While our search for live auto news headlines tends to revolve around development from within the automotive industry, some deal with the wider cultural influence that certain automakers and vehicles possess.
Like many Americans of a certain age, March 4th brought the sad and shocking news of the sudden passing of actor Luke Perry who (depending on your age and television viewing habits) is recognizable as either Beverly Hills 90210’s Dylan McKay or Riverdale’s Fred Andrews. But while the latter role had all-but resurrected the career of the former teen heart-throb, it will always be the former that defined his cultural influence.
From 1990 to 1995, and again from 1998 to 2000, Perry portrayed resident bad boy with a heart-of-gold Dylan McKay. The emancipated teenage son of an imprisoned, shady businessman the character paid clear homage to iconic rebels such as James Dean and Marlon Brando—with his reclusive, self-destructive traits tempered over time to reveal his most redeeming of qualities.
And while the kind-hearted actor was mourned by the millions of ‘women-of-a-certain-age’ whose sexuality (blossoming or otherwise) had been ignited by his perfect blend of pompadour coif and sideburns in the pages of Teen Beat magazine, there is one memento worth acquiring that will become the prized possession of one lucky fan.
A defining component of the Dylan McKay mystique was the super cool dusty black convertible Porsche 356 that he drove throughout most of the series. An amalgam of components from different generations, the 356B coupe with the top removed and Speedster-esque windshield is likely to hold more value to a fan or collector, than a true-blue Porsche enthusiast. And while Brandon Boucher of Sacramento CA counts himself among both groups, financial struggles are forcing him to part with the car which he acquired in a Hollywood auction back in 2005.
In addition to his career as a freelance ‘long-sleeve button-down shirt’ model, Boucher’s day job is to manage his family’s empire of apple orchards. Located in Washington, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, and Virginia, the Boucher family is responsible for 74% of the nation’s apples. Unfortunately, struggles associated with climate change have continued to compromise the quality of apples yielded by their orchards. Suffering sales, combined with the growing cost of preventative maintenance has left the family in dire financial straits. And thus, Brandon Boucher (and his exposed forearms) plans to auction off the iconic 90210 Porsche, with all proceeds to be used in support of his orchards. No information as to auction house, or starting price tag has been released as of yet, but Boucher’s plans have already sparked some unexpected drama.
Meet Katie Potter, standing president of the Official Luke Perry Fan Club of America and primary opponent to Brandon Boucher’s plans to auction off the vehicle.
“That car can not fall into the wrong hands,” explained Potter, emphatically. “Considering the amount of residual DNA likely to be found throughout that vehicle, it’s conceivable that someone with the right resources could clone Luke Perry.”
Potter, now famous for creating the “Be nice to women of a certain age today, we just lost our first imaginary boyfriend” meme that cluttered all of our social media feeds seems to be the only person convinced of a cloning risk. But her influence in the Luke Perry fan community has lent her concerns some serious backing and inspired a crowd-funding attempt to help the Official Fan Club raise the money needed to purchase the car.
But there are also some concerns about the motivations of Katie Potter, a former Beverly Hills hairdresser who, in the last-90s, counted Luke Perry among her (one-time) clientele. Having left the trade behind to further her education, Potter went on to study at Cal-Tech and has been a noted biochemist for the better part of a decade.
While there’s no formal documentation, rumors have swirled for years about Potter’s obsession with Luke Perry and certain experiments she might have conducted using remnants from the only haircut she had ever given him. In fact, neighbors have claimed to hear strange noises coming from Potter’s basement, and there are jokes that she’s hiding several mutant Luke Perry clones that survive on a diet of pie from the Peach Pit while begging to be killed since they’re being forced to live without Brenda or Kelly.
“That’s crazy,” Potter says, clutching a rolled copy Tiger Beat magazine from 1992 while rolling it tighter…and tighter…and tighter…
