Betim Berisha is the founder and CEO of California baed, bespoke Porsche tuner BBI Autosport © Justin Fedoruk
“Racing has and always will be both a creative and competitive outlet for me.”
How did your passion for automobile and motorsport begin?
(Betim Berisha, Founder and CEO at BBI Autosport)To be honest, I don’t know. My love for cars has just always been there, even before my earliest memories. But I can tell you the exact moment I fell in love with Porsche. I was 8 years old living in Bellevue, Washington playing in the front yard with my cousin, when we thought we saw a Porsche 959 drive by. My cousin and I ran to his room where we had posters of the car, and sure enough, it was in fact a 959, and not just any 959, but the first (grey market) 959 on American soil. I later found out that the car belonged to Bill Gates. Fast forward to last August. I was in Monterey, CA when a 959 pulled up and parked next to me. I struck up a conversation with the man and told him the story and how special the car was to me. He casually said “This is that exact car you saw 34 years ago…the exact one.” Immediately I had goosebumps all over, maybe a small tear.
Please walk through what BBi Autosport specialises in?
(BB) BBI was founded on the principle of tuning the Porsche platform while utilising the latest design technologies and manufacturing practices. Our company comprises of 4 primary verticals: 1. Projects and racing. 2. In-house engine building. 3. Parts manufacturing and sales. 4. Consulting and engineering. This allows us to take on lofty tasks with innovation and agility.
“We like to focus on tailoring the suite to the client or task at hand. Like Tom Ford or Brioni.”
What types of cars are you building at BBI?
(BB) We like to focus on tailoring the suite (so to speak) to the client or task at hand. Like Tom Ford or Brioni, Porsche makes an amazing car. However, like everything, we need to tailor that suit for that perfect fit for the client or event. For example, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb requires a very narrowly focused build to be successful. While if you wanted to perform well on a circuit like SPA or FUJI, you would have to change the cut of the suit for the occasion.
“A Porsche is an understated supercar that you can daily drive. With the proper modifications, one could compete at Lemans, NORA 1000, the Dakar, hill climbs, rallies, club races, or off-road, all while utilising the Porsche 911 platform.”
What is so special about working with Porsche?
(BB) Simple. A Porsche is an understated supercar that you can daily drive. With the proper modifications, one could compete at Lemans, NORA 1000, the Dakar, hill climbs, rallies, club races, or off-road, all while utilising the Porsche 911 platform. They are wildly robust.
“The Hoonipigasus. It’s very loosely based on a 1966 911…VERY loosely. It’s a tube frame, carbon fibre-bodied, AWD, mid-engine, 1400hp twin-turbo, sequentially shifted hill climber.”
