THE SPECIALISTS
Words: Paul Davies

Design 911
One-Stop-Shop‘

I started carrying out customising of 911 SC and Carrera 3.2 models, converting them to 964 Carrera and 964 Turbo body styling, and then when the 993 appeared moved on to creating look-alikes of that particular car. We’d use Porsche body parts or our own specially commissioned glass-fibre panels. Design 911 seemed a good name for the company’.

So explains Karl Chopra, when asked how he started on a trail that’s led him to become one of the leading suppliers of after-market equipment and spare parts for Porsches. From small beginnings…

He’s not unique, of course. Other well-known concerns supply new, or second-hand, Porsche spares, others performance upgrades, interior customising, or body panels. Then, there’s the recreation market that will produce a nut-for-nut, bolt-for-bolt, replica of a 2.7 RS, or (current favourite) 911 R. But in the main we’re talking about diverse and separate companies, all making their own particular mark on the wonderful world that is Porsche.

What you don’t get very often is everything, or almost everything, under one roof; a one-stop-shop, if you want to use a once common term. Design 911 is one of those. It’s also very good at marketing its services.

You can’t open a Porsche publication without seeing the name and the all-important web site address. Indeed, when I first took over the custody of my – now departed – four-cylinder 912 over ten years ago, it was a Design 911 advertisement that took my eye when searching for the orange indicator rear light lenses necessary to make the car Euro-legal. (Despite the fact the car had somehow managed to pass it’s UK MOT inspection without them!)

Karl confirms. Light lenses for pre-impact bumper cars were an early addition to the parts list. And, he adds, they’re still available – along with many other sometimes hard to get classic 911 items, including Fuchs alloy wheel replicas manufactured in Spain to what appears to be high quality. He’s also planning to go back further, with a range of parts for the 356 due before long.

It’s not all the printed page or electronic media, Design 911 has a showroom of course. The location is an industrial unit on the London/Essex border (the reception area is plush and the display of goodies pretty impressive) but in a way the setting not important. What is, is the glass-fronted office where four busy people sit, headsets in place, dealing with customer enquiries and taking orders. Adjacent is the store room and mail order dispatch area. That parts list now stretches to 16,000 numbers, and the stock value is in seven figures.
The advertisements have always been good, but also Karl recognised early on the important part the internet could play in the development of Design 911. With a comprehensive revise late last year, the Design 911 web site is now the hub of the operation. You can buy almost anything Porsche on-line.

At first – as is often in these Specialist tales – Karl operated from home, in effect ‘project managing’ the production and supply of body panels that were fitted by other independent specialists. Soon a lock-up became his first commercial premises.

‘Doing the body kits created a demand for complementary parts, wheels, exhaust systems, brake upgrades, mirror kits, to finish the conversion. Then people started to say, we’ve got a beautiful car on the outside how to we make the inside look better?’ Karl says. ‘Then I started to get enquiries, some from abroad, from people who wanted to do their own work then came a few requests for mechanical work, 993 and 964 engines into 3.2 Carreras for example.’

The big move came when Karl bought out Europorscha, a Porsche specialist in Wembley, north London, which came complete with, his first staff member. ‘They had a really good telephone number (0208 900 0900, which is still one of the Design 911 lines) and also a big customer base, which gave me access to trade suppliers as well as Porsche owners.’

At first, the parts side of the operation took precedent as contacts were made with big name suppliers, such as Bosch, Dansk, and Brembo. Re-location to the present premises at Hainault, Essex, saw the business move up a few gears, with expansion of the product range, along with the necessary additional staff and telephone lines to handle increased demand.

‘That’s when it all took off,’ says Karl.

Now you can buy almost anything for a Porsche from Design 911. The styling kits are there of course, along with brake, suspension and engine upgrades, from all the major names, as well as the ever-growing list of spares – from clutch kits to exhaust silencer brackets, and everything in between. True to its roots, the company will supply the necessary panels and lights to bring early Cayenne and Carrera 997 up to 2009 visual specification, and soon to appear will be a hardtop to turn the Boxster into a Cayman look-alike.

The company has also created its own brand, DesignTek, to market a range of in-house designed products, including a full range of exhaust systems, induction kits, and engine performance upgrades.

Further expansion of the services on offer has been achieved by the purchase of a workshop in the same industrial area. Occupied by Joe Austin’s H P Motorsport concern, this provides Karl’s customers with a nearby parts fitting facility that is also equipped to carry out mechanical repairs, servicing and full car building. Design 911 also has an association with a nearby body shop, essential for fitting and painting those styling panels.
Along with the expansion of the product list, Design 911 has increased its involvement in the Porsche world. The company is an official ‘business sponsor’ of Porsche Club Great Britain, and has also taken the first steps into the world of motor sport.

ReDesign Racing was established last year to run former Volkswagen Cup racer Tony Gilham in the Pro-Am1 category of the one-model Porsche Carrera Cup. The team – managed by Karl Chopra with assistance from Chris Stewart at Regal and a number of hired race-mechanic ‘mercenaries’ – nearly pulled it off, only conceding victory in the category to Cup regular Nigel Rice at the final round.

Karl now admits that trying to run his own team was – although good fun and definitely worthwhile from a promotional point of view – a trifle ambitious, given his busy day-job running Design 911. For this season things have changed, with the running of the ReDesign Racing car contracted to top team Red Line Racing and Tony Gilham moving up to contest the overall championship. So far this year things are looking good.

Success for Design 911 has also led to the creation of another business. Many Porsche owners own another vehicle, and most of Design 911’s Porsche suppliers also manufacture equipment for other makes. Hence the creation of GoChoppy.com (get the connection?) to supply spares and performance parts for other quality German makes such as Audi, VW, and Mercedes. Like the racing, so far things are looking good for the amusingly named GoChoppy.com.

That’s really also the best way to describe Design 911. From project managing 964 look-alikes from his front room (using a bit of licence here because I don’t really know) to supplying 16,000 Porsche related parts on-line, Karl Chopra has come a long way. Ask if the company is the Demon Tweeks of the Porsche world and he comes over a bit coy. But you suspect he’s really quite flattered to be compared with that particular, well-known, motoring one-stop-shop. Yes, looking good for all of us.

Specialist feature written for 911&Porsche world magazine

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