Student fulfills dream, rides Porsche

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A local dealership gave one 11-year-old car fanatic a day he won't soon forget.

It started with a letter.

Dylan Raber wrote to O'Daniel Dealership in Fort Wayne for a school assignment.

He wasn't expecting what came next.

"I was just shocked, I could not believe it," Raber said.

Raber's passion is cars.

"Eats, sleeps, dreams cars," Stepmother Ruthanna Raber said.

However, he hasn't seen the sports cars that interest him up-close.

That's why he wrote to O'Daniel to persuade it to open a dealership where he lives.

Ted Mekianov answered the letter.

"He reminded me of what I was when I was ten years old where I first saw a Porsche on tv and became a Porsche fan since I was a kid," Porsche Brand Ambassador Ted Mekianov said.

Mekianov gave him the next best thing: the experience.

"I wrote him back and printed a little certificate and which I got him a free ride along and a Porsche," Mekianov said.

Friday, NewsChannel15 followed along Raber's ride of a lifetime.

Afterward, we caught up with the car fan.

"Right when the car took off, like my legs were shaking like crazy and it was awesome, I've never done that in my life," Raber said.

It was a ride that Raber won't forget, thanks to his letter and a shared passion.

"It was so nice of them to do that for him, he'll be talking about it for years to come I'm sure," Ruthanna Raber said.

At the end, the dealership sent him away with several gifts including a Porsche poster and collector's car that symbolized the one they rode.