Our Story

WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN?

Friends Green Porsche’s owner and founder, Luke, gained an obsession for anything motorised and with four wheels from a very early age through racing, and his obsession with the Porsche brand is deeply rooted inside him.

THE RACING BACK-GROUND

At five years old, Luke’s grandfather built him and his brother a motorised go-kart to race around his farm, which very quickly unearthed a competitiveness in the brothers that would grow for years to come. Over the course of the next fifteen years, the racing of farm-going go-karts would progress to novice race track-going go-karts, and then to the brothers racing almost every weekend at national racing circuits in competitive racing series’.

Luke’s passion and fascination for racing wasn’t exclusive to the driving, but also included the mechanical workings of the racing karts. Competing as “privateers”, Luke’s grandfather taught him and his brother how to carry out all of the mechanical work on the racing karts, including building the engines from scratch. At the ages of 14 and 17, the brothers began a business building racing engines, which Luke’s brother still runs to this day.

THE PORSCHE OBSESSION

The Porsche brand is engrained into Luke’s brain, having been surrounded by Porsches owned by his father when he was a child. Growing up, it was always a 911 on the poster of his bedroom’s wall and a Porsche shield on the bonnet of his favourite scalextrics car. At 20 years old, while away from home at university, Luke accumulated enough money via the go-kart engine business to achieve his dream of buying his first Porsche 911; a 996 Carrera.

HOW DID FRIENDS GREEN PORSCHE BECOME?

By the age of 21, Luke had owned an array of sports and classic cars; changing to the next on his wish list every few months. Through meticulous research, endless scouring of the markets, and careful inspection upon viewing, he always acquired the best examples, and as such, unusually, didn’t lose any money in the process. It was at this point that he realised he had the passion and knowledge to pursue this as a business, and so it was; Friends Green Porsche was born.

THE GROWTH OF FRIENDS GREEN PORSCHE

Friends Green Porsche was formed by Luke in 2015 while he was midway through university. Starting out with a stock of one Porsche 996 and operating only on weekends, by the time Luke graduated from his law degree, FGP had five Porsches to its name and had sold over thirty examples. Since then, FGP has grown year-on-year, accumulating more stock and becoming more recognised in the Porsche community. In 2018, the build of a new premises began, which would accommodate for a greater quantity of cars and for the growth of the business in general. At the beginning of 2020, the build was completed and Friends Green Porsche moved in. For the first time, FGP would have its own in-house work shop, where all of the work carried out on its sales cars could and would be completed. It was also at this point that the man-power behind FGP would become more than one for the first time, when a full-time technician and a car detailer were brought in.

FRIENDS GREEN PORSCHE TODAY

FGP has a greater quantity of stock than ever before and the in-house workshop is growing, now offering its services to the general public, as well carrying out work to the sales cars. FGP deems itself to be the UK’s leading 996 and 997 specialists, made up from a team of passionate enthusiasts who take pride in providing cars and a service of an exceptional standard. Luke operates the day-to-day running of the business, while Ollie leads the way as head technician, alongside Jack in the workshop, and a full-time detailer ensures that every sales car is expertly presented.

THE TEAM

LUKE PAPWORTH

Owner & Head of Business

Key attributes: Obsessive eye for detail & workaholic.
Hobbies and interests: Motorsport, football & building projects.
Duration in profession: 7 years.

OLLIE BENNET

Workshop Manager & Head Technician

Key attributes: Meticulous organisation & impeccable problem solving.
Hobbies and interests: BMXing & the gym.
Duration in profession: 9 years.

JACK CLARK

Technician

Key attributes: Mr IMS.
Hobbies and interests: Football & socialising with friends.
Duration in profession: 8 years.

SERHAT KARAKUS

Detailer and Workshop Assistant

Key attributes: Perfectionism & excellent customer care.
Hobbies and interests: Electronics & swimming.
Duration in profession: 6 months.