Petrolicious has been creating gorgeous vintage car films for years, and Benton Performance has been building gorgeous old Porsches for years. It only makes sense that the two of them have come together finally. This video is an amazing piece of work that shows not only the talent that Benton has for slamming together some amazing Porsches, but also the heart of what goes into being one of the best shops.
In all fairness, I’ve known John Benton for a few years, but I’ve known his work even longer than that. I had seen his car, the ‘mein12’ at a few car shows in Southern California, and had fallen in love with the details. The white paint may show as something perhaps a bit demure, but the stance of the car, and the little bits if you know what to look for, are what make it different. Then of course when you start it up you can really tell that it is something special. It’s loud, but not too loud. It’s low, but not too low. It’s brash, but holds some in reserve.
Benton is his car.
This video is gorgeously shot and edited, the filmmakers did a great job of showing what it’s like to live in John’s world. His shop is a great place to see any number of four-cylinder Porsches being wrenched on at any given time. A few times when visiting the shop, I noticed a weird long-travel 240Z being built in the back. I didn’t know Mr. Coffey well, but I met him a couple of times, and I could tell that the Peking-to-Paris Datsun was a labor of love. He poured a lot of work into that car, and finished it in quicktime, considering everything that was involved. It’s a shame that the world no longer has John Coffey. He built some amazing machines, and this video includes a great tribute to him. Check it out.