Check Out Jack Olsen’s Porsche-Centric “12-Gauge Garage”
One man’s obsessive endeavor for the perfect garage workshop
Jack Olsen is one of those special case 'renaissance men' you hear about. He's a do-it-yourselfer of the ultimate degree, taking the concept much farther than anyone ever really needs to. One only needs to look at his garage to understand the full extent of his talents. For years I've personally admired the so-called "12-Gauge Garage" for its simplistic beauty. Being a part of the same vintage aircooled Porsche community, Jack likes to show off his work to like-minded folks. I haven't got his talents, but that doesn't mean I can't aspire to them.
Jack's early 1970s Porsche is well documented as one of the coolest cars of its kind. Not only does he drive the thing on a regular basis, but he's obsessed with getting it to ever-lower lap times at Willow Springs. He's built and developed his own modular aerodynamics kit for the car, including a giant detachable rear wing, and a lower diffuser that you can see for a flash in this very video. It's an incredibly cool variation on a traditional Porsche motorsport theme, and its impossible to not fall in love with the black paint, especially when it's sitting in this clean olive-green garage.
With a shop like this, I imagine you're asked a lot of questions by a lot of people. "Hey Jack, how much did it cost you to build your garage?" or "Hey Jack, how many benches do you have in that little two-car garage anyway?" or "Where did you get all of the materials to build your garage?". The great thing about producing a short video like this is that Jack now has a catch-all answer for any question anyone would have. They ask the question, he can just forward them a link to this video, and their questions are all answered.
So, how many of you feel a strange pull to go reorganize your garage right now?
