Porsche owners are clear about why they own their cars, and it’s the same reason we’re in this business. We do it because we share Karl’s passion for all things Porsche. Here, self-confessed “Porsche addict” and serial 911 owner Russell Quirk explains how an otherwise forgettable Michael Crawford film created a moment’s memory that fueled a lifetime’s love.

Russell modestly describes his collection as “small but growing” and it is dominated by 911s. So, Russell – why this model? Is it the impeccable engineering, timeless design, or the cache of owning a standout, air-cooled classic? “For me, like for many other owners I guess, it goes back to being a kid. I loved seeing them parked up, or passing on the street, and occasionally in the movies. And one in particular.”

The Condorman Moment?

You’ll probably not have seen Condorman (1981). Few have, and with good reason. Billed as an ‘action-adventure romantic comedy spy story’ it rates a poor 5.7/10 on the industry’s go-to reference point, IMDb. It features the erstwhile Frank Spencer as a cartoonist who becomes inveigled in a Russian spy swap plot involving Oliver Reed. (Well, quite).

It’s notable for two things only. The obvious feature is Crawford’s lamentable American accent, but for Russell, it’s the high-octane car chase scene. Screen car pursuits are always high-octane, but this one lit a fire in the young Russell because of one standout feature. The cars doing the chasing.

“In this scene, which goes on for a while, Michael Crawford is pursued by baddies driving black 930 Porsche 911s.  (You can view a snippet here.) I was captivated by the perceived performance and the noise of the 911 in the movie.”

Back to the Future.

Fast forward 40 plus years and that obsession is realised in a solid collection of “re-loved” German engineering icons. Today, Russell is showcasing his restomod – a portmanteau of ‘restoration’ and ‘modification’, which comes courtesy of Rennsport, recently profiled on our blog. He describes it as living in the space between Californian Porsche specialists Singer, and the UK’s equivalents Theon Design and fellow Porsche re-imagineers Paul Stephens.

His conversation with Paul Cockell, co-founder of Rennsport was clearly a meeting of like minds. Russell describes Paul as a “Porsche obsessive”, who took Russell’s car and faithfully backdated it while simultaneously improving performance to create what Russell describes as “the best of all worlds.”

Passion-fueled and air-cooled.

Russell believes that Porsche is, to some extent, missing a trick by abandoning the air-cooled classic for the 911 we see in the showrooms today. He describes it as being the car “Porsche would like to make today, even though they’ve taken the 911 in a different direction.”

Simplifying the modern incarnation as “bigger, water-cooled, lots of driver aids” Russell is keen to point out that “some of us don’t want ABS, power steering, stability control – an 800 bhp car that we essentially point and squirt from one corner to another.” Instead, he believes the work of Rennsport, Theon, Singer and the rest are more in keeping with the original purpose – “the fundamental DNA of the Porsche 911”.

Driven, not hidden.

He also references the community of 911 owners, enthusiasts and the burgeoning cottage industry that supports them as being fundamentally different to those owning Ferraris or Lambos. “People buy these cars to drive them, not leave them covered up in a garage somewhere”.  And there are plenty of opportunities for the community to gather.

Russell mentions the 60^th anniversary of the 911 and the 75^th birthday of the marque itself as times and places for fellow Porsche owners to gather, admire the cars and just drive them. He describes a sense of fellowship. “I love it. I really do.”

While other cars may outperform the 911, they can’t touch it for the qualities that separate these machines for the loyalty they inspire, the brotherhood they create – and the endless potential to create something new and beautiful from the original. Which is more than can be said for Condorman.