fbpx

The Contrast Of Now And Then Of A Country With The Largest Oil Reserves: William And His 911 Targa

A few years ago during my visit to Venezuela, I had the opportunity to photograph this great Porsche in a location that completely reflects what it once was and what it is today, one of the countries with the largest oil reserves. To put it in context, Venezuela between the 70s and 90s had the best moments in terms of economic growth, caused by the oil boom. But since the 40s, there was already a huge development in that industry. Somehow, it is relevant to point out that in the 50s, during the dictatorship, President Marcos Perez Jimenez was passionate about cars, racing, and competitions. For instance, he used to close the entire streets of Caracas for racing, inviting renowned figures from the automotive world like Fangio to race with him. That’s why Venezuela had unique Porsche prototypes to be used and shown in the Venezuelan market for racing and positioning as a brand in the country. During those four decades, incredible cars were imported to Venezuela, among them this 911 Targa.

At this moment the country is going through a gasoline shortage, with many blackouts and a hyper-inflation that does not stop. Surely you’ve heard or seen something about this. Even in the pictures you will see how many Venezuelans today have to buy gas in jerrycans with inflated prices, and put the gasoline themselves into their cars. My most sincere respect for this situation. 

I asked William, an excellent man, who kindly shared his Porsche and his story with Carphiles.

Tell me about yourself.

I’m a guy who has always liked vintage cars, especially sports cars. My dream was one day to have a Porsche, thank God he gave me two, and my first car was a ’57 Thunderbird a wonderful car!

This is a ’77 Targa, right?

My yellow Porsche is a 911 Targa SC from the year 1977 in bodywork but in the property, titles appear as the year 1969. No one knows why, but at that time the cars were brought to Venezuela and put fewer years than corresponded to the year that was the car, I guess for tax reasons.

How did you get this Porsche? 

When I saw the Targa for the first time it was love at first sight. I asked the owner of the car at some point and he asked me for an impossible amount of money to pay. After that, we made a very good friendship. It was almost 8 years that we talked about everything but the car. Until one day we talked about it again and we reached an agreement, since that day 6 years ago it is mine and we still have the friendship.

So it was a Porsche, originally imported from Germany to Venezuela?

According to all the documentation I have, the car was brought from Germany to Venezuela by the German ambassador in the 70s as his daily car. He then sold it to my friend’s father. Since I bought it it has been in the same condition only with the fact that I have improved it in some things.

What do you enjoy most about your car?

What I like most about it is that the car was made for that purpose and it fulfills its function, but apart from that it is a beautifully designed car, I love it in its entirety.

I know of a project you were working on with a 356. Tell me about it, maybe next time we meet I’ll take pictures of it! 

Sure thing! The Porsche 356 is a car that every Porsche fan dreams of having, and I’m very lucky to own one. It is a PRE A, one of the first ones made. An amazing car but it is very expensive to restore it. I would love to finish it but due to the economic situation of the country we have it has affected us a lot and that has affected also the projects enormously. Let’s hope that Venezuela changes its situation and we can continue with these pending projects.

1 Comment

  1. Mark Browne

    Such a timeless design

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Passion Connects People: The very first MeilenMacher Rally 2019

A few days ago, I was part of the first MeilenMacher Rally organized by good friends of mine from Munich. Something I really liked about the whole experience was the relaxed, passionate and charismatic group of guys that took part. Cars were always the first topic without it ever getting boring and we also shared a lot of laughs.

The Masterpieces of Automotive History in one Place: The Grand Basel 2018

On September 6, 2018, the very first edition of Grand Basel took place, a brand new and exciting happening for car enthusiasts. I was invited by the makers to participate and photograph their event that took place in a stunning venue.

Visiting Autostadt

Last month I had the pleasure to go on a little trip to Autostadt, which is located two hours away from Berlin in the city of Wolfsburg. It is a place full of activities about the realm of mobility and one of the world’s largest car-delivery centers surrounded by friendly people, striking architecture as well as amazing cars…

A Photo Gallery From Classic Days At Schloss Dyck 2018

Two weeks ago, I was kindly invited by Michelin to attend the Classic Days in Schloss Dyck, a very traditional German event in the surroundings of a pristine castle in the west of Germany, which bears some similarities to the Goodwood Festival.

Autohaus RWB: The Experts on Engine Rebuilding and Customised Porsches in Thailand

by Alexberlinetta A few months ago in Bangkok, I had the opportunity to visit RWB Thailand by Autohaus. Unfortunately, my stay in the city was super short and I didn't have the time to meet the founder personally. I spent at least 3 hours on the place, enjoyed the...

A New Yorker’s Pagoda: Christian and his Mercedes Benz 280SL

As far as I’m concerned, the Pagoda is one of the loveliest Benzes ever made. Is a timeless piece of design. Having a W113 is like owning two cars in one, depending on the weather, of course. This time around, the weather was perfect for its roadster mode.

Remembering Marcello Gandini: A Tribute Through His Iconic Car Designs

Remembering Marcello Gandini: Best known for his revolutionary work for Lamborghini and Lancia, leaves behind a legacy of timeless designs.

Hamburg-Berlin Klassic Rally 2016

In the last week of August, the 9. Hamburg-Berlin Classic Rally with 182 beautiful oldtimers and youngtimers took place. I was invited by the team of Autostadt to make some pictures of the three days of the rally. During a couple of very beautiful sunny days starting in Hamburg, I was jumping into the eight Volkswagen cars that were part of the Autostadt team…

A True Italian Gran Turismo in Berlin: Dirk And His Maserati Indy America

by Alexberlinetta Spring/Summer in Berlin could have a very special weather. One of those special days, Dirk invited me to meet and go on a ride in his FANTASTIC 1971 Gran Turismo Maserati Indy America 4.7. Dirk was one of the first Carphiles that I met in Berlin,...

Beyond The Beauty Of The Steel And Glass: Kevin And His Bahammer 912

A while ago during my time in Los Angeles, I woke up one day very early at almost 5 am to go with Kevin and his 912 around the city to have the streets of Downtown LA almost to ourselves.

There are a lot of emotions coming together in this photoshoot.

#CarphilesandCoffee June 2022

#CarphilesandCoffee June 2022

On Sunday, June 19th, we celebrated the first Carphiles event of this year. In a typical Berlin industrial backyard in the Xberg area where our friends from @conciergecoffee are located! I selected 19 iconic cars to stage and appreciate them in different ways. Here we were both car lovers and non-car lovers which in a different way is my way to draw the attention of those who don’t have an interest in cars, especially these design icons.

read more

PART OF:

SOCIAL MEDIA

WRITE US