Stories

The Nordic Barnhouse Project by Bruno Jakobsen

(September 27, 2024) – The designer and architect Bruno Jakobsen has created his dream house in his home country Denmark. Secluded in the middle of nature and yet followed by a growing community of fans. It’s as if his two Porsche models were made for this picturesque environment.

Bruno Jakobsen briefly squints as the morning sun shines through the treetops. The Danish architect and designer spent a year observing how light behaves at this very location to ensure perfect illumination of everything he’d been planning. His self-made dream house is now nestled in the heart of this green oasis of old trees, lush meadows, and dense shrubs at the very edge of Randers, a port town on the eastern side of the central Jutland region with a population of 64,000. And the Barnhouse Box – a space dedicated to his Porsche 911 S 2.7 Targa (G-Series) – was only just recently finished.

The soft morning sun bathes the sports car with its brushed stainless-steel roll bar in a golden-yellow light. The designer runs his hand along the car’s removable roof. “I just like how the surface feels,” he says, gently pressing his fingers into the plastic. Everything in the Barnhouse Box is inspired by the classic 1974 car in Satin Black. Jakobsen, who was born in 1976, emphasizes that his vintage stereo system is from the same year as the 911. The large, illuminated brand lettering bathes the room in a warm light, highlighting the walls adorned with Porsche steering wheels and fire extinguishers, a Fuchs wheel, and the massive rear spoiler of a Porsche 911 Turbo (930).

Jakobsen has had his 911 for more than ten years and fondly recalls how his daughter, Silje, and son, Tristan, (now 17 and 14 years old) would drift off to sleep shoulder to shoulder on the back seat during longer drives. Perhaps that’s why the two have developed such a passion for the brand based in Zuffenhausen. While it took his wife, Dorte, a little bit longer to catch the Porsche bug, she now enjoys riding around in the sports car herself.

A fully restored Porsche Junior
It also took some persuasion to convince her to give up the single-family house in the city and build a home in a secluded location in the heart of the forest. But she has since taken to the new way of life surrounded by nature. And Bruno Jakobsen acquired a suitable vehicle for the new environment, a 1960 Porsche Junior, which was fully restored by the previous owner and has been keeping the Targa company in the neighboring workshop for the past two years.

Porsche developed the tractor to series production with a cult following from 1950 to 1963 in partnership with different companies. Jakobsen always dons the overalls he purchased just for the purpose whenever he takes the tractor out, which he usually does just for fun. Two goats and three chickens live in a large enclosure next to the house.

Jakobsen christened his initial idea for a new home in the heart of the dense forest “The Nordic Barnhouse Project” in summer 2019 – and then began sharing it on Instagram in early 2020. More than 270,000 people now follow Jakobsen on the social media platform as he makes a dream come true for him and his family one step at a time: the longhouse that the family lives in, the orangery next door, the large garage, and most recently the Barnhouse Box.

“Nature and wood – that’s my world”
Nature is always within reach in the Nordic barn house, which is typical of the designer’s work. Visual axes throughout the house provide a view of the greenery outside. The Jakobsen family enjoys spending time outdoors anyway. Outside they have a shower, a small pool, and a sauna, with just about everything made from wood. “Nature and wood – that’s my world,” says Jakobsen, who refers to his style as “new Nordic” architecture. “Wood wears with time. It ages. And that’s exactly what makes it the ideal material. Life always leaves a mark.” He especially likes to use Canadian red cedar, which turns silver over time.

It was also the desire for durability and appealing signs of wear and patina that bound him to the sports car brand. “Porsche builds vehicles that are made to be used. They’re not just for looking at and storing in the garage.” And true to his words, he gets in his 911 S 2.7 Targa and drives off into the sun.

Text first published in Christophorus Magazine, issue 412.
Author: Axel Stubbe
Photos: Constantin Mirbach

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Louise Piëch and the 911 Turbo “No. 1”

(September 6, 2024) – The first series production 911 with a turbo engine was destined to be a birthday present for the grande dame of the Porsche and Piëch family in 1974. In addition to fast cars, Louise Piëch loved hunting and painting. She was also an extremely successful businesswoman.

The birthday present was unique, a one-off. The birthday girl can be considered a unique individual, too. Ferry Porsche gave his sister Louise Piëch a special prototype from the development center in Weissach for her 70th birthday on August 29, 1974: the 911 Turbo “No. 1” – the first 911 for the road with a turbocharger, a technical highlight.

It didn’t yet feature a style-defining attribute of the later production model: the mighty fender extensions. The first 911 Turbo wore a slimline dress. The rear deck lid did, however, already feature the protruding wing with an all-round rubber lip, which was later christened the whale tail. The centerpiece was the supercharged 2.7‑liter engine with power of 177 kW (240 PS). The production version of the 930 – its official type number – boasted 3.0 liters and 191 kW (260 PS), and was the fastest German series production vehicle at the time.

Photos of the birthday party by the Wörthersee lake show that Louise Piëch was delighted with this exquisite gift. Her enthusiasm for sports cars – including their corresponding driving style – is legendary. “I like to drive fast, and I enjoy it, too,” she once admitted. “She didn’t like to have anyone in front of her,” remembers her eldest son Ernst, “she wasn’t keen on being second.”

First child of Aloisia and Ferdinand Porsche
This is hardly surprising considering the family she was born into. Louise was born in Vienna in 1904 as the first child of Aloisia and Ferdinand Porsche. Her brother Ferdinand, called Ferry, followed five years later in 1909. At the time, her father was already a well-known automotive design engineer at Austro-Daimler. He loved fast and light cars, and enjoyed competing in races in them himself.

With great success. In 1910, for example, he won the renowned Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt race around Germany over a distance of almost 2,000 kilometers. His daughter was sitting beside him during the lap of honor. The Austro-Daimler AD 35 “Louise Wagen” of 1914 was named after her. She was given one of these open-top touring cars as a 16th birthday present. She was already a seasoned driver by then. “Everything revolved around cars in our grandfather’s house,” explains Ernst Piëch, “and she was fascinated by them, too.”

When her father Ferdinand joined Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart, the name Louise Porsche even cropped up in motorsport. Driving the Mercedes supercharged car, she went up against established competitors, among others, in the Süddeutsche Tourenfahrt and AvD-Kartellfahrt events in 1927. The plucky amateur also took a stab at the local hill climb – at a time when a “lady behind the wheel” (special-interest magazine Motor und Sport, 1927) was considered something rather exotic. The fashion-conscious sport driver’s contemporary accessory of choice was the beret.

Spiritual balance in painting
But speed wasn’t everything for young Louise Porsche. She intensified her passion for painting by studying in Vienna. Watercolor landscapes were her preferred motif. She drew peace and strength from her art, and she continued to paint into old age. “She was never bored and led an active and eventful life from childhood on,” her youngest son Hans Michel reminisces. “She found spiritual balance in her painting.”

Louise’s career as an amateur race car driver came to an end in 1928 when she married the Viennese attorney Anton Piëch, who went on to be his father-in-law’s most important legal adviser. The young couple remained in Vienna and set up home on the Küniglberg hill in the Hietzing district, not far from the magnificent Schönbrunn Palace. Their son Ernst was born in 1929, followed by Louise (1932), Ferdinand (1937), and Hans Michel (1942). “Even as a married woman, she maintained a very strong relationship with her father,” says Ernst Piëch. “They got along very well, and she therefore always knew what was going on in Stuttgart.”

Louise Piëch never limited herself to the traditional role of housewife. She was a mother of four, a talented painter, and an enthusiastic huntswoman. And like her brother Ferry, she was involved in her father’s activities early on. Especially after Ferdinand Porsche founded his design office together with Anton Piëch and Adolf Rosenberger in 1931 to take on development contracts with a committed team. “From an early age, she wanted to play a part in preserving what my grandfather had built up,” explains Hans Michel Piëch. “She saw this as a generational task early on.”

Looking back herself, Louise Piëch once said: “I was very interested in my father’s work, but I didn’t intend to become a businesswoman.”

But things were not to turn out as she had planned. Her expertise, business acumen, and insight into human nature proved to be a godsend for the company’s new beginning after the Second World War. The design office had been relocated from Stuttgart to Gmünd in the Austrian state of Carinthia in 1944 for safety reasons. “My father chose the location,” she reported later in life, “as he was an Austrian by birth.” In addition, the Schüttgut estate, an old farm in Zell am See some 125 kilometers away, had been the domicile of the Porsche and Piëch family and other relatives since 1941. Toward the end of the war, there were multiple generations all living under one roof. “There was always a lot going on as there were, at times, more than 30 children and adults there,” relates Ernst Piëch, “and my mother managed it with aplomb, as one says.”

“As children, her success story always served as an example to us.”

– Hans Michel Piëch

In the austere postwar period, Louise Piëch bore the burden of being responsible not only for her own four children, but also for her brother’s four sons as well as for a farm and the design office. Her father, husband, and brother were being held by the French. Together with senior engineer Karl Rabe, she got the business back up and running in the former Gmünd sawmill with the old Porsche team. With some effort, she was able to keep the workshop going with the aid of long-standing employees by taking on small repair jobs and producing winches and small batches of tractors. For the time being, sports cars remained a dream, even after the return of her brother Ferry.

Safeguarding the life’s work of their father
Gmünd was a second plant of the still existing Porsche KG. The siblings Louise and Ferry ventured a further step to safeguard the life’s work of their father and the future of the entrepreneurial family in spring 1947 when they founded the company Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH in Gmünd. Orders were essential for the company’s survival. Long-standing relationships then came to the aid of 43-year-old Louise: Karl “Carlo” Abarth, the husband of Anton Piëch’s former secretary, whom he had helped flee to Yugoslavia at the outbreak of the war, turned to her. Through Abarth, who had since relocated to Italy, the Porsche and Piëch family came into contact with Piero Dusio.

The affluent industrialist placed an order, among others, for a Grand Prix car for his sports car brand Cisitalia. “A technical gem, one of the most interesting Grand Prix cars in the world,” Louise Piëch was still enthusing years later. The 360 type was never entered into a race, but it did save the fledgling company. “Firstly, with Dusio’s orders, we were able to keep Gmünd busy,” Louise Piëch reminisced later, “and secondly, we were able to arrange the bail money for my father and my husband in France to be released.” When Ferdinand Porsche returned to Austria approaching the age of 72, his son Ferry, who had been released before, showed him the drafts of the 360 type. “I asked him what he thought of our work,” Ferry Porsche once recounted, describing the scene. “My father said ‘I would have approached the task in exactly the same way’ and patted me on the shoulder.” Praise indeed.

Encouraged, Ferry Porsche fulfilled a long-cherished dream. In 1948, the first sports car to bear the name Porsche – the 356 “No. 1” Roadster – was developed on the basis of the Volkswagen. The conclusion of an agreement with Volkswagen proved to be another masterstroke of family cooperation. It included permission for Volkswagen parts to be used in Porsche sports cars, a license fee for every Volkswagen constructed, and the exclusive status as Volkswagen’s general importer for Austria.

Optimistic despite all the setbacks
Starting in 1948, the first rear-engine sports cars of the type 356 were manufactured in Gmünd in small series production under the management of Ferry Porsche. They were presented for the first time by Louise Piëch and Ferry Porsche at the Geneva International Motor Show in 1949. Import operations commenced in Salzburg under the auspices of Louise and Anton Piëch with the importing of the first 14 Volkswagen sedans. A year later, Ferry Porsche moved sports car production to Stuttgart, while Louise and her husband remained in Austria to build up the sales organization. The siblings each held shares in both companies.

The company suffered two strokes of fate during this period of initial recovery – Ferdinand Porsche died on January 30, 1951, aged 75, and only around 18 months later Louise’s husband Anton Piëch died unexpectedly at the age of 57. She was 48 at the time and joined the management of the Salzburg company. “My mother took on this role without hesitation,” says Hans Michel Piëch. “She always took the initiative when this was called for.” This was an expression not only of her understanding of performing one’s duties, but also of her fundamentally positive attitude, he says. Ernst Piëch adds: “She remained optimistic despite all the setbacks.” Her demeanor and responsible manner with employees shaped the corporate culture.

Commercial Councillor
Thanks to the great prudence and commercial intuition of Frau Kommerzialrat (Commercial Councillor), as she was called, Porsche Salzburg evolved into the biggest automobile trading company in Europe over the decades. In a far-reaching decision taken in 1971, Louise Piëch and Ferry Porsche decreed that all family members should withdraw from operational positions in the growing company – both in Salzburg and Stuttgart. Henceforth, the business was only to be run by external managers. Louise Piëch and Ferry Porsche moved to the supervisory bodies. The siblings felt a lifelong connection, also as trusted business partners.

“I would say she was perhaps the more resolute of the two, whereas my uncle was more focused on balance,” says Ernst Piëch, “so they complemented one another very well.” As one of the most successful businesswomen in Austria, Louise Piëch remained the grande dame of Salzburg and a highly respected member of society.

The Turbo “No. 1” she was given for her 70th birthday was by no means her last Porsche. Even at the age of 90, she still liked to get behind the wheel of the sports car that would never have existed without her. “Up until old age, she liked to drive the 911 the most,” says Ernst Piëch, “but by then she knew her limits.”

Louise Piëch died on February 10, 1999, almost a year after her younger brother Ferry. In accordance with family tradition, she, too, was laid to rest in the private chapel at the Schüttgut estate. Living to be 94 years of age, Louise Piëch experienced almost an entire century, and very much shaped the fortunes of the family business through the epochs. “As children, her success story always served as an example to us,” says Hans Michel Piëch.

Text first published in Christophorus Magazine, issue 411.
Author: Thomas Ammann
Photos: Porsche

Porsche Travel Experience Camp 911 Namibia

(August 29, 2024) – Before the first guests set off on gravel roads and desert sand in their 911 Dakar, an on-site team will clarify the final details and logistical challenges. Because in the vastness of Namibia, surprises are the norm, and the thrill of the unknown is a daily reality.

Just outside the dreamy coastal town of Swakopmund, the beach is thirty, perhaps forty meters wide at low tide. The ice-cold waves of the Atlantic roll in from the west. To the east, deserts, dunes and mountains stretch deep into the inland — a vast, untouched and hot land. But if you wanted to, you could continue straight along this narrow band of sand toward the north, up to the border with Angola — more than 700 kilometers. Or 800 kilometers south toward the South African border. Endless. Wild. Vast.

In order to perfectly prepare a Porsche Travel Experience in Namibia, it is necessary to adjust your usual frame of reference to the immense proportions of this country — while at the same time paying close attention to even the smallest details. Nine months before the first guests of the Porsche Travel Experience Camp 911 Namibia experience this unusual country in their off-road 911s in September 2024, we are already on the road with a small groundwork team to iron out the final details and address the truly important questions.

Which challenges will the guests will be able to tackle
For Swen, who primarily works as a Senior Instructor at the Porsche Track Experience and is also a racing driver in long-distance motor racing, today is all about testing which challenges the Porsche Travel Experience guests will be able to tackle in the 911 Dakar.

Which routes can the vehicle handle, when, in just a few months, the first convoys with up to eight guest vehicles will traverse this terrain? What tire pressure is needed for an ideal spin on the beach? The sand is coarse and is providing great traction today. Smooth, damp, hard as a board for a change. And just a few meters further along, it is deceptively soft like quicksand, swallowing everything that comes to a halt. Play, now! This outing can only be undertaken during low tide. Otherwise, there is a risk of sinking so deeply in the first few meters that the only option left is to use the towing hook before the tide returns. What does that mean for the daily schedule in nine months time? When will we even be able to drive on the beach then? Will we come here straight after breakfast from our camp, set up in the middle of the moonscape? Or only after we have taken the morning to discover the trails and breathtaking views of this ancient rocky landscape further inland with the 911 Dakar? Whatever the case, this stage on the beach will certainly be a very special one among the many moments filled with adrenaline and freedom during the tour.

The gravel roads make serious demands on tires
Nils, our technician, will also be there. His major question here on the beach is what logistics will be necessary to lower the tire pressure for all eight guest vehicles as much as needed in as short a time as possible. And after the wild ride, to get the pressure back up as quickly as possible, so everyone can continue driving safely on the gravel road. Those responsible make a note: a mobile compressor needs to be available at the exact point where all the vehicles get back on the road after the trip to the beach. And there is also the question of tires. There is virtually no local off-road vehicle here with fewer than two spare tires. The gravel roads, which make up a large part of the Namibian road network, make serious demands on tires. For that reason, the decision to put an additional spare tire on the roof rack of every 911 Dakar was a quick one.

By the time we reach the gravel road heading north, one thing becames abundantly clear. Although Camp 911 Namibia is a typical Porsche Travel Experience, it will be unlike anything that has ever been seen before in this segment. Most other trips in Namibia use comfortable SUVs — like with the Porsche Travel Experience Namibia. Here, guests will be traveling with Cayenne models, digging through the red dunes of Sossusvlei. Or even taking a private plane for the long journey to the Caprivi region in the far northeast of the country and to the world-famous Victoria Falls in the four-border region of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

At Camp 911 Namibia, the first Porsche Travel Experience with the 911 Dakar, the focus will be on driving — a large part of the route will be on gravel roads and loose terrain. In the bone-dry expanse of Namibia, this primarily means dust. Lots of dust. For the technicians, that means regularly checking the engine air filters, which can sometimes become clogged with the abundance of dust. But the dust also means that line-of-sight convoy driving, as is the case with other Porsche Travel Experiences, will not generally be possible at Camp 911 Namibia. The team has decided to significantly increase the distance between the individual vehicles. And instead, to provide even more-precise instructions about the route via radio, meaning that no one will have to travel through the dust clouds made by the vehicle ahead and that everyone will still be able to find the route safely. This necessary change also turned the original schedule of daily stages on its head.

And all of a sudden everyone realizes that we are in Africa. The fascination of this continent also lies in the fact that surprises are part of everyday life. In other words, one special feature of a trip like this will also be the ability to spontaneously adapt a good plan if the circumstances so require. And to embrace the experiences that may unexpectedly await you for that very reason.

Trusting your experience and instincts
This is nothing unusual for Melanie. She has been traveling around the world as a tour guide for the Porsche Travel Experience for more than ten years. She has a collection of stamps from over 90 countries in her passport and knows Namibia like the back of her hand. She is well aware that it could be 200 kilometers to the next gas station. The people here also help each other out and no one would drive past a broken-down car without first making sure that everything is okay. And even away from the official roads, when maps and GPS are no longer able to show the route — in that case, it is a matter of trusting your experience and instincts, and reading the terrain in front of you meter by meter.

Matthew, our local guide, is from the Owambo tribe. He grew up here and has crossed the rocky passages of the dry river valleys dozens of times. He is able to find ways through places that for us would otherwise have seemed like the end of the road. With his experience, he constantly finds new passages in the rocky gorges and sometimes even follows the tracks of a wild animal in search of the best route. Thanks to the huge ground clearance of his off-road vehicle, the differential locks and the relentless torque of its V8 engine, he can sometimes just power straight through. With the 911 Dakar, greater foresight and a more thoughtful approach to obstacles will be required — before it can again fully unfold its addictive potential while drifting across the next sandy stretch. It is incredible to see what the 911 Dakar is capable of doing when moved skillfully in this environment. This is also why there will be intensive briefings for the drivers during Camp 911 Namibia, so they can fully utilize their skills and the potential of their vehicles, and master these types of situations with confidence.

Despite the barrenness that shapes the first impression of Namibia, the landscape is full of magnificent surprises — you just have to be able to spot them. Or have it explained to you by local specialists. Purreu-Jacques, known to everyone only as “PJ”, is the member of our exploration team responsible for ensuring that Porsche Travel Experience guests get to enjoy plenty of surprises in addition to the lunar landscapes, dusty roads and challenging sand passages. His knowledge knows no bounds. Once he surprised us with a plant whose sap is said to be an excellent remedy for the sunburns that are so easy to get here. He explained how you can survive in the desert for days without water in an emergency. He skillfully removed the stinger from a scorpion and placed it on a forearm. He transformed a small gecko into an extravagant earring before it quickly sought refuge under the nearest rock. And of course he was the first to discover the two lionesses with their cubs in the Etosha National Park, feasting on a recent zebra kill in the shade of a tree.

After days of navigating dusty gravel roads and confronting challenging driving routes, it is the wild animals moving across the endless expanses of the Etosha National Park — and unimpressed by our small convoy — that are the final highlight of the trip. When giraffes, herds of zebras, and springboks cross the road right in front of the windshield of our 911 Dakar, when gray desert elephants capture our attention, or when rhinos start quarreling at the waterhole in front of our lodge, just a few meters away from us and our sundowners, it becomes crystal clear that there is hardly a more fitting place in the world to experience the 911 Dakar in its natural habitat. Welcome to the Namibia adventure.

Text first published in the Porsche magazine STORIES.
Author: Berthold Dörrich
Photos: Moritz Attenberger, Berthold Dörrich

The Porsche 928 that went surfing

(July 26, 2024) – Porsche and the surfing lifestyle are a perfect partnership. For proof of this, one need look no further than the 928 Surfari – an unlikely project dreamt up, and realized, by a passionate Polish surfing community.

The story of the 928 Surfari begins many years ago, with a connection between a father and son. Hard work helped to create a community around their campsite and watersports business on the Hel peninsula of Poland’s Baltic coast, but it also brought an opportunity to indulge in a passion for cars. After all, when your father introduces you to the world of Porsche, there’s nothing to do but embrace it.

This is how Tadeusz Elwart, the manager of Chałupy 6 campsite and originator of the Hel Riders festival, was steeped in Porsche vibes from an early age. Growing up with that passion mixed with a life next to the sea, these ideas become entangled. And if you’ve got your dream Porsche in the garage already, then you maybe start looking for even bigger ideas: and so it came to be that, during the dynamic growth of the Hel Riders festival, the idea of a 928 Surfari was first formed.

Unique, unusual and almost impossible to create
What would sound like an insurmountable challenge to many was positive encouragement to the Hel Riders team tasked with the creation of this unique ‘surf car’. The brief? To create a Porsche capable of tackling off-road terrain but that would also be the perfect beach-crawler and surf-taxi to dispatch its occupants to the beach as soon as the big waves are spotted.

But how does one go about achieving this? Well, the 928 provided a great starting point – a classic Porsche V8 engine. Anyone who’s heard this engine will know just how special it is – and that power wouldn’t be an issue. But other challenges soon began to present themselves: how to adjust the gearbox, differential and suspension to turn a 928 into a beach buggy, for example. Enter Tomasz Staniszewski, a genius engineer and rally driver who had just finished the Classic Dakar Rally in his self-built Porsche 924. Staniszewski knew the project would be ultra-demanding, but he found the solutions to achieve its goal: to create a 928 with surfing in its soul.

The Surfari was built with local talents, so the styling is the work of Lange & Lange. These twin brothers have been part of the Chałupy 6 scene for decades, and it is they who are responsible for the look of the car.

After its debut at the Hel Riders festival, it was time for a Surfari road trip, and the car gathered a convoy and made its way Sylt, in Germany, for the Petro-Surf air-cooled Porsche festival and then on to the island of Rømø in Denmark. They proved to be the perfect places to truly test the 928, while allowing it to connect with its natural environment – with the whole Hel Riders team watching the 928 Surfari cruising on the beach. Now, as the story continues, all that’s left is to wait for the next wave.

Return: with a 911 Turbo through Paris for the 50th birthday

(July 1, 2024) – The 1974 world premiere of the 911 Turbo at the Paris Motor Show caused a sensation. We return to a place that saw the dawning of a new era half a century ago to tell a story of boldness, energy, and timeless elegance.

The Turbo is brimming with consistency and energy. Immense dynamism that has a great deal to do with the entrepreneurial boldness behind it. Because it’s not enough to simply equip an exceptional product with performance. It takes attitude, too. With its strong character, the Turbo embodies the Porsche principle. It is sometimes synonymous with the brand.

Paris is a place of energy for the Turbo
Half a century ago, it gained social acceptance at Porte de Versailles. The world had just come through the oil crisis. Driving on Sundays had been banned in Germany as a result. And this was still hanging in the air at the exhibition halls. To be unveiling a new sports car that was as fast and as powerful as this now of all times was a bold move. Back in Germany, too, where they were celebrating winning the World Cup, some doubts were being voiced. But the Porsche press release back then spoke about the Turbo in unashamedly proud terms: “In spite of its outstanding performance, the new Porsche dispenses with all the negative attributes of conventional peak performance. Its design is neither hard nor spartan, and its running is not sensitive.” That October 50 years ago, motorsport technology culminated in the luxury segment. In a class of its own, the 911 Turbo laid claim to special status from the outset. Some call it an authority. But what has certainly always been there is huge respect.

Turbo has become a life philosophy
In the Olympic city of 1924 and 2024, Baron Pierre de Coubertin comes to mind. In establishing the modern Olympic Games, the Parisian championed international competition under a motto which applies to everyone equally: faster, higher, stronger. Many are brimming with energy, but at the Olympics it’s all about bringing this to a head at just the right moment. What an appealing idea to have the Turbo make an appearance in the Stade de France. As the ace, the trump card that it became in the game of car quartet.

Turbo has become a life philosophy: giving it all; demonstrating what’s possible. The term has entered common parlance, representing a benchmark. In Germany, there is the “Turbo-Abitur” or fast-track high school diploma. Self-help guides explain how to turbocharge your business, productivity, self-awareness, and so on. Even the latest version of the AI application ChatGPT features the affix “Turbo.” It’s a powerful word, a word that really packs a punch.

A Turbo even defies the old adage that you cannot live on love and fresh air alone. Oh yes you can. And where, if not here? Behind us in the rear, the engine exhaust is driving a turbine which is in turn forcing compressed air into the cylinders. In the city of love with its 37 bridges over the River Seine, everything appears to be romantically connected. Enjoyment to the fullest is a question of attitude, flourishing in your own, personal responsiveness.

A car that can take your breath away
The return to Paris becomes an accelerated love story. With a car that can take your breath away. Generously sized air intakes provide it with its lifeblood: oxygen. From every angle, the tail looks uplifting. Even the early days of the Porsche Sport Driving School can be traced back to the Turbo as for some, this first assertive, series production 911 was difficult to control. The turbo lag, that deceptive quiet before the volcanic eruption, is now just a distant memory. And once someone had mastered it, they didn’t want to go without that boost anymore anyway. It’s all a question of control. But even Turbo generations later, a test driver still noted: “Its fans will be delighted as it’s still a beast.”

“Paris is a moveable feast,” wrote Ernest Hemingway. The streets of Montparnasse taught the Nobel laureate that we all should be happy as kings since the world is full of so many things. He never got to know our king of sports cars, but he presumably would have liked it.

Moving on from this foray into literature and into the city, it’s time to delight in the next historical Turbo encounter: France is also the home of the turbine, which was invented exactly 200 years ago by the engineer Claude Burdin, originally as a waterwheel. The Latin word for vortex – or, its genitive form turbinis – was the inspiration for the Turbo – a discovery that still makes Turbo fans’ minds spin to this day.

In what other sports car is braking just as enjoyable as accelerating? It’s the continuation of elegance with brute force. The Turbo has never been about showiness, but it does demonstrate a healthy degree of defiance when decelerating. Outstanding characteristics for anyone who can easily cope with pressure. But fret not – simply knowing the option is there is reassuring. Effect, ability, capability – the maximized spirit of the Turbo has a great deal to do with supremacy. Which is seemingly transferred to the steering wheel with the subtle whistling you hear when the turbocharger kicks in. The unmistakable sound of a Turbo quickly reaches the ear, from where it makes the soul vibrate. Even Herbert von Karajan, an enthusiastic conductor, including behind the wheel of his 911 Turbo, saw the interplay of man, machine, and the engine as an orchestra. Harmony in prestissimo. Timbre: rich.

A Turbo doesn’t need a specific destination. It is not only technically that it embodies an eternal sense of adventure. Each and every generation is a consequence of progress and is endowed with the same intriguing appeal that surrounded it at its motor show debut back in 1974. Unsurprisingly, it gets your thoughts in a spin. The pace of the day drives us out of the city – to the exquisite and regal Palace of Versailles. This is not goodbye. We add a Hemingway sentence to the Turbo’s logbook: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you.”

Text first published in the Porsche magazine Christophorus 411.
Author: Elmar Brümmer
Photo: Vince Perraud

He Wants to Drive a Million Miles in His Porsche. He’s Not That Far OffTom “T2” Thalmann, 57, an independent consultant in the biotech industry who lives in South Kingstown, R.I., on his 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo, as told to A.J. Baime for the Wall Street Journal.

(April 7, 2024) – When I was growing up in Rhode Island, around this time of year, my parents’ tax attorney used to show up at our house in an early ’70s Porsche 911. It was chocolate brown with a light-tan interior. I would stand in the driveway staring at the lines of that car for hours. When I was in high school, I hung a Porsche logo in my locker. I just always wanted a 911.

In July of 2003, there was a silver 911 Turbo at my local Porsche dealer. At that point, I was working locally, but I knew my job was going to take me up to the Boston area for commutes. I love the ocean and didn’t want to leave Rhode Island, so I was going to spend long hours in my car. I walked into the dealership and asked the mechanic about the 911 Turbo.

I asked, “Have you seen anything about this car I need to worry about?” He said, “This car is bulletproof. Just change the oil. That’s all you have to do.” When I told the salesman that I wanted the 911 Turbo, he said, “Most of my clients are repeat customers and they keep trading up to the Turbo. But not you.” I was going straight for the top.

Now nearly 21 years later, this car is still my daily driver. It has over 700,000 miles, and I have calculated that I have spent 1.33 years of my life in the driver’s seat going an average of 60 mph. When I am not going to work, I love the experience of getting in the car and just going. I will go out for a gallon of milk and return two hours later. I will find some restaurant and stop for a bite, and chat up some people about the car. They’ll hear the mileage and go, “Wait, how many miles did you say?”

The 911 Turbo is its own model with its own heritage. Porsche came out with the Turbo in the mid-’70s, basically a high-performance version of the flagship 911. The company still makes the 911 Turbo today. My car is of the 996 generation, the first liquid-cooled 911. It has all-wheel drive and a 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat six-cylinder engine. If you have never put snow tires on a 911 Turbo and taken it out in 10 inches of fluffy snow, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s probably one of the most capable snow cars I have ever driven.

Anyone can sit in the driver seat, take the key in your left hand, stick it in the slot and, as you’re turning it to the right, the smile comes onto your face. When I sit in the car, I become part of it and it becomes part of me. It’s a surreal experience, even after over 20 years. I upgraded the radio about four years ago, so now I have a touch screen, Android and Spotify. The world is at my disposal.

I have made friends with some people at the Porsche factory in Germany. When I get to one million miles, my dream is to ship the car back to where it was born, let them do a restoration dance on it, and have them put it in the Porsche museum for however long they want. Then I will take delivery of my new million-mile Porsche and drive it for three months through Switzerland, Austria and Germany. I’ll have it shipped back to the U.S., and I will drive it until I can’t drive anymore.

Author: A.J. Baime
Photo: Philip Keith for The Wall Street Journal

Copyright: All images published in this article are subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without the written consent of the Wall Street Journal.

The ‘quarter millionaire’

(February 26, 2024) – Real wealth is not measured in millions, but in experiences. The Porsche experience was in focus for Markus Hebgen when he bought his first G-Series 911. The ‘millionaire’ surprise came much later.

“I guess you’re going to have to buy it”
“I was rather naïvely searching for a 911 on the Internet, without really knowing what I was doing. A budget of 30,000 Euros was more or less my only criterion. The selection, however, was quite meagre.” Hebgen remembers that he then increased his budget by 5,000 Euros – and found what he was looking for relatively quickly.

“A particular special Porsche 911 Carrera, built in 1987 and with a mileage of 160,000 kilometres, was being offered by a dealer near Koblenz on behalf of a customer. The photos of the car instantly appealed to me, so my partner and I took off to have a look at it.” Once he saw it, Markus Hebgen was smitten. “The car looked very well maintained, both inside and out, so I really didn’t have to think about it for very long.” The actual decision to buy, however, came down to the response of his partner Petra, whom he had met two years earlier. She saw the gleam in Hebgen’s eyes and immediately said: “I guess you’re going to have to buy it.” After just a few hours to consider it, he’d signed the purchase contract.

The next morning, however, he received a surprising and distressing call from the dealer. After he had informed his customer about the sale, the customer suddenly wanted to keep the car despite the contract having already been concluded. But Hebgen wasn’t about to accept that. With a great deal of sensitivity, the dealer finally managed to complete the purchase without any further problems.

And that’s how Hebgen became the proud owner of a ‘quarter millionaire’ – although he didn’t yet realise its significance. “But of course, I did some research on my car online and was able to gather some information.” He learned that, in the summer of 1987, Porsche produced a limited-edition anniversary model as a Coupé, Targa and Cabriolet to mark the 250,000th 911 produced – hence the ’quarter millionaire’ nickname. A total of 875 cars were made – 505 Coupés, 165 Targas and 205 Cabriolets.

The car is maintained with passion
Only 250 of the cars were intended for the German market. From the outside, the anniversary model could be identified by its custom Diamond Blue Metallic paint and 15-inch Fuchs rims, the wheel centres of which were finished in the same colour as the car’s body. The Coupés were equipped with a sliding sunroof. The interior was partly finished in leather with the same Silver Blue Metallic paint as the exterior on the door panels, steering wheel, gearshift gaiter and gear knob. The front seats and rear bench were also upholstered in leather, and Ferry Porsche’s autograph was stitched into the headrests. The carpet and the luggage compartment floor were finished in Silver Grey silk velour. There was also an anniversary plaque on the cover of the glove box. Other features include a short-throw gearshift and the omission of ‘Carrera’ lettering on the bonnet.

It was only about a year later that Hebgen realised what a gem he had his hands on. He had driven his 911 to the summer festival at Frankfurt’s Klassikstadt vehicle centre. As always, there were prizes on offer for exceptional cars. The jury was so excited by the ‘quarter millionaire’ car that Hebgen’s 911 was awarded first prize. “I couldn’t believe it at first. Sure, I thought my car was great, even back then, but it was only in that moment that I realised what a special Porsche I had in my garage.”

The deciding factor for the award at Klassikstadt was not only the well-kept condition of the car, but also the fact that a lot of the original ancillary equipment from the car’s first registration in Augsburg remained onboard. This included, for example, the vehicle registration cover and the plastic tarpaulins used to cover the ground so that a tyre could be placed down cleanly in the event of a puncture.

Hebgen continues to maintain his 911 with real passion. He drives it as little as possible, and only in good weather. The car’s odometer shows just 200,000 km – 40,000 km in 13 years is very much gentle use. The interior shows just as little wear and tear as you might expect. Hebgen is a little saddened by the fact that another car hit it and damaged its passenger side some time ago. The damage was not very extensive, but it was hard to match the paint colour of Hebgen’s gem after the repair. “I kept mixing and tinkering with the painter. It must have taken 20 attempts to get just the right shade.”

Hebgen has yet to experience the same kind of problems with another Porsche he owns. His Junior 109 tractor has the same brilliant red paintwork it had when it rolled off the production line. “An acquaintance of mine emigrated to the US in 2014. When he was disposing of his fleet of vehicles, he offered me the tractor. I simply couldn’t resist.” The Junior had first been registered in 1964 but some parts still bear the recognisable manufacturing year of 1962. “That was common practice, as tractors were usually assembled bit by bit,” says Hebgen, who, in this case too, only later delved deeper into the history of the vehicle.

The dapper little tractor doesn’t see much use, however. At the weekend, the Junior 109 is used as a set of wheels for picking up bread rolls for breakfast. The local carnival association is also very pleased when Hebgen brings his tractor to pull a float at the annual parade.

Text first published in the magazine Porsche Klassik 29
Author: Wolfgang Schäfer
Photo: Theo Barth

A spot of motor racing at home

(February 16, 2024) – Marc Clormann was always destined to dedicate himself to the aesthetics of objects: his relatives are church painters, artists and other creatives. Marc Clormann grew up with a love of designing and the creation of artistic interpretation. He’s now 52 years old, but even while still at school he earned his pocket money with paint. “Airbrushing was big at the time, with a huge scene revolving around it. I designed bonnets, motorbike petrol tanks and cover caps for off-road vehicles using an airbrush,” Clormann recalls.

Not long afterwards he decorated a motorhome with holiday motifs. On the left a kite in the sky, on the right a camel in the desert, and a surfer in the background. “I’ve always enjoyed playing around with paint.” We’re talking about the 1980s, a time when it wasn’t yet possible to fit multi-colored wraps on cars. He later studied communication and industrial design, worked as a freelance designer, and ultimately opened his own design agency.

Porsche meet-ups, driving excursions or dawn photoshoots
He works with unusual packaging and corporate designs, and develops solutions that entice buyers and make an important contribution to the branding process. Simply put, his work confers charisma. He lives with his two children in a farmhouse that has stood for over a century in Penzing, in the Upper Bavarian district of Landsberg am Lech, Germany. “I love the countryside, classic motorsport and air-cooled Porsches,” he says. Appropriately, his social media community knows him as @911.landluft, and his followers accompany him to Porsche meet-ups, driving excursions or dawn photoshoots.

A few years ago, Clormann began buying old Porsche bonnets and started on an artistic journey through time. A journey to the motorsport of decades past. He adds that he also collects old racing suits and jackets with genuine emblems. This is all the history he needs.

“I don’t have to hang an engine on the wall to be reminded of a race that I watched ages ago. But depicting the emotions of that time on a bonnet is really exciting,” he explains. He tries to build the story behind all the dents, the rust and the other would-be defects to be found on used bonnets. “The metal is the canvas on which I recreate historic motor racing designs. First, I compose an artistic interpretation,” he says.

The procedure is as follows: cleaning, grinding, priming – creating an ideal base. Then he sketches the planned design on the bonnet, masks the contours precisely, then starts painting with acrylic, brushes and – above all – technical skill and precision. Acrylic adheres particularly well to metal that has been prepared accordingly. It also dries quickly and allows different colors to be mixed perfectly to achieve the desired nuance. “It often takes more than 30 hours to finish a bonnet. I’m a big fan of patina. I’m more fascinated by old cars with defects and a visible history than by highly polished garage queens,” he reveals. At the end of the day, he’s not a collector, but an artist who loves to create and modify. “I’m a designer. I drive a Porsche because I love its overall aesthetic – but I also love to optimise.”

Depending on what the customer wants and how much rust can be seen, he grinds and adds patina to a greater or lesser degree – some customers even ask for a finish in 24-carat gold leaf. Finally, he adorns his colorful works with grilles, emblems and logos, preferably using old parts here as well.

Fascinated by the so-called golden era of motorsport, Clormann wants his bonnets to transport the aura of motor racing into the here and now. In garages, living rooms, offices – for dreaming and journeying into the past. “When I’m painting I like to remember how it felt when motor racing was becoming a really big thing. When the spectators were only half a meter from the track. It’s unimaginable in today’s motorsport.” Despite the dangers, of which he is conscious, he loves how much was allowed back then, how many things a driver had to decide without radio contact with a team.

Golden era of motorsport
“These emotions I feel while I’m painting – I want to pass them on to my customers,” says Clormann, explaining his wall art. Motorsport has lived through many eras in the past decades, with its golden era reaching a climax in the 1960s and 1970s. This era was defined by enormous achievements, groundbreaking technology and legendary races with intense rivalries. The drivers and engineers of this time were pioneers, constantly searching for new ways to extend the boundaries of what was possible.

Clormann likes to watch old motor racing videos, drawing inspiration from them during the creative process. And from his own 911 cars – for example, a 1984 G-Series in Light Brown Metallic and a specially built backdated model. “Porsche created a gold standard with the 911. Its outline and image are legendary. An iconic design has an incredibly powerful effect,” he says. He sifts through some used bonnets leaning against the brick wall of his garage studio. Here, in the middle of an old barn, he has also created a lounge as a meeting place for fans of air-cooled boxer engines.

Teamwork, ambition and the pursuit of perfection
His eyes linger on the Gulf Racing design, but he remains silent. The light-blue background with blue and orange stripes is a reminder of one of the most famous racing cars of all time: the Porsche 917. Clormann takes out a bonnet bearing the Jägermeister stag and starts rhapsodizing about the legendary Jägermeister paintwork. The orange Porsche 911 RSR from 1974 wasn’t just an old racing car, he says, but a legend from a bygone era. As with many motorsport designs of the time, the Jägermeister paintwork also represents the courage of the driver, the innovation of the manufacturer, as well as teamwork, ambition and the pursuit of perfection. “The ‘Grello’ 911 from Manthey Racing with its color combination of luminous yellow and green is also going to be an icon, I’m certain,” Clormann predicts.

Weather permitting, he likes to paint outdoors in the heart of nature, behind him the little stream on which the sports fan with an eye for historic boats and surfing likes to paddleboard with his children. His Porsche is parked nearby, music can be heard, and maybe his cat, Wuschel, is taking a walk in the yard. “After three decades as a designer using mostly digital resources, I tend more and more to seek out analogue activities in my free time. I no longer feel like spending 12 hours a day in front of a screen.” After the sudden passing of his wife Ulrike last spring, he draws strength from the creative process, the associated journey through time, and the calm that he finds beyond the screen. With all the quiet and noisy stories looming behind his canvas. Of victories and defeats, tough duels and great rivalries, friendships and icons.

Text first published in the magazine Porsche Klassik 29
Author: Christina Rahmes
Photo: Markus Bolsinger

Buying my first Porsche and everything after, part 1

(January 2, 1024) – When I was a kid, the bubbly shape of my father’s Porsche 356s made me fall in love with cars. So, too, did the high, happy engine melody and the wind rushing through my hair as I sat on the Speedster’s precarious rear seats (sans seat belts, of course—this was the late ’70s after all). Porsche was a sacred part of my childhood that scored a mark on my heart, but life happened and I never thought I’d be in a position to buy one of my own.

An ember in the form of a neighbor’s 1965 Togo Brown 356C Coupe kept my hopes faintly alive for fourteen years as I passed it almost daily in our apartment’s communal parking garage. It was rough around the edges and it didn’t run, but I never stopped pining for that car.

My Porsche dream reignited after I made a pivot to become an automotive journalist. My resolve growing stronger, I even convinced her to let me to pull it out into the light for a wash. No matter how many times I asked about buying it, though, she demurred. I looked up its value in the Hagerty Price Guide and offered her what I thought would be a fair price considering the work it needed but, in her mind, it should have been worth tens of thousands more. And it would be, if it ran. But a clean 356 isn’t cheap, and values have shot up over 50% from the mid-2010s to today. There was no way I could afford that.

So, I did what a lot of buyers do after getting priced out of their dream car – I looked for alternatives. The 356s spoke to me, sure, but I always loved the look of the early 911s, too. I also knew that the 912 combined the 911 platform with smaller four-cylinder engine of the 356. Just like when it came out in 1965, the 912 offers a more affordable alternative. When I started checking out prices, I saw two interesting things: First, 912 values had recently risen, but not to astronomical heights. Second, I noticed that the bump in 912 prices seemed to have pushed up 911 prices of the same vintage. Or maybe it was the other way around. As those early 911s became more unattainable, the 912s caught the attention of interested buyers like me. Either way, emboldened with this knowledge, I was determined to strike quickly.

I made the mistake of setting notifications from auction websites for 912s. It didn’t take many dings in my email inbox to see that 912s started coming up for sale fast and furious, and with each increasing sold price or “reserve not met” notification it seemed prudent to get on with it if this was something I genuinely wanted.

Text first published on Hagerty Insider
Author and photo: Lyn Woodward

25 years later, fate and a mistake brought my ’65 GTO back home

(December 15, 2023) – On my birthday in 1985, my first car drove off into the sunset. It was a black-on-black 1965 Pontiac GTO I’d found in the For Sale section of a Tulsa newspaper and bought for $2000 cash—earnings from two years working at a department store. For five years, it was my only car. I drove it, crashed it, had the engine rebuilt by our school shop class, and rebuilt it again over one summer. I even swapped in a 12-bolt, 4.11:1 rear-end (bad idea, but seemed cool at the time). But during college, I had to sell it because I couldn’t afford the gas, tires, oil, and insurance.

I’d always told myself that, someday, I’d get another. In 2020, I was surfing Hemmings for ’65 GTOs and found one in Connecticut: Coupe, factory A/C, four-speed, power steering, and brakes. It was originally painted gold with a gold interior but had since been changed to black on black. I live in Florida now, where that color combination is impractical, but the memory of my first car kept pulling me back. My wife, Alli, added, “You aren’t getting any younger.” After thanking her for reminding me, I also thanked her for being supportive and called the dealer.

The car appeared fully restored and had PHS documentation and a billing history card. A local inspector put it on a rack, drove it, photographed it, measured the paint depth, and provided me with an appraisal. After some haggling, the car was on a transporter.

While awaiting the arrival of my new GTO, I dug out the documentation from my old one, which included a set of taped-together keys and an Oklahoma registration. Comparing VINs, I was pleased to note the numbers were only 50 digits apart—277 for the old one and 227 for the new one. But then I realized the photos of the VIN that the appraiser had provided didn’t match what was in his report. Concerned, I called him. “The VIN on the car has clearly never been tampered with,” he said, apologizing for having made an error in his transcription. “The correct VIN ends in 277, not 227.”I felt flush. “If the VIN is correct,” I told him, “This is the first car I ever bought!” Neither the inspector nor my wife could believe it. When the car arrived, I cracked the Scotch tape on my old set of keys and stuck one in the ignition switch. It turned.

My Pontiac had changed during our time apart. A big dent I’d put in the rear quarter was gone, as were the steel sheets I’d (clumsily) pop-riveted into the rusted trunk. The car had been treated to options such as Tri-Power carbs. I’ve continued the improvements, including paint color correction and a set of Coker radial redline tires with a bias-ply look. It has trophied twice at the Festivals of Speed in Orlando, and we’ve put on a few thousand miles driving to nearby towns. I could have bought another GTO and would have been perfectly happy reliving my youth with that car. But my actual first car? It’s abundantly clear to me how rare that is.

Text first published in Hagerty Magazine Member Stories
Author: Randy Brown
Photo: Brandon Connely

Bringing the Austro-Daimler ADS-R “Sascha“ back home

(December 4, 2023) – Back to the roots: more than a hundred years ago, Ferdinand Porsche designed an extraordinary race car, the Austro-Daimler ADS-R, in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. Today, Christophorus and 9:11 Magazine bring the former Targa Florio class champion, whose nickname is Sascha, back home.

Following a vigorous turn of the crank, the gas pedal is applied ever so gently, producing the sound that everyone’s been waiting for. Passersby reach for their smartphones, cafe owners step out onto their terraces, and curious faces appear in the windows of the old, historical buildings. Everyone knows that’s not the roar of an everyday car. And they’re right! The powerful litany of sounds stems from the water-cooled 1.1-liter four-cylinder engine of an Austro-Daimler ADS-R, a race car designed by Ferdinand Porsche more than a hundred years ago. It’s currently the oldest drivable model at the Porsche Museum – and the man at the crank is Jan Heidak, vehicle service attendant and the youngest employee at the museum workshop. He and his boss Kuno Werner spent months working on the antique car to get it up and running again. Today they’re bringing it back home to its place of birth in Wiener Neustadt, Austria – at the request of Christophorus.

The visionary’s dream
Ferdinand Porsche began working on his groundbreaking idea in 1920. At that time, 45-year-old Porsche was Managing Director of automobile manufacturer Austro-Daimler in Wiener Neustadt, about 60 kilometers south of Vienna. His vision was to develop a small, lightweight, and affordable car for the people and produce it in large quantities. Porsche, who was already a well-known designer even then, was therefore decades ahead of mass motorization. He found an ally in Alexander Joseph Graf Kolowrat-Krakowsky, who went by the name Sascha. Kolowrat was not only a co-owner of Austro-Daimler, but also a movie producer and avid motorsport fan. The planned series production car required approval from the Austro-Daimler Executive Board, which was skeptical about the project. Porsche was certain that all it would take to win over the critics was positive attention following a race. So in addition to the originally planned small car with a displacement of just 1,100 cc, he also designed a racing version, the ADS-R. Because Kolowrat financed the project, the vehicle was named Sascha after him. The result was a lightweight, 598-kilogram race car, a milestone on the path to the planned four-seater series.

Four prototypes celebrated their premiere in 1922 at Targa Florio, the daring road race through the Sicilian Madonie mountains. The vehicles weren’t finished until just before the race. Porsche employees painted the four aluminum bodies red during the train journey to ensure they wouldn’t stand out and get stolen in Italy. To make them easier to identify from afar, Kolowrat applied playing card symbols to the bodies.

Of the three that competed in the 1.1‑liter class, one, driven by Kolowrat himself, had to drop out due to engine issues and the other two both secured a 1-2 victory in the class. Equipped with a 1.5-liter engine, the fourth Sascha race car went up against the competition in the stronger, open class and, after 432 kilometers, 6,000 turns, and gradients of up to 12.5 percent, secured 19th place in the overall ranking – with a top speed of 144 kmh.

The Italian press hailed the ADS-R as “the revelation of the Targa Florio.” Most impressively, Sascha competed against vehicles with engines that were up to five times more powerful – and its average speed was ultimately just 8 kmh less. The Austro-Daimler Executive Board also took notice of what happened, yet refrained from taking action. So Sascha continued to compete, winning another 22 out of 52 races. And still, the Executive Board eventually rejected series production for financial reasons and due to inflation, stating that Austria was too small to offer a suitable market. So all that remained was the few prototypes of the ADS-R and Ferdinand Porsche’s idea of a lightweight, affordable car, which he would continue to pursue undeterred.

Finally home
Back to Wiener Neustadt in 2023. Many buildings on the sun-filled Herrengasse are protected as historical monuments, some of which go back to the Middle Ages. Jan Heidak applies the gas pedal and – after more than a hundred years – Sascha’s wheels begin to turn again. It cruises the streets of the old town, circles the late-Romanesque cathedral, and rolls through the gate of the 13th-century Reckturm tower. This is roughly what it must have looked like when the people of Wiener Neustadt had the pleasure of seeing it drive by all those years ago. While many of the Porsche monuments such as the Austro-Daimler factory halls are no longer there, streets like Ferdinand-Porsche-Ring pay tribute to the historical heritage.

Today, Heidak is the only one who knows how it feels to drive the race car. “Sascha was built for other road surfaces. We actually have too much grip, are too fast, and have high forces,” he explains during a break. “But it’s still a lot of fun. You can feel every vibration. Hear how the engine’s performing. There’s no power steering, so you need a lot of strength and sensitivity.” Goggles are also a definite must as the front wheels throw up dust off the road. But Heidak enjoys all of that. “And it’s an absolute honor to drive through this scenery.”

Learning from Ferdinand Porsche
He then hops back into the race car. There’s no seat belt, no lights. There’s an emergency seat for the mechanic next to the driver’s seat, which was common in race cars at that time. The pedals are also unusual: the clutch is on the left, the brake on the right, and the gas in the middle. “We didn’t realize just how much there was to understand about Sascha until we got started on the project,” explains Workshop Manager Kuno Werner. “When we were working on the powertrain, we had to think like the designers did back then.” There are more than 700 historical vehicles at the Porsche Museum, but very few from this period.

“Drum brakes with cable pulls, for example, are very unusual today,” explains Werner. “For the engine, we enlisted the help of an expert in prewar engines.” A few special tools had to be produced before restoration could even begin, at which time the experts recognized the first DNA characteristics of today’s Porsche. “Lightweight aluminum design, the low center of gravity,” says Werner. “Those are a common thread throughout the history of our sports car.” Aluminum was even more expensive back then than it is today. Still, Ferdinand Porsche made the decision to use it to boost performance, which is also inextricably linked to the Porsche name today.

Rebirth is only the beginning
It’s afternoon, and suddenly the car won’t start. Cranking, pushing – nothing helps. A nervous energy takes hold of the team. Except for Werner and Heidak. With very few words exchanged between them, they get to work. They know exactly what they’re doing. And not even 15 minutes later, we hear the now-familiar sound of the race car. “We had to replace a spark plug,” explains Werner. “It’s completely normal for something like that to happen when you’re driving such an old car. We were expecting that.” Werner himself is proof that you never stop learning. He has been with Porsche for almost 27 years, and still the project was a challenge.

“When we first got started, I didn’t know much about Sascha,” says the 49-year-old. “For me, the company’s history begins later. But it’s interesting when you delve further into the company story and discover many things you’re already familiar with in other vehicles.” The race car now runs just like it did before: a 598-kilogram lightweight, 50 PS at 4,500 rpm, an in-line four-cylinder engine with camshaft above, and a displacement of 1,100 cc. “It’s a dream job,” says Heidak when asked about the experience. “We work in a museum workshop with vehicles from more than a hundred years of automotive history. And one of those highlights is Sascha. It’s extraordinary.”

The 29-year-old goes for one last drive – through Burggasse and alongside the historic city wall. Kuno Werner stands at the edge of the street with a satisfied smile on his face. “Bringing Sascha back home was a team effort and quite an achievement,” he says. Restoration was a mammoth project requiring the help of Weissach Development Centre employees, retired employees, and external service providers. “But that was just the beginning,” says Werner. The idea is to continue incorporating Sascha into the company’s activities, with authentic reports about the roots of Porsche DNA.

Text first published in the Porsche magazine Christophorus 409.
Author: Matthias Kriegel
Photos: Heiko Simayer

John Oates in search of his Karma Carrera

November 13, 2023 – John Oates is one of the most successful pop musicians in the world. But he was long plagued by a yearning for his lost 911. The story of a search.

There’s a natural, powerful connection between John Oates and Porsche. The musician was born in April 1948, the same year the brand’s first sports car, the 356 “No. 1” Roadster, was released. Porsche is celebrating 75 years of sports cars, and John Oates is turning 75. Two peas in a pod. The US American achieved global fame in the 1970s as part of the pop duo Hall & Oates. He has helped shape the world of music and still performs on stage to this day. It’s his passion, his artistic expression, and the dream that inspires him. Now a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he has reinvented himself time and time again – just like Porsche.

Oates remembers seeing a Porsche 356 for the first time when he was just five years old, which marked the beginning of a lifelong relationship. It wasn’t until he achieved a certain level of success in his career that he was able to indulge in his passion. “I had just made money for the first time in the music business and was driving past Beverly Hills Porsche when I saw a 911 Turbo in the window,” he recalls. “It was red and had gold BBS wheels. I ended up driving it across the country twice.”

Doors continued to open. Hall & Oates, the group he formed with Daryl Hall, would go on to become one of the most successful musical duos of all time, creating global hits like Maneater and Out of Touch and selling some 40 million albums over a period of five decades. Oates’ obsession with Porsche reached new heights when he met race car driver Richard Lloyd on tour in Germany in the early 1980s. “He was a music fan, and I was a race fan,” says Oates. Lloyd arranged a Porsche factory tour in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, where Oates met with a representative of the special request department. He took advantage of the opportunity to treat a brand-new 911 Carrera 3.2 as his blank canvas, ordering the vehicle with a special Pearl White finish, black Fuchs rims, and leather equipment in Dove Grey.

The lost Carrera
Oates enjoyed driving the 911 and even picked up his future wife, Aimee, in the car on their first date. Memories were forged around the 911. But when downsizing his collection several years later, he decided to part with the Carrera, a decision he would come to regret a short time later. But there was no trace of it when he went looking for it. Many years later, Oates continued to make music as a solo artist, with the lost Carrera always in the back of his mind.

He and his wife Aimee now drive other Porsche models. Oates’ collection includes a 911 S built in 1967 and a 911 Turbo (964). Aimee recently acquired a Macan GTS in Python Green. “I’m the flower girl,” she says of her choice. “I want this color.” She also uses her Macan to transport plants for what her husband describes as the “zodiac enchanted garden” surrounding their house outside of Nashville, Tennessee.

For the couple’s 25th anniversary, they decided that giving back would be the ultimate present to each other, so they donated a Tiga SC84 Sports 2000, a 1980s race car, to the Amelia Island Concours. “When you give things away, sometimes you get things back,” says John Oates.

Karma Carrera
Shortly thereafter, the couple spotted a Porsche on an auction site listing a 1984 911 Carrera “believed to be a special ordered by John Oates.” The 911 was, without a doubt, his special-order car. Oates joined the auction and bid anonymously, which proved to be a nerve-racking experience. But it was meant to be, and they got the 911 back that held so many memories. “The cool part is that the other owners hardly put any miles on it, and they kept it exactly as it was. It’s like it’s out of a time machine,” says Oates. Choosing to preserve the car’s aesthetics, he opted for a light mechanical refurbishment by Porsche Classic. Their name for the reacquired 911, Karma Carrera, says it all. “This is a car that represents our history together,” he says. “A car we can hand down to our son. It’s an heirloom.”

Until that day comes, John Oates will continue to make appearances at Porsche community events with Karma Carrera. “I feel a special sense of camaraderie and just love engaging with all that.” When he wants to get away from it all, he goes for a drive through the vast landscapes of Tennessee. “Driving is therapy for me. I’ll go out early in the morning and clear my head. No radio, nothing but the sound of the car.” That, too, is music to his ears.

Text first published in the Porsche magazine Christophorus 408.
Author: Basem Wasef
Photos: Michael Alan Ross

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