Billy McNair - Novato. Very Sad Day - European Performance - Memorial March 10

[Eric Moe]

I am extremely sad to report that Billy passed away last night with his son Corey by his side after a two month battle with bone cancer. A true friend to many owners and probably the most talented vintage Porsche engineer on the planet. Visiting his shop was half the fun of this hobby. He helped many of my friends correct "crimes" committed by others on their cars, and treated every single customer as a close friend. His approach to engineering and respect for original designs inspired many to strive to be the "Billy" of oncology, construction, software development, or the "Billy" of any trade, as opposed to the "symptom treaters" or parts replacers. His ability to think like the original designers, break down complex problems into smaller problems and use his intuition. His extreme generosity and integrity actually created some financial strains. I was lucky enough to acquire his 3.2 SS 78 SC that he raced in the early 80s last year when he needed to raise cash. Amazing provenance, and I told him it felt like I had just acquired a McCartney Hoffner Bass. His young son, who was normally the feared athlete of my 21 year old son, had given up a promising education and career to learn the trade and work with his father. All have been stunned at how much he has stepped up and gone against the "Millennial" stereotype. It is a testament to the inspiration Billy provided. Billy wanted to live long enough to witness his daughter's graduation, but sadly that could not happen. For the community this is an extreme loss. I am certain I am not alone in feeling like I lost a very close friend. I was not yet able to obtain a 356 for him to work on, but he helped rescue my 68S from prior abuse, and here is a photo of Billy and his son working on my 72 a few months ago. I am sure Cory could use any support as he wants to continue the shop. I also lost my father a couple of weeks ago, but I am not sure I can imagine what he his going through now.

billy2.png (651.29 KiB) Viewed 2473 times

billy0.png (942.28 KiB) Viewed 2429 times

billy0.jpg (210.99 KiB) Viewed 2429 times

[Eric Moe]

billy5.jpg (266.21 KiB) Viewed 2444 times

billly4.jpg (132.61 KiB) Viewed 2444 times

billy3.jpg (141.09 KiB) Viewed 2444 times

[Max Handley]

A real loss to the Porsche community and friends.

R.I.P. Billy and Condolences to Family.

[Dan Macdonald]

Truly a very sad day for all NorCal 356'ers, early 911 guys and pretty much any Porsche or Mercedes owner.
I have known Billy McNair for over 30 years. He was THE BEST 356 mechanic I have ever known, and I've known a few.
Super-reliable, super-knowledgeable and he loved to solve mechanical mysteries where others couldn't. The Porsche dealerships used to call him for advice!

My latest Billy story: I bought my '57 Speedster last June. Car of my dreams. The previous owner had it entered at the Quail and asked to show it there. I agreed to let her show the car I had just purchased from her.
A week before I was to get the Speedster down to her, the tranny blew up. A friend of mine had a 741 that he would sell me but it hadn't been in a car for decades.
Billy lent me his brand-new truck to drive the 50 miles to get it. When I got it back to the shop, Bill started immediately and worked 4 days straight, over a weekend, to get it set up, cleaned and installed in the Speedster.
I drove the Speedster with the “new” tranny over 100 miles to the previous owner who drove it to last year’s Quail Motorsports Gathering.
Thank you, Billy McNair, for all you have done for me and my cars over the last 30 ears. You are sorely missed by so many Porsche guys and gals.

Here are a few pictures of Billy and my Speedster.

[Mike Wilson]

My sincere condolences to his family and many friends.

Mike

[Eric Moe]

Amazing story Dan! I had a car in there for over five years. As for the dealerships calling for advice, Singer also reviewed and implemented any of the suggestions made after working on Martin's car. Billy had a lot of respect for that car.

[Dan Macdonald]

Eric,
I have heard from a friend that there may be a memorial service for Billy on Sunday March 10.
Are you aware of this service? If so please give us the details.

[Eric Moe]

Yes confirmed- Marin Golf and Country club in Novato. https://www.marincountryclub.com/ March 10PM - Porsches to parking lot at 1PM - (for some cars, it may be the first time they have been in the rain!) - more details to follow

[Eric Moe]

savethedate.png (112.98 KiB) Viewed 2095 times

[Dan Macdonald]

Thanks Eric,
I'll be there with at least one of the 356's.
If it's not raining, I'll drive the Speedster.

[Eric Moe]

billy935.jpg (139.44 KiB) Viewed 2090 times

[Neil Bardsley]

My condolences to his friends during this tough time.

[Nils Levine]

I hope to be there, but it won't be in my 356. The engine in it is mostly rebuilt and sitting in Billy's shop. Perhaps this means I'll end up with the last 356 engine Billy McNair rebuilt. Looking forward to working with Corey on this if/when he's ready to move forward.

More importantly, I lost my own father at a young age. I was 23 years old. I inherited the 356 from him. He had bought it new and took great care of it. Billy said it was the cleanest/least (screwed up) engine he'd seen in a long time, and because of that was willing to rebuild it.

I've even brought my own 12 year old son to the shop and commented that the next time it needs to be rebuilt - another 56 years from now - perhaps it will be him and his son working with Corey and his.

IMG_3976.jpg (1.25 MiB) Viewed 1970 times

IMG_3968.jpg (1.28 MiB) Viewed 1970 times

IMG_3971.jpg (1.34 MiB) Viewed 1970 times

[Eric Moe]

Great story Nils! Just make sure the non-356 car you bring is not a Volvo. He would always swear at Marty Lurie on Giants radio when he
did the paid endorsements for Volvo, after Billy dealt with a modern Volvo in his shop

Billy's 3.2SS sc he used to race:

gg1.png (492.14 KiB) Viewed 1915 times

[Eric Moe]

it was nice to see things like the million dollar 94 turbo s Flachbau with less than 3,000 miles sent up by Canapa, and of course a Singer.

singer.png (1.61 MiB) Viewed 1905 times

94ts.jpg (2.32 MiB) Viewed 1905 times