Ocala, Florida is well known as the horse capital of the world, with over 1,200 horse farms in total and about 900 thoroughbred farms totaling some 77,000 acres. This sounds like the last place you’d find two sexy sports cars coming together for a photoshoot. Well folks, I made it happen! I had the opportunity to shoot Doc’s Porsche 997 Carrera S and his brother Greg’s Pontiac GTO which was converted into a Holden Monaro. The location was an abandoned barn on a 120 acre horse farm. In my opinion we couldn’t have set this up at a better spot. As soon as I saw this barn, I fell in love.
Just like Dave and his Acura NSX-T I shot in Tampa, Florida two weeks ago, I met Doc through an online message board. We exchanged a few private messages and eventually a phone call, and set up the shoot for a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Ocala. I hit the highway with my gear and headed South. I met Doc at his house and then followed him to his brothers’ house, where Greg showed us the location I’d be shooting at, just to make sure I liked it. Up first was Doc’s 997. This particular car is the Launch Edition of the 997 Carrera S. It’s slightly lighter (3131 lbs) than the cars after it, has the PCCB package, which is Porsche’s epic Ceramic Composite Brake system, and has a new set of absolutely gorgeous wheels. A real looker.
When I was done with Doc’s Porsche in front of the barn it was time for Greg’s GTO to take the floor. The Holden Monaro, which never officially hit U.S. soil, is the evil twin of America’s Pontiac GTO. Think of it as Chevy and GMC. Basically the same cars with slightly different appearances. Well, that’s the easy way to look at it. Greg converted his Barbados Blue Metallic GTO into a Holden, and didn’t stop with the exterior. His car is currently running in the low 11-second range at the drag strip with nitrous oxide supplying some additional power. The car sounds epic. The combination of the paint, wheels, body conversion, and motor modifications have given the car a new personality. I could photograph that car all day.
After I shot the cars individually I put them together for some combo shots, then took them out back for some shots with the beautiful scenery in the background. I loved shooting these cars at a location that you wouldn’t normally see them in. The green pasture behind the barn was breathtaking. It’s almost hard to believe that something so colorful and full of life was right behind a dirty old barn.
I’d like to thank Doc and Greg for taking the time out of their Sunday and meeting up with me. Thank you very much, both of you. It was a pleasure to meet you guys, have some laughs, and photograph your beautiful cars. I’m looking forward to coming out to Gainesville Raceway when you run the cars up in my neck of the woods. You can expect more photos to go along with these.
Please enjoy the images and be sure to check out my Flickr page for the full high-resolution gallery: 997 Carrera S and GTO.
Photos © Peter Tromboni and My Daily Drive 2010
