SPECIALIST: STUTTGART CLASSICA
Stuttgart Classica is taking a very modern approach to classic Porsches, and it’s forming close relationships with the world’s most innovative suppliers, new and old, in the process
From interesting widgets and lightweight accessories, to full builds and special projects. Stuttgart Classica has all bases covered
Pick any of the world’s household names in Porsche restoration and, no matter how their interpretation of these classic cars varies, there’s an easy thread to spot. The businesses that form the backbone of the global scene are never founded on an urge to make a quick buck turning over parts and projects for profit. First and foremost, they’re run by enthusiasts with a genuine passion for what passes through their doors.
Stuttgart Classica is no different. Based out of a rural workshop in a scenic part of the Cotswolds, it’s a relatively new business but one that’s quickly earning its founders – Will Chappell and Jason Eaton – a global reputation for quality products and workmanship. It’s a company with customer service as its bedrock, honed not only from personal experience, but on a personal need for what they now offer.
“These are the cool parts we wanted to put on our own cars,” explains Will. “The outlay isn’t significantly different whether you make one or ten, so we’d make ten, sell eight of them and use the other two ourselves. We had had no intention of starting a business, but the demand for parts has grown – most of our business is in exports, and we’re shipping all over the world.”
The Midlands is the hub of the British automotive and motorsport industries and, while Stuttgart Classica wasn’t founded in the Cotswolds, the seed of the business was planted not far away. Will and Jase met while studying at the world-renowned Motorsport Engineering degree course at Coventry University, and struck up a friendship realising they had a lot in common – beyond a basic taste for performance cars.
Notably, both had grown up around Porsches – Jase helping his dad building a ‘Bad Boys’ replica 964 Turbo, while Will had experienced some of the marque’s most iconic machinery through his father’s dealership, Chappell Porsche, spending weekends watching him race his own ’73 911E. The duo also had a mutual sense for business, offsetting a little of their tuition fees and living expenses with small-scale
joint ventures in the spare time between lectures. It was only a matter of time before those interests crossed paths.
By the mid-2010s, both of them had full time jobs in the automotive industry. Will had his own car sales business operating out of a glass-fronted showroom near Heathrow airport, while Jase was a powertrain engineer at Jaguar Land Rover in Coventry. Coincidentally, they had also bought similarly ambitious classic Porsche projects at around the same time – dismantled Impact Bumper 911s, bought as resto-mod builds, and requiring bespoke parts. Difficulty getting what they wanted highlighted a gap in the market.
“The good thing about the 911 is people aren’t scared to modify them, like they are with other classics,” says Jase. “Everything we sell is an upgrade – it’s custom parts, the things you can’t buy from Porsche, and we’re both motorsport engineers so we understand how to get the most out of them. If you want run-of-the-mill then there are plenty of people who can help, but we’re not interested in selling those parts.”
Stuttgart Classica’s portfolio is impressive. A lot of the parts catalogue was developed for Will and Jase’s own project cars, produced via partnerships with manufacturers across the UK and Europe. The line-up includes Oe-quality interior parts to suit restored, backdated or performance-tuned builds – not only periodcorrect components but retro-modern features such as drilled and polished brackets and hinges, LED headlight conversions, custom glassfibre bumpers and lightweight aluminium brake calipers.
Air-cooled Porsches are the speciality, but water-cooled models are also catered for, and the business is forming widespread relationships to bring innovative new products to market. Will says this has quickly gathered momentum, helped by the international reach of its social media activity: “Initially we were knocking on doors asking to sell stuff for people, especially people who didn’t sell in the UK. Lots of businesses are good at making these parts but don’t know how to take it to market or promote it,” he explains.
“That was a void we wanted to fill but, as we’ve got bigger, we’re finding people are
“The good thing about the 911 is people aren’t scared to modify them "
coming to us asking to sell cars or take over distribution, rather than us going to them. We ship everywhere, and we’re building a reputation off that. The USA is easily our biggest market, with the UK and
Germany second and third. We’ve also had people ask if they can distribute our products for us.”
Not surprisingly, the logistics behind this means the business has outgrown its initial footprint. Stuttgart Classica became an entity in its own right three years ago and followed Will’s recently located sales operation to its current home at Northwick Business Park in the heart of the Cotswolds shortly afterwards. With sales continuing to rise, Jase has since left Jaguar Land Rover to work at the business ful l-time, providing the extra pair of hands needed to help it grow even further. It’s a sign of justified optimism in what’s ahead.
Good local roads aside, particularly compared to the gridlock beneath Heathrow’s flightpath, relocating put all sorts of useful contacts right on the workshop’s doorstep. Porsche Club GB is based a few miles away, in Moreton-in-marsh, while the business park – which was built as a prisoner of war camp during World War Two – is a hive of engineering specialists spanning paint and body, powder coating, interior trimming, 3D scanning and machining, and even a British Super Bike team. It’s possible to undertake a ground-up restoration without leaving the site, or at least without travelling too far out of the main gate. Not that you’d get a full picture of this community without knocking on a few doors to see what’s going on behind.
This is a network that customers are starting to be able to benefit from. Stuttgart Classica offers a suite of in-house services already, from basic maintenance through to bodywork restoration and engine and transmission rebuilds. Using Will and Jase’s own projects as business cards and drumming up awareness at events and on social media, the aim is to provide a one
“USA is our biggest market, with the UK and Germany behind "
stop-shop for restorations and custom builds to suit varying budgets. It’s already attracting high-profile projects, including an Rsr-inspired 911 racer developed with an ex-brumos engineer, which is being retuned for road use.
“A lot of people get in touch saying they know what they want, but they’re not sure what they need to do to get there. We can talk them through that process because we understand the cars, so it’s more of a personal service. We also have people who have seen Will’s [backdated yellow SC] asking how much it would cost for us to build something similar. It shows what we can offer,” says Jase.
Will agrees: “We don’t do things on a shoestring – we’ll always try to help people but we’re definitely pitching ourselves at the higher end of the market, and whole projects is the way we want to go. As Singer has proved, if you do it properly and use top-notch components then it doesn’t affect the price of the car – theirs are often worth more than a standard 964.”
Crucially, having built their own projects, Stuttgart Classica is founded on an ambition to provide the same level of customer service they would expect themselves. Parts are supplied with userfriendly fitting instructions and, in most cases, they’re components which Will or Jase have hands-on experience installing. Customers are welcome to e-mail or call the workshop for advice and detailed knowledge about what fits and how – with additional images, if necessary. It’s all aimed at rectifying a problem both have faced with other suppliers – aftersales is a vital, but often overlooked, component of specialist builds.
“We’re not at the cheap end of the market with the parts we try to sell. We’re also a lot more knowledgeable over the phone than a lot of parts people. What stands us apart from other people is, because it’s just the two of us, we know these parts inside out – and we’re really on top of it,” says Will.
That quality speaks volumes. Stuttgart Classica’s projects are rightly attracting positive attention on social media – a core part of its marketing strategy – and images with ‘hot spots’ offer direct links through to specific pages on the web shop. It’s a highquality, specialist operation with an approach to market that’s as innovative as the products and services on offer. So it’s no surprise to see it’s rapidly becoming a household name.