86 911 Carrera 3.2 that was once hidden in his Michigan garage, and he drives it regularly in the Air Brigade events. He recently sold a ’68 911, because selling things is what ad guys do. He keeps a 2009 911 Turbo in his garage for track days, where the late-model car is more practical, and quicker, than most classics, and his daily driver is a recent Porsche Macan GTS. 

You might say the commander is a Porsche guy who no longer has to hide his addiction.