RS-Werks Will Build You the Custom Vintage Porsche of Your Dreams
Hidden gem produces unrivaled custom air-cooled cars all under one roof in its Pennsylvania-based facility.
Recently a friend of mine sent me a link to a Porsche shop called RS-Werks and asked if I was familiar with them. Their workshop is only about an hour from me, yet I had never heard of them. I knew that this was a place I had to get to know better after spending less than five minutes on their website. They specialize in Porsche customization, restoration, and repair.
They do all this out of their 25,000 square-foot facility located in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. Parkesburg is famous for being, um well, for not being in California. Most of the other Porsche customization shops I am familiar with all seem to be located in the golden state. Parkesburg is a bucolic little town about 50 miles west of Philadelphia.
The air-cooled Porsche market continues to be hot. Custom builds of air-cooled cars is a niche that also continues to grow. Most Porsche enthusiasts are familiar with Singer and Guntherwerks, each known for their impressive builds. RS-Werks is an aspiring name in the business, but they certainly can go toe-to-toe on quality with the industry veterans.
After seeing their operation and meeting with their team, I can tell you that if you are looking for an elite quality, a custom built car or restoration, you need to familiarize yourself with RS-Werks. They do essentially no advertising. It is almost like a secret club for folks in the know. However, what they produce is too good to remain a secret.
RS-Werks & Dunlop
I reached out to RS-Werks and ended up speaking to Nick Dunlop who serves as their Chief Operating Officer. During our conversation he mentioned that he owns an authentic 1973 Carrera RS. It is a right-hand drive car that he bought in the UK in 1992. Wait a minute. I know that car. I used to see it at a local cars and coffee event years ago. You don’t forget a car like that.
I remember speaking to the owner back in 2010 when he was organizing a charity car show in Delaware, and I asked if I could bring my 1970 911 Targa the show. I still have the emails we exchanged a decade ago. Turns out that is the same Nick Dunlop. Small world.
Mr. Dunlop was kind enough to agree to give me a behind the scenes look at their workshop. Thankfully before I arrived, he warned me that it is a bit tricky to find. To avoid any unwanted attention the shop is in a non-descript white building with no signage whatsoever. I called when I arrived, and Dunlop opened the garage door and greeted me at the entrance.
If you remember the feeling of being a kid at the front gate of Disneyland, you know how I felt at that moment. The aforementioned ’73 RS under a cover to my left and a row of brightly colored air-cooled 911s in various build states ahead of me. Also scattered about the shop were a few Ferraris for good measure.
I was quickly introduced to Bob Craig who is the social media and photography guru for RS-Werks. All of the lovely photos you see here are courtesy of Craig. He and Dunlop took me through the shop and showed me a number of projects that were underway and explained what they do and a little bit of history of their operation.
