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Owning a Porsche wasn’t on Jim McCarthy’s radar … that is, until he was asked to look after one for a month while his friend was away overseas. While minding the car, he fell in love.

“I was gobsmacked with it,” says Jim.”I thought it was absolutely a fantastic car, and made up my mind after driving it I would buy one,” he says. The car he drove for the month was a Macan S that had gone through the Porsche Exclusive process.

Having previously owned Rolls Royces and Bentleys, Jim was already primed for making his vehicle a bespoke car that suited his style down to a T. So, it was an obvious choice for him to decide that would be the case with his new Porsche Macan S and that he would go down the Porsche customization process.

“I knew about the customisation of the cars for quite some time … a friend had customised one before, and I saw him go through the process,” Jim says. “It was so easy and enjoyable – the way the website is set up, it’s very easy to do. I was able to select exactly what I wanted.

“I thought, ‘I want what I want’, and the terrific thing about the Porsche website is that you can build a car yourself and try out all the various options. I toyed around with the website for three or four weeks.

“It was fun, like a Boys Own Annual time; it’s building a car without the grease and spanners … and no skinned knuckles.”

After making some initial decisions about the features that most interested him, Jim headed straight to Porsche Centre Brighton and met up with Richard Catchlove to go through the ordering process.

“We spoke to Richard, who was very helpful,” Jim remembers. “Some things on my list were ‘non-negotiable’, like the optional Power Steering Plus package.” Jim then let his imagination guide him through the interior and exterior possibilities.

“I wanted red leather,” Jim recalls. “You can have a full red leather interior, which is too much – or you can have a half red leather interior with a bit of black, which is what I eventually took.

“I had the panoramic roof system fitted, which is fantastic. On a sunny day, you can drive the car like a convertible but it’s still very quiet – there’s no wind rush.

“I had the 21” Turbo Classic wheels in body colour and the seat heating. Also, in a nod back to the Rolls Royce and Bentley days, I had the interior package in dark walnut, so I have some nice walnut trim in the car as well.

“All of it was terrific.”

Since taking delivery of his Macan S in midJune 2020, Jim has been patiently waiting for the current restrictions on travel to lift so he can enjoy stretching the legs of his Macan S on the open road and fully appreciating its extensive options and features.

“I have a trip planned across Victoria all the way to McLaren Vale, including the Coonawarra then up to the Barossa Valley. I plan to do some motoring in it!” he says.

All in all, Jim was so pleased with the entire experience of buying his Macan S at Porsche Centre Brighton and using the Porsche customization process that he wishes he had bought one a lot sooner. •

“I thought –I want what I want –and the terrific thing about the Porsche website is that you can build a car yourself and try out all the various options. I toyed around with the website for three or four weeks.”