Tim Olsen Wife Janet Marinis is a local Realtor • Father of two sons - George and Nicholas • Moved to Hinsdale in 2018 • First car he owned was a 1996 Ford Mustang
"Time is money" is more than a cliché for Hinsdale resident Tim Olsen. It's the basis on which he built his business.
After retiring from a career in the racing industry, Olsen created Olsen Motorsports for the busy car enthusiast. The company picks up cars for service and delivers them back to their owners, fixed, cleaned and polished. Specifically, the business caters to fellow Porsche fans - something Olsen has considered himself for decades.
A former member of the Porsche professional racing crew, Olsen has put his skills and experience to work at his Downers Grove business since 2013. Porsche lovers from all over the world bring their cars to Olsen for restoration, service and the loving care only a fellow Porsche enthusiast can provide.
Of the 250-plus cars that will appear in the Checkeditout Chicago Porsche Convergence at Fulton Market on Saturday, Sept. 14, seven will come from Olsen Motorsports. The seven cars will represent each decade of the company's 70-plus year history, Olsen said.
"They're all cars that we've put our hands on and done start to finish," he said.
Western Springs resident Karsten Auferbauer was teaming up with a couple of friends to create a Chicago Porsche event when he died in early 2018. In his memory, those friends went on to launch Checkeditout Chicago Porsche Convergence later that year.
"Karsten was one of those guys who kind of pulled people in with his personality," Olsen said.
Last year's event included only a fraction of the 250-plus cars already registered for this year. Now in its second year, Olsen is proud to become a major sponsor of the event, which is a chance to admire hundreds of Porsche models while benefiting a local charity and honoring the memory of a local Porsche fan.
Proceeds from the second annual CheckedItOut Chicago event will benefit Bernie's Books Bank, a Chicago-area organization dedicated to providing children with the tools they need to become successful readers. According to the organization's website, it is the leading provider of quality books to at-risk children in the Chicagoland area.
Held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the show at Fulton Market Warehouse at Kinzie and Aberdeen is free to spectators, who will have the chance to admire hundreds of cars, including Olsen's own 718 Cayman GTS. While he is proud of his own Porsche, he expects the 1963 Porsche 356b Fourcam being presented by Olsen Motorsports to be the star of the show.
Unlike most cars, which begin depreciating the second they leave a dealer's lot, Porsches become more valuable over time, Olsen said.
Olsen has admired Porsche for decades, but he said it's not just the cars that he loves. It's the drivers who love the cars.
"It's a very close-knit family of people who own these cars," he said.
