![]() ![]() These cars should run their original specifications. The regulations have changed so Group B cars aren’t completely banned, but it needs such big power restrictors as to render it pointless. ‘I’d love to rally it properly, but it’s not allowed to compete nowadays. The quattro won rallies because of power, not handling, but I enjoy learning it. It’s far more difficult to drive than the Stratos. ‘It’s very tricky to drive – you turn the wheel and it wants to go straight on, and there’s so much turbo lag that you’ve got to accelerate into corners in order to get the power on the way out. I’d seen it in action and it made me want to be a rally driver. I saw it across the auction hall and thought, “I know that car.” It’s not just a part of history, it’s a part of my history. ‘It’s the quattro in which Hannu Mikkola contested the 1986 British Rally Championship. ‘I was amazed when it came up for sale at H&H,’ smiles Perez as he remembers the fateful day in Buxton that saw him buy the very car that made him fall in love with rallying in the first place. ‘I can’t be bothered standing around in fields all day.’Įx-Mikkola quattro attracted interest from Ingolstadt ©Laurens Parsons ‘I take that out for a sunny summer afternoon blast it’s either this or the Stratos – and I know the Porsche will probably start!’ Perez’s red 911S is easily good enough to show, but he has no desire to enter into concours competitions. ‘I have two examples of the 911S – the rally car, plus a short-wheelbase, 2.0-litre road car,’ says Perez, referring to the red car he keeps in a separate garage. Also, as a road car it’s too wide – on narrow Derbyshire lanes you can’t overtake, but you can in the S. You’re always having to hold back – it’s boring. ![]() If you do that in a 3.0-litre, it’ll let go suddenly and you’ll spin out. ‘With a little 911S, you can throw it into corners and squeeze every last ounce of performance out of it. ‘I prefer to slide my cars around,’ he explains, gesturing opposite-lock movements animatedly to underline his point. ‘I don’t like the gearboxes – the shift action is terrible – and the later cars have too much grip. ![]() I just don’t like big 911s – and by big, I mean the 3.0-litre cars,’ he says, gesturing to a pair of wide-arched 1974 Carrera RSs, one a road car, the other a Gantspeed rally-prepared example with which he won the 2003 British Historic Rally Championship. ‘The 2.0-litre 911S is the best of all the Porsches. I thought I’d be crap, but I surprised myself by winning my first event in it. ‘This was the first car I had built from the ground up, by Chambers in Sheffield back in 2001 after I decided to give rallying a go. The metallic blue 911S launched Perez’s rallying career. Steve prefers the slideability of his 2.0-litre 911S (behind) to the ‘boring’ 3.0 versions (foreground) ©Laurens Parsons Every car lives the hard life for which it was intended. Piles of spare bodywork and wheels are stacked up in corners, awaiting the next adventure. The Perez collection is covered in scuffs, dents and stonechips. A rally support helicopter in ‘VK’ blue stands guard over two rows of rally cars. Then again, I’ve since learned that it’s a great way to promote the business.’ Then there was the boom in pre-mixed cocktails and I started producing my own drinks. ![]() ‘I worked in my dad’s restaurant, and noticed an interest in imported speciality beers, so I set up an import company. ‘I’ve been a rally fan ever since my early twenties, and used to go up to the forest stages in Yorkshire to watch those amazing Group 4 and Group B cars, like Hannu Mikkola’s Audi quattro – I never thought I’d end up owning it. ‘I was a co-driver to start with, on local 12-car rallies,’ Perez reminisces in his Derbyshire tones as he remotely opens the huge electric door of the aircraft hangar behind his Chesterfield home that houses his collection. It’s paid off, too – he’s won three national rally championships. then built himself a full-size gravel forest stage to drive them on. Whereas some wealthy connoisseurs discreetly maintain a portfolio of classics, Perez bought his childhood dream rally cars. There’s no doubting his business nous – he’s the brains behind such successful drinks brands as Vodka Kick, Corky’s and Amigos – but he’s used the proceeds of it to sustain a wide-eyed enthusiasm for rallying that only a true petrolhead can muster. Perhaps the most endearing thing about Steve Perez is the sense that he still can’t quite believe his luck. Words SAM DAWSON Photography LAURENS PARSONS Steve Perez’s stone-chipped selection of old stagers reflects his opposite-locking attitude to active preservation ![]()
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