FEATURE – Porsche Centre Willoughby 50 Years
Photos: Dialogue PR
A dealership’s anniversary wouldn’t usually be cause for celebration in JUST CARS, but this dealership has a long and interesting history - and they’ve chosen to mark the 50th Anniversary of their association with a revered marque in a special way.
A History at Pace
JUST CARS readers of a certain age will undoubtedly remember Scuderia Veloce, the all-Australian motorsport team founded by racer and motoring journalist David McKay.
Best remembered for the Ferrari 250 LM they campaigned in sports car competition, Scuderia Veloce was more notable for being the first professional racing team in this country.
When he formed Scuderia Veloce in 1959, McKay already had a decade of racing experience behind him, starting with MGs in circuit racing, taking part in Redex rallies and land speed records here in Australia, as well as racing Aston Martins overseas.
Arguably McKay’s greatest racing success was the 1960 Australian Touring Car Championship, which he won behind the wheel of a Jaguar Mk1. Controversially stripped of victory in the 1961 Australian Grand Prix, McKay would finish fourth in the 1963 AGP behind Brabham, Surtees and McLaren.
At the end of ’63, McKay stepped away from open wheeler racing to focus on team management. At the same time, he also co-founded Scuderia Veloce Motors in the Sydney suburb of Willoughby with automotive technician Bob Atkin.
With no specific marque affiliation initially – beyond being fast and imported - Scuderia Veloce Motors (SVM) would be an official importer of both Ferrari and Volvo by 1965. The next marque to join the SVM stable was Porsche in 1969, when Atkin secured a franchise from well-known Porsche importer Alan Hamilton.
German Endurance
Then, as now, Porsche was a marque for the driving enthusiast, with the loyalty and devotion of those enthusiasts seeing Porsche became a cornerstone of SVM; so much so that the business was renamed Porsche Centre Willoughby in 2003.
Sean Lygo has been part of the development of Porsche Centre Willoughby, née Scuderia Veloce Motors, for almost 30 years.
Joining Scuderia Veloce Motors in 1992 as General Manger, Lygo couldn’t have picked a worse time to join an prestige car dealership. The 1990-91 “recession we had to have” was still biting and luxury cars were usually the first casualties of such conditions. Lygo recalls sales of one or two Porsches a month being the norm back then, with double-digit sales unthinkable.
To keep the business going, SVM took on a Jeep franchise in 1995 and ended Ferrari imports two years later. However, the passion for Porsche ensured there was enough business for SVM to retain the marque.
By the mid-1990s, monthly sales of 8 to 10 Porsches were still meagre, but fast forward to 2019 and Porsche Centre Willoughby regularly sell 50 to 60 examples of Stuttgart’s finest every month.
That success, Lygo believes, is down to the long-lasting relationships he and the Centre’s staff have built with their clients.
Just as Porsche owners’ devotion to the brand hasn’t changed, Porsche Centre Willoughby’s high level of customer care hasn’t changed either, ensuring a level of loyalty to the dealership evidenced by customers who have purchased more than a dozen Porsches from Lygo and his team.
What has changed in the 27 years since Lygo started is the type of Porsches customers are buying. Back in 1992, Lygo recalls his first sale being a 944 S2. Today, the Macan SUV accounts for the bulk of sales, closely followed by the Cayenne, but enthusiast devotion means the 718 Boxster and Cayman siblings represent a healthy proportion of sales, too, with the 911 being an evergreen.
As the quintessential Porsche, the 911 was the natural choice for a special edition celebrating Porsche Centre Willoughby’s 50-year connection with the marque.
Golden Anniversary Specials
In September, Porsche Centre Willoughby unveiled a quintet of ‘50th Anniversary Special Edition’ 911s to celebrate their Golden Anniversary.
Produced by Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur in Germany and inspired by input from Lygo himself, four of the five celebration cars are based on the current-generation 992 911 (released here earlier this year), with the fifth based on the outgoing 991 version. All are inspired by specific models and moments in the 50-year connection between Porsche and Porsche Centre Willoughby.
- ‘Carrara White’ 911 (992) 4S Cabriolet honours the 356 of the mid-1960s – the last Porsche cabriolet offered before a 911 Cabriolet was released in 1982
- ‘Racing Yellow’ 911 (992) 2S Coupe references the ‘G-Series’ generation 911 released in the 1970s
- The star of the show, the ‘GT Silver’ 911 (991) GT3 has been custom wrapped to pay homage to the iconic Porsche Speedster (and, more specifically, the 911 Speedster Concept produced by Porsche last year)
- ‘Aventurine Green’ 911 (992) 4S Coupe pays tribute to the pearlescent colour that first appeared on the 993 Generation 911 in the early 1990s
- 911 (992) 2S Coupe in ‘Crayon’, a modern 2000s colour, highlights the unique colour palette of the Porsche brand.
Each unit also has a mixture of factory options added, but common to all are illuminated door sills with ‘PCW 50 Year Anniversary’ identification (these sills have also been applied to a handful of 718 Boxster/Cayman vehicles).
All five were for sale, too, with three were still available at time of writing.
“I am thrilled for Porsche Centre Willoughby to be celebrating its Golden Anniversary this year,” Lygo said at a special introduction of the 911s at a customer party on 7 September.
“Thanks to the brilliant staff and loyal client base, our success is three-fold - the product, the ‘PCW family’ and the loyal clients.
“The five ‘50th Anniversary Special Edition’ Porsche 911s are a tribute to the Porsche brand and local Willoughby centre over the past five decades and we are delighted to provide customised offerings to our clients,” Lygo added.
Following the official celebrations on 7 September, Porsche Centre Willoughby announced that the next 50 vehicles sold through the dealership would go into the draw to win entry to ‘Porsche Ice Experience’, a 3-day advanced winter driving experience in Finland.
Please visit Porsche Willoughby Centre for more information or www.porschewilloughby.com.au
