ART OF THE MACHINE

Art of the Machine

David Steca shows us how he performed a uniquely photogenic engine rebuild.

“It took nine days of complete silence, by myself in a freezing workshop. Filming everything took easily three times as long as it would have to just focus purely on the build.”

A talented videographer and mechanic, we’ve been following David Steca of Only a Roadtrip Away for many years. No matter what he’s up to, you can always guarantee he’s documenting it in incredible style. Though detailing the rebuild of a humble 4 cylinder engine isn’t the kind of thing we share often on @type7, we’re happy to make an exception where David is concerned.

“Making a 4-cylinder the centrepiece for an art film seems off, especially given the endless engine options within the Porsche world” explains David, fresh from the edit. “This was not an art project first, just a personal project that I thought I might as well make as beautiful as it can be. Over the course of my career I’ve documented artisans and craftspeople restoring some of the finest vehicles ever built. The end result looks like art, but these are still mechanical objects that have to withstand thousands of revolutions per minute.

My entire automotive journey has been filled with trades. I never had the cash to buy what I wanted, but I could at least build it with enough time. So I traded my hours. I needed this run down, scored pile of metal, and I traded the production of a film for it. It’s an M44.41, 3 litre 16 valve, originally from a 944 S2. It’ll go in my 924S, all because I want things I can’t afford to have built.”