UNCOMMON THREAD

Uncommon Thread

Hosting a small summit for one of Porsche’s rarest and most interesting interior fabrics.

There are three P’s which turn on Porsche enthusiasts more than any others: Pasha, Pepita and Pinstripe.

For all of the niche references that get thrown around at your local cars and coffee, few paint as vivid a picture in your mind as the Stuttgart brand’s iconic interior fabrics. But, and I’ll be honest here, I do get tired of the overemphasis on those same three patterns.

Look a little deeper however and you’ll find patterns that even the most die-hard of Porsche fans can’t name, like the fabric present in this stunning trio of cars owned by Husain Makiya and Jean-Pierre Mondalek. JP’s car is a Cassis Red 930 Slantnose, Husain’s is a Diamond Blue 3.2 Carrera and the 944 Turbo Cup is joint-owned by both of them. All three are trimmed in the same burgundy shade of Studio Check.

“I find Studio Check to be distinctive, bold and it just screams ‘late 80s,’ it’s very special,” says Husain. “Unlike Tartan, Studio Check looks sharper and more graphic, almost fashion-house inspired.”

This rings especially true in the Silver Rose 944, with the burgundy fabric’s intricate weave and geometric sections echoing the exterior’s crisp lines and flat surfaces. In fact, parked alongside its 911 siblings, the front-engine transaxle car looks totally alien.

It’s only when you expose the retro-tastic pop-up headlights that you see a resemblance to its older forebears in the big, round lenses. JP’s Slantnose serves as a bridge between the 944 and the Carrera, an unlikely connection in the thirty-year design gap.

“When I was about 10 years old in the early ‘90s, my uncle, who I idolized, had a 944 turbo in Dubai.” JP recalls. “I’m a child of the ‘80s and loved the smooth front end design of sports cars in that period, only possible with pop-up headlights. When I found an original factory Slantnose 930 in a period colour, I knew it had to be mine!”

“I met JP in a rather funny way.” Husain recalls. “One day, I found a note on my car in the parking lot. It said he was looking to buy a similar car and suggested we meet for coffee. I was driving a 964 Turbo 3.6 at the time and, honestly, had gotten used to receiving notes like that.”

“I find Studio Check to be distinctive, bold and it just screams ‘late 80s,’ it’s very special. Unlike Tartan, Studio Check looks sharper and more graphic, almost fashion-house inspired.”

The 944 Turbo Cup may be the ‘baby’ of the group, but it’s arguably the most special.

JP laughs, “My wife teases me to this day over how I left a note on his car inviting him for a coffee. She couldn’t believe I got a call back!”

Husain didn’t expect his neighbour to be a hardcore Porsche enthusiast, but JP’s immaculate Cassis Red example says otherwise. “It’s one of three Cassis 930 Slantnose M505 cars in the world,” he’s proud to share.

It wasn’t JP’s first Porsche, but followed in the tyre tracks of a Zermatt Silver 964 Turbo 3.6 - once owned by a Microsoft executive, exported to the UAE from Texas. Husain, meanwhile, started his Porsche journey with a pearl white 993 Turbo X50.

Yet as his collection grew, he felt something was missing. “I wanted an air-cooled car that represented the earlier generation, but it took time to find the right one.” Then, this Japan-ordered 1989 Carrera 3.2 appeared in Belgium.

“It blew me away. A 1989 car, the final year of production, with a G50 gearbox, slick-top, in jubilee Diamond Blue and the incredibly rare Studio Check interior. I had to have it.”

It looks tame compared to the Turbo; narrow hips, a slender deck lid and a tamer paint finish, but it allows the burgundy fabric to pop when you peer through the glass. JP’s car came with an all-leather interior, but he sourced a pair of sports seats and had them trimmed in the bolder Studio Check instead.

The 944 Turbo Cup may be the ‘baby’ of the group, but it’s arguably the most special. The 1988 Turbo S model came with the alternate badging in France and Spain - to promote the race series of the same name.

Finished in Silver Rose paint with ultra-rare red ‘Turbo’ script on its front wing, it’s poetry on wheels. Joint-owned, the 944 is a mark of the pair’s friendship. It’s a return to JP’s childhood, and an example of Husain’s hunger for a wide range of Porsches.