The Porsche Specialists Story
I guess I have motor oil in my veins. Possibly it came from my mother, getting groceries in our 356 while pregnant with me. Perhaps it was my father, who couldn’t get enough of those late 40s early 50s little hot rod mags you could hide in the pages of your school text books. My name is Kevin McConnell and I am an Automotive Technician, specifically a Porsche Technician. My parents, John and Carole McConnell, bought their first Porsche in the mid sixties. They have owned several 356 “drivers” and still own a slate grey ’63 coupe they bought in 1968. When I was a toddler in Detroit Cit, my father would dismantle rusted out Porsches in our garage, keeping the “good” parts to sell or trade with other Porschephiles. While living in Michigan, they were very active members of the Porsche club. They participated in auto crossing, attended several annual Porsche Parades, edited the local newsletter, and more. In 1977, we moved to the suburbs of Denver. There, my father built the 356 into a successful vintage racer. He has always done the majority of the work on his cars himself. I grew up watching him rebuild the engine over and over to “freshen it up”, and holding his helmet for him on the starting grid. My father has recently turned the car back into a street legal “driver” adding some late fifties lead sled touches. He and my mother are still very active with the “Grey Ghost,” attending PCA and 356 club events.
For career day in eighth grade, I visited Pat Moyle’s MotorSport inc., an independent Porsche shop in Colorado. It was all uphill from there. I started taking automotive classes my sophomore year and attended a vo-tech program my last two years of high school. I went to work full time at MotorSport after I graduated from high school. After a year, I took a short break from MotorSport and went to college. But, I soon returned with the knowledge I wanted a career working on the cars I love. MotorSport was a great experience for me. Learning Porsche’s idiosyncrasies, everything from “remember, the gear shift knob is an egg, don’t break the egg” to “ the crest on wheel center caps should always point toward the valve stem.” Pat and his wife Anita were instrumental in getting the Porsche Club’s Club Racing program off the ground, helping organize the “First Ever Anywhere Porsche Club Race.” We also campaigned several of our cars in SCCA, Porsche Club, and vintage racing. At least fifty percent of our customer’s cars saw track use and several were track only cars. We built and maintained anything Porsche. A Porsche powered Lotus 23, a 1960 Abarth Carrera, the first 964 RSR produced, original 1970s RS and RSRs, 924 GTR, ground up builds of 60s 911s for vintage racing. It was an awesome place to work. While working there I attended Bruce Anderson’s school for 911 maintenance and engine overhaul. The knowledge I gained from working at MotorSport is immeasurable. After working at MotorSport for ten years, I moved to Prestige Imports Porsche + Audi, in Lakewood, Colorado. At Prestige, I gained knowledge of Porsche’s warranty repair requirements as well as servicing and repairing the most advanced systems Porsche had to offer. In my second year at Prestige, I enrolled in Porsche’s Turbo Track technician training program, an intensive six month education on all facets of Porsche repair. In 2001, I took the ASE tests and became a Certified Technician. Throughout the rest of my tenure at Prestige, I attended week long training sessions on all model changes, system updates, and general refresher courses. In 2002, I started at Brandywine Porsche in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. I attended courses for the introduction of Cayenne, 987 and 997, advanced level electrical and engine management. I also had the privilege of going to Carrera GT School. In 2004, I finished my ASE testing and became certified as a Master Technician. I built what is believed to be the country’s first 3.8 liter 996 turbo. While at Brandywine, I received two Technician of the Year awards. In 2009, I opened The Porsche Specialists. I started by renting one bay at Jones Automotive and through the years the company has grown to the point that we have a full staff and the entire complex. Our staff of three full time mechanics have extensive Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, VW and general automotive experience. Our service advisors have a combined experience of 36 years in the Porsche industry. We can attend to all of your automotive needs. My focus is Porsche, but we do have experience in most manufacturers. Look forward to servicing your vehicle! Thank You –Kevin McConnell |