Customer Story: Tim Carlson, on car collecting and Volvo racing!

We had the chance to chat with Tim Carlson, a long-time car guy who owns both a Porsche Carrera and a Volvo Polestar and has been a customer of ours for 15 years. We asked him how he became such a fan of cars, as well as a collector who, at age 84, also races his Volvo at several Northern California tracks!

Tim says, "My father had an independent garage in Berkeley, and so I place more weight on using an honest, seasoned, independent garage. During high school, I worked part time in my dad’s garage and fell in love with cars while working on them and building a hot rod together with my dad.  However, I concluded that I didn’t have the aptitude to do the hard work, the wrenching and such, and so I decided to pursue college and become a CPA, and leave it to skilled mechanics whom I could trust to do a good job.  Looking back, that was a good decision, since I've continued my deep interest in and love of cars, although I don’t have the space, experience, or aptitude to work on them. So, I go to IVP. They truly know what they’re doing, the  mechanics are very skilled and experienced, and they really appreciate the opportunity to repair and maintain fine, special interest cars. We indeed have a fulfilling relationship based on trust."

So what does your car collection consist of?

"Currently I  own a

- 2017 Volvo V60 Polestar, Volvo’s highest performance model.

- 1992 Porsche Carrera 2 Cabriolet (it has no roll bar, so I don’t risk racing it).

- 1964 Ford Falcon (Baby) Ranchero “muscle truck”, which I drive to local car events.

- 1933 Ford 2-door sedan, which is a period-correct (circa early 50’s) street rod, which I also take to local car shows.

That's an eclectic collection! Tell us about your racing activities and your other hobbies.

"Yes, all my cars are different from one another. My Volvo is my daily driver, and the others are special, for fun use. I race the Volvo myself, not competitively, but I enjoy racing for fun and safely in car clubs, which occasionally rent the racetracks at Sonoma, Laguna Seca, and Thunder Hill, where we have opportunities to put our high performance cars through their paces in a legal, safe environment. Also, I enjoy attending historic and other sponsored car racing events.

I am somewhat of an exercise fanatic (in the gym or walking 5-6 days/week). Also, I have a deep love for music. I sing in several community/church chorales, and I perform volunteer work for the California Symphony and Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church – but, obviously, one of my primary passions is cars!"