In 2005, Porsche released a commercial featuring a young schoolboy who is distracted from his geography lesson when he looks out the window and sees a new 997 passing on the street. When the dismissal bell rings, he races on his bicycle to the local Porsche dealership. The salesman shows him the new car and he ends up sitting in the driver’s seat, barely able to see over the steering wheel. He asks for the salesman’s business card and promises to return in about twenty years. That schoolboy might as well have been Kevin Ehrlich.
Kevin grew up with an interest in cars, scouring magazines long before he could drive. Patient parents helped pave the way to auto shows and short oval tracks around the area of both the paved and dirt varieties. Once armed with wheels, Kevin haunted garages and car dealerships across the Pittsburgh area in the State of Pennsylvania in the United States. Road cars had their allure but somehow the cars with the numbers on the doors, rollcages, and aerodynamic spoilers were always just that bit more interesting.
Throughout the course of his education and a professional career outside of motorsport, Kevin always maintained a close relationship with cars and motorsport. It probably was not a coincidence that housing during graduate school happened to be located two blocks away from the local Ferrari dealership outside of Philadelphia. Standing along the fences ringing race tracks, helping friends in paddocks, collecting posters and die-cast model cars and just watching out for anything interesting on the roads – if nothing else, the smell of petrol and scream of engines provided a constant motivator for continued educational progress and professional growth.
After relocating to Los Angeles in 2004, the natural next step was to acquire a black 1997 Porsche 993 cabriolet with which to enjoy the Southern California car culture. Christened “Katrina,” the cabriolet features the wide rear fender arches of the 993 shape and the glorious engine note that only an air-cooled flat six-cylinder engine makes. The Cabriolet has been the perfect chariot for rides through the mountain roads, up and down the coast and to countless events in the Southern California area since it joined the family.
Fortunately, providence decided along the way that Kevin should not wander race tracks alone. His bride Mary has an inclination towards cars and racing (perhaps not at clinical levels) and has been the perfect co-pilot on their adventures. Together, they have trekked across the globe to the most iconic endurance race tracks, including Le Mans, Daytona, Watkins Glen, Bathurst and Road America among others. They have been regular visitors to the Nürburgring 24 and its very moody weather changes through snow, fog, rain and bright sunshine.
Kevin’s primary passion is endurance racing and its history, with a particular interest in Porsche. However, if it has wheels, an engine and there is competition involved, he’s probably interested and paying attention. Over the years, Kevin has more frequently taken in events armed with camera and laptop on a freelance basis for various online and print publications. And that schoolboy that visited the Porsche dealership? Yes, Kevin did that at his local Porsche dealership and the salesman became a close friend for the next three decades – but is still waiting for Kevin to buy a car from him.
Follow Kevin and contact via Twitter and Instagram at @rennphoto.
