Pelican Parts Forums - Article Published Years Ago...

I came across this recently while purging some notes. It was an article I wrote years ago when I was the editor for our local PCA rag...

Quote:

Porsche owners typically have a unique outlook on life. Often, they are people who demonstrate both performance and passion, achieving high levels of excellence through their unique outlook, internal motivation, life experiences and personal philosophy all relating to Porsche and Porsche ownership.
Enoch Dorman was born in Schleswig Germany in 1935. His family soon moved to Belgium and then to Spain where Enoch took up the family tradition of Blacksmith when he was merely 10 years old. Enoch and his 8 brothers and sisters were home schooled by there father, who was a Lutheran minister and Blacksmith and his mother who was a pianist and a pastry chef. At the age of 15, Enoch had mastered 8 languages and showed great promise in mathematics and ballroom dance but stayed his course as a Blacksmith. Soon the Blacksmith trade became obsolete and Enoch began working for a small tool and die shop as a machinist and lathe operator. In 1954, with hands the size of baseball mitts and a heart too match, he married the then famous Spanish Fan Dancer Katrina Maria Montanez (who was 4 years his senior) and began his own family. Enoch (known as Knocky) and Katrina (known as Kat Kat) had nine children, six boys, three girls. They lived in the south of Spain until 1963.

In 1963, the Dorman’s moved to Stuttgart Germany where Knocky began working for Porsche as a machinist. He quickly impressed his supervisors and rose through the ranks. Soon Knocky found his way into the mechanical design team where he focused his efforts on the various fastening systems – namely bolts and screws.

MH: Knocky, you have been designing fasteners (screws) for Porsche for over forty years. Was there ever a time when you thought that Porsche would outsource and you would be without a job?

ED: You must understand, the screw, it is very important to Porsche car. It is what keeps the car going. The driver thinks the engine and gears and wheels keep the Porsche car going, no it is the screw. Porsche Car recognize the importance and would never have anyone else design their screws. They would never let anyone make other important items. Without true good screw, the Porsche car is nothing more than Volkswagen or Audi!

MH: You really have a passion for what you do.

ED: I am passionate about the screw, it is my destiny. I knew for before I work for Porsche car that I would someday work on the screw. It was always something I wanted. I have been able to raise my children because of it. I owe my life to the screw and my children are also because of it.

MH: What would you say is you biggest challenge today?

ED: Glue. Many companies glue. I hate glue. It is made from dead horses and goats. Have you ever smelled a dead goat? Is that something that is worthy for Porsche Car? No, it is not. I want to take all glue and bury it with the rest of the dead horses and dead goats.

MH: Well, I never thought of it like that. Then how do you feel about welding?

ED: Welding is fine for chassis and much other things in Porsche Car. There is things you can not weld. Things that must be screwed.

MH: Rivets?

ED: That is lazy man way. American car companies rivet. That is why they are no good. No good screw in American Car.

MH: And the Japanese cars?

ED: Please young man, you are just being silly boy now. They use clips! (Enoch erupts into a feverish laugh that is contagious. We laughed for many minutes over the thought of this and other things.)

MH: Oh, what was I thinking? Anyway, what was your biggest challenge?

ED: If you think screw is a challenge, it is difficult, if you think screw is easy it is easy. It is all how you look at it. It is all in your head then it moves to your hands. Then you make it. It is easy.

MH: You told me that you have a Porsche. Which model?

ED: We have 65 911 Coupe, a 1994 928 that is Kat Kat’s baby and 2003 Boxter which my grandchildren fight over. I drive the Coupe everyday. It is not as quite as the Boxter but …

MH: ..it has better screws?

ED: Your funny boy! The Coupe was built by my friends and me. I saw that car when it was just heaps of metal and watched while it was given soul. I helped build it. Back then we could do certain changes so we did. We used certain materials and adjusted and put things into the car that wasn’t in other cars. Sometimes we would change design if we needed to make the car better. We did the right things because that car is still on the road and I still drive it.

MH: Your seventy years old. Are you going to retire anytime soon?

ED: I have now done my share, I should leave the screws to the younger men to trouble over. I will wish to retire this year. Kat Kat and me spend our days in Miami with a daughter and her family and Dallas with sons and their family and fly back to Germany and Spain to visit other children and grandchildren. It is now time to rest and enjoy.

MH: Good luck Knocky and I will never look at a Porsche screw the same again!