The Porsche Classic Restoration Competition, Breathing New Life Into Porsche Classics

Breathing new life into Porsche classics, Porsche Centres all across Canada have spent the last year nestled in the second consecutive Porsche Classic Restoration Competition. 

Twelve Canadian Centres took part, and the challenge was to restore any Porsche model classified as a classic to factory condition throughout.

Porsche Cars Canada’s national after sales business manager, Rajat Thukral, expressed, “The objective of this project is to showcase the classic know-how and restoration ability of our excellent Porsche Centres across Canada. It also allows the teams to get passionate about the brand and its deep, rich heritage.”

Restoring both 356 Coupes and Cabriolets alongside a wide variety of air-cooled 911 models, the contestants were tasked with more than just to source their own and restore the cars.

They were also tasked to carefully document the process and share it through various media channels as part of the overall competition.

At the end of the allotted time frame, all entries were sent to Porsche’s Parts and Distribution Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, where a panel of esteemed judges made their assessments.

Significantly, the judging process assessed every element of the car, from engine and gearbox rebuilds to exhaust systems, wiring, lighting brakes and bodywork. 

Said competition was split into two categories, judging the 356 restorations separately from the 911 cars, with awards available for both model series. 

“It was a thrill to have three 356 models as part of the competition. It’s never an easy job to restore an older vehicle and the older they are the more challenging it can be. Once you start digging, you never know what you are going to find. I was amazed by what our Porsche Centres were able to achieve,” remarked Porsche Cars Canada’s after sales director, Alexander Pretsch.

To paint a picture, the competition saw several different methods, from the demanding restoration of a 1964 356B Coupe by Porsche Centre Oakville to Pfaff Porsche’s build of a high mileage 993. 

The latter, which is a Polar Silver 911 Carrera was originally sold by Pfaff in the mid-1990s and by the time of its restoration, it was proudly wearing more than 200,000 km on its odometer.

Then, other unique cars included a 930 Turbo finished in a daring Paint To Sample blue by Porsche Centre London. 

Next is a ‘long hood’ 1969 911 E that Mark Motors Porsche had dedicated over 2,200 hours to restore by the time the competition ended. 

Lastly, a tribute to the factory’s mid-1980s rallying endeavours with Porsche Centre Vancouver’s head-turning 911 Safari, complete with suspension lift and Porsche Exclusive tartan interior. 

In the end, Porsche Centre Saskatchewan was recognised for its outstanding efforts and an overall winner in restoring a matching numbers 1960 356B cabriolet with rare matching hard top. 

While in the 911 class, the top spot went to Porsche Centre Lauzon for its superb work on a 1986 911 Targa CE (Commemorative Edition), built to mark the time 911 production reached 250,000 cars.

After that, Porsche Centre North Toronto was honoured for its efforts in the marketing and communication category, and Vancouver's remarkable Safari tribute earned the Passion Award.

Porsche Cars Canada’s president and chief executive officer, Marc Ouayoun, concluded, “This contest is really a way for us to show the skills, the quality and the know-how of our craftsmen and our technicians, who put a lot of energy and passion into these projects. When we see the results, we can only be proud of the incredible skills we have in the Porsche network. Thank you to all of our Porsche Centres for recreating history with these cars.”