THE OTHER MR. PORSCHE
It has a trick. We will not reveal which one it is. The immense door of one of the warehouses of one of the polygons, we could say of one of the Spanish cities but, no, we will say Jerez, sports a discreet and stylish Toro Classics sign, which could be the entrance to a special heaven and that It is, without a doubt, the fence that covers a garage in which rest a Porsche 911, a 911 Carrera, a 944 Turbo Cup and a sophisticated and (for now) skeletal Fiat Turismo Veloce 1,000 Prototipo 1957, with which its rich owner waits participate (he doesn't know when) in the Mille Miglia. It is evident, transparent, crystalline, that you have already realized that we are not, I have not put you in, in any workshop. You see what strollers the boy has.
ATYPICAL ANDALUSIAN
The small door belongs to a dentist, but whoever opens it has a very curious story behind it, organizing the logistics of films, repairing sailboats in Jerez and, in the end, when the 2008 crisis knocked out the cinema, a friend invited him to spend a few days in that beautiful, noisy, automobile and motorcycling Andalusian town and, of course, Christian Thoma, of triple nationality, he is French, Canadian and Austrian, became the most atypical Andalusian in the world. That is to say, there is no one to move it from this garage.
It is evident that mom, Marta Woodside, Canadian, and dad, Christian Thoma, Austrian, sorry, "from Vienna", never thought when they had this classic car nut in Paris and, most especially, a Porsche lover above all else. , that his son would end up being the point of reference for all those sick of old, classic cars, true gems, who would ask him to put their vehicles in his operating room and convert them into beautiful utility vehicles.
Christian says that he has clients from all over the world. "Classic car lovers are, eminently, passionate, the result of nostalgia, of memory, of how we have grown up," he explains, sitting in his small office. «The impact of the car when you are young, whether it is your dad's car, your godfather's car, your uncle's car, a friend's car from home, leaves a seed in your mind, in your heart, that leaves you impacted on a sensory level, with noise. , of touch, of smell, of sight and, above all, on a sentimental level. And, of course, it is not necessary for that first car, that first ride, that first drive to be in a Ferrari, in a Porsche, in an Alfa Romeo. No way! I'm talking about first-time sensations, that stay with you forever. We talk about the seed that causes everything. We talk about a tsunami of emotions, that's what we talk about, of course.
Christian, who looks with pleasure at his Porsche Carrera with its striking spoiler from his table, believes that there are two motivating axes that usually impact you to provoke your love for classic cars. «On the one hand, the design of the 30s, 40s and 50s, the pure and simple aesthetics, those cars that, for me, would be like sculptures with wheels. And, two, on a nostalgic level, but now more emotional, the 80s when the 'boom' of cars on the street, magazines and your first experiences behind the wheel.
Regarding the classics, which, obviously, have nothing, nothing, to do with current cars, the starting point of all of us falling in love "centers on the fact of the enormous freedom that the designers had to make the car of your dreams and even the perfect utility vehicle. That freedom has disappeared for many years now and designers must submit to scripts, almost laws, that are much more restrictive, hence almost all cars are the same. Christian defends those classic cars "that, as soon as you see them, you have the impression that they are human or have a human appearance, with the round headlights like eyes, the air intake that simulates a large mouth, right?...and All of this gave an innocence, a charisma, to the car that crossed generations. In the end you have the feeling that a car, especially a Porsche, is a cartoon car.
THIS IS WHAT THE CLASSICS ARE
Our man, who works side by side with the engineer, mechanic and 'man orchestra' of this small workshop, Juan Hidalgo, rebuilds all types of cars, although he has ended up becoming the 'other' Mr. Porsche, because he is enthusiastic about all Porsches. . «The Porsche is a fantastic car, because it appeals to everyone for very different reasons. First, it is a car that everyone identifies with sportiness and speed. When someone thinks of a sports car, they almost always think of a Porsche. Of course, he always thinks about the 911, rather than a Ferrari. The Porsche is an affordable dream and that gives it even more relevance. Well, when Christian says 'affordable' he's not thinking, I suppose, of you or me, but hey, that's the classics.
I know that you are not going to believe it, but I will tell you and, therefore, you will have no choice but to believe me. Christian and Juan manage a reconstruction empire at the highest level. The two of them alone in their workshop. Of course, they have a lot of friends, not even colleagues, since the workshops that help them rebuild their jewelry with wheels are usually dedicated to many other things and, therefore, are not specialists in those pieces that they make for them.
To give an example, the mechanization of the most sophisticated parts of their cars, of their Porsches, is done by workshops that work for Airbus in Puerto Real. It is clear that to achieve that type of deal agreement,
as a client, as a supplier, you not only need to pay well and on time but also create a certain type of interest, of enthusiasm, in the people to whom you entrust such a task.
Christian's work is very exclusive. The projects they prepare for their clients are, logically, closely agreed upon with the owners of the cars they send to Jerez. Why? Because he, who is very purist or likes to be one, is not willing to make certain modifications. It does, yes, of course, but they must be agreed upon and, above all, on vehicles that do not have great value as classics, in the sense that those cars that are worth being rebuilt in the purest classic style, as they were originally, He only accepts the order if its owner agrees that it be done in that original way, without tricks, come on.
In the endless chat with Christian, he tells you that the good thing about Porsche is that many parts are interchangeable between models. «To a Porsche from the 80s in the early 90s, you can mount exterior aesthetic spare parts from a Porsche from the late 60s and early 70s, as they fit perfectly. Hence, the final product is a fantastic Porsche with classic aesthetics and modern mechanics, combining all the advantages of all eras, which ends up generating a car, not only attractive, 'very Porsche,' but with all the advantages of the modernity".
This is a sophisticated goldsmith's work, all manual. «Juan and I reserve some very delicate jobs for ourselves that we do not want to outsource. Is
It is evident that we have a very meticulous and, above all, tremendously reliable subcontracting program. Why? Because throughout these years I have met people who, in the end, have ended up as passionate about classic cars as Juan and I are.
People, suppliers who, when they see the finished car, show the same smile and happiness as us although, perhaps, some of them have only contributed to the project by making the two rear-view mirrors. The trick, the luck, the skill has been to be able to count on passionate people around Jerez or in some parts of Spain, who experience these reconstructions with the same affection as us.
When Christian and Juan talk about their collaborators, their faces light up, giving the impression that they not only feel happy for what they have achieved, that is, "for having achieved an authentic 'dream team' of the reconstruction," but that they consider having infected wonderful people with his madness, who never thought they would work on such exclusive and rewarding topics. And there is the best upholsterer in the world, the best miller, the best machinist, the best turner, the best chrome and all of them not only put their skills, their art, their passion into the order they receive but they put their sophisticated machines and tools to create the parts they need.
ARTWORKS
You look at the three Porsches and the Fiat Turismo Veloce and you think that, in fact, Christian and Juan have them in their workshop as if they were four Rembrandts. True, it's not that big of a deal, I know, but if you let Christian continue talking about them you'll end up, I swear, with the Gioconda's smile, from ear to ear. It's a pleasure to hear it. He's crazy. For classic cars. When you leave the ship of this pair of guys, passionate about everything that has wheels and, above all, everything old, traditional, classic, that, the works of art, the sculptures, on wheels, has the feeling of having been in a special place, with very special people. Not only them, but also those who collaborate with them to reconstruct the dreams of truly privileged people.