Member Profiles

Mark Johnson, staff writer

Hardworking, Professional, Porsche Man

It takes a tremendous amount of stamina to stand in an operating room all day. Anyone holding a role in that room must be well-trained, knowledgeable, and skilled to assist in surgery. In the case of one such PCar professional, even though he is not a doctor or a surgical nurse, his input during an operation is crucial for the well-being and long-term prognosis of the patient.

Brandon Lee, our Porsche Man, is a medical device salesperson. Beyond selling and providing the medical prosthesis for the required surgical procedure, he must be an active participant in assisting the skilled physician during the replacement process. Brandon’s specialty is in the lower back structure and his input assists the primary surgeon to repair a patient’s affliction. Long hours are spent with the surgical teams. As a Territory Sales Manager for the Stryker Corporation Brandon can be found working in hospitals in Miami, the Keys, and the Virgin Islands. It is a large geographical area to cover, and requires a unique skill set to remain proficient and effective.

It is not uncommon to see Brandon, still in his hospital scrubs, coming into a Thursday evening event with his fellow Porsche jockeys for a margarita after a long day. Those long days also require a way to release some tension and stress. Hence, an enjoyment of the Porsche marque and the simple thrill of driving such a capable and exceptional machine.

Brandon joined Gold Coast Region shortly after he acquired his first Porsche in 2016. Today, he owns a total of four Porsches: a 1985 994 in red, a 1987 944 Turbo in black, a 2003 911 Turbo in red (for which the search took 8 years), and a 2013 Carrera S that is also black. This is quite a collection for anyone, yet in speaking with Brandon we understand that he would still like to acquire an aircooled Porsche. So, the hunt is on, albeit at a relatively mild pace given the current Porsche values. Every one of the four cars in the collection is full stock, with only regular maintenance performed, and no personal modifications. We wonder where he keeps them all.

Well, Brandon keeps his Porsches in his garage of course (and one 944 in the driveway).

As with many in the Porsche community, Brandon appreciates the people every bit as much as the vehicles themselves. He participates in the Amelia WERKS Reunion, the Miami DRT events, and has been to a Porsche Parade or two. He is also active in the many cars and coffee events that are held between Miami and Palm Beach and has been seen at the 3rd Thursday event for GCR in Coral Springs. He also gets out frequently with his buddies on those other Thursday evenings to visit, talk PCar, and enjoy the camaraderie. Certainly, meeting friends for dinner, happy hour, and a Porsche meet & greet are always a main part of the plans.

Additionally, B-Lee enjoys visiting our local Porsche dealerships. While there may be limited selections on the newest models in the showroom, there is always something to be gained from cruising the dealerships’ new and used inventories, and in speaking with a willing salesperson. We suspect that Brandon is constantly building relationships with the salespeople should that rare, air-cooled Porsche arrive at the store.

Brandon lives in Ft. Lauderdale in the River Oaks area of town, close to much of what is offered by Ft. Lauderdale proper. He has one son, Brentton Lee, who resides in Orlando. Brandon is originally from South Point, Ohio, which is roughly 130 miles south of the state capital, Columbus. Living in Florida for the last 12 years he has become accustomed to the balmy SOFL weather, and no snow. The consummate professional, Brandon has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Marshall University with a concentration in healthcare.

His favorite Porsche is a 1964 Porsche 964 Turbo S Flachbau in Guards Red. We suspect that he might be a bit smitten with our other recent FINDING GOLD feature, Joe Scalia and his KREZY Kremer. We know that Joe would never give up the Kremer, so Brandon will need to keep looking for his own.

Given the fact that he is a Porsche owner four times over, car storage is at a premium. Fortunately, he can keep all his vehicles at the house. Three of the Porsches fit in his two-car garage (with the necessary lift of course), with one of the 944s in the drive. This Porsche might feel “left out in the cold” but it does have company in the drive. Brandon’s daily driver is a Japanese-branded vehicle that is used for work and material transportation.

The Porsches are driven on the weekends, to various events. He will take each of the four out for a 30-to-45-minute run most every Saturday. We all understand that a Porsche that is driven is a happy Porsche. Of course, so is the driver!

What got him started? As Brandon tells it: “My love of the Porsche 911 started in 1993 when I met one of my closest friends, Kristian Szendi, at Marshall University. Kristian Showed up to a mutual friend’s house driving what I thought at the time was the coolest red Porsche. The car belonged to his father, Dr. Imre Szendi, a well-known orthopedic surgeon in the area. I had never ridden in a Porsche 911, so he took me for a ride. The car was a 1990 red Porsche 964 Targa that was purchased from Reeves Porsche in Tampa. Kristian picked the car out of the Dupont Registry, hopped on a flight to Tampa with his father, and drove the car off the showroom floor back to Ohio, where we grew up. His father would later gift him that car and Kristian still owns it to this day. The day I went for a ride in the 964 Targa was the day I fell in love with the 911 and always told myself I would purchase my own 911 one day. To this day, I feel just as much excitement getting into a 911 as I did on that day in 1993. ” Flash forward to 2022, and Brandon has four Porsches, but none are air-cooled. Finding an air-cooled PCar is challenging. These 911s tend to be overly expensive, given the extremely hot, even overheated, market. Yet we understand from Brandon that a few gems can still be found if you are fortunate enough. In a recent Thursday night conversation, Brandon told us his friend Kristian Szendi, who owns the 964 Targa, found an ‘80s vintage Targa in an impound lot. The owner of the lot had the car and title but no knowledge of its value. The Targa had been sitting for four or five years with the headlights out of the fenders, but the chrome trim rings in the back seat. Kris convinced the lot owner to sell the car with title as is. Selling price . . . are you ready for this? $5000.00! Even though Brandon and Kris have been friends for years, Kristian is not selling, but will keep the car, put it back together and drive it. Brandon will need to find his own!

Keep looking, Brandon Lee, as a second lift in the garage would be a welcome addition once your air-cooled Porsche has been found.

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