Nestled adjacent to the Mexico-United States border on the Pacific Ocean coast, California’s southernmost city, San Diego, is characterised by sandyhaired surfers and 70 miles of sun-dappled beaches. There’s something about border towns – a cultural diversity that fosters creativity across the arts and food scenes, and carries a kinetic and free-flowing energy. San Diego is a big city, but it can feel like a collection of villages, each one individual in its personality.
The 911 scene feels like a microcosm of this. This is reflected in the variety of clubs, meets, magazines and specialists that serve, foster and support such a diverse group of enthusiasts. Total 911 finds itself on the premises of one such specialist – Makellos Classics – on a typically balmy Californian Tuesday. Makellos Classics sits discretely in Escondido, one of the oldest cities in San Diego County, situated in the North County region. Led by proprietor Matt Kenyon and project manager Greg Bartley, the name Makellos translates from the German word for ‘flawless’. Something that’s flawless is free of faults and you can see this in the way the company approaches its business, which focuses on maintaining and even reviving the vintage air-cooled 911. Doing this properly takes real skill, so we’re excited to see more.