Page 44 - Panama City Living July-August 2019
P. 44

   JJOSHUA SCHWINN DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A LIFELONG CAR GUY. AS ODD AS THIS MIGHT SOUND FOR SOMEONE WHO IS ONLY 25 YEARS OLD, IT IS JUSTIFIED WHEN CONSIDERING THAT JOSH BOUGHT HIS FIRST CAR AT THE AGE OF 12.
Proudly self-taught and with much help from his dad, Joshua has so far saved three cars from ending up in the junkyard. His current daily driver, a 1973 Porsche 911 T, had languished in a musty garage in pieces for decades.
But Josh had a vision and the determination to drive it down the road. He made up with hard work and much love what his budget would not allow and the Porsche made it back to the road after six months of work. And more importantly, its owner loves it and gives it the TLC fit for a classic car.
While so many of his peers spend more time in front of computer screens in arguably less productive ways, Josh’s efforts pay off educationally and he has the car of his dreams to drive.
Admittedly, vintage Porsche purists may cringe at the smorgasbord of parts and non-original modifications of this Porsche. But no one can deny that it looks sharp, and for Joshua, the end result justifies the means. This car escaped its certain demise thanks to its proud and dedicated new owner. Joshua, who spends a good part of his time in his garage, is a part-time student at Gulf Coast State College. We wanted to know more about the long road from project car to road-worthy attention-grabber, and he sat down with us to share the story.
Not many people buy their first car at 12. How did that come about?
As a young kid I spent a great deal of my time in my dad’s custom car and motorcycle shop. He encouraged me to get my hands dirty, giving me little tasks, showing me what to do, and letting me learn by trial and error. I loved everything about the mechanical side of cars! When I came across a 1969 Chevy Nova, I just had to have it. To earn money to buy it, I went door-to-door in our neighborhood pressure-washing driveways for the longest time. I finally brought the car home and began tinkering with it. It was a perfect project for a young kid.
You describe yourself as “self-taught.” How so?
My experience has been all hands-on, trial and error. There are unlimited sources online for research and “how-to” videos. Honestly, there is no reason that anyone couldn’t do this, too. Someone has already done it and is willing to share how to do it. And my dad has taught me so much, too. Digging into a mechanical project is such a great way to learn.
 44 • July–August 2019 • www.PanamaCityLiving.com

























































































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