There’s something about cars that turns total strangers into friends in mere minutes. When a Porsche guru from Portland asked Richard Griot to join he and a bunch of buddies for dinner recently, Richard’s reply was, “Maybe you should all come over and hang out in my garage instead.” How could any red-blooded car guy refuse?
So, on a cold December evening, 20+ Porsche lovers and all-around car guys arrived at Richard’s garage for an evening of fun. Most of them were long-time customers. One came from Los Angeles and said he had been getting the Griot’s Handbook for over 12 years!
In the garage, a feast of German machinery awaited their arrival. A 1984 962C Porsche werks car, the Kremer Brothers 935 twin turbo, a metallic orange 1988 930 Turbo, and a new Cayenne GTS (on which anyone could practice with the Griot’s Garage machine orbital polish and wax system).
1978 911 SC (foreground) and a 1988 930 Turbo
1988 930 Turbo in vivid metallic orange.
Kremer Brothers 935 Twin Turbo (foreground).
Porsche Cayenne GTS for car care practice.
In the driveway more cool machinery was parked, including a paint-to-sample 1978 SC in metallic lime green, a black Carrera GT, an electric orange Golf GTI, a green GT3RS that was the Porsche press car at the GT3RS launch (and a past Griot’s Garage cover car), Richard’s 1970 Suburban, and a silver Italian beauty 550 Maranello.
2007 GT3 RS (Griot's Garage Handbook 283 cover car)
Downstairs in Richard’s “Man Cave” the movie Grand Prix played while guys enjoyed a full bar, custom poker table and Griot’s Garage red pool table. The “track” lighting above was adorned with a real slot car circuit. The sunset was amazing, only to be outshone by the sparkling cars. A delicious dinner was served along with a nice variety of wines the guests had brought with them. Desert was German chocolate cake of course.
Entrance to Richard Griot's "Man Cave" with a vintage McQueen poster.
Poker table ready for action in the Cave.
Griot's Garage red pool table with overhead "track lighting".
Track Lighting detail.
A great time was had by all… and everyone was convinced this was a much better way to spend the evening among friends than at a restaurant!
December 8th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Is this at the new building? Looks great!
December 8th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
This is at Richard’s home. Updated pics of the new Griot’s Garage building coming soon!
December 9th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Wow that looks great! I am really loving that track lighting, it’s very creative!
December 11th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Very cool. Is the SC the project Porsche Richard recently had in the garage on the last Ferrari group visit? Very beautiful!
December 14th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Hey Ryan. The green SC belongs to a customer (and is a former Handbook cover car). Check out the story and photos here (Handbook 298).
December 14th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I was lucky enough to go see this awesome use of space first hand and even though it is a dream garage and man-cave, the one thing that struck me was the comfort level. Through the whole space, you just feel comfortable. Near the lifts in the garage, or in the cave, all the space creates a cool, crisp comfortable very relaxing atmosphere. Kudos Richard on a project well executed!
January 7th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Talk about taking customer service to the next level….
January 14th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
I just got a Porsche Cayenne S and I love it. What wax do you recommend I buy. Also what product to you recommend for the stainless steel around the windows. My Porsche is a 2004 in mint condition with 30,000 miles. Thank You, Pat Knoll
January 15th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Pat,
Congrats on the new Cayenne S! I’ve had the pleasure of driving one on a couple different occasions and can see why you love it. Great cars.
As far as paint and trim care go, I recommend our Paint Sealant for both surfaces.
On SUVs I tend to prefer the sealant over our Best of Show Wax because of the longer lasting protection it provides. You still get an excellent finish, but you’ll only need to apply 1-2 times per year vs. 3-4. A big time saver on larger vehicles.
As far as the trim goes, I believe Porsche uses anodized aluminum around the windows. Paint Sealant is great for protecting this surface as well. I don’t recommend polishing it at all, so go directly from clay to Paint Sealant. And do this soon! Once you get water spots and imperfections into anodized aluminum there isn’t an easy fix.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Richard:
Being a Porsche nut, I’d have to say you have the coolest Man Cave.
When are you going to let Arnie sell me that tool box coffee table you have at your Plainfield warehouse???
Mike
February 25th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
Just starting to look for ideas for garage (man-cave) furniture. Any photos of the “tool box coffee table” or other intriguing pieces?
March 16th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Paul,
Where do you live in the country? Our new facility is going to be ready soon and we’ll have all sorts of cool ideas for your garage…
March 17th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Wisconsin! Saw something close to Indianapolis, and that might be a roadtrip over the summer. Do you have any kind of a gallery online? Thanks for your help!