Monterey Car Week is no stranger to rare Porsche builds, but this year, something unusual stood out. California-based Galpin Motors pulled the cover off its first U.S.-built bb-Auto commission, a G-Body 1986 Porsche Targa called “Streets of Gold,” a sports car that combines biblical imagery, high-end craftsmanship, and track-ready engineering into a single package. If you attended Motorlux, Werks Reunion Monterey, Casa Lee, or the Monterey Motorsports Festival this year, chances are you saw this unique car in person.
Commissioned by Alexander Everest, a healthcare executive and founder of Christ and Cars, the build draws heavily from scripture. The shimmering metallic gold paint seen here directly references heaven’s streets of gold described in Revelation, while the gauge cluster uses mother-of-pearl and 24-karat gold to symbolize the gates of heaven. Even the shift knob carries meaning, carved from acacia wood, believed to be the same material used for Noah’s Ark.
That level of detail extends far beyond symbolism. Under the rear decklid sits a hand-built, naturally aspirated 4.0-liter Ed Pink Racing engine, tuned for 400 horsepower. Dual oil coolers keep temperatures in check, while modern Porsche Active Suspension Management smooths out rough roads, and Brembo brakes paired with Michelin Cup 2 tires ensure it stops as well as it goes.
The car rides on custom 18-inch HRE wheels, designed specifically for this build with bespoke bb-Auto center caps. Inside, Sparco seats wrapped in leather anchor the driver, Alcantara trim lines the cabin, and a Morel/Mosconi/Focal audio setup turns the car into a rolling soundstage.
But to understand why Galpin’s partnership matters, you need to look back at where bb-Auto comes from. Founded in 1974 as bb (Buchmann + Buchmann), later known as B+B Auto Exclusiv, by German designer Rainer Buchmann, he saw the potential of merging Silicon Valley tech with European sports cars long before mainstream automakers did.
His shop, first known as B&B, shocked the industry in 1976 with the Porsche 911 Turbo Targa “Rainbow Car,” painted in the now iconic Polaroid-inspired stripes for the Photokina show in Cologne. That car made headlines worldwide and brought bb-Auto instant fame.
From then on, Buchmann’s cars became known for their signature styling cues. He pioneered pearlescent paint finishes adapted from cosmetic pigments, embraced bold multicolor liveries, and wasn’t afraid to engineer wide-body Targas Porsche said were “impossible.”
In the cabin, bb fitted early digital dashboards, multifunction steering wheels, and high-fidelity multi-speaker audio systems long before they were industry norms. In short, he had the foresight to innovate and anticipate technology that would eventually become mainstream 10 to 20 years later.
Exotic materials like mother-of-pearl and gold trim elevated the interiors, and every build told a story, whether it was the aforementioned Rainbow Car’s Polaroid stripes or the Moonracer Project, a more mature reinterpretation of the Rainbow Car in the 1980s. Some other noteworthy creations include the bb Mercedes 600 Pullman, bb Porsche Turbo Targa, and the Moonracer Project.
So what does all this mean for you? If you’re a Porsche collector, Galpin is now the exclusive U.S. partner for bb-Auto and joins the highly evolved Porsche-restomodding culture in the Golden State. Whether future commissions lean toward spiritual symbolism or experimental tech, bb-Auto is once again in the spotlight, and time will tell what they come up with next.
Source: Galpin Motors
