Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
RACING TO WIN
With an affinity for Porsches, Holt Motorsports Inc. sells Supercars all over world
WEST CHESTER » The race for success is won in moments.
For the Holts, operating a high- end motorsport business as a family is just part of the fun.
“Both my husband and son race cars — Porsches. And always win,” said Leslie Holt.
Her husband, Tim Holt, is the president of Holt Motorsports Inc.
“The last 26 years as an auto dealer in West Chester has been, candidly, really satisfying,” Holt said.
“Recently, business has been more of a challenge with the COVID crisis, but we have been very fortunate that the internet has connected us all over the world.”
The business showroom, 1315 West Chester Pike, sells Porsche 911s to luxury car enthusiasts worldwide. At home in Chester
County, there is a steadfast flow of “local buyers are just great, hard- working people.”
Holt said, “Every vendor we use in Chester County is a top quality run business. It’s an area where one can prosper if
you want to put in the hours, as we do.”
Holt delved into the exotic car business in 1981 as a New Jerseyan, moving to Chester County in 1987. The family never regretted a moment, Holt said, of the move.
Their son, Tim Holt Jr., was born in 1984.
“Mywife, Leslie, and Iworked seven days a week driving all over the Northeast to find cars … long before the internet came along.”
Holt said this childhood- inspired hobby soon became a business that required 70 hours a week attention or it would not work.
Today, his son ismarried with two children and also lives in Chester County. Holt Jr. joined the business full time in 2008 right after school.
His father said his son does much of the hard work buying and selling to luxury car buyers who reside all over the world from Bahrain to New Zealand
Holt began to exclusively sell Porsche 911s in 1994 after dealing in all variants of performance cars.
“I found out that a Porsche 911was the best car I could,” he said, “buy, sell, drive daily and race.”
He added, “Many people feel the same way.” Holt noted that “P- Car” drivers represent a very dedicated group of people.
“To say my son and I are certified ‘ Porsche Nuts’ would be an understatement,” Holt said. “We have traveled to California and Germany for Porsche special events and races.”
For Tim Holt Jr., he witnessed his dad racing in the 24 Hours of Daytona on multiple occasions while concurrently attending all his local races, alongside his sister, when they were little.
“It was just somuch fun,” Holt Jr. said. “I really fell in Love with race cars.”
Holt Jr. said, “Every day after school, I would work in the garage and when I was 17 I rebuilt and entire BMW engine and added a Turbo.”
Holt Jr. said he inherited this drive from his Dad.
“In our family, its always been about cars,” he said.
The son added thfat their racing moments together, “When we race, we
race against each other and I know all his ‘ tricks’ — I learned from him,” Holt Jr. said, adding the experience is “just plain fun.”
“We started racing together as father and son in 2011 at places like Watkins Glen and New Jersey Motorsports Park, to name a few, and I feel very lucky to be able to do it, Holt said, adding that to do so alongside his son is very rewarding.
“We spend 150 hours in our shop getting a racecar ready.”
Holt started in the SCCA in 1990, and his son followed suit by earning his
race license at 17 from the SCCA.
He added, “Fun doesn’t even describe the sensation of a weekend when we get to go racing.”
“We both raced Formula cars but later found that Sports car racing was more practical for us and there was only one car to do it in, a Porsche 911GT3 Cup car.”
Of his son, Holt described him as a natural immediately outpacing far more experienced drivers and he won more than 80% of the races he was doing in his class.
Hol t Jr. a dded that Porsche 911s are just
the greatest sports cars ever made.
“Everything makes sense with these cars from an engineering point of view,” Holt Jr. said. “Looks come later, and it’s an acquired taste.”
The Holt father- andson team have several upcoming races come 2021, including adventures to compete at Watkins Glen International, N. Y., Sebring International Raceway in Florida, as well as events in Ohio and Georgia.
“During the winter,” Holt Jr. added, “it makes you look forward to the spring.”