Finding Gold

Sebastián Mercader

A Worldly Kinda Porsche Guy

Member Feature by Mark Johnson

Sebastián Mercader was born in New York City. Between that day a few years ago and today he’s lived in: Bogota (Colombia), Boston (MA, USA), Geneve (Switzerland) Madrid (Spain) La Paz (Bolivia), Montevideo (Uruguay), Lima (Peru), Cairo (Egypt), Arundel (England), Henniker (NH, USA) Miami (FL, USA) Mexico City (Mexico), Los Angeles (CA, USA) and finally (for now) back in Miami, FL. It seems that Sebastian is a citizen of the world, but how so, and why? Will he ever settle down to one location? And where do Porsches enter the picture?

It is a bit easier to answer the second question. Sebastián is a native-born US citizen living in Miami since 1996. He did complete a three-year stint between 2008 and 2011 in LA and Mexico City, but the balance of his time since ‘96 has been here in Miami. He is of Spanish and French descent.

He first arrived in Miami as an intern for MTV Latino in the mid‘90s, where he was then hired and worked for Viacom (MTV & Nickelodeon). This was followed by work with BBC Worldwide in Mexico City, and then DIRECTTV Latin America in Los Angeles. Returning to Miami, Sebastián opened MRKDR Productions, Inc. which is a creative agency focused on promotional videos for broadcast and cable streaming networks.

OK; but what about all the earlier living locations? The answer here is almost as easy, but those “homes” were not of Sebastián’s choosing. What? Wait a minute; there are fifteen different locations above, and he had no say in any of them? Of course not; he was young and growing up with his family. His family moved, and often. Sebastián Mercader’s father worked for the United Nations (UN Development Programme) for forty years! Therefore, as Sr. Mercader’s’ talents were needed in many areas of the globe, young Sebastián moved with the family.

This family travel would provide a substantial and enlightening childhood and unique opportunity to observe so many varied and interesting cultures. A typical stint in a location would be roughly two years but could last four or more. At each stop there was enough time to get to know the local culture. The continuous movement also insured that young Sebastián became adept at making friends. He does that everywhere he goes.

Where does his passion for Porsche fit in to such a life? Sebastián’s father never liked driving. He once asked his dad what his favorite car was. The response: “The one that comes with a chauffeur!” His father was not much of a car guy, then, but they did have pretty cool company cars. The family drove several Mercedes, Volvos, Toyotas (especially the Land Cruiser), as well as Peugeots, and a Nissan Patrol. Apparently, the UN did not see the value of Porsche as a company vehicle for the UNDP. So, where and how did Sebastián get introduced to Porsche?

In the late 70s he was traveling with his mom and grandfather somewhere in the Alps, which meant mountain roads of course. Young Sebastián could hear a faint engine sound growing louder by the moment. Suddenly a car blasted by the family vehicle “faster than the Star Wars Millennium Falcon.” It was Sebastian’s first experience seeing a Porsche in its natural habitat. His mom was yelling at the Porsche 930 driver like a maniac to slow down, and Seb & ESMERALDA enjoying the incredible twists and turns of North Carolina

An early morning video taking cruise in south Florida

Seb’s grandfather said simply, “I like them without the (whale) tail.” WTG, Pops! Since that day, Porsche became The DREAM CAR Sebastián thoroughly enjoys the air-cooled Porsche lifestyle. To this point, he created a group of South Florida Porsche fans known as the Air-Cooled Breakfast Crew (ACBC). The ACBC meet on occasion for a group breakfast or social event. Regalia include t-shirts, car stickers, ball caps, and coffee mugs. But you’ve got to have an air-cooled PCar to receive an invitation for the informal membership. When the group meets, it is a veritable ogle-fest of collectible flat-6 air-cooled Porsches (911, 912, 914, 356 and even VW Beetles are also welcome!) He is an active member of the Vintage Vices, another group of Porsche fanatics in the Miami area. The ACBC clan grew as an offshoot from VV and shares many of the same members. Between the two ad hoc organizations, Sebastián has made a large volume of friends. He is also a member of the ROUGHNECK BRIGADE, an international Classic Porsche Club with chapters all over the world.

And so in 2014 Sebastián acquired a 1993 964 C2 in Amazon Green, his first Porsche, and still in his stable. Sebs made some modifications to suit his personal preferences. These include “52” Outlaw Wheels, KW V3 Suspension, an Elephant Racing Bump Steer Kit, a custom 964 Race exhaust with dual outlets, and a 3.8L engine built by Manny Cueto. Additional personalization includes a lightweight flywheel, 996 GT3 front seats and 993 rear seats, Rennline perforated pedals, 9Eleven headlights, and a very special engine cover nameplate: “ESMERALDA,”

After owning the 964 for eight years, Sebs joined the water-cooled Porsche family as well. He acquired a 2012 911 earlier this year. The 911 is a 997 Black Edition, #1378 of 1911 produced. While not a current year 911, the 997 is a substantially different beast from the 964, of course. With both an air- and water-cooled Porsches, Sebastián can enjoy the simple enjoyment of their yin and yang. The 997 has also picked up a few mods to suit personal taste: a KW V3 suspension upgrade, an X pipe, numeric racing pedals and NM automation Apple Carplay mod. Beyond these two PCars, we understand that a Cayenne could be added to the collection in the near future. Early congrats, Sebs! His favorite all-time Porsche model is the 959, a great selection given the many incredible vehicles to choose from.

Sebastián has been a member of Gold Coast PCA since he first acquired the 964 in 2014. He participates in breakfast drives, group rallies, and Porsche related travel trips. A trip this past fall was made in Esmeralda with the Vintage Vices crew to the Georgia and North Carolina mountains. Taking mountain roads with all the elevation changes, twists and turns was a substantial eye-opener to Sebs, who had been accustomed to the straight/ flat South Florida roads. It is no wonder why the Appalachian Mountain and Blue Ridge area of the US is a popular destination to truly enjoy the driving and handling of Porsche automobiles.

He enjoys the big shows too like WERKS Amelia Island and DRT in Miami. With many of the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale crew he can be found at various cars/coffee events, and a few Thursday night gatherings. Given his world-wandering ways, we might expect that Sebastian would have visited Stuttgart, home of Porsche, but to date he has only had the opportunity to visit the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. There is a bucket list for travel of course.

Beyond work and cars, Sebastián has had a few other fun and challenging activities in his life. Taking time after leaving employment from Viacom, he had the opportunity to jump on a sailing vessel for a trip from Albuferia, Portugal to Miami. He was given a twelve-month severance package from Viacom (now Paramount) and made the most of it. As part of the crew, he made sail from Portugal to Gran Canary, Spain, then to St. Lucia in the eastern Caribbean or windward islands (19 days at sea), and then on to Miami. The trip included six months of island hopping in the Caribbean. Sebastián has documented these travels with several videos.

Additionally, he has played rugby through his collegiate days and post education. Excelling at two positions, “tight head prop” and “flank forward,” he has developed a physical toughness that shows through in his gregarious personality. The rugby days fit well with the sailing, and the international travel, as each requires commitment, determination, strength, and an easy-going personality. Camaraderie is essential, which also makes Sebastian a fantastic fit in the Porsche family.

It can be easy to find Sebastián Mercader. Look for Esmeralda, or the beautiful Black Edition 997 known as “Jade,” and the guy drawing a crowd. With a sailor’s wit, a rugger’s determination, a world of experience, and a love of Porsche there is plenty to discuss.

Drive with him in an ACBC, Vintage Vices or general Porsche run, and you and your car may just wind up in an awesome video. Readers so inclined can explore his videos on www.Vimeo.com/ roughcutvideos We’d suggest these videos constitute must-see viewing! Hang with him a while and you may end up a video star.