‘Practically Free’ 911 Author Expands Collection Series, Includes Boxster
Porsche enthusiast Robert McGowan continues to share his Porsche passion in his latest books.
Porsche enthusiast Robert McGowan is a UK-based author. His first book was Porsche 911: The Practically Free Supercar. Ignoring for a moment the whole is a Porsche 911 a supercar discussion, the book was a hit. Shortly after it was released Rennlist had a chat with McGowan so he could explain the concept of the book and what inspired him to write it. It has been a couple years since that discussion and McGowan has been spurred on by the success of that first book to write several others in the ‘Practically Free’ series.
These new books include the titles: Porsche Boxster: The Practically Free Sportscar, Porsche 911: The Practically Free Trivia Book, and Porsche: The Practically Free Coloring Book for Adults and Kids. Like his first book, these newest entries have been reviewed by most major Porsche sites and clubs along with readers and they have all been very well received. Part of what makes these books so special is that McGowan writes them from the heart with a passion for the subject that shines through.
The McGowan books standout in a sea of books written about Porsche. We have recently connected with him again to get his thoughts and motivations on what has become a series of successful Porsche books.
Love Of Porsche
Like many of us the Porsche love began when McGowen was a boy and saw a red 911. He was 12 years old and spotted a 1986 Guards Red Targa while on a walk with his family. The seed of obsession had been planted.
He began to watch every movie that had a Porsche in it. He visited dealerships to talk to the folks there about the cars. And he even drew pictures of them. But he thought at the time that these special cars were only for the wealthy.
First Porsche
Twenty years after setting his eyes on that 1986 Guards Red Targa McGowen could finally purchase his first Porsche. Unsurprisingly it was a 1986 Guards Red Targa. He paid £12K for it which was a lot for him at the time. He hoped it would not ruin him financially. But the running costs were much lower than he expected, and he sold the car three years later for what he bought it for. He then moved to a 987 Boxster S that he drove for two years and again managed to sell for what he paid for it. He now has a 993 that he has owned for the last 10 years.
First Book
After losing someone close, he decided to take a six-month sabbatical from work and travel with his partner. It was an amazing trip and one thing that came out of it was his realization that he could share his knowledge and experience of Porsche ownership to help others buy their first Porsche. Despite never having written a book before Porsche 911: The Practically Free Supercar was born. The main theme is that being wealthy is not a prerequisite to owning a Porsche.
Newest Books
The success of the first book motivated McGowen to give the “practically free” treatment to the Porsche Boxster. From there he wrote the Porsche Trivia book and the coloring book. McGowen explains: “My takeaway messages are that life is brief so trust your gut and follow through on your dreams of Porsche ownership and everything else that you want to do with your life. Don’t delay. We don’t know what’s round the bend. And also, that you don’t need to be wealthy to own your dream Porsche. With the right knowledge and strategy – a Porsche can even be Practically Free Motoring.”
We agree 100 percent. And the only thing we would add is don’t forget that when you do get that Porsche, make sure you actually drive it.
Photos: Robert McGowan; Porsche
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