Jörg Bock and his small team at Bock Classic GmbH in the Ruhr area take care of the legendary Zuffenhausen sports cars with expertise and passion. And of course, they rely on quality tools. We looked over their shoulders.
Everything new, but tried and tested
The flat hall in Essen-Kettwig doesn’t look like it was being used for a completely different purpose mere months ago. It is now a bright, tidy workshop with lifting platforms, where a small team of professionals lovingly look after their customers' Porsches.
It’s immediately evident even that the work here isn’t just done with expertise, but also with good customer contact - in the vestibule, drivers can enjoy a good coffee while sitting on comfortable leather barrels and waiting for their "treasure". Because people who drive a Porsche don't do it just to get from A to B. This passion is taken very seriously at Bock Classic.
Multifaceted customer base
It makes no difference to this company whether the customer has used their Porsche as an everyday vehicle since 1974 (i.e. roughly from the introduction of the 911 G model onwards), whether they charge it around race tracks, keep it as an investment or treasure it as a horse-powered rocket to use on weekends. Deputy Managing Director Jörg Bock and his colleague Andre Zimmermann treat each vehicle they are entrusted with as if it were their own.
Bock has been professionally associated with the brand for decades, has completed more than 20 special training courses directly with Porsche in Stuttgart, and has not only been a workshop foreman, but also a service consultant and after-sales manager. Which means he knows all areas of the sports car business and can respond individually to every customer request. He now applies this knowledge in his own company. The new premises are almost finished, with more adjoining rooms being added in the background. Customer traffic is already running at full speed.
The fascination of the brand
Bock, who is supported by his wife Nadine in the bright and friendly office, lives the enthusiasm for the brand every day and also dresses it up in convincing words. He is particularly impressed by the turbo engines and the constant development of the 911, the "classic" Porsche that almost everyone knows. For him, vehicles made by the Porsche brand don’t just embody genuine sportiness, they also embody innovation and technical brilliance while being simultaneously understated.
His customers feel this enthusiasm when they drive their new or classic Porsche into the hall. They afford it a high value, monetarily as well as personally. Trust is very important. In addition to repairs and customisation, Bock Classic also trades in vehicles, assesses their condition, and provides expert opinions. What more could you want?
Quality for tools, too
Of course, KNIPEX isn’t used exclusively in Essen-Kettwig, the tasks to be done in the motor vehicle sector are too diverse for that. But even when opening one of the large workshop trolleys, our various red handles catch the eye. Andre Zimmermann has just tinkered with the rear window heater of a classic 911 Targa, which needs to be rewired. The removed disc waits in the background for its installation, softly supported, while the expert mechanic recuts and crimps the lines.
"When our customers drive in here, they also look at the equipment lying around that we use. Good quality tools round off the impression we give of overall competence and create trust", tells Bock. So Knipex quality is twice as distinguished in the tough everyday routine of the workshop. And anyone who treats customer vehicles as if they were their own obviously depends on reliable quality.
Lots to do - and it's fun
While Zimmermann briefly leaves the lines for the rear window on the partially dismantled Targa to head over to his workbench to fit a new main power line with connections, the boss himself dismantles a complete instrument cluster on another customer’s vehicle. Two flattened Knipex pliers are a great help to him here as well, as the plug connections to be pulled off at the back without damaging the windscreen or scratching the instrument casing.
We can already see that there is a lot to do here, so we quickly pack up the cameras so we don’t get in the way of the competent and friendly team in their daily work. With a last, really delicious coffee, Nadine and Jörg Bock and Andre Zimmermann say goodbye to us and get back to work. All three of them enjoy it every single day, that's clear to see! And that’s not just because of their good quality tools, but also thanks to the bright, clean workplace and the interesting clientele, who have already had a trustworthy point of contact here for many years.
