Hello and welcome to Watercooled Classic.
We're Nick and Suzanne and we are the founders of Watercooled Classic based in our hometown of Dunedin, New Zealand.
The beginning
After buying our first Porsche off TradeMe in 2021, a modified, tuned 986 Boxster S convertible, we drove it home to Dunedin from Auckland. Our first stop a couple of hours into the trip was to Mitre 10 Mega for some ear plugs to provide some relief from the exceptionally loud sport exhaust and common droning noise in the 2500-3000rev range.
Trust us, wearing ear plugs all the way from Auckland to Dunedin is not the most pleasant experience and made conversation impossible (perhaps Nick enjoyed that?). The noise coupled with losing 1st 3rd, 5th and reverse gears on our journey made it an epic one we will never forget including trying to park without 1st gear, or reverse.
But what we loved about the trip was the feel of the Porsche as you row through the gears and glided through the corners on the Desert Road and along the winding coastal road near Kaikoura in particular. That smooth drive that really makes you feel at one with the road.
What we didn’t expect was the connection to the environment that driving our Boxster S convertible gave us. Smelling the environment and actually feeling the change in scenery from agriculture, to towns, ferries, vineyards, and to sheep and beef farm land as we drove south was nothing like we had experienced before. Though we would be happy to never come up behind another sheep/cattle truck in a convertible….I’m sure you can understand why…
Getting to work
Once home, we set out to tidy up and replace all the little things that were missing, broken or tired, like little clips, and fittings that stop rattles, and getting the Service Manual so we could understand how to get our car at peak manufacturers performance and beyond. In addition we wanted to quieten that exhaust (for our neighbours’ sake, not just our hearing).
In the process of trying to reinvigorate and improve our Porsche, we rapidly became frustrated at the lack of access to parts, length of time to get them (6-8 weeks and counting), and the exorbitant cost of those parts, merchandise and lifestyle accessories available in New Zealand. Surely they didn’t have to be so expensive?
To solve this, we found ourselves importing both genuine and aftermarket parts and merchandise from across the globe to maintain and improve our Boxster, and in doing so, formed relationships with leading suppliers in Germany, the US, UK, France, and Portugal.
Building these relationships meant we could modernise and improve the performance of our Boxster S. Then along came our modified 996 Carrera 4 and the same desire for peak performance and quality finish became apparent to all our friends and family as courier parcels of parts would keep arriving on a regular basis. Our neighbours regularly wondered what was in each of these large boxes that kept arriving!
Why did we start Watercooled Classic?
We`re passionate enthusiasts - just like you. Our cars get driven - trackdays, clubsport events, Targa Tour, commuting to work (sometimes), roadtrips, and Porsche Club NZ events.
At some of these events and in conversations with fellow Porsche enthusiasts, we discovered that we have a knack for sourcing genuine and aftermarket parts at really competitive prices – people have been blown away at how much our supplier relationships have meant we can save them and how easily we can get parts and merchandise.
We also have this ability to find the most unusual parts and fittings which many people think aren’t available anymore or don’t know where to go to find them – but we find them. Nick also finds really cool merchandise and he’s had many people ask him where he gets his T-shirts, hoodies, mugs and socks! I may be rather rapidly growing my collection of women’s apparel too.
What's in it for you?
We’re pretty sure that our fellow watercooled Porsche owners drive their cars too and are passionate about them – I mean, who wouldn’t be with such gorgeous vehicles right?
Like us, you may want to fix all those little broken, missing or tired parts, reinvigorate it, or bring it into performance racing standard to participate in the Targa Tours and track days and really maximise your enjoyment of your Porsche.
We hold in stock the parts you need to maintain, upgrade, and prepare your Porsche for the highway or the track, specialising in modern classic Porsches: Type 986 and 987 Boxster / Cayman, Type 996 and 997 911 Carrera, as well as Turbo and GT3 / GT2 models. If it’s not in stock, we specialise in affordable airfreight and quick clearance, to get the parts you need to you when you need them.
We also have a range of hard-to-find models, lego, collectables, Limited Edition merchandise and lifestyle accessories, together with clothing and merchandise that aligns with the Watercooled Classic Lifestyle.
That’s why we set up Watercooled Classic, to help you do what we like to do ourselves. We sell what we know, what we`ve used ourselves, and what we love.
Our blog will showcase our products, our adventures, and our learnings - feel free to reach out via the contact page, or come say hi if we`re at an event.
#watercooledclassic