The Argentine carmaker who can order the Porsche from "Top Gun" – 26/01/2019

There is a lot of movement in the Benavídez workshop. Five pairs of hands work tirelessly on 14 cars that are taking shape. There are other people coming and going after a punctual job. And the order is Hernán Jiménez Rocasalvo (40)who, five years ago, did not imagine everything that was happening to him.

"At 20, I got a car and wanted to start marketing, but I was still very young, I was able to come back to this idea five years ago and it worked out as well. "says who he makes replicas of cars that have made history.

The first lessons were obtained after working in a shipyard with his father. The materials were similar, so I had a good base to start. "Although I've always loved cars, I've learned with practice, we're sharpening the eye, you look at them differently." That means we do not choose ostentatious cars, but models that have a history, "explains who is specialized in replicas of the Porsche 356, Porsche 550 Spyder, Shelby Cobra and Lotus Seven.

When making a new order, the processes vary according to the customers. "It's very personal, each interested person approaches a type and a style of work and also adapts it according to their economic possibilities.We deal a lot with photos, they tell you that they want the inside as such and the outside of this other, and you have their references to work with tranquility.At least, it takes nine months, so on the road, things change and we choose others.It adds: "We now have a significant demand, duplicate what we can do on time, and we take 14 to 16 months. Fortunately, customers understand. "

We know that some of the predetermined models he works with have been used by celebrities or seen in movies. For example, the Porsche 550 was the car in which James Dean died. And the Porsche 356 is a formidable symbol of "Top Gun". "I chose them because it's almost impossible to get the originals, they're from the 50s and 60s, which have huge stories, only 80 units were made from the Porsche 550 and there's still a lot The "Cobra" is the most replicated in the world, they are winners. "Replica prices range from 25,000 USD to 60,000 USD.

Although it may seem otherwise, Tigre's neighbor ensures that replicas generally work better than originals. "I'm trying not to get too far from the model, buy spare parts or use used cars as a donor. Finished work is like any conventional car but almost always has better performance, such as braking or power. We delivered them on foot but 10 days before, we tried them to make sure they had no problem. "

The days of Benavídez manufacturers are divided between those who spend 9 hours inside the workshop and those who look for spare parts, discuss with customers or visit suppliers. "I am very new to the business and I do not come from a family that did it." Fortunately, word of mouth and good references make us a lot of work ", says who He has worked for clients from other provinces and for Brazil, Chile and Ecuador..

While the "Toy store for adults" it works without rest, Hernán allows himself to advance the following. "I'm still thinking of a new model to do."