Alwin Springer: ‘Mr Porsche Motorsport’ talks to 9WERKS - Part 2
9WERKS Radio : The Porsche and Car Podcast
Alwin Springer: ‘Mr Porsche Motorsport’ talks to 9WERKS - Part 2
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Brand
Porsche
Porsche makes high-performance cars that are famous for their speed and style. They’re German-made and often seen on racetracks.
Company
Heritage Parts Center
They sell parts that can improve a car’s speed, handling, or look. Many Porsche owners buy from them to keep their cars in top shape.
Term
downforce
Downforce is the extra pressure created by a car’s shape that helps it stick to the road when going fast around corners.
Concept
GTC racing
GTC racing is a type of car race where modified production cars compete on tracks, focusing on speed and handling.
Term
wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a big room where cars are tested in moving air to see how they handle speed and airflow. It helps designers make cars that go faster and are more stable.
Concept
IMSA
IMSA is the organization that decides how racing cars must be built and what rules they have to follow in competitions like endurance races.
Term
water-cooled
Water-cooled means the car’s engine uses a liquid (like coolant) to keep it from getting too hot while it runs.
Term
air-cooled
Air-cooled means the car’s engine uses air blowing over it to stay cool instead of liquid coolant.
Term
two point eight liter
It tells you how big the engine is. A 2.8‑liter engine has a total space of about 2800 cubic centimeters for the pistons to move.
Part
intake system
The intake system is the part of a car that brings air into the engine so it can burn fuel and make power.
Concept
24-Hour Le Mans race
Le Mans is a famous car race in France that lasts for 24 hours straight. Cars from all over the world try to be the fastest and last the whole time.
Brand
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz makes fancy cars that can also race on tracks. They’re famous for speed and quality.
Brand
Toyota
Toyota makes cars that are usually very dependable and also race in big events like Le Mans.
Concept
BOP
BOP is a way to make different cars race against each other by adjusting things like weight or engine power so no single car has a huge advantage.
Term
restrictor
A restrictor is a small piece that blocks some air from reaching the engine, so it can’t make as much power and stays in line with other cars.
Company
Nandale
Nandale is a company that the speaker used to own shares in before moving fully into Porsche Motorsport.
Concept
Bridgestone Supercar Series
It's a race where drivers compete in fast cars, and Bridgestone provides the special tires for the event.
Brand
Lotus
Lotus makes small, fast cars that are very light and good for racing. They’re famous for their simple but powerful designs.
Term
street car
A street car is just a normal car you can drive on the road, like a sedan or hatchback. It’s not built only for racing.
Term
turbo
A turbo is a machine that makes your car’s engine run faster by pushing more air into it using the exhaust gases.
Part
water pump
A water pump moves the liquid that cools your car’s engine, helping it stay at a safe temperature.
Part
cylinder heads
The cylinder head is the top part of an engine that holds valves and spark plugs. It helps keep the air‑fuel mixture inside the cylinders so the engine can run.
Concept
WEC
The WEC is a racing competition where cars race for many hours, like the 24‑hour race at Le Mans. It’s a big event in endurance racing.
LIVE
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driven, not hidden, collective.
Sign up now at NineWorks.co.uk Hello to everybody listening at home, and
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In the last official episode of 2025, we're bringing you part two to an episode that's
never previously been aired to the public.
You may remember earlier in 2025, we spoke to the legendary Al Winspringer over in the
United States about his decades-long career at Porsche North America Motorsport.
Al Winspringer gave a fascinating chat, so much so that we couldn't fit it all in in one go.
What you're about to hear is part two that was originally recorded exclusively for the
driven, not hidden, collective back in May.
We hope you'll enjoy this great conversation with Al Winspringer as we officially wrap
up 2025.
Before the year is out, there will be a special edition where we review the year
as we do every year here on NineWorks Radio.
Until then, please enjoy and we'll see you for our end of year review in the run-up to Christmas.
First of all, we want to say, like, a massive welcome back to NineWorks Radio,
because we were so lucky to have 90 minutes of your time, the first time round.
It's not often, we are so enthusiastic to talk to someone.
We literally, as soon as the interviews finish, we say, can we please talk to you again
as soon as possible?
And we're even more fortunate that you've said yes again.
Yeah, of course, because, you know, like, you guys, it was good.
It was nice.
So why wouldn't I say yes?
You know, like, it's something I enjoy also.
I don't do that often because if you look at my podcast, it's maybe the fifth
podcast, four podcasts.
That's all what I did.
So I'm not the, you know, I'm not the guy who's looking to go blah, blah,
blah, because, you know, in reality, it is always the same because, you know,
what else can you talk about?
So what are people interested?
I mean, that's, that's reality again.
You know, we're like, I look at, but in reality, tell me honestly, you know,
how was the response from the first thing?
Because that is always where I go by.
Was it OK?
It was, it was very good, Alwin.
And I know this because I've, I've had messages from people saying,
I have really enjoyed hearing you and hearing your story because, you know,
especially maybe, you know, not all, some of our audience are on your side of the
pond, but the majority of our audience are in the UK.
You're right.
And so, yeah, it was, it was a chance in some circles, they know your name,
but maybe haven't heard your voice.
It was really nice, I think, for them to associate the voice with a name.
And I've had some messages from people saying, where can I find that book?
Because I know it's sold out.
So, you know, it resonated enough for people to go, I'd love to know
more of your story and I guess now on whatever websites and auction sites,
they've probably got searches saved for Alwin Springer's biography,
autobiography, racing story.
So when it pops up, they'll buy it, I imagine.
Maybe it's time for a second preview.
I'm very glad.
And I have, in the end, I think you have to look at my thing.
It's in 2000.
Vavavavavavava, vavavvav.
2000...
2023.
That's when I, when I just want to say something about...
in 2021 is just when I want to say something about the book,
because it is an interesting story.
Is it on or off?
Yeah, yeah, you go for it.
100%, yeah.
Now, because I will explain to you the thing, because the book, you know, like the writer
was in New Zealand, the publisher in Germany, my daughter in Mallorca, in California.
So that's whole thing and COVID, we couldn't travel.
So I never met the writer, I never met the writer until last year.
So it's an interesting story.
So I want to say that later on.
Let's start with the podcast.
Excellent.
Yeah, because, you know, this is what we were saying now with, you know, the story
you gave us on part one.
I mean, we discussed so much because you've done so much.
But like we kind of, I mean, we glossed over like the nine, six twos really.
So it'd be lovely to kind of talk a little bit about the nine, six twos.
But I guess like it felt to me like we got to round about your retirement.
So to call in 2004.
But as we know, you know, your career has you just you didn't retire.
You know, you get on.
So it'd be great to discuss like, you know, your IMSA days and then, you know,
like leading up to even laterally, if you're happy to talk about like with
the nine, six, three program as well, which it really does bring it
right up to the modern day.
I hope we can fit it all in as well.
Yeah, you know, that's the thing, you know, like I like I that the way
like I'm structured.
So I go after years because that kind of then it flows, you know, like go so.
But if you have a question in between, so just go for it.
So I don't want to sit here and go blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
I need some response from you guys, you know.
Yeah.
Hey, it's fine.
OK, then let's make it interesting.
Let's go for it.
OK, grand.
Well, yeah, let's we'll do that.
So yeah, we are quite happy to be led by you, Alwin.
But I guess with the nine, six twos, the big thing I'd
like to discuss is I mean, when we spoke to Derek, are we on now?
Are we on? Yes, yeah.
OK, we done we'd spoken previously about yeah, the nine, six twos
and Derek Bell said how easy that car was to drive.
Do you agree?
Yeah, good. I'm not a driver.
So I I I never drove.
So I don't know.
So I saw the guys getting out of the car sweating like hell.
And what everybody said, what everybody said, compared to other
cars that has a nice combination between downforce, power and handling.
And again, you know, that car was mainly built by Norbert
Singer and his group.
And I have to say it was at that time, the dominant factor
in GTC racing at the time, you know, definitely.
So was it easy to drive?
I don't say it was easy to drive, but in comparison to the competition,
it was easy to drive.
That's what everybody said.
Yeah, what?
Well, we again, we're very privileged.
We spoke to Norbert previously nine, five, sixes and nine, six twos.
And he's shown us the clay models of the car, which are a third of the size
because, as we said previously, Porsche didn't have its own wind tunnel
that was big enough to fit the car in.
So I think they were borrowing a wind tunnel
from a nearby university.
But the car that is correct.
Scaled down, correct.
Yeah. So, I mean, what and, you know, what an achievement it was to create
that full model scale car that was so dominant as it was for such a sustained period.
So what what's your view, particularly stateside
our win with the nine, five, six and the nine, six, two?
What do you think it's not the nine, not the nine, fifty six.
The nine, fifty six never made it to the United States
because Imsa changed the rules because in the nine, fifty six,
you have to feed in front of the front axle.
Of course, yes.
And of course, you have an accident, your feet are gone
and the United States changed the car.
It has to be behind the front axle.
So that was one big change.
And then the other thing is the water, the nine, fifty six was water cooled,
semi water cooled and nine, sixty two was air cooled.
So that's two different, two different things.
So what we did when when, of course, the two
nine, sixty two, what came first in the United States was a two point eight liter
because in Germany, and I said that in my last broadcast,
the the the the formula in Europe at that time
for the World Indian Championship was fuel consumption.
You had 100 liters and with 100 liter, you had to drive six
hours or, you know, whatever the length of the race was.
And the United States, we did not have any issue with fuel consumption.
So the nine, sixty two was laid out to a certain degree.
Even the two point eight liter air cooled engine for fuel consumption
and small engine and over here, the racetracks are not formula one
style racetracks, you know, really nicely smooth corner.
Here's around the corner talk.
It's a and I repeat myself from last time, talk talk.
So what we did here, we enlarged the engine immediately, the capacity
and we changed the turbocharger in conjunction with with Garrett.
We did a complete different intake system.
So the car by itself from the outside, it still was the same
suspension by the same transmission by the same brakes the same,
but specially the engine and its components were changed.
So that's what we did over here and it definitely, you know, was to step
in the right direction because, like I said, here it's traffic and coming
out of the and coming out of the corner, that's where you need the power.
So that's that's what we did.
Yeah, I've completely forgotten our win, actually, that's a rookie era
on my path with the the change of nine, five, six and nine, six, two
with like the position.
I remember Norbert talking extensively about that.
Yeah, with the I mean, I'd like to know, you know, what you think
was the chief reason behind the nine, six, two sustained success?
I tell you, the main reason was the L-Holbert involvement as a driver.
Porsche Motorsport leader and as a team manager, he kind of took
the whole thing under his guard and it was a perfect thing.
It was a lot of people in one, a lot of positions in one person.
And on top of it, when we met each other and we got together, it was
beside a personal thing.
Now, beside a professional relationship, we also had a personal
relationship and you know yourself when you have a personal
relationship, a lot of things become easier.
And that's where I say our combination from end dial on the engine
side and L the rest of the car and the team, we moved the nine, sixty
two in the United States here to the to the environment, what it needed.
And that is for me where the success came in.
And like I said, I don't want to repeat myself too much, but we
had a clear understanding how the customers who bought a nine, sixty
two would benefit from the development, what all racing and
end all did and we had a perfect combination or in a perfect
relationship with the customers.
They even last till today, you know, for anything else.
So just it tells you, they felt well and they beat us.
They beat all what many, many times.
And that's what racing is all about.
So I say the what moved the nine, sixty two really up in the
United States, all bought an end.
OK, yeah, I'll hold it.
Yeah, like what what a famous household name that is as well.
He was he was the kingpin.
And that's actually, yeah, no, that's without him.
That that there were a lot of people on there, you know, later
on with the teams like Bayside and Dyson and then all the guys.
But it was not the whole team and it was not a whole lot.
It's it's it's detailed work.
It is hard work and we took some chances.
But I have, as I said before, also a volunteer for in Weissach,
the engine guy, he helped me as tremendously in our completely
journey, what we're doing and what we want to do.
So it was, you know, like was not official, but it was
semi-official, let's call it that way.
It was illegal.
We didn't do anything illegal because then on top of it, you know,
like that was always my defense.
And I said, what do you guys are complaining because we are delivering results.
So what else do you want?
And then people, yeah, people got quiet.
Yeah, it's so clear what counts in racing.
Second place, second place, first loser.
Let's go for it.
That was clear all about and and and and our group and myself when we came
to the race track, I was lucky enough that I had Drino Miller.
Drino Miller was an icon in the off-road thing.
He even won the Baja 1000 in a single Cedar.
So that was not easy and he was an excellent engineer and he
ran actually the shop at home.
And I ran the stuff at the races, customers.
And then of course, when I was home, we ran it together.
But I have to say my group of people, Eric Bloss, Steve Becker,
Stetra and Dieter Insenhofer for helping us, you know, when we needed it.
But partner, it was the racing side at home, was the backbone from us
and on the racing circuit support.
That was our thing where we were very strong, very, very strong.
How would you? That's a combination.
Yeah, yeah, no combination. That's all.
It's never, never won, never.
Which feeds lovely off what you said previously, you know, and you said
like with your own success that, you know, that it's not I,
you don't like saying I as team, you know, and which is no, no, no.
You, you, you hardly hear that for me and I hate people.
You left that, constantly on their tongue.
I don't like it.
And I tell you, if I really like you, I say, stop it. No.
Right now, right now.
Oh, yeah, ask the people, but we were talking about Derek Bell.
If you ever did you ever have Derek Bell on your on your podcast?
We have, yeah.
Yeah, OK.
So then if you ask him, was it easy to drive or what?
Or how were the inside years?
I'm sure that he can tell you a little bit about it.
Yes, he did. Yes, he definitely did.
He definitely did.
Alwyn, you mentioned earlier in the interview about, you know,
how important results were.
I would love to get your opinion on the GT1, because, you know,
in the in the pantheon of great Porsche racing cars,
we think of, you know, the dominance of Europe nine, five, six
and nine, six, two across Europe and the States.
And then like the next big one is the GT1,
which we associate with the 1998 Le Mans victory.
But the GT1 wasn't so successful at all, stateside.
So I'd like to know what you think of that car, really.
And, you know, what were your feelings on it,
not really getting a fair crack of the whip stateside?
I personally believe that the the competition in GT1,
and especially here Mercedes, OK, in the WEC,
or I think that's what they call it, that's a world champion.
Yeah, WEC. I mean, the car, the Mercedes was basically.
A better performing car than the 98 Porsche was.
So therefore, when we won in Le Mans, the only reason why we won
in Le Mans, because the Toyota broke his gearbox.
But then at the same time, you know, like you have to finish a race
to win a race. So that is, you can say in hindsight,
yeah, because of doesn't matter when the checkered flag falls
and you are first, then you earned it to win the race.
So, yes, 98 was OK.
Here in the United States, we never had the 98 GT1 car running.
We only had the 997 and updated the GT1.
And yeah, it was OK, but, you know, like at the same token,
the competition at that time, plus the BOP changes.
And I see the BOP is it's a major, major
anchor or major influence on the performance of a car,
because the BOP can make a car, make any massive, the fastest car slow
and the slowest car, not the fastest, but at least, you know,
like on same on the same level, like a fast car.
And that is actually the basis for the BOP.
So, yes, I can tell you I don't have gray hair yet completely,
but it definitely gave me a lot of headaches.
But it wasn't only myself.
It was a lot of other people had the same thing,
including the BOP people on the other side, believe me.
So it is it's something.
But, you know, coming back to BOP, it's it was
because I was there from the beginning and it it was a necessity
because we had so many different type of cars, type of engines,
and so how do we meet engine, we had front and rear engine?
So how do you combine all the performances of the car?
So we needed BOP.
There was no doubt in my mind and I was supportive of it.
But see, once you give a guy, the BOP guys from the governing body,
once you give him power, then what I always called them and I said,
listen, you started with restrictor, you started with weight
and you started to small degree with aerodynamics, three factors.
By the time you were finished, you had 20 knobs, you know,
you went to nob turn and then and then turn to nobs and turn.
And one would influence the other one without them knowing.
So it just got totally confused.
But it just elevated the evolution every year was terrible.
And it was done by people who really I personally believe
it went over their head in the not over the end.
But it just, you know, it's normal.
You start with a good idea.
And by the time a lot of people have their hands in it,
the good idea becomes a bad idea.
But, you know, in today's world, I believe that
but because of computers and programs and algorithm,
they have a halfway decent BOP here in the United States.
And finally, I believe in the WEC also.
So it's it's it's interest.
It's like a yellow flag, a yellow flag.
Sometimes it's your advantage because you make a lap,
especially in the United States, you can advance the lap.
And sometimes by the end of the race, you have a big lead
and it's gone and the other guy wins.
So sometimes it is positive and the next time it is negative.
But you have to take both ways and don't start bitching and complaining
when it hits you and be nice and really when you gain from it.
So take it like a man, that's what I always said.
It's great. It's great to get your insight on that car, because,
yes, it's really, but it's story stateside is so different.
But yeah, I guess I win.
So, you know, you come to your retirement, which we kind of put in
hyphens really, because you've just not retired since officially doing so
in 2004, but I'd love to know.
Did you have a holiday?
You know, was there was there a moment when you realized,
you know, gardening isn't for me.
I want to go back to racing or was that never the case?
And you never have had it.
No, no, no.
But let me say something.
I have some really nice, good stories here, you know, in between
from, let's say, from 90 when I took over Porsche Motorsport
until, you know, 2000 or two.
Yeah, if we have time, it's good.
And I have to hear so that we have it.
It is in 1990.
I want to repeat that one more time.
When I took over Porsche Motorsport, it was myself.
They called me General Manager, but I was leading myself
because on the other side, I had the I had the end out group,
you know, the end out racing group with some mechanics,
with the parts, with everything else.
So I was running actually the end out as a big group
and building up Porsche Motorsport.
So that's how it started.
So that was about six years, wasn't it, when they were sort of doing both?
Yeah, we were from 1990 till the beginning of 1997.
And that's when I moved over totally.
I relinquished my shares in Nandale.
And then overnight from 31st of December to January 1st,
we just became Porsche Motorsport.
So the stickers went off the cars.
And the guys were employed by Porsche Motorsport
and not by Nandale anymore.
And I was then the president and CEO of Porsche Motorsport.
Very good.
But let me tell you something about the 1993
when we were building up the Porsche
because we didn't have anything in 1990, 1991.
And that a big thing was like we had
we started out with Bob Kartzen as the public relation manager in Reno.
We started with the Bridgestone Supercar series.
Have you heard about it using a 964?
Is it interesting?
Then we continue. It's not interesting.
You tell me.
But that's just little pics, you know, like there
with the beginning of Porsche Motorsport in the United States
because we had to start somewhere.
OK. And because we had Stuck driving,
Walter Röhrl, Hurley Heywood
and kind of dominated the series.
And then Lotus came, Supercar Lotus came along
and were beating us all the time.
So and then I said, it's not possible because Lotus, you know,
I know a big, the engineers, how is that they can, you know,
through BOP, you can do it, but you cannot do it.
But the ground rule of the of the Supercar series was
you had to use a street car and a street engine.
That was the main rule.
And for me, there was no way that they were using a street engine.
So and then I found out kind of through the nose
that something wasn't right with the turbo.
So I went to him, sir.
And I told him, I said, hey, guys, something is wrong with the turbo
taken apart and then but they never touched the Lotus.
And after a couple of races, I got in my nerves.
So I talked to our guy in VISA, who did the EPA, you know,
the Environmental Protection Agency, you know, certified the cars.
And he gave me an address here for the EPA in California.
So I went there and I looked at the car and believe it or not,
they had the dimensions completely from the turbo,
including compressor, turbine, everything.
So I made photocopies, the X-rays.
I went to Amsterdam and said, you guys, get the turbo out and let's shake it.
So then they'll then quickly they went and had the turbo taken off.
And of course, it was illegal.
So another guy had to put the street car on and then it was not so dominant anymore.
So these are the little stories, you know, what I have to talk.
It's an interesting thing.
And believe it or not, the manager from the from the Lotus cars, you know,
he was, I mean, I would say a husky big man.
He always said, Springer, I get you, I get you.
And even today when we see us, you know, we still friends.
And that is what what racing at that time was all about.
You know, you could hard sport on a racetrack.
And when the race was over, we were a normal human being and had a good time.
And then, yeah, absolutely.
And then, you know, Porsche Motorsport got along in 1994.
We took a 9 11 turbo came then the new turbo came as a 3.6 liter.
So and then we said, it would be a nice to make a race car out of it.
So we took the engine and put on a dyno again.
It was in the background with Valentin.
And for the first time, I had a 3.6 liter on the on the on the engine
and on the dyno and we converted a car, one of the super cars from Brumos racing
and made the car with the 36 and we went to Daytona
with Heavold Stuck and Royal and the engine did very good until
because we had all of us, not all of a sudden, but the engine always had vibrations.
But see, on the dyno, you don't really feel the vibration, not on our dyno.
And so we never really realized that and the guys in the car
they said, you are shaking a little bit, but no big deal.
But I think in the 12th hour or 13th hour, we were leading the race.
It just it just disintegrated the fan, a complete fan disintegrated
and, of course, it was the end of the line.
So that was tough.
But, you know, like we tried, we did things at home.
At that time, we could touch the engine and modify it.
In today's world, they cannot touch the engine.
They cannot change a flat washer, and it is already a problem.
So and then we took the 911 Turbo also with Jeff Swart to Pike Speak
and won the class.
It was also first.
So our customers, PM&A customers, you know, like slowly, but surely
we're growing and then came in 1994.
Vice introduced the 911 ISR and that was the game changer.
The customers liked the car.
The car was financially feasible and it was a hit with our customers.
So then came 1995.
So. Oh, that's for God, for God, in 1995.
So it's good that I have my notes in front of me.
See, that's great.
So so then they always vice came then already in 1994.
And I said, hey, you have to relinquish your endogenous
and become CEO from Porsche Motorsport.
And the business was not big enough at Porsche Motorsport.
And I said, no, why would I?
Why would I? Because there is not enough.
So let it right.
And on top of it, as in 1995, 20 years and so let's make the 20 years full.
And then let's discuss.
So to make the story short, it took us 1996 to negotiate.
And Hartmut Christen, you know, later became the racing.
He was very, very helpful on the on the VISA side to, you know,
do all the deals and do everything else.
And then from a business standpoint and, you know, like and like I said,
in the first of 1997, it and I repeat myself again,
and I became Porsche Motorsport.
But 1995, so I was sitting with Tony Dow, you know, Tony Dow.
We used to be the manager from Walkenshaw Racing.
OK. Yeah. OK. Tony, they had the Jaguars
and the Jaguars were superior cars, but they had no engine.
They had a chassis there in Valparaiso, that was the United States,
armed from Walkenshaw racing, but they didn't have an engine.
And see, we had an engine, but we had no car.
Because in the 90s, the 1962s, you know, just it came to a screeching halt.
It was a nice era, but the other cars were just too fast.
Nineteen sixty-two couldn't couldn't run anymore.
Was in 1992, actually.
That's when the last nine sixty-two with Dyson and with yours in the WEC stopped.
So we sat there and we said, well, listen, why don't we?
Why don't we take a Porsche engine and put in a Jaguar?
So honestly, you know, you know, like we both liked it.
He talked to Tom.
I talked to, at the time, was Amphor.
Her and Amphor and Weiser and believe it or not, you know, like we got the OK.
And the action between Weiser and with Weiser and between
the Walkenshaw group in Valparaiso, we changed.
We built the car.
We built the car.
We made it to which we call a TWR Porsche.
Have you ever heard about it?
Or so you have to do your homework.
So now let me tell you the car.
So then we went to Daytona in the P run.
We went to Charlotte racetrack and the car, you know, the handling was very bad.
And then Norbert came in and he changed the front nose or something.
So then we went to Daytona and we had this.
We had Andretti, Stuck, Terry Boots and Jeff Brabham.
I mean, we had a super group and then the technical director, the Ferrari complaint.
So that's what I have to say.
Ferrari complained about our car because it was turbo and they were
aspirated and that's not fair.
And then and then the technical director at that time from it wasn't
inside was PRC or whatever they called that, you know, we had that
that IMSA was changing the names and the owners all the time.
So he didn't like that.
And he didn't believe us that we ran an accuser of sandbagging.
So they just said, OK, 50 kilos and a two and a half millimeter smaller
restrictor. So we called Dr.
Wieder King because that was up and guess what his answer was?
Back up the cars and go home.
So for me, it was a big, big loss.
Because that car would have been, you know, nice
into the GTP class.
So it was gone.
And then it was in the museum or in the basement for a long time.
And then Reinhold Hulst picked up the cars,
went to Detour, went to Le Mans and won it twice.
Yeah, 96, 97.
Yes, you know, you know, you know, the background from the car.
How it all started.
It all started with a lunch with two people.
It's all about that.
Yeah, that's a thing.
That's what I thought that would be of interest to your boys.
Amazing story from lunch to Le Mans.
Yeah, from lunch to Le Mans.
In all serious, no, I went like, how did that make you feel?
Because, you know, that that car had its roots in, you know, your idea
and your team and your friends to a car that's like triumphing in Le Mans.
I mean, again, it was kind of it didn't get a fair crack of the whips
on the state side.
You know, how did you feel about that?
I still felt really good about it because, you know, like, see,
when you have when you have an idea and the idea blossoms afterwards.
And even if you're not really involved anymore, I took it really with pride.
I was very, very happy.
And at that time, I was close with your group.
And I have to say that, that Norbert and the Weissach guys
also played an important part in refining the car.
But it was a basic Jaguar chassis.
I mean, let's face it.
And that was the nice part that at that time, you know,
people still had an open mind.
And we could get something like that together.
Do you try that today?
You won't even get into the door and just throw you out already.
Yeah. So that's that.
So that's why I know I felt very good about the car, about the process,
what we did and about the results.
Yes. Wonderful.
So yeah. Sorry, Alwin.
Yeah, I was just going to say, and it's a slight detraction from motorsport.
But I'm certain that you at least knew about the car.
But 1992 with it was the nine six four turbo s.
There was a special edition made.
They were in yellow with a three point three litre engine.
But it had like down the side, like Imsa and it was built to celebrate
like the Porsche championship victory in Imsa.
I think they were eighty one made.
I remember they they were all finished in yellow and they had speed line wheels.
But it was definitely had the three point three litre engine fitted
rather than the three point six.
Do you know much about the car or it was in 1992?
Yeah. In 1992, I.
Don't recall.
I don't know.
There was no three point six litre in 1992.
I can tell you that.
That's what I was telling you about the super car.
I remember that we that because that the turbos at the time did not sell.
The nine sixty four turbos did not sell in the United States
because I again, I have said that before.
A Porsche cars in America in 1992 sold 3,700 cars per year.
So you could figure that out.
How long that went to the turbos?
Where that's where actually PCNA and Bob Carlson started
or asked me about the Bridgestone Super car.
What can we do to get the turbos out?
Yeah. And then what we did?
But it was not a special.
There was a special series for the rules.
We changed the engine.
We made a different turbocharger.
We changed the camshafts.
But it was only like twenty two engine or twenty five engines.
And that's we call that the turbo s.
And then, of course, it was a street legal car game
because it went through everything.
And of course, it made us at the racetrack super.
We had more power and it sold all the twenty five cars
were sold within six months.
So it served both purposes.
But I don't recall the yellow car.
I don't think it came here to the United States.
But then again, I didn't pay a lot of attention to street cars.
I'll be open with you also.
Yeah. Yeah. No, that's totally fair enough.
And I wondered if that would be the case.
But I mean, they they're rare.
We didn't use it.
We didn't use the three point three.
Not not in the in the Bridgestone series.
Yeah. Yeah.
It was I just seen here.
It was the nine six four turbo s.
Lightweight.
But when it was in 1992.
Yeah. 1992.
OK, then maybe OK, maybe.
And again, you know, nobody says everybody knows everything.
If that was in 1992, then maybe that was our base car for the supercar.
And we improved in the 1992 car with the twenty five.
But it didn't sell at all.
That's what I mean.
That in the ninety ninety two, it was a disaster.
But if that was the kind in the United States
and you see something there, your notes or some writing,
then I say yes, then it had to be the car.
Yeah, there was it was it was it was really
a project like from Ralph Sprengers,
like Sondervinch kind of department.
But only based off the three point three.
But I mean, they're they're so rare, our win.
There's only 80 of them.
And I've only ever seen one at the Portia Museum.
But it had down the side like IMSA championship.
And it was it was to to mark a success of Porsche in IMSA.
So I wondered if you yeah.
But it couldn't have it couldn't have been IMSA.
Yeah, I mean, right, it was a British
and Supercar was run by IMSA. Yeah.
But the year gets me because, you know, look, I took over in 1990, 1991.
We started with the Supercar and
we won the whole.
But I have to go back in my notes to, you know, we won the whole thing.
See, that would be nice.
You buy the book in front of me.
I could go through this in there.
But in 1992, we used the car.
But I don't honestly, I don't remember if it was a three, three or could be.
But it was special cars and we took special car.
No, no, these cars, that if it was a Springer thing,
then they were sold worldwide or what, but not.
I don't recall.
And I never saw a car here in the collections.
You know, like I've been in a couple of collections.
I never saw one kind of like that.
Yeah, that's very interesting.
And I thought I'd ask just kind of off the record, really.
Yeah, because again, you know, they are, they're so they're so they're so rare.
I'll send you a picture afterwards.
Just yeah, yeah, please do just for reference.
But yeah, I think it was it was a road car rather than rather than racing.
So I'm sorry. I'm sorry to I'm sorry to to tract as well.
No, that's OK.
I have time as long as you have time.
Yeah, I want to come to 1997.
Yeah.
OK, so in 1997, I told you I took over and Jim France
started the US RC United States Road Racing Championship.
OK, and he enjoined me.
He invited me to the board.
This is a good story.
And, you know, like Don Panos was in there
and in one of the meetings in Daytona, Bill France,
you know, Bill France, the brother, OK, I have it.
He was the guy who kind of running NASCAR was running NASCAR.
And Jim was actually a very quiet guy,
but he started that the US RC as his body.
So Bill France walked in, saw me sitting at the table
and turn around and he told the guy, are you nuts?
Springer in your thing that's letting the fox into the chicken den.
So. So, you know, so I had my reputation already at that time.
So we laughed a lot.
And, yeah, then then came in 1998.
Daytona and it was the Porsche and the Panos, you know,
Don Panos had then the Panos GT1 was actually a very quick car.
Front engine, totally different.
Roar and champion, champion Dave Marash from from Florida.
So the three were in the three teams were in Daytona.
And again, something happened there.
You know, we were too fast, we were not too fast.
So they gave us 50 kilos.
And then, Don, for the first time until then, we were competitors.
He said, I have to talk to you coming home to home.
So I walked in there and he said, you know what?
I'm going to have my own series.
I'm sick and tired of that year.
That's it. I make my own series.
Are you in and in my inside?
I went like, hmm, I've seen a lot of people, a lot of rich people.
But that's a special one.
So let's see what he has.
What he says. And then a month later, he called and I said,
listen, I am talking or I will talk to the to the to the ACO.
And I'm going to join with them and make here American.
He didn't call it American Lamar, but he said, I'm going to make my own series.
So then again, I contacted
yeah, I'm for us still at that time.
And it it actually flew.
And, you know, he did.
He started the American Lamar series
with an announcement of June in 98 from the ACO and him.
So that was something what
what would be interesting to you guys also, because you don't read a lot of stuff
about it. And since we're talking about the United States,
but that's why I got all the stuff together.
And I hope that.
Yeah, sorry, I went and sorry to butt in.
Carry on. Sorry.
No, no, no, please.
Well, I was just going to say so.
I mean, yeah, that that is a massive series.
And you're right, you know, we we know about the ALMS
as we know it like in in Europe.
But like, I didn't realize that like you had helped to set that series up, really.
In the yes.
And yeah, I was let's say that Don did it.
But I was definitely in the in the beginning.
It was BMW and Panos and us.
So that's that's that's how we started.
And then he he came and he did an European Lamar series
and an Asian Lamar series.
And we had the year race from 1999
to 2000 in Adelaide, Australia.
We had the Centennial race.
So we had that all.
And then somehow, you know, he got moved around and got moved outside.
But he was a guy who put his money where his money
where he put his mouse, where his money was.
And it was he was actually we became very close friends.
And I visited him twice in Australia.
So it's it's he definitely deserves a lot of credit
for the rebirth of sports car racing worldwide.
And unfortunately, you know, he passed away already.
But I just want to say that so people forget things and always go, you know,
oh, yeah, what is happening now?
But sometimes I like to go back in the past and explain
and appreciate what other people have done.
Definitely, definitely.
That's that's a great thing to say.
I went because that legacy is absolutely huge.
Like that is that is a, you know, thinking of American Le Mans series.
That is a race series that penetrated to here in Europe in terms of interest.
It was massive, but, you know, and really, as you said,
like rekindled love of like top level endurance racing at some
storied racetracks like Sebring, for example.
Yeah. And that's yeah, that's massive.
Yeah. Now, like I said, you know, I wanted to make definitely one
one article about him because, like I said, you know, everybody fades away.
And then everybody only talks about the present, the present.
You know what I said?
Hey, guys, without the past, I wouldn't have any.
And we wouldn't be now where we are.
We would be in the present, but not where we are.
So credit to Don Panos, I want to make that very clear.
Nice. Yeah.
So then then comes 2000.
It's another good story.
So 2000 was our first year with our Lou 911 GT3 water cooled engine.
Daytona, we had eight customers, water car and the car was fast,
car was good.
And then around like after five, six hours.
First engine came in water leak on the pump, on the water pump.
Very tiny holes, whether you know, the water was coming out.
So no problem.
We had like six water pumps, no problem.
One water pump.
So and it kept on going and kept on going.
Next car, next car.
And then we took already all of a sudden we saw that we were running
out of water pumps doing it 24 hours.
So we fixed it, you know, with epoxy, fast epoxy, the holes
and that saved us a little bit, but we saw it wouldn't work.
So we sent the people out in the parking lot and found gas
where we could take the water pumps off on a streetcar, if you believe it or not.
We had and we had like an assembly line outside, you know,
where the guy parking in, drain the water, water pump or water pump
on came in, let the whole thing out again.
So that went on the whole night.
And we had a kind of, you know, in a rotation,
but at least the cars kept going and at 11, 10, 11 o'clock in the morning,
all of us, I was sitting and I was watching.
I saw on the back straight a big, big smoke.
And I said, but it wasn't.
I wasn't sure it was our car, but it was the first car.
And then we lost, like, I think four engines.
So I can only say the whole 24 hour thing
with our first car was a disaster.
And what, yeah, but now comes interesting what happened.
See, then, of course, Weiss, I got involved and they looked at everything
and they found out that inside the cylinder heads,
they were they made the company who made the cylinder head
was there's sand, the sandcast.
And in the in some of the corners, they put the sealer on it.
But underneath the sand pockets and see, the sand came loose
and the water pumped the wheel.
If you I had a picture once, it looked like a shell, you know,
like when you look at the shell nicely disformed,
it looked beautiful, but it just worked itself through the cover.
Yeah, it is very thin, you know, yeah.
But so and then finally, you know, there was a hole.
And then on the on the big engine blows up was the end of the
wealth springs, you know, like the last part of the wealth spring broke off
and it went through the main oil pump and see set up.
And that was it.
So because I was always the good thing with Weiss,
we always found out what is the cause.
And of course, so I saw that maybe that was interesting for you guys
to listen to these other little things.
But I always said my book and I want to come to the book later on.
My book is not about corner seven gear six and time here.
And we were fast and interesting.
That's all the stories here, what really happened in between.
And that is what I felt.
Well, I'm so really proud about it.
That's a wonderful story.
I've got I got a vision in my head of you sat in this seat
surrounded by water pumps.
Oh, yeah, yeah, like it wasn't it was, you know,
Herbert was there, I'm for and I told her to have it to me a favor.
Just stay out of it.
Let us let us handle it.
You know, like I had I had a mechanic because, you know, like so,
but the street outside, outside of our truck, we had a tent
and then just underneath there from the in out and run again.
So it was, yeah, one of us good.
Showed us to, you know, then 2001, it's now a personal story
that it's been my close friend and I say that very, very thing.
Bob Volek had a bicycle accident in Seabring
and unfortunately lost his life.
Big personal and professional loss for me can tell you that Bob was special.
And let me tell you a little bit.
He seemed to be grouchy most of the time.
You know, when you see, you know, Bob was going, you know, all the time.
So in the morning, I would say, Hi, Bob.
How are you? No response.
Just passed on and passed on.
And I thought on maybe four months, two months.
I don't remember.
But then one time I didn't say anything and he said, good morning.
And I did not do I like he did before I kept walking and he came
ripped me around.
It didn't you hear me?
I said, good morning.
I said, listen, you asshole.
Honestly, I said, listen, that's exactly
what you just see.
That's what you've done for me for the last two months.
So don't give me that little incident.
Broke the I always call him a para nut.
I don't know, Brad.
That's a brazil nut with a very hard shell.
Yeah, in English, is it?
So, you know, like Bob was at a skin, you know,
it you broke many, many drills and tried to get into the inside.
But once you were inside, it was butter.
There was nothing hard anymore.
And that's the friendship.
But him and I would be developed, never gave up until the day he died.
So and then I thought that would be interesting to your people.
So, you know, there is a personal side at the racetrack also.
And that was for me, for me, always very important.
Yeah, how he's still important.
Yeah. How many years did you know before I win?
I would say it started in 80, 86, 85.
You know, it was the 962 days.
Yeah, yeah.
I was thinking, I wonder if it was when you'd taken over a Porsche Motorsport.
But yeah, clearly no, no, not at that time, you know, not at that time.
That's that's another thing, you know, like, of course,
we stayed together or stayed in touch with his wife.
And at one of the occasions when we visited her,
she gave me the small cup trophy what he got because he wanted a Porsche cup.
I think like eight times or 10 times.
And she gave she had a replica and she gave it to me if somebody deserves it.
It's you. So it's in my cabinet.
Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it's lovely.
And that's it for those listening at home that are unaware, you know,
the Porsche Cup is given annually to the best driver
who's driven a Porsche vehicle that year.
It's the most successful driver, isn't it?
Yeah, at that time, you know, and I don't want to downgrade it,
but at that time there was some really hard, hard fights.
And today's is the more races you drive, the more races you accumulate
and you become the champion.
So it's it lasts a little bit of its, how can I say, charisma.
But, you know, it's very important for the guy to win the Porsche Cup
because that's where they strive for the whole year.
That's what I fight for.
So I don't want to downgrade it.
But, you know, like it's it become for a driver's standpoint,
quality of the driver's standpoints.
It will move a little bit more on the semi-professional guys.
So, yeah, OK, so you want to keep going?
Yeah, yeah, if you're happy when you're so then came
two thousand two into the DPS sports car.
Have you ever seen that when they when they brought their own?
Oh, by the way, for the spectators,
inside, how did the insha name was born again?
When Dom Penos and Jim France in I think 1996 or 1997,
when they joined forces, then the USRC was gone
and the American Le Mans was gone and himself was reborn again.
So that's why all of a sudden you see him again from the past.
But that's what it's still today.
So it was it introduced a DPS sports car.
And I was approached by them and we were one of the first
manufacturers with the Brumos effort.
Brumos from Brumos from the 59 car.
You know, they used an F FAB car.
Dave Clem built chassis American made.
And I told him stuff from the beginning, I said, guys,
we have only a three point six liter six cylinder engine
and, you know, against the V eight because I knew the torque thing.
I said, it's very hard for us to do that.
Yeah, we're going to cap it at four and a half liter, four point five
and the balance and out with weight.
I said, OK, if that is the case, then we do it because that makes sense.
Alas, that exactly for seven runs.
Knocked there, a five liter in it.
And from then on, it was just pain in the neck for us.
I mean, it's in a deep easing.
We never really had.
Had a real good chance.
We won once around.
Then Jim France came in and said, you have to build a V eight.
And I said, yeah, good luck.
So but then honestly, now I convinced
by such and that was Herbert I'm for that we're going to take a V eight.
And they took kind of under the table, not really official.
They took a Cayenne engine and we had already like this block
cylinder head, you know, like it was all we had a drawing
how the engine could a cat drawing
can be incorporated in a chassis, all that stuff.
And then I have pictures from it.
It's in the book. I hate to say it.
It's in the book.
So so so then I, you know, when it came to the big point
and he had to go on for it to go to be the king and we the king.
I did throw him out of the office, but immediately stopped the whole program.
So Jim France got so mad with me.
And I went and said, Matt, Matt, how can it happen?
And then and then think what he did, he did.
He took a Cayenne engine, went to this
NASCAR engine builder in Texas
and the guy built Cayenne engine for the DP
and and one donor 24 hours fair and square.
So in Jim France and then Porsche, Porsche
in all their cleverness here in the United States,
we were supposed, you know, like kind of that car
did not really exist for us, you know, like it was a Jim France,
Porsche modified engine.
So we kind of never, you know, of course, on my inside
and at the racetrack, I talked to Jim, no problem.
But officially from the public relations standpoint, it wasn't there.
And then after even Daytona, what does PCNH do?
Porsche cast on America, make a big post, so Porsche wins.
And I and I saw the post and I went to my inside.
I said, Alvin, you have to be ashamed.
You know, that is the market.
That's the marketing guys there.
They take no prisoner.
Yeah. So and then, of course, you know, Jim France.
And every time when I saw him for the next year, hey,
spring up here, look at it.
I never knew that, you know, the Cayenne engine has, you know,
the petrol V8 engine has Daytona winning pedigree.
You know, that's absolutely, absolutely.
From Jim France, Texas, I forgot the name, Texas.
Engine shop built that engine all by themselves without any help.
And that was, for me, pretty remarkable.
That is exceptional.
That is absolutely exceptional.
I love that story.
Love that. Amazing.
Yeah. See, that's what I figured.
You know, these are the things that you are interested in.
That's why I took the time to make myself some notes
because you don't remember all the things in 2003.
Also, you know, I was up for my contract
and I touched at the last time a little bit.
But, you know, controlling took over
and I didn't like what they wanted for me.
Running a company and I repeat myself now
with the budget is controlling with everything else.
That's a necessity.
Otherwise, you can't run as a manager or company.
No problem. I was already at that time.
But, you know, the controllers came from the school and, you know,
oh, yeah, you have to do here, you have to be there.
And my insiders said no.
My blurb is in the workshop and a racetrack.
And yes, office, I like it, but that's not my main thing.
So I told him that I will not extend my contract.
So it ended at January 31st, 2004.
That's when my contract, my official contract finished.
So let's go to the next one. Why?
How did you feel at the time, Alwin?
Sorry to jump in. Yeah, how do I feel?
You're very clear, very clear that that's true.
I stopped.
And what I wanted to do with my wife, I want to get a motor home
and drive through the United States.
That was on my immediate leaching.
So professionally, I really, I said, OK, look,
I have been away from home so many years
and didn't really see my kid growing up
because I wasn't there.
And when I was home, I was tired
and it's just something what I wanted to kind of repeat.
So no, I did not think anything else.
What will happen?
You know, sometimes I'm a planner,
but sometimes you have to say, you know what?
Let's see what happens next day.
Very rare occasion on my side.
So then Mr.
Du Aimer was at that time the CEO from Weissach,
board member and have an unfollow and they gave me
at the 2000s Street Porsche Cup, I mean, and goodbye.
Absolutely first class, I got a standing ovation
from everybody and what the two did.
They invited my family here from California
and my friends from Esso.
I didn't know that as a surprise. Wow.
I tell you, we were walking up to the to the to the
to the hall and I looked and I said,
she looks like Vanessa, you know, really.
She looks and I looked and I saw my wife
and all of a sudden it dawned on me.
So it was very good.
So and then I went to Mr.
Du Aimer if it's unbelievable.
Now I went to Mr.
Du Aimer and say goodbye and he said,
you can't really stop.
So what do you mean I can't stop?
Yeah, he said, we still need you.
So but you are confused.
Go home, come back on Monday.
So I came home, talk to my wife,
talk to your lunch.
She was with me in Germany, of course.
And I said, I'm totally confused.
So but then I came up with the idea.
The best thing is BOP because BOP
at that time was really growing, growing.
And I always liked it,
but I never really had the time to do it.
So I came in on Monday and I said, yeah,
thought about it, BOP.
Yeah, he said, that's what I was thinking too.
It's OK. Good.
Then second thing, support Uwe Bretl
because Uwe Bretl took over my job.
I had him in California for three months for training.
So we were just flawlessly, you know,
would change over.
That's what I liked.
And.
Give in. I said, OK.
And lastly, if I have some special things,
help me over there.
I said, OK, it's a given. No problem.
Yeah, I like to do that.
So we shook hands and then he said, go to HR.
Get your contract as an advisor.
And I said, no.
And he said, what do you mean, no?
You don't want a contract?
I said, no, I don't want a contract
because in my life I always work for performance.
And my performance is not anymore.
We shake hands again and we say goodbye.
I said, but he said, I knew there was a but coming.
Yeah, I said, what about if you leave?
Because that is not a given
that you sit here for the next five years.
Yeah. OK, I said, then what?
Then somebody gets in here.
I don't get along with and I have to live
three years or four years with that guy.
I said, no. OK, OK, OK.
I never heard about.
I never heard anybody like that, but perfectly shook hands.
And so what happened today is 2025.
And I'm still the advisor.
I think it's amazing.
That's still the same.
I still do my stuff.
And it is something I'm very proud of.
And that's why in reality why it is and why I succeeded is
I know everybody here.
I'm involved in a long time.
And what is more important, I have the acceptance
and the trust from the high guys.
So if I say something or I call, they call back.
And that is not a given anymore.
Or when when I say something we do,
then we do it.
You can go take a go home, go sleep in the next morning.
It's not like the dog knows it's tail and the cat knows it's
proud of what I don't have these things.
You know, when I come with an excuse, then there was a problem.
And that's what people appreciate over years.
And I'm very, very proud of it.
So you should be.
Yeah. So it should be our end, you know.
Yeah, that's my story.
So I'm still involved with PM&A.
I meet with the CEOs always for breakfast, you know,
once a month, every two weeks, depending.
Should live with the breeze.
And I still oversee the engine rebuild with Eric Bloss.
He just celebrated his 40th year.
Actually, with Endal, with Portion Motorsports.
And we do the 908, the 917s, you know, all these engines.
And what I I'm not completely rebuilt the engine that it says,
but I'm overseeing it and definitely still do the dyno work.
So because, see, no racing engine leaves Portion Motorsports
without being on a dyno.
And even the 917 turbo went on a dyno.
Go in Instagram on my side.
And then you see the run of the 917 turbo.
I've seen that. See how hot the stuff got.
So that I done.
I don't put a lot of stuff on Instagram,
but once in a while, I put something in there.
So I'm very, very glad and it's a nice life.
I'm my own boss, but at the same time, you know, like,
it's I go to the races, the races I pick
and still see the people and have the same acceptance
what I always did.
So, yeah, you're in the sweet spot, really, Owen, you know,
because you can do what you want.
And like you said, visit the tracks you want
and see the races you want without having to be like tied down to anything.
So hopefully things will still be fun for you and not, you know,
they never feel like a chore.
Yeah, but I'll tell you, you know,
and people can tell me whatever they want is when you get older.
You have to accept that you get older.
Yeah. I'm 82.
Here, brain wise, absolutely top.
Physically, I'm good, but, but sometimes, you know,
you wake up in the morning and you go, I shit, I never had that before.
And that is what you have to accept, you know, you can't you can't feel like,
you know, like I'm 80 now, I I'm 50.
Yeah, maybe you feel like 50, but you're not 50 anymore.
So what I'm saying is face reality
and take every day like it comes.
That's the most important part.
Yeah, yeah.
So it's great advice for people as well.
You know, it's great advice.
Yeah, yeah, I hope that that's that's real.
That's how I am.
And you can talk to the people, you know, they always say,
Springer, you didn't change.
Yeah, I said, oh, I change.
My body is changing.
I can feel it.
So 2011, I now we jump a little bit.
2011 was a bad year for me
because Arnold my partner Arnold Wagner passed
and that was a big, big personal loss
because at that time I was already at, you know, for many years at Porsche Motorsport.
So but still, that was a big, big personal loss.
And I don't have anything else for that.
2013 was an interesting thing also.
We were in Daytona, Hartmut Christen was there
and he approached me.
He said, look, Arvin, the the ACO president, Pierre Fion is here.
I said, good.
So he said, you would like to talk to you.
It's OK.
What? What?
Yeah, I talk and then I talk to Pierre and somehow we hit it off.
You know, I like the guy.
I, you know, it's always when you when you meet somebody for the first moment,
usually it determines, you know, is it good?
Is it bad? You have to work on it or whatever.
But we say it was good.
And he said, look, I would like to talk to the France family
because the ACO and France family, especially under Bill,
they weren't they weren't even close.
They wouldn't talk to each other, wouldn't respect each other.
So and then he said, I would like to talk to some of the Imsa, Jim Franzkeis.
I said, let me see what I can do.
And I went to Ed Bennett.
He was the CEO from Imsa.
And I said, Ed, here's the idea.
What do you think?
Good idea or bad idea?
Well, it's the thermometer.
You know, it's France.
He said, yeah, it's OK.
So he got Jim and then Jim said, OK, what is it?
I said, I don't know.
So what the guy would like to talk to you.
OK, then they arranged a meeting.
Between the three of them and Gerard Neveu, remember him from the WEC?
The manager, he was there too.
He was there too.
And for me, it laid the foundation
for the LMTH class in racing right there.
That's where it was started.
And it took till 2000, what was it?
2000, 20 or what?
Before we had or 2000, 21 when the when the when the LMPH was started.
So that's that's the things what I remember.
And I was part on some things where I feel, you know,
like I was a small part, but I was part of it.
And I'm very proud of that.
And that is that's my thing.
So lastly, lastly, I would like to talk about my book real fast
because it's an interesting thing.
So let me tell you, I had a nine sixty two.
That was our limited edition.
So when I was standing in Daytona and was already working
with the Penska program, Porsche Penska program
and behind me were the cars in the pit area
and our marketing public relations guy from Weiser
standing there and he said, are you going to do a book?
Yeah, nine sixty two.
He said, look, I'm going to turn around.
So I turn around and I saw our race cars
and it went immediately.
See, I said, nine sixty three will be the last one.
So I shook his hand.
I said, thank you very much, called Germany.
And I said, it's not going to be nine sixty two.
It's nine sixty three.
So that's our kind of audience.
How did it start?
I was in California.
The writer, Wilfred Müller, he did a Nobel singles book
lives in New Zealand.
German, the publisher, Robert Wever, is in Germany.
Vanessa Springer lives in Mallorca and Kerry Morris in California.
So then twenty two or twenty one covid starts.
So none of us can travel.
So I never met Wilfred Müller till last year.
So all our communication went always through WhatsApp
or telephone or Zoom.
That's how we communicated.
So I would write.
So I would write the sequence, the rough draft.
I would send it to Wilfred.
He fine tuned it, wrote it.
Vanessa had the final test for US English because he's not.
I wanted to have not Laurie and Barnard.
I wanted to have it in US English.
So Vanessa did that and then Kerry did the final test
for technical accuracy.
So that's how it went.
And then for the last time to read the chapters,
then we sent Robert Wever for layout, pictures and printing.
So I thought that was a big journey.
And it's an interesting story.
How a book can be made, but the final analysis.
Yeah. But it was published in 2000 and sold out
within seven months for me, very happy and satisfying
and only good remarks from the readers.
So I mean, that means a lot to me.
And if you ever get a hand of one, I think you will like it.
It is it is first class.
I fought with the publisher.
You have no idea.
It's too expensive, too expensive to know.
I said, I only do one book and that one book
is going to be reflects my life and my life
was quality and performance.
So no discussion anymore.
I tell you what, it's gone legal.
Well, it's just going to say that like, you know,
as I said, at the top of the conversation,
we've got some of our collective members
that are actively looking for that book.
So I think you've made the right decision
in just doing that one volume, putting the price as so and saying,
look, that's my life. It wasn't cheap.
It wasn't cheap.
I tell you that because see, the book had to be sent
to to the United States and you had to send it by air freight.
You couldn't send it by no freight.
So the guy wanted two hundred forty seven dollars,
but including the air freight.
And if you believe it or not, the air for a little time was,
I think something like 60 bucks or what?
Because remember, the air freight went from sky high.
So it it was so we didn't have any complaints, nothing.
People paid, people were happy. It was good.
So my last thing is two thousand twenty two.
Uskuratle Uskuratle came from the Formula One,
came as a Swiss guy, came from the LMP one.
The successful program and took over the WEC
and IMSA 963 program as the main manager, overall manager.
So we knew each other and he asked me if I would, you know,
like help him a little bit to establish the things for him.
Relationship with IMSA and here, there, that you, of course,
with you because again, I was him, I got along very well.
And that started in two thousand two, two thousand twenty two,
two thousand twenty three, two thousand twenty four.
And now we're still doing it, but on a reduced level
because, you know, he is absolutely established
and the relationship between the between the people
from Weissach and the American people from Penske,
they are they're getting they're getting now to a point
where it's a successful story, is one team,
is not anymore the Americans and the Germans.
Nobody says that anymore.
And so that makes me feel very happy.
I'm going to go. I did not go to Daytona.
It's my liking.
I will not go to Sebring, but I will go to Long Beach
because it's close for me.
I will go to Naguna and then either Watkins Glen or Elkhart Lake.
So that's my life and I got everything in here.
And I hope that your audience likes our last talk here.
And I want to say the audience before
and this audience for enduring it and the last one for listening to it.
Thank you very much, guys.
Keep up to good work.
And if you're ever in California, let me know where you are.
You're welcome.
We'd love to. We'd love to.
And, you know, as I said, thank you so much for sharing your stories.
And the other footnote I'd like to add and it kind of goes off.
Yeah, please, please. I have time. I have time.
Is, you know, as you rightly point out, you know,
history and this is where your book is so important, I think,
you know, history will say that Portia won this race
and Portia won that race, which is great.
But what everybody loves to hear are the stories behind those results.
And if people like you don't tell them, we can't hear them
and appreciate them. So it's great to hear your stories
that go behind these races.
And I mean, even like the Lotus story and the research into the turbo
is incredible. It's not it's nothing to do with the racetrack.
But it's yeah, but that's what I that's what I felt.
You know, I took yesterday, most of the day to go through the book, you know.
And I mean, another big chapter, but it just gets too much,
was actually the selling of the original IMSA.
And then all the presidents and the ownerships and mess up in here and there.
That is something what people should also know who are interested in.
And then finally, you know, it became with Dom Penos and Jim
France, IMSA again. But, you know, I knew that we would run out of time.
So that is something if somebody has a book shared and put it in the
in the in the what's the name put it in on a website or what, you know,
like just the IMSA chapter. It's it's an interesting thing.
And there's there's a lot of things from Jim France, from Ed Bennett, from Valaiso.
He's now the CEO from from Bentley, by the way, you know that.
Yeah. Yeah.
So, you know, like Jim France, Roger Penske, you know,
they're all little chapters and they talk about myself.
And I'm telling you, I'm very proud about the comments, what they made.
So that's that gate gave me a good feeling.
Appreciation from the other side also. Yeah.
So overall, my journey so far has been a wonderful one.
And hopefully I can enjoy the next couple of years with my wife and my family
and spend a little bit more time with them. That's my wish.
Well earned, Alwin. Well earned.
I think your legacy among Porsche Motorsport fans is safe, you know.
And you've contributed so much.
You helped me here, too.
Thank you very much, because England, England.
Yeah, I know a lot of English people from the racing,
but I don't know a lot of English people, you know, like, like, OK,
I'll give you a good one.
So when we did when we did the March Porsche,
OK, we started, we started it here.
We didn't start with Jim Piero Morti.
So we took a Porsche engine and put it in a Porsche and transmission.
We put it in a March.
So and then actually, how about render car?
No, stop.
Moretti render car.
And then how about decided that we're going to build
a new March with a Porsche engine thing.
He was already that he was the general manager
or whatever you from Porsche Motorsport.
So Helmut Schmid from Germany was under Valentin Schäfer,
one of the main engine guys.
So the two of us went to March.
Have you ever been to March in the old times?
You know, Robin, Robin Hurt and his boss.
I forgot what his name was, but he was sitting upstairs
and like a thing up there, a very, very.
You know, normal shop, nothing fancy, nothing good.
And then the people they called him Robin Hood.
So I said, why Robin Hood?
He takes it from the poor and takes it.
So he takes it from the poor and from the rich
and keeps it for himself.
So that's that's that's how we got to know him.
So it was it was it was there.
I stayed in tell me where where was March?
I stayed in one of the mention
or what they have like Castle or what.
But at that time in England,
that was the restaurants, you know, like the food.
Now, it wasn't really my doing.
And then we went.
It's no, no, no, no, I cannot say that I was in 2001.
We went to Donnington, Donnington
and around Donnington, the restaurants and the hotels
and the whole thing was absolutely flawless.
I have to say that Donnington, Goodwood
and and by and such, that's a silver stone.
So that's the racetracks I went to.
Yeah, they're like the big tracks here.
And you know, certainly all over the country, a couple in Midlands,
Donnington's up north, Goodwood's far from us, as we said last time.
So you've had a good tour then by the sounds.
Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, not so.
And I went once to the festival of speed.
Yes, that was nice to end the weather was good
because people were telling me when it rains here, you don't want to be here.
He's always right.
And we had sunshine or the other we had sunshine three days.
So beautiful.
So my impression, England, very nice.
Good people. Excellent.
Well, yeah, you know, like I said, we're so indebted
that you've spent two sessions talking with us.
And actually, I went to finish, you know, you said previously
that you're very big on birthdays.
And we know that since we've last spoken, you've had your own birthday.
So from from from us, it's Alice Goodson, good luck.
Oh, that's a good thing.
I'm feeling down.
Am I telling you that, you know, then then then then then give me yours.
And I will definitely when you have your next birthday, you will get some for me.
Tell me, Andy, when?
Eleventh of June.
Eleventh of June, that's good.
And Lee, yeah, I'm a week after you.
So on the 16th of February,
that is unfortunately too late.
Happy birthday.
He had some happy birthday.
I feel in dank, my friend.
So on the 16th to 16th.
OK, so you get one next year.
Getting my calendar.
No, no, no.
Yeah, but it works.
It does work.
I tell you, on the 8th, on the 8th, I had, I would say,
without bragging right now, I would say 90 or 100 phone calls.
And then comes the
auditors of Instagram and Facebook and what's up.
So I would say over 200, 250 people.
Amazing.
Yeah, but that's what I like.
It's a nice way to do it for you guys.
Keep it up and then just do it.
It's it's it's a pleasure to talk to people when you don't need anything.
Yeah, I love that.
That really took took that bit away from our last interview
and started finding out people's birthdays so I can do the same thing.
So I think it's a wonderful, wonderful thing that you do there.
I think it's great.
It served me very, very well.
Tell you that.
And I never say it served his bullshit,
but it I had a very good response.
And the results were always nice because people people feel comfortable.
Yeah, that's important part.
Yeah, OK, guys, thank you so much.
Yeah, thank you again.
Yeah, we would definitely come over in California.
Hopefully and good luck with your podcast.
OK, and I'm looking forward.
I'm looking forward to this one.
So yeah, I can't wait to see what people say.
And hopefully they can track down the book.
So yeah, OK, yeah, that would be a good thing.
You see, when you get the book, we don't make a podcast,
but you know what we do is we can talk a nice conference call
and go through some pages and then I can tell you a little bit more.
OK, it sounds good.
Have a good one.
Yes, enjoy the day.
OK, thank you.
Bye, bye, bye. Later.
Bye.
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About this episode
Alwin Springer, known as 'Mr. Porsche Motorsport', shares more captivating stories from his extensive career in the second part of his interview. He discusses the evolution of the iconic 962 and 963 models, the challenges faced in American racing, and the impact of BOP (Balance of Performance) regulations. Alwin also reflects on his personal relationships within the racing community, the importance of teamwork, and the legacy of figures like Don Panoz. His insights into the world of motorsport, combined with anecdotes about his life, make for an engaging listen for fans of Porsche and racing history.
Original notes
Porsche Motorsport legend Alwin Springer reflects on his decades-long career in racing in this 2025 interview with 9WERKS
Alwin Springer is a true living legend in Porsche circles. Springer has been called “The O.G.” and “Mr Motorsport” by Porsche executives and historians thanks to a 60-year career of high success with both road and racing Porsches all over the US. Alwin’s incredible, decades-long Porsche story starts in the late 1960s, working on Porsches in Toronto, Canada, before learning the race trade at Vasek Polak in California. From here, Springer helped form the world-famous Andial with two friends, before leading Porsche Motorsport North America and rebuilding it front the ground up.
This is a fascinating episode covering nearly 60 years of Alwin’s life-long success racing Porsche cars, and improving road-going variants.
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Thanks to our friends heritagepartscentre.com for sponsoring this podcast, get up to 10% off your basket by entering the code ‘9WERKS10’ at the checkout on heritagepartscentre.com
‘9WERKS Radio’ @9werks.radio is your dedicated Porsche and car podcast, taking you closer than ever to the world’s finest sports cars and the culture and history behind them.
The show is brought to you by 9werks.co.uk, the innovative online platform for Porsche enthusiasts. Hosted by Porsche Journalist Lee Sibley @9werks_lee, 911 owner and engineer Andy Brookes @993andy and obsessive Porsche enthusiast & magazine junkie Max Newman @maxripcor, with special input from friends and experts around the industry, including you, our valued listeners.
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