Back to the beginning
As we celebrate 75 years of Porsche in the UK, we tell the story of how Porsche Cars GB came into being in 1965, tracing its roots to a suburban town that became a mecca for all British car fans.
When Charles Meisl joined AFN in 1954, he entered a business whose roots stretched back to one of Britain’s most characterful sports car makers: Frazer Nash. The company had been founded in the 1920s by Archibald Frazer-Nash, whose chain-driven sports cars earned a devoted following for their lightweight design and lively performance. When Frazer Nash Ltd was restructured in the late 1920s, the Aldington brothers – H.J. ‘Aldy’, Don and Bill – took over the sales arm, renaming it AFN.
By the time Meisl arrived, AFN was a focal point for car enthusiasts, revered for its engineering know-how and motorsport experience. It was the perfect environment for the Porsche sports car brand to establish itself in the UK.
Bill Aldington immediately saw promise in the 356 that Meisl had been championing, and the AFN base in Isleworth, West London, soon became the centre of Porsche operations in Britain.
Cars arrived from Stuttgart in small batches and were prepared in the AFN workshops before being sent out to customers. For many, a trip to Isleworth offered a first look at the unique Porsche approach to sports car design – compact, exquisitely engineered, and built with an attention to detail that stood out from many of the British marques of the time.
As the first 911 arrived in the UK in April 1965 (a right-hand-drive prototype), AFN expanded its sales, service and motorsport support to meet demand. That year, the AFN Porsche operation evolved into Porsche Cars GB – led by H.J. Aldington's son, John – establishing a dedicated UK subsidiary and cementing Porsche in Britain for decades to come.
