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

Copyright: All images, videos and audio files published in this article are subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without the written consent of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

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

Copyright: All images, videos and audio files published in this article are subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without the written consent of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

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

© 1996— 2024 The Hagerty Group, LLC.

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

© 1996— 2024 The Hagerty Group, LLC.

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

Copyright: All images, videos and audio files published in this article are subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without the written consent of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

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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