On Saturday 18 April, members from Regions 12 (Norfolk & Suffolk) and 11 (Essex) visited Historika.
Historika was established by Kevin Morfett, along with son Nick, in 2008 when Kevin decided to turn his passion for Porsche into his business. In his twenties, Kevin owned a number of cars bearing an emblem of a prancing black horse. But the yellow background of Ferrari's Modena was soon changed for Porsche's Baden Württemberg crest. The reason was simple: Porsches don't break. Kevin has subsequently owned many 2.7 Carrera RSs, and is the second keeper of his current 2.7 RS which he's owned for 30 years.
Like many Porsche specialists, Historika are discretely hidden away in a rural location a few miles from the centre of Ipswich. Having opened a metalwork facility just over a year ago means that, with the exception of paint, they are able to offer a full restoration service on site. We were told that metalwork alone can take 500 to 1,000 hours of work, and up to three cars could be worked on at a time as there are three Cellette Jig Beds with Porsche brackets as used by the factory. Historika are normally able to perform four to five full restorations a year, and will soon be offering servicing for all air cooled models.
During the 1980s and 90s, Kevin was a keen racer. Today racing is part of everyday life at Historika. Their 1964 901 has had a successful start to 2015, with a win in March at the 73rd Goodwood Members Meeting in the John Aldington Trophy, the race exclusively for short-wheelbase 911s. Their next outing at Vallelunga, Italy, saw a 15th place overall, first in class and first 911. There would appear little doubt that Historika's preparation and refinement of the car go a long way to explain their success. Kevin informed us that in their day, 901 race cars would be putting out around 130bph, but their car is 200bhp today, with the redline set at 8,500 rpm but with 9,000 rpm available! And of course all of this is within the FIA regulations, and with the original Solex carburettors too. In spite of the performance available, Nick told us that an engine will last a whole racing season, and usually servicing between races is limited to fluid changes. Tyres are a different matter – photographs in the workshop show Historika's drivers treating the 901 like a go-kart and cornering sideways! To assist with perfect tuning of all cars, road and race, going through their workshops, is a Bosch rolling road as produced for Porsche.
Following the visit, twenty members enjoyed lunch at The Swan in Westerfield. The manager, who hopes to be a Porsche owner in the next few years, kindly reserved a large section of their car park for us, and we even managed to have his favourite car – a 930 Turbo. Apologies to any other guests in restaurant whose lunch may have been delayed by the chef admiring the display in the car park!
Many thanks to Kevin, Nick and all the team at Historika for their hospitality, sharing their enthusiasm for Porsche and making our visit so interesting and enjoyable.
www.historika.co.uk