In our recent trip to North Carolina, we wanted to chat with local shops and enthusiasts. We got to have a sit down with Dave Van Epps of Sonderwerks to learn all about restoring and maintaining classic Porsches, the upholstery side of their business and more.
Where does this passion for Porsche come from?
Dave's been a car guy his whole life. With both his father and grandfather having a great appreciation for cars, and touching on how his grandfather having sold Chevrolets and Oldsmobile. It was a regular conversation especially when Thanksgiving rolled around.
Van Epps noted that, “I really became a car guy at a young age. The minute you see your first Porsche 911 particularly, you’re hooked. I want one of those some day.
And he eventually did. "I think I bought my first one in my middle 30’s. It happened to be a 1986 911 cabriolet in Iris Blue Metallic. And I was hooked. Loved it."
Over the years he acquired a number of cars, such as a 928 and another 911 cabriolet, "and it just sort of kept snowballing."
Putting Together Sonderwerks
It’s quite spectacular how this has all come together. Dave acquired a number of businesses which included an upholstery shop, a repair shop from a Porsche specialist, and a paint/body shop. Uniting them all under one roof.
He stated, “I’m just a guy that assembles teams. Great teams with talent. And so you find the guys that have that knowledge and put them together. That’s kind of where it starts.”
David then noted that over the last seven years, the business has evolved. Pointing out how, "the owners of those businesses that I acquired, while they originally came with me into this business, like all business owners who sell off their business they ultimately go off and do other things."
For somebody looking to get into it, what would you recommend as an entry level air-cooled Porsche?
This was a common question for Dave, emphasizing that he gets this question 2-3 times a week. "They love that shape and that shape is so iconic." Hearing from customers that everyone tells them they should have an air-cooled Porsche.
Drawing on his experience, "I tell them they should be looking at either the 911 SC which was a 3.0 liter variant from 1978 until 1983. Or the Carrera which was 1984 to 1989." He then went on to say that period of time, 1978 to 1989, is really the sweet spot from his perspective.
Example of a 3.2 Car recently sold by Sonderwerks.
Dave provided more insight "I will tell people, a 3.2 Carrera is a terrific car. Reliable, with lots of the refinements Porsche added as they were learning along the way." Additional details tipping the tables towards the later 3.2's included little upgrades such as better air conditioning, engines being more reliable, "but by and large you could set two of those cars side by side from the front and not necessarily know what you were looking at."
While noting that these cars are far less likely to be a basket case, "you're probably going to spend a minimum of $50,000 to get into an air-cooled Porsche in that vintage."
Any Cars To Be Cautious Of?
A 1977 911 barn find sold in 2023.
Dave was quick to mention, "I love them all. They all have their little quirks." Going on to identify what’s known as the "mid-year cars" as the sometimes less desirable bunch. Ranging from 1974 to 1977, these Porsches had a magnesium case which tended to fail over time as the heat cycles went on. This would cause them to lose head studs and eventually require an engine rebuild. However Van Epps reminded us that "a lot of that has been addressed some 50 years later. Those cars aren't really running on those original, unbuilt engines."
How Do You Go About Sourcing Materials?
It's no secret that restoring vehicles is difficult. They can be full of holes, faded paint, dents and that's just the exterior.
When asked about doing a proper interior restoration, he states "Porsche used all kinds of crazy vinyls and leathers and other materials during the 70's and 80's." Referring to pigskin embossings that are in cork, "you've got to look around because this stuff isn't made anymore."
He continued, "Some people reproduce it. Sometimes you're looking for new old stock materials. So I do a lot of research on the internet."
Sometimes his research will take him to German websites and elsewhere. All in the name of sourcing the correct materials for top tier restorations. Naturally, we asked him if he's picked up any German over the years.
"Nein. Thats the extent of my german.”
What's Special About The Upholstery Profession?
As if the light turned green, Dave answered immediately, "it's the hardest thing I have to find. The folks that are experts in this are becoming fewer and hard to find." Highlighting that they're aging out and it’s just not one of those trades getting passed down to younger generations.
He then focused on his team's efficiency, "we're very specific. When you do these things over and over again, you start to learn the little tricks and the variations between years and models." Which is certainly no easy feat. Drawing attention to how times were different, "back when your grandparents had shag carpeting, Porsches carpeting was a little longer. Now it's a little tighter and a little shorter." Certainly no shortage of nuance here.
What’s The Toughest Year or Generation To Restore
Taking a moment to ponder the question, Van Epps told us "I should have a really quick answer for that. I'm not sure that I do."
While rarity is often the answer, there are certain ones that may be trickier than others. He names some of the later long hood cars, other performance versions, RS long hoods came to mind in particular. Further citing "any car where you need very specific bits and parts that were only there for 1 or 2 years."
The restoration shop owner then went on to say "restoring any 928 is a difficult process. Because a lot of those parts are unobtainium now for sure. Because that was not a high production car so there's not a lot of used parts out there." As a result, because it was such a low production vehicle there are also not a lot of repop parts due the smaller market.
What's Your Favorite Part About What You Do?
As we wind down our interview with the owner of Sonderwerks, we concluded with asking him what are some of his favorite aspects of running a shop with so many moving parts. Pointing to the obvious "watching the car progress. Watching a car that was in a really bad condition become a beautiful 911 again or 356, etc."
"I do like the people and I've met some really nice people in this business that we would have never met otherwise."
If you'd like to watch/listen to the full interview with David Van Epps you can use the following links.
You can also watch the shop tour here to catch some behind the scenes mentioned in the podcast.
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