Porsche 2014 Annual Report Download - page 43

082 083 Annual Report Porsche AG 2014
models, the tires, the best polish and the
right oil.”
HISTORY AND HIGH-TECH
“The cars are the stars, not the drivers,”
is Bob Ingram’s motto. A well-preserved
man in his mid-70s, Ingram seems in fact
like a tailor-made big-time car guy. The
retired executive from the pharmaceuticals
industry and long-time CEO of a global
corporation has put together a relatively
unique collection of historical Porsches
in recent years. Few if any collections
can compete with the quality of the
Ingram collection, is the verdict of many
aficionados – sorry: “carrerados.”
The Ingram trove is well hidden in the
Durham, North Carolina city centre. There
are 80 vehicles in this star parade, lined
up in a custom show space whose red
brick facade gives no indication of the
prizes inside. It is a breathtaking review
of automotive design history, reaching
from the 918 Spyder back to the third
oldest 356 model still in existence, built
in Gmünd in Austria’s Kärnten region. The
918 Spyder super-sports car has only
been placed inside the brick hall a few
days ago. Purple metal nish. Purple?
Sure, it’s his wife Jeanie’s favourite color.
The combination with the green “hybrid”
script makes for a truly unusual color
combination. What Bob Ingram values in
particular is the technological leadership
that his new acquisition encompasses.
“When it comes to the 918 Spyder,
Porsche has achieved a technological
breakthrough. The full dimensions of this
breakthrough will only be clear in ten to
twenty years,” gushes the new owner.
“And for this reason I agree unconditional-
ly with Ferry Porsche’s statement that the
next Porsche is always the best Porsche.”
History and high-tech are for Ingram the
elements from which his passion ows.
Porsche is the sole premium manufacturer
to oer three plug-in hybrid vehicles in the
premium segment, a fact Ingram singles
out for praise. Even a car guy like himself
goes with the times. He’d be willing to buy
a hybrid 911.
The man was hardly born with a silver
spoon in his mouth, nor was he predes-
tined to a career as a serious collector.
He grew up as the lone son of a single
mother who eked out an existence
running a mom-and-pop store, enough to
pay for a college education for her son.
Ingram was 31 when his friend and pro-
fessional mentor, a father gure in his life,
let him drive his brand-new 911 S. After
45 minutes behind the wheel in Florida,
Ingram knew that some things in life are
worth working hard for. While Brenda from
Tennessee caught the Porsche bug in an
instant, Bob’s incubation time for Porsche
Fever lasted over 20 years. It wasn’t until
1993 that he could nally stick his own
key into the ignition of a 911. “Up to that
point I hadn’t had any time at all to drive
Porsche,” says the former top manager,
who moved almost 20 times over the
course of his professional career.
The long-dormant virus then slowly began
to gain ground with the entire Ingram
family. His oldest son Rory manages
the collection, while the youngest scion
Cameron, known to all as “Cam,” has
made a reputation as one of the USA’s
nest Porsche restorers. Interestingly
enough, the youngest son seemed to be
immune to the bug that bit his father so
hard. “I couldn’t do anything at all with the
passion of my father,” Cam notes with a
grin. It wasn’t until the rst joint father/son
trip to the racetrack in Laguna Seca for
the 50th anniversary of the Porsche brand
that the trained artist, a specialist in
“metal sculpture,” finally got hooked.
“At one point there was a silver 356
Coupe out ahead of us on the track,”
Cam remembers, “and all at once I was
entranced with the iconic design.” So
entranced that he went on to specialize
in the restoration of historical Porsches.
PORSCHE CLUB COMMUNITY
National Club President Manny Alban
considers the chance to view these per-
fectly restored rarities as the highlight
of the annual parade, an event that is
borne by the same pure idealism as the
work and organization of the PCA itself.
Throw in the chance to talk with a mem-
ber of the Porsche family, and it’s enough
for any PCA member to declare it a per-
fect day. In many of the 143 PCA regions
there are close ties between the Porsche
Bitten by the
Porsche bug:
Bob Ingram and his
sons Rory (left) and
Cameron. The car
collection stretches
from the third-oldest
known 356, still
being built in Gmünd
at that time, to the
918 Spyder.
Porsche
in the USA