Marty is a successful entrepreneur from Toronto, who shares his passion for Porsche cars, particularly the iconic 911 series. Growing up with a love for cars, he worked hard to achieve his dream of owning a Porsche 911. Over the years, he built a transport business, overcoming obstacles and staying true to his principles.
Stay tuned for an updated photoshoot later this year when his 911 Dakar & 911 S/T deliver!
- Tell us your name, and the province and city you are from? My name is Marty and I'm from Toronto, Ontario Canada.
- What Porsche model(s) do you own? I currently own a few colourful Porsche 911's, 7 to be exact, one 718 Cayman (Shark Blue) and a Porsche Macan. I have another 2 special 911’s delivering this year – a custom built CXX Porsche 911 Dakar and another custom built CXX Porsche 911 S/T.
- Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background?I grew up from humble beginnings, born in Timmins, raised in Toronto, was the youngest of 2 brothers and a sister. I have 3 successful kids that are all out of the house (2 boys and girl), I have always been around cars thanks to my older brothers who were always in and out of different cars and trucks growing up.
I enjoy live music, concerts, the arts, hanging out with friends & family here in the city or up in the wilderness on our beautiful lakes. I enjoy driving everything from my transport rigs to all my different Porsches, to boats and snowmobiles.
- Can you give us some details about your Porsche(s)?I have owned 15 various Porsches since I started buying into the brand. My 1st Porsche was a 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 in Signal Green with a manual transmission. I purchased a Targa, a Turbo and another manual transmission Guards Red GT3 before I traded it in (with the intent of replacing it with a custom built GT3 RS) and bought my first RS, a pre-owned 2013 GT3 RS in Lava Orange to hold me over.
A couple years ago I was finally awarded my first GT3 allocation and I built my very first fully customized 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring in Ultraviolet.
I had always wanted a classic 1980’s 911 Targa, so I bought one and had Porsche Centre North Toronto restore it. I was thrilled to hear that it had won an award at Porsche Canada’s Classic Restoration Challenge. I ended up trading it in for a brand-new Shark Blue 718 Cayman T that I fell in love with upon a visit to the showroom in 2023 the week it had landed in inventory.
Last year in 2023, I took delivery of my first brand new fully customized 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS in Guards Red!
This year, 2024, I have two very special fully customized 911’s on the way. In the spring I have my 911 Dakar delivering which I plan to daily drive (winters included) and later this year I will be taking delivery of the new 2024 Porsche 911 S/T, which should be the ultimate manual 911 ever built!
- Speak a bit about how your relationship with Porsche started.My son was working as a valet at the Four Seasons Hotel and would always come home raving about the Porsche 911 GT3 cars he was able to drive and park at the hotel. He made so much fuss about them we went to test drive a manual transmission Signal Green 911 GT3 (991.2) and I ended up buying it on the spot. It was my first Porsche that started my obsession collecting Porsche 911’s.
- What was your earliest memory with the brand?The earliest memory that really solidified my love for Porsche occured when I was in my early 20's in the Pocono's with a friend for a weekend holiday and came across this expensive $150 lithographic poster of a Guards Red Porsche 930 Turbo, that popped out and really left a mark on me – I had to have it as a motivational piece.
The 1979 Porsche 928 driven by Tom Cruise in the 1983 movie Risky Business also caught my attention.
- What speaks to you the most about Porsche? Their appearance, their reliability and how incredibly rewarding the 911 drives.
- As a child, did you dream of owning a Porsche, and if so how?I grew up with a passion for cars thanks to my father and my brothers. My father owned a small business and we never had extra money for anything other than a family wagon and pickup truck, both functional family vehicles.
It wasn’t until I was in my early 20’s that I started to discover, appreciate and lust after sports cars like the Porsche 911 Turbo. It soon became my mission to work hard and save money while dreaming about owning a 911 one day. I never dreamed of owning 9 Porsches at once in my lifetime, but here I am following my original 911 ownership dream to it’s fullest.
- What inspired you to pursue your dreams?As a kid growing up, I wanted to own some nice toys, and I wasn’t given any money or allowance, so I worked hard to be able to buy what I want without owing or asking anyone for money to pursue my dreams and afford the lifestyle and toys that I wanted.
- What’s one piece of advice you would share with other dreamers out there?Work hard and follow your dreams, don't ever give up, you can't give up, even when you feel you have nothing left to give and you feel defeated. There is no substitute for hard work, if there were everyone would have everything.
During your toughest moments pursuing your dreams, you will truly find out what you’re made of, the universe is testing you to see if you truly want to achieve the dreams you set out to achieve. You will get through all the tough times if you hold on and always focus on your dreams and goals. Life is an uphill daily battle, but you will gain confidence and momentum over the years, and you will eventually succeed! If I can do it, you can do it!
- How have you overcome obstacles along the way to achieving your dreams?I never accepted no for an answer as I grew a successful transport business over the last 40 years. I worked very hard, stayed true to myself and ran an honest business during some of the toughest years in the trucking business.
I overcame many obstacles every year in operation, but I was always able to find creative solutions during unfortunate situations and happy middle grounds with the toughest negotiators. Regardless of a situation or negotiation that wasn’t in my short-term favour, I knew my business and my industry well enough that if I could secure a new client, I would be able to keep them long term and ensuring financially favourable terms.
I always kept pushing myself towards achieving each small goal along the way, always keeping the big long-term goal in mind as I built my business on my name and my word.
- How do you stay motivated and focused on your dreams and goals?Well now, I am always just wanting for my next Porsche allocation!
Waiting for future builds to be delivered while driving my current Porsche collection reaffirms my lifelong work ethic and motivates me to continue onward into the next chapter, in work, life and my Porsche journey.
- What do you enjoy the most about your car(s)?
Driving them. They are all unique and different, yet all very Porsche.
Collecting them. They are personal trophies for major business goals I have achieved. Admiring them. Just look at them. They are timeless marvels of engineering & art.
- Why is your Porsche(s) special to you?Each one of my Porsches are unique, they represent a culmination of 40 years of hard work and determination. I absolutely love getting into each one, starting them up, driving them, parking them, sharing them with family and friends. It’s honestly a very rewarding yet different experience every time I get behind the wheel of each one. I am very grateful to be able to enjoy each one after pursuing my dreams for 40 years and now having the ability to collect various Porsches.
- Is there anything that is unique about your Porsche(s)?My Porsche 911 GT3 Touring in Paint-To-Sample Ultraviolet was the first Porsche I bought brand new and was able to fully spec the entire build. This is a special and unique Porsche to me given how long I’ve had to wait for my first GT3 allocation!
- Out of all of the Porsche models you’ve owned, what is the one that stands out the most?They are like children, you can't love one more than the other, they are all loved for different reasons and their individual uniqueness.
These two technically stand out the most right now because of what they represent in my Porsche ownership journey. My first Porsche and my very first customized Porsche.
My new and first Porsche 911 GT3 Touring in PTS Ultraviolet that I fully spec’d.
My pre-owned Porsche 911 GT3 in Signal Green was the first Porsche I bought.
- In a few words what emotion(s) does your car evoke in you?Joy, Happiness, Fulfilment, Freedom, Pleasure.
- Is there a Porsche model in history that is on your bucket-list to drive or own?I’d love to add a Porsche 911 Speedster to the collection and my all-time bucket list to drive (and hopefully own) would be an iconic Guards Red 356 Porsche Speedster.