Type7
Our brand and stories has been featured on Type7 multiple times. Find below a preview of our story in Volume One, with words and photos by Tristan Fopma.
Further down you’ll find three Instagram posts, and a gallery with photos by Pedro Ramos Santos for this magazine
“This Porsche 906 brought back memories, tears and smiles to my grandmother and the neighbourhood.”
“This week we took the Porsche 906 that belonged to Américo Nunes, my grandfather, back to the neighbourhood he lived in. 48 years ago, this car could be seen parked on the road in front of this window – yes, outside – under the sun rays and moonlight. That is where my grandfather parked his cars after arriving from work or a race.
It was a very special moment that I will never forget.
We unloaded the car from the truck, started it and drove it 20m to this exact location. My grandmother was on the window looking outside, I went to say hi to her and asked her to take a photo with me. She was shy, happy and sad at the same time. She was trying to hold her tears: ‘I remember being here, watching your grandfather arrive on that car.’ At this point we both had dropped some tears while we chatted and she went back inside. The car was then loaded back in the truck.
When I went back to see her to say goodbye I saw a big smile on her face ‘Thank you for this moment son, you made me really happy.’ We should always remember to give this love back and be thankful to them.”
Words via @asn_andre / @sportclasse
Photo by Thomas V. Esveld
All photos by Pedro Ramos Santos
Porsche is in Jorge Nunes’ DNA. He’s the son of Américo Nunes, the Portuguese Porsche panel beater turned Porsche rally driver, who enjoyed nine National titles and 183 overall wins between 1962 and 1983.
He may have hung up his driving gloves, but Américo kept working for Porsche until 1991. His son, Jorge, founded SportClasse – a workshop that can handle any Porsche, modern or classic, air or water cooled, with a full range of services from restoration to servicing – so he could follow in his father’s footsteps.
“I founded SportClasse in 1994. I grew up in this environment, surrounded by the brand Porsche. My father started his racing a year before I was born so I grew up in this motorsport environment.” As you can imagine, this made a huge impression on him, “As a kid I was fascinated by him, he was my idol. The rally champion of Portugal was my father!”
Photos and interview by Pedro Ramos Santos
Jorge Nunes of SportClasse has been able to keep his father’s memory alive by restoring several of the Porsches he raced, “We have restored the Porsche 911 2.4S that he raced between 1978 and ‘81 and the Porsche 906.
We have yet to restore the Porsche 911 2.0S, the car with the most victories in Portugal. At the moment both the 911 2.4S and the 906 are race ready.” And these aren’t just pipe dreams for Jorge, he’s already bringing the Nunes name back onto the podium, “Actually, in November last year, 35 years after the 911 2.4S’s last rally, the Rally of Camélias, we were invited back and won our category. It was amazing to be sat in a car that belonged to my father and winning the race was even better.” And the 906 isn’t looking bad, either, “A few weeks ago we tested it at Circuito Estoril. It went really well. Soon we will bring it to competition.”
Of the 906, he has particularly fond memories, “I remember on the 17th July 1971, when I was 8 years old, after the race in Montes Claros, near Lisbon, with the 906 finishing 4th, coming home in the car with my dad driving and my mother sat in the passenger seat, sat between her legs. Without plate registrations…”
Jorge isn’t in the habit of focusing on the past. He’s keen for the knowledge acquired from his father be passed down – specifically, to his own son, André, “He wants to learn, to continue our work and expand the business. The knowledge of this particular job and tasks needs to be passed to the younger generations.”
Photos and story by Pedro Ramos Santos