THE man who put Porsche on the map in Australia and who with his father Norman nurtured the brand as importers and competition agents from 1951, has passed away aged 82.

Alan Hamilton was nine years old when his father, in 1951, became only the second overseas agent (after Max Hoffman of the United States) for Porsche and the first in a right-hand drive market.

Talking of the arrival of Porsche into the Hamilton family, Alan Hamilton – in an early interview with Michael Browning for the Porsche Cars Australia magazine – said: “I recall thinking that I was being dropped at school in a better car than the other kids.”

Porsche’s progress in sales in Australia was slow but Norman Hamilton and his son Alan never eased off.Alan established a state-of-the-art Porsche service division in Melbourne, before moving to the retail side of automotive sales with an eye on motorsport.

At age 18, on July 29, 1960, he passed his driving test and received his racing licence from Motorsport Australia the same Friday afternoon.

“The latter was essential, as he was already entered in his first motorsport event – a motorkhana at the Templestowe Hillclimb venue – that Sunday in the old small window 1954 VW Beetle he already owned,” Mr Browning wrote.

“His victory in the 1966 Australian Hillclimb Championship was Porsche’s first Australian national title.”

Alan followed that up with further circuit success, plus another National Hillclimb Championship in 1971 and then a third in 1981 with his Porsche-engined hillclimb ‘special’.

“On a visit to the Porsche factory in early 1968, he ordered a new six-cylinder 911 T/R to comply with the revised FIA regulations adopted by CAMS, which made Porsche 911s eligible to race as touring cars against the big American V8s in Australia,” the article said.

“Fresh off the boat with a 204hp Type 906 engine, (Alan) Hamilton drove the 911 T/R to third place after a last lap puncture in the single-race 1968 Australian Touring Car Championship and came within a single point of taking the multi-race 1969 title.”

In 1972, with the support of Alan’s mother Flora, Norman agreed to hand over control of the Porsche company to his then 29-year-old son Alan.

The business then moved into a purpose-built showroom in Chapel Street, South Yarra, with sales growing to 190 cars in 1974.

Alan’s racing career was cut short by a serious accident at Sandown Raceway in 1978 but Porsche’s Australian business grew from strength to strength.

Sales were booming with 660 cars sold in 1985 and 657 in 1986.Expansion of the range to include water-cooled, front-engined 924, 944 and 928 models required the business to move to larger and more prominent premises in the late 1980s, with it buying and renovating the former Bryant & May match factory in Church Street, Richmond.

In 1992, after being hit by an economic recession in 1989, Porsche AG took control of all Porsche operations in Australia, ending 41 years of Hamilton family control.

Sadly, Norman Hamilton wasn’t there to see his project reach this milestone. He died just a month before Porsche Cars Australia was formed by the head office takeover.

Porsche Cars Australia this week posted in LinkedIn: “It is with deep respect and gratitude that we remember Alan Hamilton. Alan was a visionary, racer, and entrepreneur whose legacy is woven into the fabric of Australian motorsport and Porsche’s history in Australia.”

“Alan’s father, Norman Hamilton, became the second Porsche agent outside of Europe, introducing the brand to both Alan’s life and Australia,” PCA said.

“From pioneering Porsche’s presence in the country to making his mark on the track, Alan’s passion for performance and competition was unwavering. His influence spanned decades, from championship-winning drives to nurturing the careers of future racing talent.

“Beyond motorsport, his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence defined every endeavour he undertook. His impact will continue to be felt by those who knew him and those who follow in his footsteps.

“Porsche Cars Australia extended its condolences to Alan’s family and friends.”

The Porsche Club of Victoria, which is holding a memorial for Alan Hamilton, said in a statement that Alan “was instrumental in assisting club founders, Kerry Reynolds, and Mike Stillwell in getting the Porsche Club of Victoria off the ground back in 1975.”

“A legend in Australian Motorsport, and a passionate competitor, especially in Porsches, our thoughts are with his family and friends,” the PCV said.