We met Christopher Ansted-Boyland and his wife Katie at the Franklin Barbecue private dinner in June 2017. Over dinner, we discussed many topics including his 1989 944 Turbo and their ongoing search for a late model Cayman. Ansted-Boyland spoke with us recently about his 944 and interest in Porsche cars.
Horizons: When did you join PCA Hill Country Region?
CB: Early 2000’s
Horizons: How and when did you acquire your 944 Turbo?
CB: I acquired it from my parents. My father purchased the car new from Porsche in Princeton, New Jersey, where I lived from 5th grade through graduating high school. He passed the car on to me 2 years ago as it had been sitting for a number of years.
Horizons: What makes your car unique?
CB: The color, Linen Metallic, and that 1989 was the last production year for the Turbo in the U.S. The car is full of amazing memories beginning with picking it up at the dealership to watching it roll off the car carrier, to finally running the way she should, flatout at Circuit of the Americas.
Horizons: What is your favorite thing about your car?
CB: Analog, no computer to guide my driving or provide synthetic experience, great acoustics, wonderful handling, balance with the engine up front and the transmission in the rear. Beautiful, timeless, and unique body styling. I completely forget where I stop and she begins.
Horizons: Tell us about a notable drive or road trip?
CB: Our friend David invited us to HCRPCA Driving Tour No. 5. We spent a fantastic day flowing through beautiful countryside on amazing roads, in amazing company, and wrapped up with lunch and beers! HCR puts on fantastic driving tours.
Horizons: What makes this car special to you?
CB: Its history from my childhood and family – and its performance and drivability. The smile which becomes plastered across my face while up/down shifting and throttle steering through sequences of corners, regardless of speed. It’s all fun!
Horizons: Has your car had any restoration?
CB: Yes, she is about 65% through restoration. Next up is to refresh the clutch and turbo as well as have the car painted, and address the infamous Porsche dashboard cracks. I am hopeful of finding a local company in Austin who can provide a fix to the dash cracks so I don’t have to pull the whole dash out.
Horizons: Have you done any modifications?
CB: Rebuilt the suspension to modernized M030 coil-overs and corner balanced – considering an upgraded turbo.
Horizons: How did you become interested in Porsche?
CB: I was age 11 and my parents brought me along on a trip from Stuttgart Germany to Italy in the family’s first Porsche, a red 1983 944. My father purchased the car in Germany where he worked for a few months every summer. This was my first ever trip to Europe, and on a plane – it was a Pan Am! My parents blew my mind by taking me along for their weekend holiday to Italy.
I enjoyed the Autobahn, and being an automobile enthusiast, spent many hours staring at the countryside of Germany, Austria and Italy. I clamored constantly about all the different automobile makes, models, colors and horsepower. Then, as my father was teaching me about driving etiquette and I gazed out the rear 944 canopy, my own visual experience lab, I spotted a distant triple headlight flash. After relaying this information to my father, he swiftly pulled over a lane and within seconds we were overtaken by a white Lamborghini Countach, the exhaust howling, the car flying! My breath caught as I watched the taillights vanish quickly into the distance.
Dad began to explain that when faster cars pass slower ones, the slower car seems to be standing still – and that you always need to be vigilant, smooth and relaxed. I prattled for the next few hours how about amazing our trip was, tossing out dozens of questions to my parents, and eventually fell asleep.
The adventure continued once we climbed through the Alps. I awoke as we neared the summit, and became captivated with the view as we stopped for a leg stretch and photos. Hours melted together and I had never been happier as a child. I knew on that drive that I would one day own this car, or one like it.

We arrived at the coast for transport to one of the Aolean Islands – and drove onto a large ferry which turned out to be a hydrofoil! After arriving on the island, we drove up to the same white Lamborghini Countach – I had memorized the license plate, hopeful of seeing it again. I walked around the car and crawled on my hands and knees as I compared it to ours. This is one of my most cherished and powerful childhood memories, cementing Porsche as an icon in my life.
Horizons: What do you love most about Porsche cars?
CB: My childhood experience, the cockpit, the sound, the feeling. My father and mother who had matching 944 Turbos, I snuck the keys a few times but more often were given them. They are uniquely timeless, elegant, stylish, and reliable if maintained.
Horizons: Do you own others?
CB: A 1987 944 Turbo and 2014 Cayman we bought for my wife Katie. I previously owned a 1992 Carrera 4 that was submerged in a flood in Florida.
Horizons: Which was your first?
CB: The red 1987 944 Turbo, very Sixteen Candles.
Horizons: Which is your favorite of the Porsches you’ve owned?
CB: The 1992 Carrera 4. The first drive on the lot and onto the highway entry ramp was surreal with all 4 corners gripping and pulling through the turn. It locked me into all-wheel drive.

Horizons: What is your dream Porsche to own?
CB: Cayman GT4 or GT3RS
Horizons: Do you participate in autocross, DE events, club racing or track days?
CB: Yes, absolutely. DriveWay Austin, Schnell Fest, some others as schedule permits.
Horizons: What is your favorite PCA related memory?
CB: The 2005 Laguna Seca HPDE. The feeling of community, comradery, support, and the amazing people. We slept in a tent surrounded by beautiful cars, and an orchestra of rumbling exhaust, boost blow-off and screeching tires.
Interview & Photos by Jonathan Haggar from Horizons Winter 2018