If you ask Nathan Lambert when he became a car aficionado, he will probably get a twinkle in his eye. Nathan, owner of boutique real estate brokerage Lambert Realty & Development, says sports cars have always intrigued him.
“My mom used to tell me, ‘Cars don’t need to be fancy; they just need to get us from point A to point B and back again,’ but I just can’t help myself,” Nathan said. “As a kid, I watched James Bond and Magnum P.I., and those were prestigious men driving Ferraris and Aston Martins, and I just thought; Now that’s the way to live!”
Of course, prestige doesn’t come without years of hard work behind it, and Nathan’s story is no different. Nathan grew up in Northwest Florida and watched as the Emerald Coast took shape, growing from just a small fishing village in Destin to the large and sophisticated tourist town that it is today.
“I grew up in Walton County, my two brothers and I were raised by my mom and grandparents,” Nathan said. "I learned good work ethics, working summers on the farm with my grandpa. Now I take that same work ethic and apply it to everything I do.”
Growing up, Nathan said he always had posters of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porches, in his room, but he always thought cars like that were completely unattainable. But that’s where those hard-earned work ethics kicked in.
Nathan put himself through college, working in hospitality, and grew to love the fast-paced life of the people-focused industry. After earning his B.S. in Finance at the University of West Florida, Nathan landed a job as a mortgage banker. Although he enjoyed helping clients on the financial side of real estate, Nathan said most of his work was over the phone and he missed face-to-face interaction.
“Coming from tourism there were always events going on, to working in a bank, it was just a very different world,” Nathan said. “I like the freedom of working with my clients and being on my feet. Real Estate agents are on the go all the time and I’m way more suited for that.”
Nathan switched paths into real estate in 2007 and has now spent nearly two decades helping people find and buy or market and sell beach properties along the Emerald Coast. In 2016, with the help of his wife and partner, Corina, Nathan branched out and started his own brokerage, Lambert Realty & Development. Together the couple has worked to grow the brokerage; bringing on a team of talented agents and striving to set the highest service standards possible. In the past few years, Lamberts Realty has added new construction project management to the list of services offered.
"It’s very satisfying for us to see a new-build project go from an idea to a design concept, to a fully realized and finished home,” Nathan said. “It’s a fun journey and a real pleasure for me personally to have the regular opportunity to help so many different people find or build their little piece of paradise here along the Emerald Coast."
Now, back to that dream of Porsches and Ferraris.
After years of hard work, Nathan now owns the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S. Here is his review of his prize car that went from a poster on his childhood wall, to a real-life hot rod.
What are the most impressive performance metrics and features of the Porsche 911 Carrera that drew you to select this model?
I bought my 2020 911 Carerra S brand new about 2-3 years ago when they first released the latest generation of the car, which is known as the 992. The 911 is exhilarating to drive with a 0-60 mph time of just 3.1 seconds! It also handles like it’s on rails when going around corners, so I absolutely love it. My 911 Carrera S is rear-wheel drive biased and the engine sits in the back of the car over the rear axle. All the weight of the engine is in the back and that helps to make the power delivery to the road spectacular.
Over the years, the car has grown in size, which some purists do not like, but it has also continuously improved in terms of the power delivery, handling and pretty much every other performance metric that you can think of. Porsche designers often refer to the evolution of the 911 as having been a gradual refinement of the original design, rather than the typical total redesigns that so many other car manufacturers usually do every few years with their popular models.
For me, owning a 911 is sort of like owning a piece of car history. The silhouette of the 911 is actually considered to be one of the most recognizable shapes in the world. They all embody the beautiful and timeless lines of the original 911, which believe it or not, was almost named the 901, but that’s another story for another day.
How has your impression of the 911 changed after becoming its owner?
My impressions of the Porsche 911 have only improved since buying it. I previously owned a 2016 C7 Corvette Z06 with the Z07 Performance Package. It was the most powerful and track-ready Corvette ever produced until the later release of the highly coveted ZR1. The Z06 was great for track day and going ridiculously fast, but it was not ideal for me personally as a “daily driver” type of sports car.
When I later bought my Porsche 911, I began to understand the real appeal of the car. Yes, it’s beautiful and fast and performs great both on the road and on the track, but it’s also just so well balanced and manageable as a daily driver with a spacious cabin, a large frunk -it's a trunk, in the front- and even two small rear seats in the back. The 911 just works better for me as a great all-around sports car that is actually usable on a daily basis. If anything, I’m an even bigger fan now than I was before I owned it.
What’s one of the best places along the Emerald Coast for driving a car like this?
It’s fun to drive the 911 anytime in our area, even if it’s only at 45 mph and just down the street for groceries; yes, you can fit a lot in the Frunk! The curvy country roads north of the bay really afford the best nearby opportunities to enjoy the driving dynamics of the 911 though. I know of a few fun and isolated country roads nearby that can be fun for a weekend cruise. I enjoy pushing the car hard out of the corner and then reigning it back in again before you enter the next one, all the while constantly shifting the gears up or down as needed to keep the engine revving within the sweet spot that is known as the power band. That’s when you really feel the car come to life. It’s quick and agile and ready to thread the needle of the road for that perfect weekend drive. It’s a beautiful thing. Long live the classic, the Porsche 911 Carrera S.
