Where inspiration meets determination.
The Sheerwill story begins with our dad, Pete Sylvester, in 1963.
As a young man, Pete possessed an innate aptitude for mechanics and a growing passion for motorsport. After racing his personally modified Austin-Healey “Bugeye” Sprite as a daily driver, he bought a brand-new Porsche 356 Carrera 2 Cabriolet—and a lifelong relationship with Porsche began.
By today’s standards, that would be the equivalent of a 20-year-old walking into a dealership and driving out in a new GT3 RS. Bold or outright crazy is a matter of interpretation.
In the 1960s, Pete became a Porsche-trained technician and began a successful career at a Porsche/Audi dealership in Orlando, Florida. In 1975, he opened his own shop, Sylvester’s Import Service, in the heart of downtown Orlando. Over the next two decades, he developed a reputation as one of the most respected Porsche mechanics in the state.
If you are fortunate enough to own a Porsche that came through Central Florida in the ’60s or ’70s, there’s a good chance Pete touched it somewhere along the way.
His shop became a gathering place for motorsport enthusiasts—filled with remarkable sports cars and the equally remarkable characters who owned them. It was there, surrounded by cars, competition, and stories, that the foundation of Sheerwill Racing was formed.
Pete had a way of putting things into perspective when the going got difficult:
“Buddy, sometimes it just takes sheer will and determination.”
Decades later, that phrase would become more than advice. It would become our name.
The Next Generation
Today, brothers Scott and PJ carry forward Pete’s legacy with the belief that a passion for motorsport isn't defined by where you come from or what you drive.
It’s defined by the willingness to pursue the road ahead.
In 2015, we found a retired 1970 Porsche solo racer that had been sitting in deep storage for decades. Whoever sorted this car for racing 30 years prior was as resourceful as we were, with a roll bar made out of water pipe and sheet metal borrowed from a Pepsi machine.
Armed with little more than the mechanical knowledge passed down from our dad, we set out to bring it back to life in Scott’s suburban Connecticut driveway.
New fluids. New tires. The best tune we could conjure.
Then came race day.
We loaded the Porsche onto the back of a rented U-Haul trailer, hooked it to PJ’s aging Dodge Ram, and headed to our first local PCA autocross.
Pulling alongside a car whose trailer tires were worth more than our entire race car could be intimidating.
But then something happened that changed everything.
We were welcomed. Not because our car was the fastest. Not because we had the best equipment. We were welcomed because we showed up.
The response was overwhelming. Racers encouraged us, shared their knowledge, and respected the fact that we had put all the reasons why we couldn't aside and simply made it to the starting line.
That day reminded us of what makes motorsport different.
The thrill of competition gets you there. But the community keeps you coming back.
There are rules, of course. But there is also an unwritten code—built on respect, sportsmanship, camaraderie, and a shared appreciation for the people and machines that came before us. You don't learn that code from a rulebook.
You learn it by showing up.
By standing on the asphalt.
And by earning your place alongside those who have gone before you.
Sheerwill Racing
When the day was over and the U-Haul was returned, we found ourselves reflecting on what had just happened.
And somewhere between Dad's stories, that old Porsche, and our first day at the track, the answer to a question we'd been asking all day became obvious:
We needed a name.
After hours of throwing around ideas, we came back to the words we had heard from our dad for years:
Sheer will and determination.
What started as his way of describing the mindset required to overcome a difficult situation became something bigger.
A philosophy.
A way of approaching racing.
A way of approaching life.
Sheerwill Racing personifies the spirit of every worthwhile journey—on or off the track.
The 914 has come a long way since that first day and updated over time to become a top class contender. A reminder that there is always a chance to make a comeback and what legacy racing is all about.
It’s about starting with what you have.
It’s about learning as you go.
It’s about showing up when the odds aren't in your favor.
And when the road gets difficult, finding a way forward.
The mission of Sheerwill Racing is to support the ongoing efforts of the racing community through participation and branding for the independent racer.