Orange Motors was the Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar, and Volvo Dealer on 36th St. near I-95 in the 60’s and 70’s! I worked there in the early 70’s and know quite a bit about it’s history, if anyone wants to pick my brain!
I am 72 years old. My Grandfather was in the used car business on NW 36 st in Miami. r01 NW 36 st to be exact. Across the street was Orange Motors owned by Joe DeMaria. I would go over there as a kid all the time. Got to know Joe SR and Joe JR. When I95 came through these locations were torn down to make way for the new freeway conimg down through Miami. My Grandfather moved to 2925 NW 36 st and Joe moved to Bird road. Joe either retired or passed away and the name Orange Motors was changed to DeMaria Porsche Audi. I knew the service righter there. he is Butch Stokes. My very first new car was a 1974 Porsche 911S from Butch. It was Joe jr’s demo car. Joe DeMaria is still alive. He ownes a company in Miami named Truck Max. You can call there and talk to him if you like. he will probably tell you he is old and can’t remember anything but if you tell him you bought a 911 with that Orange Motors plate he will likely tell you that you have something. He is a nice guy. DeMaris is now
I remember Butch Stokes when he had his Porsche shop in Hallandale near Pembroke Road and I-95 during the 1980s. Use to have my Porsches serviced there.
Hi, Paul! Butch used to do the safety checks on my 911s for driver ed days, but all service was done by Hans Mandt on Ravenswood Road. Hans was Michael Keyser’s and Peter Gregg’s engine builder. He was a genius and a very sweet guy. If you’re a Porsche guy his parts shed was like Christmas!
Hello Jack!! Hope all is well with you and our special classic lady. I do remember Hans who I was introduced to by Butch's service manager (Mike Ianero (sp?). If I remember correctly, Han's wife was the task master who ran the shop and kept him focused on the business. Going back to Butch, Tim Stanford told me he saw Butch a couple years ago driving a 1959 Pontiac at the Towers Friday night car show. I will be driving over to Fort Lauderdale on Thursday for a doctor's appointment and will try to stop by Tim Stanford's shop to visit him and his brother.
You are absolutely right about Hans’s wife. Sigrid was the gatekeeper. She knew if you got into his workspace he’d talk to you all day! He was truly a wonderful guy and had lots of stories about Keyser and Gregg.