CHARLES IVEY

Charles Ivey set up his Porsche business in a Kensington mews in the 1960s and in 1974 moved to larger premises in Fulham. The present owner, Alvaro Crego, joined four years later and bought the business in 1991. He’s still at his happiest in the workshop, he says What was your first Porsche job?

I started working with Porsches as an apprentice in 1978 here at Charles Ivey.

Where have you progressed to since then?

The company has been going for nearly 50 years now and has an extensive history not just in the service side of Porsche but also the motorsport side as well. I bought the business from the founder, Charles Ivey, in 1991, and in 2018 we moved from Fulham to premises in Surbiton in Surrey. The showroom and workshop have a great heritage, having been the home of the Cooper Car Company, founded in 1947 and which built singleseat, rear-engined Grand Prix cars. It’s the first garage to be awarded the English Heritage Blue Plaque.

What Porsches do you specialise in?

All Porsches old and new. We send our staff on training courses to keep up to date with the latest Porsche developments, while maintaining our knowledge and experience of the older models.

What’s the cheapest, and most expensive Porsche you have for sale?

The cheapest is a 2002 996model 911 Carrera Cabriolet Tiptronic with 88,000 miles, 18-inch Sport Design wheels and the factory Aero Kit, priced at £15,995. The most expensive is a green 1975 911 2.7 MFI, a limited run model of which just 21 right-hand drive examples were built. It’s been restored and the price is £260,000.

Where does your stock come from?

We source our cars from almost anywhere and everywhere, but only after giving them a full inspection and check over in our workshop. We don’t purchase from auctions, but we are more than happy to have a chat with anyone wishing to sell their car. We also have many customers who choose to have their cars serviced with us, and they will eventually wish to sell their car to move onto something else.

What’s the best “first Porsche” to buy?

Obviously it depends on the individual and obviously the amount of money you would like to spend. But I would say that if you want a quality Porsche that handles well and is an all-round great car, a 996 is the place to start. 997s are pretty good, too, as they’re great value now – we have two for sale, a 2004 manual Carrera coupe with 51,000 miles at £23,995 and the same model from 2007 in Tiptronic form with 58,000 miles for £22,995.

What warranty do your customers get on cars they buy?

We provide a six-month warranty including parts and labour with any car that we sell. However, depending on the client and the car, we can offer additional cover.

What’s presently the best value used Porsche?

I would say that 996 and 997 Turbos are a wise choice in this respect.

Which Porsche models do you believe will make a great financial investment?

Anything air-cooled and in top condition generates an unprecedented amount of interest, and classic 911s have been going up in value at a fast rate. But now we are seeing a lot more interest in other models such as 928s and 944s.

Name a car you sold recently, but wanted to keep for yourself

A Cayman GT4

What is your all-time favourite Porsche?

The 1973 911 Carrera 2.7 RS

What car do you drive every day?

A 928GTS, which I drive to and from work every day and also at weekends.

What are your plans for the future?

We’ve bought a 968 which I will be racing in the Porsche Club Championship in 2021 – assuming I pass the medical!

Contact Charles Ivey Specialist Cars

Ivey House Hollyfield Road Surbiton Surrey KT5 9AJ +44 (0)20 7731 3612 charlesivey.com