After decades of dealing with aviation and classic air-cooled cars, Leon Potgieter’s four-car garage has to be one of the most interesting we’ve come across.
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Looking at some of the automotive and technological trinkets scattered around Leon Potgieter’s garage, to call this workspace merely ‘interesting’ would be an understatement. There are artifacts from road trips through South Africa and Lesotho, aircraft parts, car tools from decades ago and even some bodywork from a modern Porsche 911 race car. In front of Leon’s desk, two chairs from a Mirage fighter jet serve as seats for both business visitors and friends dropping by for a beer.
Leon’s wife’s taste is partly responsible for this unconventional but characterful setup. He explains: “It all started when my wife wanted an old house and I wanted a house with enough garages. Fortunately, we found this property and it met all the requirements. Having worked in the aviation industry my entire career, some cool paraphernalia has come my way. For example, the wing hanging above our heads is the horizontal stabilizer from a Mirage F1, and on the other side is a drop tank from an Atlas Impala fighter jet. It is mounted under the wing of the aircraft and when empty it can fall to the ground. The latter is usually only the case during a war situation – they are usually used again and again.”
“The Mirage seats were equipped with full ejection units. They have been relined and mountings have been made for them at the bottom. Then there is an air intake from a de Haviland Vampire that will become part of the garage. These are just some of the parts I have collected over the years.”
One of the most interesting exhibits in the garage is a 1987 March 871 Formula 1 wind tunnel model. There are still a few parts still in need of some repairs, but it is a decent model to have and even has the correct exterior colors. On the same shelf is a door from the 996 Porsche 911 GT3 race car that won at the Daytona race track in the US in 2005.
The cars are the heroes here, though, and Leon is happy to give me a thorough overview of each example. He spent several years restoring the 1968 Porsche 911 Targa 2.0-liter S. The car was mechanically sound, but the usual suspects needed attention, including the rubber, seat upholstery and exterior paintwork, just to name a few. to name a few. No expense was spared in the light restoration, with parts such as the checked fabric seats sourced from RUF in Germany. The factory 6×15-inch Fuchs wheels were refurbished with pristine lips and a silver center section, in line with the car’s vibrant exterior hue. “For a Sunday car, I think the Targa offers a more complete package than a Coupé.” Only 925 of these S Targas were built, making it a highly sought-after classic 911.
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Then we step closer to the 1959 Volkswagen DeLuxe Microbus. “I started restoring this bus, but then I ran out of time. I sent it to a company that wasn’t doing very well. However, shortly after I got the car back, I took it for a drive through the Kruger National Park, and I’ve decided that I’m going to keep it as it is for now and enjoy it. During that trip I towed it to the park and drove no less than 1,000 km through the park in eight days.”
“The Volkswagen Beetle is from 1956 and is an oval lap top. The car belonged to the same owner who owned the bus. I like that the Beetle has these ‘ZA’ and ‘Jurgens’ badges on it. I was very attracted to this car because of all its unusual and special specifications,” Leon explains. “In addition to the factory features mounted on the dash, there are additional lights and gauges, as well as a front toolbox. I did install the temperature gauge.”
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Leon has done some work on the seats and upholstery of the Beetle. “I reupholstered and stored the original seats, then installed Porsche 356 Speedster seats and replica wheels. Furthermore, I will never repaint or restore this car. I just polished the paint.”
Leon has also built a more powerful engine for the Beetle. It’s still a 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine, but it has a dual port and dual carburetor with an original Okrasa kit, which is period-correct. Air cooling enthusiasts will know all about Okrasa – the company name is an abbreviation of ‘Oeater Kraaeronautical engineering Sspecial Anstalt’ – and the engines and accessories they supplied to Volkswagen from the 1950s onwards.
We continue with the red 911, the longest-standing member of Leon’s collection. “This is the very first car I bought, when I was 19. I bought it from John Abbot as a 1968 912 model with an engine fire. I then converted it to a 2.7 RS replica, but it didn’t do great. I didn’t know anything about building cars at the time. It was this car that sparked my interest in all things Porsche. At that time it was a really nice car because it had all those spoilers and made a lot of noise!”
“In 2007 I went to Europe with a friend and we took a long road trip. During this trip we visited Kremer in Germany. We even visited DK Engineering and Autofarm in the UK. Then I realized what a terrible car I had built, so I took it apart when I got back. It was also during that trip that I got to know the Porsche 911 S/T, what made it special and what parts are needed to build a tribute, and that was my goal with this particular 911.”
“Over the years other projects took precedence, but about a year ago I was able to finish the car! In 1971, Porsche Kremer drove a 911 in the Spa 1000 km race, and my idea was to build something as close to that car as possible. Under the hood is a 2.5-liter six-cylinder with twin sparks, high-performance camshafts, aluminum pistons and high-compression bushings.”
My time with Leon had come to an end, it was difficult to simply leave this fascinating collection behind to fulfill my regular commitments on another assignment. His enthusiasm is so infectious, and his knowledge of all things air-cooled so extensive, that it won’t be difficult to spend many hours talking to him about all things automotive and aviation… perhaps a follow-up visit is in order?
You will find the full article in the November issue of CAR Magazine.
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