Ash

Let me begin my saying...er...apologizing if this is too long...but it's just one of those things that I thought I would share....

It was a beautiful Sunday here in the Bay Area and my wife and I recently bought our first place here in the East Bay. As with most summer traditions, we ate a BBQ dinner which, as satisifying as it was, didn't quite hit the spot...we both really wanted to have ice cream...and I mean REALLY! You've probably all experienced the kind of food urges where you just can't get it out of your head...your stomach is screaming so loud for something...your head MUST obey. I mean, it's Sunday...it's warm out...its summer....and nothing goes hand in hand like summer and ice cream. With that in mind, she sent me out to pick up something that would satiate our hankering...

Off I went but the first problem was trying to figure out which Safeway to go to given that we haven't spent a great deal of time wandering around our new neighborhood. I decided to head off to nearby Alameda with my reasoning being that I should make every attempt to get to know my area a little bit better by exploring. I jumped in the 993 and off I went....the sun was coming down but it was still warm out so I rolled down the windows and took the drive over. Now to get to Alameda, I took the tunnel that connects Oakland over and this turned out to be the greatest experience! With little traffic, I accelerated into the tunnel and with my windows rolled down, the amplified sound of the flat six as it revved upwards was completely mind blowing bringing a huge grin to my face....WOW...what a car!! As I came out of the tunnel, I took the curve in the road with the car's PSS9's doing their job confidently....I'm laughing now...

I slowed down as I wound my way through the residential neighborhoods of Alameda...old houses beautifully kept...lots of families out for an evening stroll. I wound my way out along the shoreline as the last of the sun was starting to set and looked over the water as I finally found the nearby Safeway. By this time I had almost forgotten the purpose of my trip. I parked the car off in the corner and reluctantly wandered inside. After searching for a minute or two, I found the ice cream aisle and coincidentally the magazines were located right across from the fridges. I leafed through Automobile and Road and Track; each discussing and reviewing the new 997. Beautiful cars to be sure but the quick read reminded me that instead of reading about Porsches, maybe I should just go back out and drive one...so I grabbed some chocolate covered ice cream bars...and out I went...

As I strolled out into the parking lot, I saw my car and I thought...Wow!..those rear fender lines are really beautiful...in fact..that whole car still makes me stare like the day I first knew I wanted one! As I got in the car to drive home, I thought about the 997 reviews and the recent thread over in the General Forum on 'What's the Best Porsche Ever'...and the thing that struck me most was that it didn't really matter what Porsche you drove. I was in heaven in THIS Porsche...MY Porsche...and they may have built faster and arguably better ones...and they will continue to evolve...for better or worse but the fact remains...we drive something very special! I thought about the long lineage our cars come from...the history, the heritage, and the countless hours of engineering and design....and on top of it all..the comraderie of a community of people who understand that (read: Rennlist). At the very basis of it all, we sit inside a rolling collection of metal, leather and plastic but that is quickly forgotten in the pure experience that all that brings when it is so artfully combined! To say that driving a Porsche is a means of transportation would be...well....like saying that ice cream was full of nutritional value....

I arrived home much to the chagrin of my wife...who upon seeing me asked..."What took you so long?" I responded with a grin and she knew..."Having fun again eh?"

Oh..and the ice cream? ..it was good...but that hankering for it magically disappeared somewhere back in that tunnel...

Drive ON!

993RS

Great write-up Ash! Thanks for sharing it. I can fully sympathize. Those type of feelings I have only experienced driving a Porsche. I was without one for one and a half years, and now just got a '96 993 Carrera 4S a week ago and am back in heaven! Feel re-born. No sensation like driving a Porsche!
Regards, Phil

Arrwin

Awesome write-up! The greatness of the car often creeps up on you...even on those mundane errands.

Adrienne

Great write-up, thanks! Your comparison to ice cream is a good one. My favorite analogy was in a Turbo ad I saw a few months back. It showed a shiny new Turbo in action on some twisties, with the tag line, "Calling it transportation is like calling sex reproduction"

FlyYellow

Ash,

since you live close to alameda - you should have come out to play at the autox we had at alameda on saturday. great opportunity to really learn your car and gain some driving skills!

hopefully you'll make it out for the next one at alameda (aug. 8th). there is also a school on aug 28 & 29 both are at alameda.

Cheers,
Boris

Ash

Hey Guys,
Hehe..thanks for taking the time to read...it was fun to share..

Boris....given that I'm pretty much a newbie...I'd love to try and make it out to an Auto-X event. I think there's a whole new level of enjoyment out there in these cars once you've had the time to learn about their vast potential....are the upcoming events for anyone or is this a PCA sponsored event?

Thanks in advance!

Watch My 6

Thanks for the Alameda Tunnel (Posey Tube) tip Ash. I often do the same thing in the Broadway Tunnel and the Stockton Street Tunnel in San Francisco, but they're nowhere near as long as the one you're talking about. Now I've got another great reason to take one of those 'extended' trips out to the store. However, I'm going to have to do some fast talking in order to explain why I was gone for an hour or two

Great little write-up and I also agree with you on the specialness of our cars. Although my wife doesn't quite understand why, I'll ocassionally wander down to the garage just to stare at it for awhile. Or she'll just shake her head when I park it somewhere and can't resist turning around several times to look at it as I'm walking away. Porsches simply evoke emotion and pride from their owners like very few other vehicles in the world can.

Cheers and congrats on your new home!