GARY MAVERS
Porsche sports cars captivate like the output of no other manufacturer, leaving lingering memories long after a standout speed machine from Stuttgart is encountered. In my case, Porsche is also responsible for a lasting love affair with the restoration of classic cars, a pursuit I indulge in one ambitious project after another...
Acouple of years ago, while working at the Oxford Playhouse, I had a chance encounter with a charming elderly gentleman. “A very long time ago,” he started, in a broken German accent, “I was involved in the design and development of these cars, along with Ferraris and the first Lamborghini passenger vehicle.” He was admiring my Aston Martin. Over the course of the next half-hour, the fascinating conversation I found myself engaged in outlined how my new friend still had close ties to the Lamborghini family, the fact he’d helped develop many Mercedes-benz race cars and how he’d personally known and worked a chap who went by the name of Enzo Ferrari.
The old boy concluded by telling me the Porsche engineering he was exposed to during his long and fruitful career was far superior to that of the marque’s rival sports car manufacturers.
The talk took me back to being a 22-year-old budding actor, fresh out of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). I was debuting at my hometown theatre in Liverpool and was about to enjoy my first encounter with a sports machine from Stuttgart, an experience which kick-started my lifelong love affair with classic cars. I was visiting the production’s musical director at his home near Sefton Park. He showed me what was essentially an abandoned 356 B. The car had been dismissed by a pair of Italian racing enthusiasts who’d decided to drive around the world, but after blowing up the Porsche’s engine outside my host’s house — and without the funds required to commission the necessary repair work — they’d traded the car with him in exchange for flights back to Italy. With this romantic story ringing in my head, not to mention the sight of the forlorn four-wheeled fallen hero, complete with its sticker-covered white paintwork and huge numbers painted on the doors, I made it clear I wanted to buy the car. Sadly, my pleas fell on deaf ears.
A short while later, I purchased a Mercedes-benz W113 230 SL ‘Pagoda’ and began travelling the long, lonely road of the home restorer, learning my craft the hard way. Since that time, I’ve owned and enjoyed many Porsches, but one that sticks firm in my mind brought itself to my attention a few years ago — I came across an impotent 924 which had been left in a state of suspended animation in its owner’s garage for close to three decades.
I’d been contacted by a retired doctor. He lived locally and was offering me his classic Alfa Romeo Spider, albeit an example in need of total restoration. After a five-minute walk from my house, I was shown into a run-down garage sporting a large hole in its roof. There, next to the Alfa and hiding beneath a pile of dust, was the sorry-looking Porsche. “What’s the story?” I asked. “I bought both the Spider and the 924 new,” came the reply. “Sadly, I didn’t get around to piling on the miles. The years have rolled by, and now I need the space.”
Stepping into the 924’s cabin was like opening a time capsule from the 1980s. The odometer read just 14,000 miles. Unfortunately, although the interior looked like new, touching the pinstriped velour covering each seat was like peeling the skin off a rice pudding. Even so, I’m a sucker for low-mileage originality — the poorly Porsche had to be rescued.
After the toil was complete, the refreshed car burst into life, the engine still wearing its original factory stickers and sounding every bit as good as the day it rolled off the production line. Success!
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to own a selection of fantastic classic Porsches. I’ve searched high and low for standout models, but as was the case with my 924, some of the cars I’ve owned have found me. My memory of the
356 B, however, has stayed strong. You see, I really wanted that Porsche. I was captivated by its racing livery, its amazing story and its blown-up engine. I recently bumped into the same musical director who introduced me to the car all those years ago. Our chat quickly moved on to the subject of his 356. “That old thing? I gave it away a couple of years ago,” he said, much to my amazement. “It was of no use to me and I’d never have found time to restore it, Gary.” Alas, the one that got away!
THE CAR HAD BEEN DISMISSED BY A PAIR OF RACING ENTHUSIASTS WHO’D DECIDED TO DRIVE AROUND THE WORLD