English
Italian
TECHART: 30 Years Making The Best, Better
TECHART
30 Years Making The Best, Better
Words: Alessandro Marrone
Photography: Giorgia Rossi
Take one of the most versatile and complete sports car around and make it even more special, personal and above all unique and exclusive to such an extent that it is not just a reference point, but a real target to be pursued and to grow over the years. Take a Porsche, an already exceptional car that is able to combine perfection with extraordinary handling skills to an unparalleled simplicity and precision – take it and make it better. With these words imprinted in mind, Thomas Behringer and Matthias Krauss founded Techart back in 1987. Thirty years have passed and the automotive scene has changed deeply and those that were high-performance raw sports cars have turned into road missiles perfectly civilized for daily living. This year, the German tuner celebrates 30 years of activity and so we decided to go to Germany to take part in their celebration, and especially to touch first hand, how special the Porsches passing in Leonberg become.
Creating a solid reputation takes time and dedication, and only after winning the critics, the real challenge begins, which is to conquer the heart of car-minded people, communicating best that it is not something superfluous, but an added ingredient that contributes making the driving experience more magical and thanks to a perfect dialogue between factory and customer, you can assemble exterior and interior according to any sort of request, from colors to materials, passing through those passages you can follow during the “making of” thus making you really understand the craftsmanship excellence behind those cars that make the world of tuning so different from what many people imagine. Here, tuning does not mean neon lights and audio systems able to shake your neighbor’s glasses; Techart is able to offer complete aesthetic packages or spare parts, following strict official warranty rules – so we speak of noble materials such as carbon fiber, light alloys and even completely new steering wheels. But there is more, such as the creation of exterior and interior panels, leather coverings that are specially kept at the factory, so as to serve as a spare if you need some refurbishing later on, using the same piece used for the dashboard or even the gearbox paddle behind the wheel. Finally, what some would take for granted, where a Porsche has remarkable performance – the interventions that are made to the engine are the ultimate touch, the icing on the cake that can make a Macan more brilliant with a gentle ECU upgrade, or transforming a 911 Turbo into a beast of over 700 horses.
We arrive at the new Leonberg HQ (which will soon be further expanded) and get in the showroom, being immediately welcomed by the kind and helpful staff. Before Marc’ arrival, the marketing manager, I start looking around and my eyes get lost slipping between one of the iconic models of the brand, the Magnum, the aggressive Cayenne according to Techart, through the showcased wheels and steering wheels, up to the black 928 that we admired a few months earlier in that of Geneva and which represents the beginning of everything, the first aerokit ever produced by Techart. Years have gone by quickly, and this is a sign that everything went well: in 1997, with the arrival of the Boxster, Techart introduced the body kit for the entry level Porsche, which added itself to all the options at the time available for the 911. Then it was time for the Cayenne and then Cayman, Panamera and in the blink of an eye the first 30 years of activity of a brand that has made excellence and exclusivity is already on the shelf.
It’s not just about aerokits, in fact a fundamental role is played by the performance refinement that a Techart model can offer to your driving needs. Customers become more and more numerous and the need to enlarge and train new staff members able to respond to an ever-increasing number of requests is the right result of such hard work. During my stay in Leonberg, I was also lucky enough to exchange two words with Mr Behringer in person which, followed by the faithful (and fierce!) Muffin, transmitted me the love and the attention that his company places not only in every single car, but in every single piece. That’s why the following visit to the production department, the carbon fiber workshop and the leather workshop has become even sweeter – seeing how every smaller piece is dismantled and carefully hand-made lets you understand the true meaning that Techart gives to the world of fine tuning. There are models, molds, measure panels, leather sheets and especially the ingredient that maximizes all these processes – people. The handcraft work that suits those products that want and know how to differentiate from everyone else, but with a cautious and strict attention to detail that leaves no room for uncertainty. Mr Behringer explains to me that anyone can come here and exhibit their own desires, following step by step the creation of their own car, starting from a brand new car or an existing model. Over the years they have put their hands on any Porsche and it is not said that in the future there won’t be a department that deals exclusively with classic Porsches, but just as we chat and try to grab every valuable information, I can only be shocked in front of a matt blue GT Street RS, or rather the only GT Street RS (called “One of One”) in the world and specifically designed by a lucky – and wealthy – customer who came straight to the showroom a few years ago.
We keep talking and I try to ask him all the questions that go through my head, well aware that entire days would not be enough in order to satisfy my curiosity about this glorious path that reached the first thirty years of life. We are talking about the Magnum, or one of the most successful tuned Cayenne and available for any model and engine, whether it’s aesthetically or with performance upgrade too – it has been able to represent an example imitated by dozens of other tuners in the world. The design is certainly unique, you love it or hate it, but exudes plenty of character from every inch and climbing on board makes it clear the concept of how they want to perfect the best there’s around. Leather and alcantara seats, carbon fiber dropping on the dashboard and door panels, and those colors that are a hymn that brings the aesthetic taste to another level – because we’re just tired of metallic silver supercars. And if you are wondering if some of their choices are exaggerated, try to think of those approaching Pink Floyd by listening Ummagumma as first album. You need time for making up a proper opinion, bear with me. I personally find that Techart, like just a handful of other tuners, has been able to evolve without losing the focus on its own objective, characterizing with its stylistic accents its creations and sculpting a market that knows exactly what to expect and what it wants, but without ever falling into vulgarity. And while the guys are finishing the GrandGT kit (for the new Panamera), it’s time for me to climb at the steering of four models: Macan, Magnum Turbo and the two 718 S, Boxster and Cayman. But we will talk about this starting from the next issue, sharing one of the most exciting experiences in my entire life. For this month, we blow out the candles of the 30th birthday and our desire is that Techart will keep giving that spark of madness that makes a fantastic car, even better.
Related tags to article
