The Roanoker - March 2014 - 21

by karen Adams

porsche dude:
keith martin
The "old green car" is not
photos by david hungate

just any old green car. One of
just 50 surviving 1964 Porsche
911s has already begun the
50th birthday celebrations.

Keith Martin was 19 when he found
her, a neglected beauty silhouetted in the
weeds behind a woodworking shop on Brandon Avenue, and instantly she won his heart.
On that fateful day in 1973 when the
teenaged Martin rescued his sweetheart-tobe, he was already an experienced car dude,
and he knew exactly what he was looking at:
a 1964 Porsche 911. The car was rusty, dusty
and scratched, but beautiful in Martin's eyes.
He learned much later that his car (number
182 of 232) is one of only about 50 survivors
from 1964, and so rare that the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, wants to see it.
Martin admits their early life together
was a bumpy ride. "In the first six months
of owning the car, I almost cut off the fenders," he says. "I'm not sure why that didn't
happen, but I guess I came to my senses."
He also nearly destroyed the car by racing it.
Then, for many years, the Porsche waited
patiently in storage as life got busy. Martin's
wife, Wanda, often asked what in the world
he was going to do with the rusty thing.
Several years ago, as Martin thought of
the upcoming 50th anniversary in 2014,
he decided to get to work. "I found myself
with what I hadn't had earlier in my life: the
time, talent [his staff at Martin's German
Service, among others] and money to give
the old 182 the restoration she deserved,"
he says.
The

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When he dug out the box of original
carburetors and unwrapped the newspaper
packing, one headline read "Nixon Resigns."
"They'd been in storage a while," he says.
Martin's detailed, four-page list of 200plus restoration steps that are "historically,
mechanically, and cosmetically accurate" -
completed by other expert hands as well as
his own - would crush lesser spirits. One
section notes: "Front bumper: The original
was discarded in a fit of hormonal rage.
Replacement is a result of the best parts of
three bumpers merged to create one that fits
perfectly."
Much of the work was done in the showroom of Martin's German Service on Brambleton Avenue. The icing on this beloved
cake is the classic Porsche Irish green paint,
matched to the swatch that was protected
under the dashboard pad all along. And,
Martin says, she runs like a dream.
For her 50th birthday, she will be at shows
on both coasts and possibly in Germany for
the December anniversary. And last November, at the Hilton Head Island Motor Festival
and Concours d'Elegance, Martin's restored
beauty was awarded Best in Class in the
Porsche Honored Marque historical display.
Considering all the 911 has survived and
her pristine condition now, Martin says,
"What I am sure of is that the old green car
will likely outlive us all."
MARCH/APRIL 2014

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The Roanoker - March 2014

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