Picked this up in DC off Craigslist. It was posted here, and I was lucky to have time to meet the couple selling it. They bought it new sometime after 1997 as they recall, and used it once to try cooking a turkey and a steak. The Turkey was done in a roasting pan. They may have used only the gas assist as a heat source as there is zero evidence of charcoal being used, and the storage bin was half-full of lump - they were not quite sure what that stuff was. Not successful, and they cleaned it up and put it in the basement, where it sat until yesterday. The tank is still full of gas. The guy was a WWII vet, and we shared some stories. He worked for Honeywell in the 60's (I worked there in the early 80's) and was assigned to inertial navigation systems for the SR71 Blackbird. Real aviation buff, so of couse my Boeing job sparked a good conversation. His wife is German, (my ancestors are German) grew up in Passau near the Austrian border. She said they could walk there from her home. Really nice couple. Might have to name this one Marianne after her. Paid them a fair price (well I did the deal with her - she ruled that roost for sure) and made my way home.
To this day, I have never seen a more beautifully preserved Performer. Every nut and bolt is pristine. Not a single mark to the porcelain anywhere. Really nice red fade. Grates are perfect. Original wire baskets mint. Original cover flawless. (She washed it before I got there.) I did not do one thing to it before these pics. Amazing! Not sure I'll ever cook on this one, but so what? It's a keeper, unless Weber offers me a SGC for it. Even then, maybe not...
Anyone coming to the Meetup on the 8th will get to perve this as much as they like. For the rest of you, meet Marianne:
Topic: 1997 EI-code Red Fade Performer (Read 5021 times)