For many motor lovers, having a space to work on their cars is a dream: imagine that there is also a whole collection of vehicles in that place and add to this fantasy some of the iconic Porsche models. So is the 911 Motorsport garage, owned by Johan-Frank Dirickx: if paradise exists, it must look a lot like his private collection.
Johan-Frank Dirickx lives in Antwerp (Belgium) and it is there where he has shaped a collection made up of about fifty examples of Porsche. His garage has the walls decorated with posters from the world of motoring, graffiti and has platforms specially built to store the German copies. A combination that makes it a temple for any ‘petrolhead’.
His first Porsche
His passion for cars was born from the hand of his grandfather: Jim Delwiche he was a famous collector of his day who owned a 2.0-litre Porsche 911 Targa S, a 2.2-litre 911 S and a 2.4-litre 911 S. With them he began to admire the German brand, but that passion reached a new level when the yellow Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 arrived (a model that was also part of the Paul Walker collection).
When he came of age, Johan-Frank got his driver’s license. At the age of 18 he bought his first sports car from Stuttgart: a second-hand Porsche 911 T… which he ended up selling because he had no money to restore it. Of course, he continued to drive his grandfather’s vehicles.
His grandfather’s Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7
At the moment in which the economy accompanied him, he bought the first Porsche that he did not have to say goodbye to: a restored 911 964 RS in Rubystar tone. It was chosen because, for Johan-Frank, it represents the true spirit of a racing car.
The yellow Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 became the common thread in this Belgian’s story because, after having been his daily car, he met him again in Barcelona: unfortunately, he was far from his state. original. From the hand of its then owner, he restored it based on the body of a Porsche 911 T: it was then that he proposed have his own collection in the conditions he wanted. Or what is the same: cared for and maintained to be admired.
your own jewelry
Taking a look at the collection that Johan-Frank has created over the years, all eyes are on the same unit: a 1967 Porsche 911 R, painted in white and of which only twenty copies were made. His owner explains that it is so precious that he shouldn’t drive it anymore and would just have to admire the beauty of it while it’s parked. Other limited editions are a pair of Porsche 911 SC/RS.
Most of the Porsches in the 911 Motorsport garage are air-cooled RS models: the Porsche 911 RS 3.0, the 3.0 RSR or the 934, which is one of their latest acquisitions. He also has a Porsche 911 RS 2.7 Homologation-Lightweight and two 911 930 Turbo: a 3.0 and 3.3 in perfect condition. They are accompanied by some water-cooled Porsches such as the 911 996 GT3 RS and the 911 935 from 2019, which is inspired by Moby Dick: the racing 911 of the seventies.
Your ‘daily’
Seeing all the Porsches in Johan-Frank’s garage is a real pleasure, but the Belgian does not limit himself to contemplating them: he drives them quite frequently. He has also participated a couple of times in the 24 Hours of Daytona and has started both the 12 Hours of Sebring and Le Mans Classic… although he confesses that he prefers rallies and skidding on the frozen lakes in Scandinavia. And by the way, his everyday car also has the Stuttgart stamp: it’s a Brewster green Porsche Panamera.