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Welcome to AutoQuest Motorsports - A Hidden Gem of Porsche Development
Hello Everyone,
My name is John Gaydos, the new Director of Sales and Marketing for AutoQuest Motorsports. Some of you may already know me or have worked with me in the past. Over the last few years I have been an active member on Rennlist and Planet 9 as the enthusiastic owner of a Cayman R (below), and representing Fabspeed as their dedicated Porsche Specialist. That being said, last month I made a big decision and started a new chapter in my life. I packed my bags, and moved to Florida!
After a successful few years as Fabspeed's Porsche Specialist, I still felt there was a gap I needed to fill. A yearning to learn more about suspension, vehicle setup and the finer details of maximizing performance in a hands-on environment. That opportunity presented itself in the form of AutoQuest Motorsport, a premier Porsche Specialty shop in Ft. Myers, FL that has been in business for over 25 years with an impeccable reputation and massive following in the region.
Gavin and Amy Riches operate AQM and are on the leading edge of Porsche performance development. They have countless hours in R&D at some of the most grueling tracks including Sebring and the Nürburgring, and have a network of resources throughout the US and Europe. For example, AQM and OCD (Jay O'Connell) have just finished a joint project...engineering and developing a new MultiLink GT4 Rear Suspension System.
The owners are also very involved with Motorsports and track events in North America, and also participate in Targa Rallies around the world. Amy is also one of the few female PCA Chief Track Instructors in the country. Gavin has made the company unique in that they are a true "one-stop-shop"...vehicle sales, full service, niche and exclusive product development, along with the company’s racing and track activities. They can accomplish almost anything with decades of experience and in a manner that is always personal and customer-centric, to the point they have had over 100 GT4s/GT3s through their shop in the last year for various upgrades, the majority being shipped in from out of state. AutoQuest Motorsports has been said to be “One of the Best Kept Secrets in the Porsche Community”, and I must say I fully agree. In visiting them for the first time I was blown away by their products and ongoing development, most of which very few know about outside of their direct client base. The potential of exposing these products nationally and internationally to the Porsche community is very exciting! I am beyond thrilled to be a new member of the AutoQuest team, and the wealth of new resources it brings will make me an even more well-rounded and knowledgeable Porsche enthusiast. AQM also happens to be an authorized Fabspeed distributor, so I’d still be happy to work with anyone in regard to exhaust and performance recommendations.
Over the next few months I aim to bring the AutoQuest Motorsports brand and product line to a greater national recognition, while continuing to be an active and contributing member to the Porsche community that I have come to know and love. Here are a couple of teasers of some of our upcoming product releases, some available now.
Don't hesitate to reach out about any Porsche vehicles/service/upgrades or anything else you may need for various other vehicles. Please feel free to PM me, email me at john@autoquestms.com, or call me at 484 883 6197 if you'd like any additional information. If you are in Florida give me a shout! I'd love to meet up with some of the locals, or those that are visiting the area
John welcome, I'm interested in one of the FIA harnesses in Red for my GT3! (to match the stitching). Now maybe you can move some 321SS exhausts... And in discussing the multilink rear suspension!
Good luck with the new job. Tell me about the LWBS Seat Angle Adjusters, price also. The headrest is a little too close when my helmet is on, forcing my vision down.
Definitely interested in hearing more about the GT4 multilink rear suspension and the shorter final gear. You should make a thread with details and pics for each of them.
John welcome, I'm interested in one of the FIA harnesses in Red for my GT3! (to match the stitching). Now maybe you can move some 321SS exhausts... And in discussing the multilink rear suspension!
Sounds like a plan Jamie, just give me a call when you have a chance today and we'll go over the details : )
Originally Posted by cox1974
Ciao John...good luck for your new job and keep me updated about the shorter final gear
Why thank you Cosimo, I've always loved your dedication towards documenting and testing you upgrades. It would be a pleasure to set you up with the final drive solution once we are ready for the release later this year
Originally Posted by Warwick Morris
Me too. Have been hanging out for the FD solution.
And good luck at the new shop.
Same goes for you Warwick, maybe I can use that as an excuse to make it out to Australia for a V8 Supercar race on Bathurst (bucket list item). My wife unfortunately isn't too fond of the wildlife lol.
Originally Posted by ducsfly
Good luck with the new job. Tell me about the LWBS Seat Angle Adjusters, price also. The headrest is a little too close when my helmet is on, forcing my vision down.
I actually just finished up the product content for that this morning and will be posting it up on the forums today. I'll shoot you over a PM now so we can chat about it further.
Originally Posted by BillC3
Welcome back!
Definitely interested in hearing more about the GT4 multilink rear suspension and the shorter final gear. You should make a thread with details and pics for each of them.
Thanks Bill! Glad to be back, I felt like I was going through withdrawal being offline for a few weeks lol.
I am in the midst of generating product content for both the multilink and the shorter final drive, and I will be posting official products releases with all the relevant information. The official final drive release likely won't be until around September, but the multilink is available now and i'll be posting that up within the next few weeks. The most time consuming part will be putting the vast amount of suspension geometry data into terms that anyone here on the forum can understand fully. That being said, i'm going to shoot you over a PM now as perfects we can chat on the phone about it and I can give you a run down prior to the release.
Definitely interested in hearing more about the GT4 multilink rear suspension and the shorter final gear. You should make a thread with details and pics for each of them.
It was great chatting with you yesterday Bill. Although I had to run and take care of someone inquiring on the GT4 for sale, it sounds like you and Gavin had a quality conversation about the multiLink and gearset. I got some more pictures of it as well that i'll shoot over to you shortly.
Originally Posted by ShakeNBake
Good luck John! Can't wait to see where this takes you.
Why thank you Jacy! It's been too long we should catch up, i'll give you a ring sometime soon i'd love to hear what you've been up to.
Originally Posted by Alan C.
The tent photo is impressive. Nice looking group of cars.
I appreciate that Alan. We typically host a large event at Sebring during November, consider shipping your car over for us to store/maintain and fly in. Most of our participants come from out of state during the season, and we would love for you to join us.
John, welcome. Good move, Porsche GT cars galore, trick parts, Sebring, and nice beaches close by!
I heard about AutoQuest a couple years ago by word of mouth, and have had alot of fun getting to know Gavin and Amy ever since.
I also happened to buy a set of ST Rotors for my dearly departed 991.1 GT3 which were great, and gave me piece of mind, just in case my uber expensive PCCBs got roached. Now FS as take offs as GT3 is gone.
Since then, Gavin found me a new high spec Clubsport in the old country and I bought that and Gavin imported it. AutoQuest indeed.
I can share that the Clubsport is sublime on every level and handles telepathically. I guess part of that is due to the Jay O'connell /Kiwi multi-link. The car soaks up almost all undulations yet maintains a very precise feel without any hint of understeer or oversteer. Sebring? What bumps?
I do not miss my GT3 991.1 at all, the AutoQuest Kiwi Mobile is an addicting ride, so much so that the kids will now have to do community college, and thus I can maintain a proper track day schedule.
John, welcome. Good move, Porsche GT cars galore, trick parts, Sebring, and nice beaches close by!
I heard about AutoQuest a couple years ago by word of mouth, and have had alot of fun getting to know Gavin and Amy ever since.
I also happened to buy a set of ST Rotors for my dearly departed 991.1 GT3 which were great, and gave me piece of mind, just in case my uber expensive PCCBs got roached. Now FS as take offs as GT3 is gone.
Since then, Gavin found me a new high spec Clubsport in the old country and I bought that and Gavin imported it. AutoQuest indeed.
I can share that the Clubsport is sublime on every level and handles telepathically. I guess part of that is due to the Jay O'connell /Kiwi multi-link. The car soaks up almost all undulations yet maintains a very precise feel without any hint of understeer or oversteer. Sebring? What bumps?
I do not miss my GT3 991.1 at all, the AutoQuest Kiwi Mobile is an addicting ride, so much so that the kids will now have to do community college, and thus I can maintain a proper track day schedule.
Josh thank you for chiming in! It was great to chat with you, and I very much look forward to meeting you and seeing that track weapon in action. That MultiLink is absolutely transformational and I am happy to hear that you have been putting it to good use! We'll have to get you out some more of the "Trust the Kiwi" birds once we get them in. I'll be using them as band-aids for my wrap during the track season