race911

As mentioned above, a fair number of women customers in Phoenix in the '80s. Most flashy was probably what we'd now call a MILF who wintered in Phoenix with her 930 that I did the 15K service on when it was about 6 months old back in '86. I think I did the 45K service the next winter........

Was a good time to be in my 20's and.....well........it was a good time to be in my 20's and have that clientele.

Then I met a sweet young blonde who I got into a 914. Later, we were going to do a 3.5L RSR on a '73 (the chassis I still have), but did a 3.0 930 in Amazon Green for her on a '77 chassis. So that turned heads, given she was about 25 then.

The Weissach I ended up with again was in the hands of a girlfriend about 20 years ago. She drove it long after we broke up, probably 10-15k/yr. splitting time with her supercharged MR2 (original owner, and still has it with I think nearly 300K).

Lastly, I'll mention my wife. Bought a '92 C4 right when we got married 15 years ago. Ended up on track with it about 10 times. Also did the autocross school with the old '74 3.6L widebody, which she took to like a duck to water. She's got the skill to drive, just finds it boring. Hasn't driven any of the 911s on the street for several years because it's just too much of a pain in the *** around here with the roads being third world. She'd sign off on a "value priced" 997 Turbo Cab if I really wanted one.

FlatSix911

FlatSix911

Opo

+1

Opo

My wife likes to put miles on our cars also

Floodj

After owning our 993 for a few years we decided to try a DE. I was the one interested and knew for sure I would love it, and somehow I convinced my wife to drive also. She had a BLAST. She was a little intimidated at first, but by the end of the weekend she was rocking around Road America. She only had one complaint. As she lined up on the track the grid workers did a quick check to make sure the drivers had their safety gear on and their seat belts fastened. She noticed they usually did a double take when the saw the pony tail under her helmet and realized the guy driving the car was not a guy at all, but a gal. She really wanted something to say, "I am woman hear me roar!" At first she wanted pink wheels. Now she has her own set of pink numbers. In addition to DEs she has also driven in auto-crosses. She took second in the All Ladies Autocross the Kansas City guys put on last year. She prefers the technical driving of the autocross to the high speed of the DE. She also liked that it was an all ladies event. Our boys (4 and 3 then) got into also, we worked as her pit crew. When she came off the course the boys met her with some water, a few apple slices, and a hug--pit crewing/racing Mommy style. When we get back to the states more auto-crossing is definitely in her future.
--Joe

dianeandpablo

This is becoming one hell of great thread...

JoAnne, I really dig what you and your team are doing...simply dynamite.

Opo, I'm blown away! Seeing your wife in those 911s is a beautiful thing! Always wondered how the Supercups would look on a Blue 993.

What everyone's been contributing so far are the kinds of stories we need to see more of!!!

rsabeebe

just last week, i saw what was probably an early 30s woman in a 964 C2 on the way to work. sat beside her at a traffic light. you could tell by the way she was sitting in the car - a determined type look, comfortable in the setting - that was 'her' car. so cool!!

dianeandpablo

This makes for an interesting question...what attracts a young-ish person to an air-cooled 911? More importantly, how did this Porsche passion start?

Sounds like a topic to put down on paper. Anyway...more stories!!!

race911

One of my friends managed a 1st overall in what used to be our very competitive time trial series out here in her 993 bodied '75 chassis 3.8L car. Embarrassed husband? Sort of--he proudly still talks about that event.

And no 993 content, but my first gig as "team manager" for an SCCA effort was for a woman who saw Candace Bergen doing the Bondurant school at Sears Point circa 1975 on the American Sportsman. Other friend I met several years ago now instructing is an ex Grand Am Koni (now Continental) series runner.

Like I said, used to be many more women who aspired to sports cars. Not sure if it's the equipment or the psyche that's changed with those raised in the '90s-'00s. But a few are out there, so all should be encouraged!

Gotta time travel back to the '90s to see that real time...............

Speaking of, when I told my wife about the CBGB/NYC club stuff of Diane, that's where she started paying attention to my telling her of this thread. Resurrect the club and put the current local NY local bands in, and she's there.

race911

Men or women? Me, without anyone in the family anywhere remotely enjoying cars? After two years doing what I could with a ~70HP Scirocco I was looking for the lightest, most powerful car out there in the $5K range (1980).

911s had fascinated me since the IROC series of '73-4, and then the 930 was unveiled for '76. A high school teacher that had a T6 Super 90 Roadster, and brought the PCA club magazines showing the time trial and autocross activity sealed the deal.

For the women I've had as customers, and more? I suppose power, compactness, prestige. Remember, in the '70s and '80s even regular 911s stood out as pretty quick cars. I PPI'd a lot of frogs to get a 30 something woman who'd started making a little money a prince of a 911. Most held out for relatively new cars, though. Do remember a mother-daughter team who came over from So Cal on the concours circuit with a '73 RS. Funny to think of one of those as newer than any of our 993s are now!

dianeandpablo

Ahhh yea...different times, Ken. Kinda like hand-built production Porsches...we'd all like to see it again.

NineMeister

Sadly I stopped my wife driving our 911 when I bought the 993RS Clubsport. I managed to take her out in the passenger seat once, the first time we hit 7800rpm in 3rd gear at 108mph she cried wolf.

Well, actually, thinking about it in more detail it was probably more like: "Jesus Christ!!! For ****'s sake! Slow down, I don't want to die!!!!" or something similar.

So I bought her a Boxster instead.

dianeandpablo

Nice story Colin! I made my wife crash-goggles out of black acrylic to put on when I drive. I never get any lip when she puts 'em on..

hoggel

I've mentioned here a few times before that I met my wife at a PCA autocross. She once beat me at an autocross in my car. She DE'd in her Boxster for a few years but gave it up when a huge cloud of white smoke came out the back in a turn. We never did find out exactly what it was (suspect water separator) but it convinced her the Boxster was not for the track. She DE'd for a few years in our E30 track car and has done a few sessions in my car. She wanted to sell her Boxster and keep a beautiful 993 targa that was passing through our hands but she shares the Boxster with her mother who didn't understand trading a 2004 for a 1996. I feel very fortunate and my wife is one of the reasons.

The pics below are her driving in Montana when we went there to pick up a car and at a tech session the first year we met.