CARRERA BROS - JZ Machtech

MODIFIED 3.2 CARRERAS
Born in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands,
Shirish and Anil Patel are brothers, the
youngest of five, two years apart. I’ve known
both of them for a few years now, and they
are a credit to good parenting: intelligent,
well-spoken and always immaculately turned out (you
can stop reading now, mum).
Like many brothers, it was while they shared a
bedroom as kids that their mutual fascination with
classic cars kicked off. Also, like many brothers, neither
will say who started it. ‘It was always there,’ Anil declares.
‘Dad was a Ford man, devoted to Cortinas. With the blue
oval as the household badge of choice, we were RS
crazy, and the walls were plastered with hot Escorts and
Capris. We knew about 911s, but were never Porsche
obsessed. The 911 thing didn’t happen until years later.’
Older brother, Anil, was the first to bring a Porsche
badge to the party. ‘I was looking for a classic car up to
£10,000, and thought an Alfa Romeo might be the way
forward. Searching a few dealer websites, I found 911SCs
lined up alongside the Alfas. I hadn’t considered 911s
affordable, so I started digging about, to see what I
could find. The first few trade cars I saw were ropey at
best, so I increased the budget and started looking at
private examples.’
This 1987 Carrera Coupé, in shimmering Diamond Blue,
is what he ended up with. ‘The seller was a farmer who’d
owned the car for ten years. He loved it but hadn’t really
been using it, so the mileage was fairly low. I’d already
looked at a 25th Anniversary Carrera in the same blue
and liked the colour, so the paint was a plus. The owner
had changed the registered colour of this one to grey, as
he was convinced that, were it ever stolen, the police
would never find it if they were looking for a blue one.’
The bizarre logic did Anil a favour. The reluctant seller’s
lack-lustre ad for an old grey Porsche, being sold due to
lack of use, had aroused little interest. Big brother
bagged a nice G50 Carrera in his favourite shade for
sensible money.
Shirish’s path to Porsche ownership was a direct result
of driving the new arrival. ‘When Anil said he’d bought a
911, I shot straight over for a spin. After I’d had a go, no
way was I missing out.’ It took almost a year for Shirish
to find the right car: a minty fresh Carrera Club Sport.
Though the boys were clearly enjoying their shared
interest in Stuttgart’s sporting elegance, the rest of the
clan didn’t quite understand.
‘No one else in our family is all that fussed about cars,’
says Shirish. ‘When Anil and I started getting into 911s,
the age of our steeds caused some consternation.
My mum asked: ‘Why an E-reg? Why not buy a newer
one?’ They weren’t aware of how well older Porsches
911 & PORSCHE WORLD
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