This week we're heading to Marina Del Rey, California, where DRIVESHARE owner Khaled Mounir shares the story behind three of the most extraordinary cars on the platform: a 1981 Renault 5 Turbo, a 1988 Saab 900 SPG, and a 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo.
How did your passion for cars begin?
Before I even understood what a car was, I was holding one. My older brother received a toy car, but it quickly became mine. From there I became completely obsessed — saving from my weekly allowance to buy Majorette die-cast models, modifying them with cardboard so they could fly, turn into boats, or launch superheroes into the air.
Growing up in Alexandria, Egypt in the seventies and eighties, my exposure to real performance cars was almost nonexistent. But there was a dark blue Renault 5 Turbo parked in my grandmother's neighborhood that I used to go looking for just to stare at. I never once saw the owner. The car was just always there.
How did you come to own these three cars?
Each one took years. The Saab came first — I spotted it from the Williamsburg Bridge in New York, tracked down the owner, and bought it a couple of weeks later.
The Porsche took two years of searching across fifty saved listings before the right one appeared: a 2012 997.2 Turbo with a manual gearbox, white exterior and red interior.
The Renault was the longest dream of all. I searched the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe. I won it at auction on what felt like my last quarter.
Nearly a year later, it arrived in California on an enclosed transporter. I watched it roll down from the upper deck of the truck and tried to process the fact that a car I had dreamed about since childhood was finally mine.
What makes turbocharged cars special to you?
There is something rewarding about making big power from a small displacement engine. But beyond the performance, turbocharging involves a whole system working in harmony.
You pay attention to gauges, temperatures, sounds and feedback. Each turbocharged car has its own personality, and that variation is part of what makes them so engaging.
What does sharing these cars through DRIVESHARE mean to you?
Three groups tend to find these cars through the platform. People who always admired them from a distance. People who had one, sold it, and regret it. And people who always wanted to know what it actually felt like to be in one.
These are cars most people will never have the opportunity to own. If I can give someone the chance to experience one, learn about it, and create a memory — that is something I enjoy being part of.
Thank you, Khaled, for sharing your story and being part of the DRIVESHARE community. You can explore Khaled's collection on DRIVESHARE, where the Renault 5 Turbo, Saab 900 SPG, and Porsche 911 Turbo are all available to experience in Marina Del Rey, California.
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