A Passion for Porsche
The Family, the Future, and Ingram’s Porsche Collection
If you’re ever near Durham, North Carolina, make it a point to look up the Ingram family. And, if you tell them you’re a lover of Porsches, you’ll quickly become an honorary member of their family, too. Since the late 1990s, Bob Ingram and his wife Jeanie have assembled a collection of 80 exquisite Porsche models, representing a fascinating cross-section of the sports-car brand’s past seven decades. The couple shares their passion for Porsche with their sons, Rory and Cam.
The History
Starting with one of the early Coupés from the production in Gmünd, Austria, their collection spans decades to some of the latest masterpieces, such as the 991 generation Porsche 911 Speedster. “Through our collection, we become part of contemporary history, of the cars and the people,” Bob says. The Ingrams are incredibly proud and honored that they have become the caretakers of these cars.
They drive the cars whenever possible and invite guests along for the ride: the Ingrams enjoy sharing their passion with others. They consider the stories behind the cars the most exciting part. It could be the famous racing history of a vehicle, or the moving biography of its previous owner because, like many other things, the more you know about something, the more interesting it becomes.
The Ingrams want the collection to be a living thing, and that demonstrates itself in two ways. First, the cars are driven regularly, whether on weekend family outings or at club meetings and racing events. Second, the collection serves as a setting for charity events.
The Origins of the Collection
Whenever Bob Ingram is on the road in one of his many Porsche cars, he feels transported back to the year 1971, when he had the chance to ride in the Porsche 911 S of an acquaintance for the first time. It was an experience that left a deep impression on him. He decided then and there that one day he would drive a Porsche. He had always been a “car guy.” He would drive to the races in Indianapolis or Sebring, and run the occasional drag race against friends.
He earned his first money in the corner shop run by his single mother in Charleston, a small city in rural Illinois. After his studies, Ingram began working as a pharmaceutical sales rep, a job that would take him to the highest echelons of the industry. For many years he was CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Eventually retiring meant he could finally make more time for his passion: Porsche. A dark blue 964-generation Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet was soon joined by a 993-generation Carrera Coupé in Amethyst Metallic, and in the late 1990s a 993 Turbo S Coupé was added to the burgeoning collection.
“There is no other company in the world that can draw on such a loyal fan base.”
The Future
The 78-year-old describes how he always has the cars’ former owners, their pride and enthusiasm, in mind – especially when it comes to the older models. “It is in that spirit that we want to preserve the cars for the future,” he says.
The next generation of Ingrams is now adding its own approach. Rory manages the collection and created the Ingram Driving Experience, which brings motorsport enthusiasts together for private racing events, while Cam devotes himself to automotive rarities.
But not everything has been an easy ride. In April 2019, the family experienced an absolute horror when a gas pipe exploded in front of the warehouse where a large part of the collection was housed. Two people died, the neighboring building was destroyed, and the roof of the Ingrams’ hall collapsed, badly damaging about half of the precious cars below. “It was the saddest day of our lives,” Bob Ingram recalls. “Our thoughts are still with the people who were hurt and the families who lost loved ones.”
The Magic
The price after the first clean-up operations was steep: four vehicles were so badly damaged that they seemed irretrievably lost, including an extremely rare Porsche 356 B Carrera GTL Abarth, which came from Sweden. Vehicles of this model made their mark in legendary races such as the Targa Florio and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the value of that particular jewel was in the millions.
In the weeks that followed, Ingram and his team practically lived in the workshop, putting in 16-hour days and more to rebuild the car from scratch. The repairs were completed just in time for a perfect appearance at Pebble Beach.
The gallant effort was repaid at the Concours d’Elegance with a class win for the perfectly restored 356 B Carrera GTL Abarth. “This will to persevere is absolutely typical of Porsche; it comes from the brand,” says Bob Ingram in summary. “You don’t ever give up while you still have a chance.”