PRILL PORSCHE CLASSICS

When we decided to pull together a bumper issue of 911 & Porsche World dedicated to air-cooled cars, we knew a trip to see Andy Prill was in order. Tucked away a stone’s throw from Hedingham Castle in Essex, Prill Porsche Classics is a marque specialist known the world over for its founder’s encyclopedic knowledge of early Porsche products, the company’s high-quality restorations and its busy workshop, which, as our visit demonstrates, is always crammed full of the world’s rarest, most desirable and most valuable Porsche sports cars.

“My love affair with Porsche began in the early 1990s, when I embarked on the full restoration of a 1968 912,” Andy remembers. “The car turned out to need much more work than I’d anticipated, but after three years of hard graft, the end result was a 912 as good as new.” The project proved a steep but rewarding learning curve, bringing out a deep appreciation for Porsche design and engineering in a man then known for competing on motorcycles, from local club events to world championships. He still rides, but mostly on historic bikes, whereas racing in Porsches began after completion of the 912 project and continues to the present day.

“The Porsche project confirmed there was nobody specialising in the 912,” he tells us. “I failed to understand why. After all, these are brilliant cars. I found myself filling the gap by helping fellow enthusiasts with