tell us your porsche story
01-12-2013, 06:29 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
tell us your porsche story
most of you are "porsche guys" to the core. corny as it might be, i thought it might to cool to hear all the different stories of how rennlisters got into 911s. i think it would be a ton of fun to hear how the inspiration came, whether it be recent infatuation or lifelong yearning perhaps in street race, or taking someone's for a spin around the block...
credit: this thread is inspired by discussions i had with fellow rennlister z356 and after subscribing to cogito ergo zoom's recent great thread, apologies if this has been done anytime recently...
i'll kick it off:
my parents were immigrants who came from total poverty but were armed with the key ingredients for achieving the american dream (and they eventually did). as a teenager i landed a menial summer job in an insanely rich beachtown suburb under the supervision of my uncle doing gruntwork. it was then that i got exposed to the 'other half', seeing people, homes, and cars like i'd never imagined....
it was the original '83 911 sc cabriolets all the way through to the 964 carrera 2cabs that captured my imagination and were my to-die-for fantasy cars! there's something about porsche convertibles, that grabbed me and never let go--probably that there were always gorgeous girls driving or riding in them!
in those days, posters with the obligatory scantily clad big-haired 80s girls adorning 911s and 959s wallpapered my room. i recently even considered buying a 911 sc cab to fulfill that teenage longing, but recognizing my classic car ignorance, decided to start with something newer (and i wanted something that could be a dd for me). eventually, i'll correct that unrequited love in my life, but excited about starting that journey later.
in a poetic twist, i now own a home in that old neighbor that inspired 911s in me. but that doesn't come close to the thrill of finally taking delivery of my first porsche.
credit: this thread is inspired by discussions i had with fellow rennlister z356 and after subscribing to cogito ergo zoom's recent great thread, apologies if this has been done anytime recently...
i'll kick it off:
my parents were immigrants who came from total poverty but were armed with the key ingredients for achieving the american dream (and they eventually did). as a teenager i landed a menial summer job in an insanely rich beachtown suburb under the supervision of my uncle doing gruntwork. it was then that i got exposed to the 'other half', seeing people, homes, and cars like i'd never imagined....
it was the original '83 911 sc cabriolets all the way through to the 964 carrera 2cabs that captured my imagination and were my to-die-for fantasy cars! there's something about porsche convertibles, that grabbed me and never let go--probably that there were always gorgeous girls driving or riding in them!
in those days, posters with the obligatory scantily clad big-haired 80s girls adorning 911s and 959s wallpapered my room. i recently even considered buying a 911 sc cab to fulfill that teenage longing, but recognizing my classic car ignorance, decided to start with something newer (and i wanted something that could be a dd for me). eventually, i'll correct that unrequited love in my life, but excited about starting that journey later.
in a poetic twist, i now own a home in that old neighbor that inspired 911s in me. but that doesn't come close to the thrill of finally taking delivery of my first porsche.
Last edited by oldman40; 01-12-2013 at 08:13 PM.
01-12-2013, 07:56 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
Sure, I will share.
When I was a kid I was enamored with the flashier cars, Ferrari and Lamborghini being the biggest. Then my brother bought a 911 from the mid 80s and let me drive it home and for two weeks after his wedding, under supervision of course... I was hooked right then and there. My brother still has that car, and I still love driving it. I bought my first 911 in 2010, a used 2009 model C4S after extensive looking for the perfect one. It was love at first drive. What I love the most is that it is a car that can be driven every day, even in MN. Unlike a Ferrari or Lamborghini would be.
So here I sit, planning my trip to Zuffenahusen to pick up my 991 C4S which I am positive will bring just as much enjoyment, if not more. Amazingly, my GF even likes the 991. She came along on one of my test drives and mentioned that it is a much nicer place to sit than the one I have (997) I would have to agree, but the 991 is also a better performer.
How would anyone not like that?
When I was a kid I was enamored with the flashier cars, Ferrari and Lamborghini being the biggest. Then my brother bought a 911 from the mid 80s and let me drive it home and for two weeks after his wedding, under supervision of course... I was hooked right then and there. My brother still has that car, and I still love driving it. I bought my first 911 in 2010, a used 2009 model C4S after extensive looking for the perfect one. It was love at first drive. What I love the most is that it is a car that can be driven every day, even in MN. Unlike a Ferrari or Lamborghini would be.
So here I sit, planning my trip to Zuffenahusen to pick up my 991 C4S which I am positive will bring just as much enjoyment, if not more. Amazingly, my GF even likes the 991. She came along on one of my test drives and mentioned that it is a much nicer place to sit than the one I have (997) I would have to agree, but the 991 is also a better performer.
How would anyone not like that?
01-12-2013, 07:58 PM
#3
Three Wheelin'
When I was 18 I was shopping for my 1st car and wanted a Chevy Vega. Test drove a 914 and after the first sharp turn it was all over.
I'm currently on my 11th Porsche. 5 were 911's, none were Vegas.
I'm currently on my 11th Porsche. 5 were 911's, none were Vegas.
01-12-2013, 10:38 PM
#4
Thanks for the great idea and… there is nothing corny about Porsche Stories!
My Porsche Story begins in 1973 at Edgewood Jr High School. There I met my best friend Doug, who'd regale me with fantastic stories of his "uncle Dale" the "orthopedic surgeon" and his epic drives across Washington State, his '69 911S going so fast for so long his wife took to using binoculars to lessen the sensation of speed. Dale supposedly drove this car year-round, including Spokane winters when he'd perform burnout garage launches, for which he'd placed a sheet of plywood to protect the wall from the red-hot spark-and-rock thrusting blast-offs he needed to get up speed enough to plow through the two foot snow drifts in his driveway.
Yah. Right. Like anydody'd believe that.
Year or so later Doug ups his game: Now "uncle Dale" has a brand new 1975 Turbo Carrera. "As if", I'd have said (if we'd had "as if" back then).
All around this time of course all my buddies are just thrilled and fascinated with cars. Not me. Not a bit. Every one I saw just looked like a piece of junk. Even as a kid I guess I just naturally looked at poorly made anything as junk. And all the cars I ever saw back then were very poorly made.
Well it happens that summer '75 I get a chance to visit "uncle Dale" and… its all true. He takes me for a drive in his 75 Turbo, pressing me back into the seat with full throttle through the (four!) gears until suddenly he steadies out, apologizing, saying he has to keep it under 135 during break-in. The main thing registering on me is he's going 135 with one hand (three fingers, actually) on the wheel, relaxed as can be, talking casually- where the driver of just about every other car of 1975 would be in white-knuckled fear of imminent death.
Clearly this is the car for me. Too bad I'll never be able to afford one. But it was still fun as the years went by to read those great R&T road tests, each and every one confirming the awesomeness experienced that first day in the '75 Turbo. One day in High School we even drove all the way to Tacoma just to visit the Porsche dealer there and drool over the 911 they had in the showroom. At one point we were right down on the floor, actually laying on the floor, heads under the car, admiring that the suspension, brakes and even the smooth under carriage are so much better than anything we'd ever seen before.
College. Marriage. Condo. House. Saw a video one time about kids enjoying the thrill of speed, but then you grow up and commute, dreams and memories fade… until the Porsche comes along and gives you back that thrill again. Well, that was me. So when one day wife asks, "if you could have any car in the world, what would it be?" I answer, well something along the lines of "well that Honda CRX Si is pretty nice" or some such crap- because this is how far I've fallen! The thought of ever actually getting what I really want was so long dead I'm actually saying, "Honda" when everyone knows the answer is "Porsche."
Well thank God she repeated, "no, I mean ANY car!"
Oh. Well. In that case: "Porsche 911."
Of course she knew the answer. She'd seen a hundred times my head snap towards the sound of a 911 door closing somewhere, go out of my way walking or hustle through traffic driving to get a better look at a 911. And so- surprise!- year or so later I'm daily-driving a Mocha Brown over Cork 1979 911SC. I'm joining PCA, learning Autocross, taking DE, becoming Instructor at both, launching Driver Skills program, becoming region director at large, region president, helping start a new PCA region in Washington State, driving down the Pacific Coast to Monterey for the Historics the year Porsche is the featured Marque, on and on.
This is of course only the Cliff Notes guide to the Reader's Digest version of My Porsche Story. A recurring theme of the last several chapters is the tension between the savings and sacrifices of buying used and the premium on ultimate satisfaction when ordering new. Where the story goes next nobody knows for sure. But that kid always dreamed of picking one up at the factory.
My Porsche Story begins in 1973 at Edgewood Jr High School. There I met my best friend Doug, who'd regale me with fantastic stories of his "uncle Dale" the "orthopedic surgeon" and his epic drives across Washington State, his '69 911S going so fast for so long his wife took to using binoculars to lessen the sensation of speed. Dale supposedly drove this car year-round, including Spokane winters when he'd perform burnout garage launches, for which he'd placed a sheet of plywood to protect the wall from the red-hot spark-and-rock thrusting blast-offs he needed to get up speed enough to plow through the two foot snow drifts in his driveway.
Yah. Right. Like anydody'd believe that.
Year or so later Doug ups his game: Now "uncle Dale" has a brand new 1975 Turbo Carrera. "As if", I'd have said (if we'd had "as if" back then).
All around this time of course all my buddies are just thrilled and fascinated with cars. Not me. Not a bit. Every one I saw just looked like a piece of junk. Even as a kid I guess I just naturally looked at poorly made anything as junk. And all the cars I ever saw back then were very poorly made.
Well it happens that summer '75 I get a chance to visit "uncle Dale" and… its all true. He takes me for a drive in his 75 Turbo, pressing me back into the seat with full throttle through the (four!) gears until suddenly he steadies out, apologizing, saying he has to keep it under 135 during break-in. The main thing registering on me is he's going 135 with one hand (three fingers, actually) on the wheel, relaxed as can be, talking casually- where the driver of just about every other car of 1975 would be in white-knuckled fear of imminent death.
Clearly this is the car for me. Too bad I'll never be able to afford one. But it was still fun as the years went by to read those great R&T road tests, each and every one confirming the awesomeness experienced that first day in the '75 Turbo. One day in High School we even drove all the way to Tacoma just to visit the Porsche dealer there and drool over the 911 they had in the showroom. At one point we were right down on the floor, actually laying on the floor, heads under the car, admiring that the suspension, brakes and even the smooth under carriage are so much better than anything we'd ever seen before.
College. Marriage. Condo. House. Saw a video one time about kids enjoying the thrill of speed, but then you grow up and commute, dreams and memories fade… until the Porsche comes along and gives you back that thrill again. Well, that was me. So when one day wife asks, "if you could have any car in the world, what would it be?" I answer, well something along the lines of "well that Honda CRX Si is pretty nice" or some such crap- because this is how far I've fallen! The thought of ever actually getting what I really want was so long dead I'm actually saying, "Honda" when everyone knows the answer is "Porsche."
Well thank God she repeated, "no, I mean ANY car!"
Oh. Well. In that case: "Porsche 911."
Of course she knew the answer. She'd seen a hundred times my head snap towards the sound of a 911 door closing somewhere, go out of my way walking or hustle through traffic driving to get a better look at a 911. And so- surprise!- year or so later I'm daily-driving a Mocha Brown over Cork 1979 911SC. I'm joining PCA, learning Autocross, taking DE, becoming Instructor at both, launching Driver Skills program, becoming region director at large, region president, helping start a new PCA region in Washington State, driving down the Pacific Coast to Monterey for the Historics the year Porsche is the featured Marque, on and on.
This is of course only the Cliff Notes guide to the Reader's Digest version of My Porsche Story. A recurring theme of the last several chapters is the tension between the savings and sacrifices of buying used and the premium on ultimate satisfaction when ordering new. Where the story goes next nobody knows for sure. But that kid always dreamed of picking one up at the factory.
01-12-2013, 11:09 PM
#5
Race Car
Autocrossing an ersatz Porsche (SuperBeatle with Bursche exhaust) addicted me to the rear engine air cooled rasp, slow in- fast out, and beating cars with more HP. After a short lapse (BMW 2002), I went to buy a used 911 ( Holbert's last year's winning RSR) but couldn't get the price below $7000. Cannot imagine what that would be worth today! Al recommended the just out 914 2.0 as the perfect car to learn how to track. Like the VDub, it was way underrated, but after getting re-passed on long straights too many times, I moved to a used 74 911 for a couple of years and then lucked into to a factory special 78 911 SC- (no AC, no radio, no sound insulation, a "secret" dose of extra HP). A keeper. I tracked seriously for 20 years (excursion into SCCA) and retired to occasional drive for another 10 before the no AC got to me. Happened on a used Boxter S RS-60 (200 miles from new) and a price that could not be refused. Like the 914, underrated, practical top up or down, plus it had AC! Another keeper! Went to the dealer's 991 release party, made a joke about "if they just had a Silver S, full leather, Sport PASM etc etc and a trade price I couldn't refuse..." Couple days later got a call- "Your car is here". Test drive- bluff called. Best bluff ever lost!
01-12-2013, 11:19 PM
#6
Track Day
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It was 1985 and my wife an I were honeymooning in Hawaii. Newly married and flush with some cash I just had to rent one of the fancy sports cars at the exotic rental place down the street. So we walk on over and I see this really cool looking pearl White 944, (I think is was an SC designation or something). Off we go for a full day of cruising around the island, not wanting to stop for more than a couple minutes for something to drink and eat. Around midnight we decide we want a vanilla shake so we'll cruise on over to Pearl City, stop at Burger Kind and cruise back. Sitting at a stop light, right at the entrance to H1, a red Supra, (or something similar), pulls up along side and starts revving the engine looking for an impromptu race. Off we go onto H1 where I proceed to leave my competitor in the dust. Cruising at 110 mph, we pass a construction sign in the left medium where a totally blacked out Hawaiian State Police Officer has set up a radar trap. About two minutes later we are both pulled over and I'm getting my butt chewed by a less than impressed Trooper. After barely talking him out of arresting me, ("please officer, it's my honeymoon"!!), and towing the car, we drive away with 2 summons to appear in court the following week. Needless to say this put a little damper on my honeymoon, for a day or so, but the story became bigger than life over the years and cemented my love for Porsches. For years after I dreamt of the day I could actually own my own Porsche. Many years later, after raising two kids, I finally picked up my first Boxster. Since then I've had a couple Boxsters, 911s and currently own a 2012.5 991. I'm still looking to relive that day in Hawaii and have recently been in search of a 1985 944. "Please officer It's my 30th wedding anniversary".
Last edited by jlamb; 01-12-2013 at 11:20 PM. Reason: misspelled
01-13-2013, 12:45 AM
#7
Well my Father has been self employed restoring 356's since he was 18. After being born, I came home from the hospital in the backseat of his 63 sunroof coupe, went to my first Porsche Parade when I was 2 months old, and well....the rest is history. Kinda safe to say Porsche runs in my DNA.
Trending Topics
01-13-2013, 11:55 AM
#8
Got a beater 914 in college - used a part of a student loan to fix it up (15 yrs to pay them all off).
In '96 my good friend and I decided to get Harley's. my wife freaked out and talked me into getting a new 911 instead
couldn't really afford it at the time but it was the start of a long line of Porsche for us. My friend crashed his Harley and had to give up his practice ;(
Next time I want something real expensive, I think I'll tell her I want to take flying lessons
In '96 my good friend and I decided to get Harley's. my wife freaked out and talked me into getting a new 911 instead
couldn't really afford it at the time but it was the start of a long line of Porsche for us. My friend crashed his Harley and had to give up his practice ;(Next time I want something real expensive, I think I'll tell her I want to take flying lessons
01-13-2013, 12:17 PM
#9
Nordschleife Master
Back in 1974 we talked my mom into at least looking at the 944 as a possible car for her. At the dealer there was a '74 Carrera in the showroom. I fell in love with that car. I was 16 then.
Jump 10 years and I saw the Carrera in a warehouse along the road and stopped to talk to the owner. It wasn't for sale. I left my number and occasionally drove by to see that it was still there.
10 years later I saw an ad for it in the paper. I drove it home two days later. It was the exact same car I saw in the showroom at 16 years old. I was the second owner.
That feeling of driving off in your first Porsche never leaves you. I got it again in August when I drove my first new one off the dealer's lot.
Jump 10 years and I saw the Carrera in a warehouse along the road and stopped to talk to the owner. It wasn't for sale. I left my number and occasionally drove by to see that it was still there.
10 years later I saw an ad for it in the paper. I drove it home two days later. It was the exact same car I saw in the showroom at 16 years old. I was the second owner.
That feeling of driving off in your first Porsche never leaves you. I got it again in August when I drove my first new one off the dealer's lot.
01-13-2013, 12:31 PM
#10
Drifting
When I was about 12, I read a book called "The Red Car", which set the hook for my interest in sports cars.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2909435-the-red-car
In my teens and twenties, I was a regular reader of Car & Driver, and that led to my interest in Porsches.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2909435-the-red-car
In my teens and twenties, I was a regular reader of Car & Driver, and that led to my interest in Porsches.
Last edited by Rinty; 01-13-2013 at 04:00 PM.
01-13-2013, 04:33 PM
#11
It was the mid 1980’s, I was in my twenties and had just traded my dream car, a red Mercedes SL convertible, in on a Nissan 300ZX Turbo. A friend of mine was detailing a 911 SC Targa for his boss who was going to be putting it up for sale. I ran in to him at the local car wash and he let me drive the 911 home. I was hooked. I bought the Porsche, let my 300ZX sit (along with my company car) and drove the Targa everywhere, even on business trips. I just couldn’t not drive it.
Hard times followed and I had to sell the Porsche after just a year of owning it. The day I watched the new owner drive it away from my house I knew I had made a mistake by letting it go. Almost had tears in my eyes. After being tortured by No Man’s Land, I set up a “Porsche fund” for myself in the hopes that saving a little each month over time would allow me to once again be the proud owner of a used 911.
Flash forward to 2009 and I’m test driving a new 911 with PDK. Amazing car and amazing transmission! It’s been almost four years since that test drive but I now have a new 911 on order. The Porsche fund got drained over the years with other obligations winning out but I’ve finally reached a point where a dedicated fund was not necessary and the most difficult part now is the waiting.
It's been almost three decades since I've been a Porsche owner, but I didn't let my dream die.
Hard times followed and I had to sell the Porsche after just a year of owning it. The day I watched the new owner drive it away from my house I knew I had made a mistake by letting it go. Almost had tears in my eyes. After being tortured by No Man’s Land, I set up a “Porsche fund” for myself in the hopes that saving a little each month over time would allow me to once again be the proud owner of a used 911.
Flash forward to 2009 and I’m test driving a new 911 with PDK. Amazing car and amazing transmission! It’s been almost four years since that test drive but I now have a new 911 on order. The Porsche fund got drained over the years with other obligations winning out but I’ve finally reached a point where a dedicated fund was not necessary and the most difficult part now is the waiting.
It's been almost three decades since I've been a Porsche owner, but I didn't let my dream die.
Last edited by 991Dreamer; 01-13-2013 at 04:44 PM. Reason: addition
01-14-2013, 08:01 AM
#13
friend of mine hot wired a 356 a long long time ago, great little car compared to a buick i thought. now after 50 some years, got depressed one day and decided needed to see if the car was as fun as it was back then. much much more fun now!!
01-15-2013, 02:35 AM
#14
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
