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Boxengasse: Air-Cooled Cult
Interview by Marco Rallo / Images courtesy of Boxengasse
Sometimes it’s all about driving. Yes, there are – luckily – people who still enjoy putting some miles on their cars, but what if their “weekend toy” is some sort of vintage racer ready to represent the ultimate tool for finally understanding what driving nirvana is? That’s the case of air-cooled Porches, 911s in their purest forms, with engines that love to rev and drivers that immediately get in tune with an unmistakable shape of dreams to be made kilometers after kilometer, mountain pass after mountain pass, in the good old fashioned way where all that matters is to hold the steering wheel in hand and just drive to the sound of that flat-six. What’s next then? Easy, drive some more. So we met with Frank Cassidy, founder at Boxengasse, in order to have a better look at this way of owning and properly living with cars that have been created to be driven.
Hi Frank, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi, I’m the founder of Boxengasse (more info at boxengasse.com) which is a 100 acre rural estate entirely dedicated to the Porsche marque offering Porsche services on site, events and merchandise.
How did your passion for cars started?
It started for me as a kid with the 1968 film ’The Love Bug’ something about that unique little car resonated with me. From there I consumed all I could find about the Type 1, it wasn’t long ‘till I naturally discovered Porsche and their awesome racing heritage…
Why air-cooled Porsches? Which other car, if not a 911?
I’ve owned other classic cars including American muscle and Italian screamers, however they all had limited abilities. They never ticked all the right boxes. Air-cooled Porsches are well built, reliable, practical, they’re endlessly tunable, fast in the straights and especially so in the corners. Here was a car that for me that did it all. I own a fair amount of Porsches, but they’re all very different. There’s a Porsche for every occasion, date night, track days, crossing contents, barnstorming and alpine touring.
Is it possible to get the same emotions with modern day sports cars?
It is, but they have to have flaws for me, it’s overcoming those flaws that makes the drive rewarding for me. Sadly though, more and more cars seem to sanitise the driving experience. Contemporary cars have more akin to playing a car racing computer game than actually driving… My most modern fun car isn’t a Porsche perhaps surprisingly, it’s a 2010 DBS manual. It is very old school, flawed, a challenge to drive – it has character in spades.
Tell us about good memories experienced on one of your road trip.
It’d difficult to pick just one. I’m lucky to have created many, many great memories with like-minded folk with these cars. However, what I love is alpine touring with a group of air-cooled Porsches. Deserted mountain passes, billiard table smooth roads, great friends, stunning views – nothing compares to the howl of an air-cooled engine under load at 8,000 rpm echoing through an alpine pass.
What about Boxengasse?
Not much more say than what I previously mentioned. Fundamentally Boxengasse is about the people, it’s the people that make it. Stay tuned though, there’s a lot more to come with another 30,000 square feet under construction. In other news plans are a foot for the next edition of our ever popular air-cooled Porsche event Oilcooled.
Take us through the Oilcooled journey. What is the added value you want to transmit?
Oilcooled is like Boxengasse, it is and always will be about the people. We’re an inclusive group, no VIP areas, no exclusivity, just a laid back atmosphere and a lot of hard driven well modified Porsches. A reunion for all who subscribe to air-cooled heritage and culture.
Are there particular advices you’d like to give to someone looking for an air-cooled 911?
Buy the very best of what you can afford, spend more now to save later. If you’re not well versed, have a pre-purchase inspection carried out, it could save you thousands in the long term. Once you have the car, bear in mind they’ll always be snags to sort with any old car before you plough on with any potential modifications.
Are there particular cars you feel you’re most connected with?
The higher mileage and modified ones, because those are theones I can create memories with and create a car that reflects what driving means to me. Cars are produced for mass appeal, the truth is we’re all individuals with individual requirements. What could be more personal than a car that is tailored to your requirements. Besides, when the curtains close I don’t want my memories to be of a rare, low mileage car that sat covered in dust in the corner of my garage.
Plans for 2022?
More of the same. Planning Oilcooled, building the next two buildings at Boxengasse and driving as much as possible.
Thanks again for the op to share my air-cooled addiction.
Cheers,
Frank
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