Some time ago during my time in LA, in one of those typical Sunday “Cars and coffee”, I recognized the license plate of a beautiful Irish blue 911. It always caught my eye when I saw it on Sheldon’s Instagram. I approached him, to tell him how much I liked his car and if I could photograph him maybe in another context like more Californian vibes. That day also, he introduced me to his friends, with whom we did a road trip to the Angeles National Forest a few days later with some nice Porsches. The color of this car is also something I love, especially in the California light that is so special, it makes the car look even more minimal. So I decided to take pictures in very common places in Manhattan Beach but as minimalist as possible. Here are some questions I asked Sheldon about his 911:

85′ 911 Carrera, well known as “Wolfgang” on social media. Right?

Indeed Wolfgang! I named the car after my favorite childhood cat.
Also, Wolfgang Porsche is a manager and member of the Porsche dynasty. He is regarded as the “quiet heart of the Porsche clan”

What was your first car?

My first car was a 1969 Volkswagen bug, funny enough it was a light blue color also! I believe the color was called diamond blue. I saved enough money from babysitting my cousin to buy the bug for 400 dollars!

How did you first become interested in cars and why especially in Porsche?

I’ve been obsessed with cars since I was a kid. I had a sizeable matchbox & hot wheels collection. When I was a kid my parents would take me to parties and apparently, I would go around and ask everybody what kind of car they drove and if I could look at it. My interest in Porsche started at a very young age when I received a 1975 Porsche Turbo hot wheels car! I have always been captivated by the 911 shape. It was after attending the second Luftgekühlt show in Los Angeles that I decided I had to own an air-cooled 911.

How did you come across the 911?

It’s actually a funny story. The whole process to find the right Porsche took about three years. I looked at a lot of different cars. Most of them were falsely advertised or oversold. I had a pre-purchase inspection done on a few cars that turned out to be unsatisfactory. After three years I was about to give up the search, then I found a black 1982 911 SC located in the Bay area. The black SC was a bit rough around the edges, had a non-original engine installed, it also had 250,000 miles on the chassis! At the time I wanted a 911 so bad I overlooked all the red flags and agreed to a deal with the seller. I actually had a hotel booked, and was in the process of booking a flight to pick up the car and drive it back to Los Angeles. But for some reason, I decided to check the PCA classifieds website one last time. And that’s when I came across a 1985 911 Carrera in Iris blue Metallic. Initially, I wasn’t a fan of the color, but the car was original, it had only two previous owners and it looked like it was in really good shape. The car was local in Long Beach, so I went to look and take a test drive. When I saw the car in person the color looked so much better. The seller let me take the car for a “spirited” drive encouraging me to really drive the car and experience the car’s capabilities. It only took one fast corner, the car accelerated out of the corner like it was on rails. The car spoke to me. I decided right then that I wanted the car. I took Wolfgang home a week later.

What was the condition of the car when you bought it?

Wolfgang was in really good condition, he’s mostly original, the previous owner spent a lot of time and money getting him sorted. The car was repainted once and numbers were matching.

What do you enjoy most about the car?

It’s a stress relief. Driving my car near my own limit takes me to a place of pure in-the-moment satisfaction. The noise of the world, and the negativity in my own head, kinda shuts down. The noise of the car takes over, and I’m simply enjoying the moment, truly living.

I saw on IG you use your 911 very often is that your daily car?

It’s mostly a weekend car, but I do use it during the week sometimes to grab a coffee or meet up with friends.

I love the number plate combination, it was hard to get it?

Actually, the plate came with the car. I liked it, so I kept it.

Do you like taking long journeys with the 911? Which was the longest trip you ever took with it?

I do like taking long journeys as long as I can minimize freeway driving, with no real modern creature comforts this car is not that fun on the highways. Wolfgang is truly in his element on twisty roads, “spirited” canyon runs, and coastal drives. The longest trip I’ve taken was Los Angeles to Pismo beach.

Is there any other Classic or Porsche you would like to have?

Oh yeah! The list of cars I’d like to have is way too long to go through here. I’m a huge enthusiast of Porsche GT cars. It’s been a longtime dream to own a 911 GT3 from the 997 era. Another longtime dream car would be Cayman GT4. As for the classics I’d love to own a hot rod/outlaw style Porsche 356 those are super cool. Also, I really dig old Alfa Romeo cars, the Giulia GTA’s and GTV’s really speak to me.

Do you have a quote related to cars that you would like to share?

Yes, there’s a quote by Steve McQueen that I modified and I really relate to it: “Driving is life. Anything before or after is just waiting.

Follow Sheldon on Instagram: @bridgeholz