Passing of Tim Goodrich

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Joris Koning
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Passing of Tim Goodrich

#1 Post by Joris Koning »

It is with much sadness that I have to report that Tim Goodrich passed away in his sleep earlier this week. As some of you know, Tim was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease some years back. The grace in which he accepted his eventual faith was something truly special. Remaining positive and active till the very end.

Tim was involved with 356's from the very start when they were new and he was working as a lot boy at a Porsche dealership. From there he would open his independent VW & Porsche repair-shop before in the 70's moving into restorations. Tim redefined restorations by focusing on authenticity instead of just cleanliness. He was the first to do this. Pushing the envelope to the max by not only duplication colors and materials but also exactly duplicating plating (by testing all the hardware on a car), paint textures, factory defects etc. His amazing attention to detail won him many concourse at the highest levels. To this day the cars he restored are still viewed upon as the gold standard for 356 restorations.

Among the cars he was involved with were same very special models, the speedster prototypes, the first Carrera speedster, several GT cars etc. come to mind.

Tim was one of my mentors in this hobby. He helped me get my first 4-cam car and played an important part in its restoration. More importantly, he was a great friend and a truly humble and special person. I am very sad that he has left us but feel honored to have met him and call him a friend.

My thoughts are with his wife Diane, his kids and grand-kids.
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Pascal Giai
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#2 Post by Pascal Giai »

R.I.P
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Tom Wavrin
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#3 Post by Tom Wavrin »

Sad passing of a patient teacher, generous sharer of knowledge and a kind soul. I was in awe of the joy he received by focusing on detail, no matter what project he was working on, whether it be Porsche or otherwise.
Tom, Reg # 10576, Oregon
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Steve Proctor
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#4 Post by Steve Proctor »

That is a wonderful tribute, Joris. Well said. Heartbreaking to hear he had Lou Gehrig's, did not know. As you say, he will be remembered for his award winning original red C coupe and of course for those Speedsters. On a personal level, when I restored the Speedster, I called Tim, first to buy his windshield rubber pieces and later for very detailed instructions on the exact configuration, as he said nearly every installation was incorrect. That would have been about 2013 and it saddens me to know that perhaps he was ill at that time. Regardless, he was so very generous with his time, providing direction on exactly how the windshield rubber pieces interfaced with each other. That's who he was, one of the good guys. RIP
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Chris Stavros
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#5 Post by Chris Stavros »

RIP Tim....you were a tremendous gift to us all. Blessings to all your family and friends.

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Jay Broemmel
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#6 Post by Jay Broemmel »

Very sad. Tim was friends with my father. My first car was a hot rod ‘67 Beetle that my dad bought from him. When I got new tires for it I remember Tim telling me to get them remounted with the white letters in, because “This isn’t some American muscle car”. I don’t remember many of my father’s friends from my childhood but Tim definitely stood out. Rest In Peace

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Jim Liberty
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#7 Post by Jim Liberty »

Rest in Peace Tim. You are one of the ICONS of the 356 family. .......................Jim.
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John Brooks
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#8 Post by John Brooks »

Sorry to hear the news, I have not talked to Tim in a year, we were in the Navy together at Lemoore. He will be missed.
Last edited by John Brooks on Mon Apr 23, 2018 2:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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James Davies
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#9 Post by James Davies »

Very sorry to hear this. Thanks for letting us know Joris.

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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#10 Post by Tom Scott »

Tim was as good as any sane concours person could be! I was able to better him only once in 25+ years of competition. He taught me more than I will ever realize. Good bye dear friend and God Bless.
Tom Scott.

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Joris Koning
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Re: Passing of Tim Goodrich

#11 Post by Joris Koning »

A friend was kind enough to share these pictures of Tim back in the day.

There are also some pictures which can be found online of the '58 Speedster Tim did for Richard Price. https://www.leftcoastclassics.com/1958- ... speedster/
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