VIDEO: Wilson, 1993 Porsche 911 Targa
We joined Chef Wilson tang for a ride in his amazing Porsche 911 993 Targa Wilson is the owner and chef of Nomwah Tea parlor in Chinatown, NYC, and also happens to be a big car guy and a Porsche fan.
WONYC: Being a native New Yorker, what was it like growing up in Chinatown?
Wilson: As a born and bred New Yorker growing up in Chinatown in the eighties was very interesting. My parents' main objective was to move us out of Chinatown because it was just a different time. There was a lot more organized crime, a lot of just shit going on downtown. So we were living in Queens primarily growing up and just spending weekends in Chinatown, doing shopping, going to Chinese school, and just being submerged into the culture.
WONYC: What is your Chinatown one memorable moment?
Wilson: My favorite Chinatown memory definitely gotta be going to the Chinatown fair on Mott street. That is one of the oldest, it's still an arcade that's still open now. But back then, there was a game with a live chicken that you played TicTacToe against, and that's one of my fondest memories of growing up and living and my parents working in Chinatown.
WONYC: When did you first start loving cars?
Wilson: Man, I think my love for cars started at a very young age. I remember washing my parents' car growing up and was totally fascinated with anything with four wheels. So very early on for me. And I also remember getting my first driver's license and driver's permit as soon as I was able to. So this is like 16 years old, I started to drive.
WONYC: What models were your first dreams?
Wilson: Well, I think I'm technically sitting in it right now, a Porsche 911 classic 993 body style was what I remembered as a child growing up. My dad used to take me to the auto show at the Java center every year. And this was the car that did it for me. This was the car that was on the poster that was on my bedroom wall.
WONYC: What role does it play in your life?
Wilson: Oh, the role that this car plays in my life is it's really simple. It's really much like a weekend car for me. Something to hop in and go for a long drive on a Saturday morning. Maybe take it up to bear mountain for a quick turnaround and come back or just go to my local cars and coffee to hang out for a little bit, meet people, hang out for a little bit. But yeah, it's totally a weekend car. I don't really put that much miles on it and living in the city with all the traffic, you know, it's primarily Saturday and Sunday. (I think that loving cars and restaurant life are actually two very different things and it actually car culture and) Being able to step out of my restaurant role and into a car and going for a long drive is actually like a de-stressing mechanism for me. So I like the fact that it's two different worlds where one is very stressful and I have to make money and provide, whereas the other one is very carefree and fun and it's almost an escape.
WONYC: What is your happiest moment in this car?
Wilson: My happiest moment in this car has to be when there is an open highway and you can just go through the gears and just drive relatively fast, but within means but this car is exhilarating to take on a nice road trip upstate or just anywhere New Jersey, anywhere fun.
WONYC: What is it about Porsche that you love?
Wilson: Porsche to me is just a heritage brand that I've grown to love and respect. They make extremely well sports cars as well as SUVs. It's just a very well-recognized brand for me.
WONYC: Favorite neighborhood to drive this car in the city?
Wilson: I don't think there's a favorite neighborhood here in Manhattan, but I do love taking this car a little bit north into like Beacon. Beacon is maybe 75 miles north, it's a little town that has a lot of shops that I like to just drive up there, get a drive-in, stop, have some lunch and drive back.
WONYC: What was it like for you when you drove your dream car for the first time?
Wilson: The first time I drove this car, I was actually kind of nervous. I remember being scared of it because it was the first time driving a manual transmission in a while. But after a little bit, like getting through the gears, it was pure happiness and joy after I got acclimated to the steering wheel and the seat and all the instrument panels, the analog instrument panels.
WONYC: Any massage to the car people here?
Yeah, I mean, I think everyone that is working these days that has some level of stress, it's really important to be able to walk away from that. If you're a car guy or car girl, go for a drive, go for a long drive, go Polish your car, go give your car a wash. It's all very therapeutic. And we all need a little bit of that. Try to get that stress level down and go for a long drive. Just not in traffic.
