I always respected Porsches as a kid. I was always aware that the Turbo was special. But when I was 15 or 16 I never ever expected to own one. Things did work out ok for me but I had to keep my dreams realistic so I always lusted after BMWs. After owning a few SUVs I finally got my dream car an M3. Then I started going to the track with it. The logical conclusion of it is obvious. I am a proud owner of the best street/track Porsche ever made. I ran out of cars to lust after. I see some supercar in a Top Gear video or a magazine and while I admire it I don't event contemplate owning it. I got too spoiled with what I got.

Being a computer geek I did play completely through Need For Speed Porsche Unleashed. That game was instrumental in making me appreciate what Porsche is about. I wish they would remake that game using modern technology and adding more content.

I don't think the 911 is the only car to own but if you are into cars it is essential to experience it properly. Just like it's essential to experience a well sorted BMW and a good mid engine car (on the todo list).

 

Andrei
Nice comments. On BMW would you consider one of the prized inline 6's the ones to experience?
I have the x5 4.8iS and the Z4 so I have the big v8 out of the 7 series and the last great inline 6
(the new M3 is a V-8)

 

Oh yeah, the S54 inline six from the E46 M3 and from the Z4 M is a masterpiece. It might be a little on the heavy side but it revs so eagerly that you can't help but flog it. It's unique too as it's a "stroker" engine. The stroke is longer than the bore giving it great low and mid range torque for the displacement. At the same time it revs to 8k without hesitation reaching early 90's F1 engine piston speeds (F1 engine pistons have very short strokes). Some of them did blow up but that was due to a manufacturing defect which was corrected. My first M3 got 55,000 miles and was still going strong without burning any oil.

The V8 is a relatively new thing to BMW. I hope to experience that in M3 sedan form in the future.

 

When I was eight, my uncle came by with his new 356 A coupe - red with black. I still remember how it smelled and sounded. When I was seventeen, my father bought a 67S. Aga Blue w/ black. I somehow convinced him to let me take it to college for a couple of years until I became a hippie and got a VW van. Fast forward thirty years and I finally began reliving my childhood. Now have '53 bent windshield coupe, '60 Roadster, '72 2.7, '73 2.9 RSR spec, '73 3.6, '73 3.8 RS spec, and '07 GT3RS . Just finishing the restoration on a '67S, Aga Blue with black. The more things change.....

 

great engine when they stopped blowing up.
my s52 and s54 E36/8 shoe cars were great. but i have many friends with e46m3 s54 blown. one right in front of me on track.

 

My first Porsche, a 61' S90 roadster. Photo is on PCH in Corona del Mar in 1969....

 

JR there is a *pinch* missing between your S90 and your Cup Car. Can you tell us how you went from
Cab to Cup in less than 12 months?

 

Yes, they did blow but only those built from Nov 2001 to Feb 2002. It had a defective part. A connecting rod sleeve bearing. If not replaced then it was guaranteed that the engine will die.
Early production E46 M3s were bulletproof. And later cars held up well. Some blow-ups happened but pretty rare. Considering they made over 50,000 of them it's not bad. If Porsche made 50,000 GT3s I bet we'd hear about some of them throwing a rod here and there.

 

Well they DIDNT make 50,000 , they only made 1000 for northAmerica and we still had
RMS Issues!!

 

i say that in jest.
i am still a bimmerhead, but just a bigger porschephile.

 

What a spectacular car!

Need pictures!

 

BMW needs to come up with a new slogan:

"BMW, the gateway car to a Porsche"

 

Eugene

Thats a great idea Thats what I use BMW for "when I dont want to drive my Porsche"

 

my summary is actually tied into Frayed's:

Start with an E36M3 (gateway car). Absolutely the best car I had ever driven at the time. Start taking it to the track. Notice that the pesky Boxsters are pretty fast, and the 911's are blazing. Start modding the car to keep up. Frayed mods his E36M3 to keep up. Both now catching up to the Boxster S's and some 993's but slower than the 996's. Notice that despite $$$ being spent on the M3's the Porsches remain considerably faster and extremely reliable. Start getting worried about wrecking the M3

Start looking at a dedicated track car. Miatas are cheap but painfully slow. Look at 944 turbos. Seem like a performance bargain if you can stomach the maintenance. Buy a single owner 120k mile 86 951 for $3k in 2000, budget $500 for maintenance, and $3k for mods. After 2 years and a total outlay of $10k (including car) the 951 hits the track at 2600lbs, 310whp.

While working on the Porsches, I start to notice how well made they are. Usually the brakes and suspension are good to go out of the box. No weak subframe mounts, no bending control arms, sway links, etc. As I track more I convince the wife to come play. She agrees, but only if she gets here own car - hence 00 996 cab comes into play.

From there, brief delusions of an Aston Vantage V8 led to the 07 997tt, and 07 997 Gt3. Now an 08 Cayenne TT is on the way to replace the doldrum laden XC90 as the kid hauler. The only non-Porsche at the house will be the Z71 car hauler, but hey the CTT can tow...

 

Have to agree with Eclou. We both started out with the E36 M3 as the gateway car. While I've returned to it for a track car, it is fundamentally a passenger car and needs so much more work to make it reliable on track than any Porsche. The wail of the inline six (I have the euro motor, which is the predecessor to the S54), with cams/carbon fiber intake plenum/individual throttle bodies is addicting. There is a certain smoothness yet visceral feel to hopped up inline sixes.

In retrospect, I perhaps should have considered a 944, but I have an emotional connection to the E36 cars that is absent in the 944.

These days, I'm thinking of building an offsite storage facility/shop, and picking up a few cars that interest me. Wife wants some sort of vintage roadster, I want a 69 Camaro Pro Touring in Hugger Orange.

I hope to always have some 911 variant in the garage, but I have too much interest in so many other cars these days.