In association with
PORSCHE CENTRE GLASGOW
When is a car more than a car? When it represents not just metal parts or rubber tyres, but the culmination of hard work and aspiration.
That was the message behind Porsche Centre Glasgow’s 'Driven by Dreams' event, held last week at the Riverside Museum, where some of Scotland’s best business brains shared how Porsche cars had, for them, come to represent the realisation of a dream.
The firm’s founder Ferdinand ‘Ferry’ Porsche was himself, a bit of a dreamer. He was born into a motoring family with his father (also called Ferdinand) a renowned automobile engineer who founded Volkswagen and designed the VW Beetle. But Ferry, who learned to drive aged just 10, had a passion for racing cars and dreamed of one day creating his own. In 1947 he developed the Porsche 360 Cisitalia –the first car to bear his family name– and Porsche was born.
The brand has since become synonymous with glamour and affluence, with the 911 model often featured on screen as the ultimate symbol of having ‘made it’ in life. That was the experience of entrepreneur Marie Macklin, who as a youngster was dazzled by the Porsche cars she saw on her TV.
“I grew up in Kilmarnock,” she explained to those assembled at the Driven by Dreams event, “in Onthank, the same area featured in the documentary ‘The Scheme’. I knew from an early age that I wanted to do something different with my life.”
Marie eventually became one of Scotland’s most successful entrepreneurs, working in property, construction and regeneration and being awarded both a CBE and an honorary doctorate. Yet, she explained, a defining moment in her life came when she was able to buy her first Porsche, proving wrong those who had doubted her prospects at school.
She has since dedicated herself to repurposing the former site of the Johnnie Walker factory in Kilmarnock and turning it into a huge, ultra-modern ‘innovation park’. The aim of the site is to offer local people a chance to live out their aspirations and career dreams, no matter what start they have had in life.
“In 2009 Diageo pulled out of their plant in the Kilmarnock which left a void of about 700 jobs,” she explained. “I marched that day along with 20,000 others to try and save the jobs, but ultimately we couldn’t. Diageo said that if someone could come up with a sustainable long-term project, they would give them the site. It took 15 years to get that process over the line and get control of the site, but we did it and we called it Project Halo, with the ultimate aim of creating 1,500 jobs there.
“We officially opened last summer, with the site being at the forefront of Scotland’s green recovery. We are trying to create a new industrial revolution, with young people from the local area at the heart of that, giving them new opportunities. Porsche for me is all about aspiration, tenacity and longevity, which is what my businesses are about. We aren’t in it for a quick win or a quick buck, we are here for the long haul, bringing some of those from the most deprived areas into our business.”
Attendees at the event also heard from Nikki Th’ng, founder of online booking service ClassForKids. After his business was acquired by The Access Group earlier this year, one of the first things Nikki did to celebrate was buy himself a Porsche. As he explained at the event, this held a very personal significance for him.
“My first business was in car detailing and body repair, so I actually used to detail other people’s Porsches. I looked up to anyone who had a Porsche and I really aspired to get one, but it felt like a long way off. Eventually I started ClassForKids, which automated class bookings and payments to make life easier for parents and class instructors.
“When I sold the business, it had grown to have a team of 55 staff and had processed more than £110m in class fees in the last 12 months alone. It was a fantastic journey and I loved every part of it. The Porsche was a well-earned reward at the end!”
The event also showcased some spectacular artwork projected on to the side of the Riverside Museum. A cutting-edge blend of technology, art and animation, the artwork was inspired by Ferry Porsche’s dream to build the perfect sports car when he could not find it anywhere else.
To find out more about upcoming events, go to www.porscheglasgow.co.uk
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