Family matters

The Schneider family has a special relationship with Porsche: Betty Schneider has made a career in racing, son Julian has become a Porsche mechanic, daughter Isabelle is enthusiastic about historic rallies. The Schneiders' pride and joy: the green Porsche dragon "Little Kevin".

“Mama” was Julian’s first word. So far, so normal. But then his childhood took a different turn. Porsche was — and still is — the guiding principle of his life. The moment someone mentions the Zuffenhausen-based brand to the trained Porsche mechanic, the tall figure lights up. It’s no surprise that the iconic number “911” is tattooed on his upper right arm. Porsche is his life.

Julian Schneider is Betty Schneider’s youngest son, and anyone who meets Betty immediately understands why Julian turned out the way he did. Betty adores driving Porsche cars, has a love for speed, and has lived a life not far removed from that of street racers. This passion has clearly influenced two out of her three children — one daughter and two sons. “Well, two out of three,” she winks. The third, her eldest son Mario, isn’t that different either, but he pursued a career in real estate — just like Betty did for a few years.

The Schneider family is one-of-a-kind — a discovery we made purely by chance. But what kind of family are they? And what about Betty’s husband? “The father of my children hasn’t been with us for quite some time,” Betty says, matter-of-factly. Not just because of what she says, but because of what she leaves unsaid. Being a single mother raising three kids became the Schneider family’s everyday reality.

Betty became a mother very young: “I grew up with my children. You couldn’t wish for anything better. It wasn’t always easy, but it was exactly right.”

Nothing in life is easy – for example, becoming a racing driver

Strictly speaking, nothing in life is easy. Take becoming a racing driver, for example. At just four years old, Betty Schneider sat on her father’s lap at the steering wheel of a BMW 2002 and announced with conviction that she intended to do exactly that. What a cutie! Everyone laughed. No one believed it would happen.

Then, at six or seven years old, she saw her very first Porsche 911 drive past the schoolyard of her elementary school, and in that moment, she knew: “One day, I will drive one of those.” From then on, everything was clear — at least to her.

Those around her were sometimes confused, even irritated, by the teenage girl who spoke so confidently and passionately about automotive technology. A young female petrolhead wasn’t something they saw every day. But Betty knew exactly what she wanted — and she never looked back.

Little Kevin roars out about 250 horsepower. But, as Betty Schneider puts it: “More is always possible.”

After school, Betty Schneider took an apprenticeship at VAG Knebel, a Volkswagen/Audi dealership in Siegen, Germany. There, as part of the Motorsport Knebel team, Betty got a taste of the racing atmosphere. She first drove the Nordschleife in a Corrado G60; learned from Jürgen Alzen; drove a Suzuki Swift at the VLN Endurance Championship, followed by a Lotus Elise Cup for Auto Becker Düsseldorf. More positions followed – until she changed sides in 2003 and became a Team Leader.

Julian was about 13 years old by this point and disassembling his first engines. He quickly learned how to put them back together and even how to get a motor running again. Betty was responsible for three to four cars, made arrangements, met many people and had a lot of fun – but three kids (Isabelle, Mario, and Julian) and the stress of the racing track motivated her to find a quieter course in 2006. Since then, she has worked in the real estate business and is in great demand as a guide at motorsport events, where she takes groups of VIP visitors on behalf of large companies into the pit lanes to meet and greet the teams, drivers, and mechanics. But she still dreams about racing.

If you come across a really good 911 along the way…

In the meantime, Julian began his career of tinkering at Porsche and received a clear instruction from his mother, Betty Schneider:
“If you come across a really good 911 along the way, think of me.”

And when he called in 2013 talking about a 1978 911 – a reimport from California, repainted black, with no interior fittings, no roof – sliding or otherwise – an original SC with just a few miles on the clock and a solid body – Betty knew: Julian had found her dream car.

An old, run-down car from the US as a dream car? Of course! After all, the Schneider family plan was to build a rally car. It needed to be light, so no sliding roof was actually a bonus. The interior fittings weren’t necessary either. A steel cage made by Stein in Dortmund and racing seats would be brought in—along with some extra-lightweight carpeting and as little equipment as possible.

Within a year, Julian conjured up the exact Porsche his mother, Betty, had always dreamed of. Visually, you’d think you were looking at a 2.7 Carrera. The engine flap, for example, is an original from that model.

But under the slimline body, a 3.0-liter engine—tuned and enhanced by Julian’s skill—is hard at work. The engine ticks over smoothly at 6,500 rpm and delivers even more power via its sintered metal clutch than a standard 911 transmission. Julian still has plans for improvement: the fifth gear needs to be longer, and he wants to fit front brakes from a 964. That would pair perfectly with the 7 x 16-inch Fuchs rims and front wings, especially since something on the front left tends to scrape.

But things are different now—thanks to a Facebook competition by Bilstein and Porsche Klassik, Betty’s “Little Kevin” now boasts a perfectly tuned suspension. The full story is featured in the Porsche Klassik special edition, “1 Million Porsche 911,” with a summary on the right.

A family of racing enthusiasts

So this was how we got to know Betty and decided we had to share the story of this incredible family of racing enthusiasts. With her daughter Isabelle, or her friend Zuzanna, Betty has already earned several trophies in historic rallies.

New momentum on every curve

Betty Schneider had never won anything — until the Bilstein and Porsche Klassik competition came along and changed that. Her beloved Porsche, Little Kevin, received a brand-new, custom-tuned suspension — perfectly tailored to bring out the best in her classic car.

The idea originated at the Bilstein stand during the Techno Classica motor show, sparked by the presence of a black 911 in excellent condition owned by an acquaintance of Bilstein Marketing Manager Florian Hagemann. Conversations followed, and it was decided to organize a Facebook competition, with the winner receiving a Bilstein suspension system, including installation. Porsche Klassik featured the competition in their special edition, “1 Million Porsche 911.”

The response was overwhelming, with numerous Porsche enthusiasts participating through the Porsche Klassik and Bilstein pages. After narrowing the entries to five finalists, each owner was contacted simultaneously — and within minutes, Lea Klein was on the phone.

An appointment was quickly arranged at the Bilstein training centre in Ennepetal. Lea was already familiar with Bilstein, having driven their Sportlich/Straße (“sports/street”) suspension. However, for rally sport, she preferred a firmer setup, as she found the rear axle a bit too soft. The Bilstein experts custom-tuned the new gas suspension and identified the causes of the previous handling issues: an incorrect rear track and a front spring strut lacking lubrication. With these adjustments, “Little Kevin” now handled better than ever before.