Why are Porsches so fascinating?

[Ole Petter]

Hi, I would like to start a discussion on the fascination of Porsches (of course the 911 in particular!?!)

My first memory is the classic shape of a G-model 911. I nearly got run over by a Golf, when as a child I was struggeling to free myself from a parked 911. I can still rememper the joyed expression of the Golf driver as he clearly saw my helpless drooling! He had a wide, telling grin...

Later it was the Le Mans domination that made me notice, 956 and 965 conquering all opposition.

And then as I got my drivers-licence, a dream took hold. Once to own a 911 - a classic 911, once upon a time! Oh, yes please! The sound, the drama...

As for the DRAMA, is that is? The sheer joy of taming the beast, the over- and understeer, the steering brimming with feel, one front wheel in the air, the engine screaming will full Le Mans soundtrack! (Of course I want a sportsexhaust-system).

Is it the race-car DNA, the unexpected danger, the ride full with challenge yet having a feeling of beeing in control, yes, still in control of it all, mastering it!

Some people say they doesn't live stronger when looking danger in the eye... I do feel that when riding a motorbike I kinda come more alive, adrenalin pumpin' and I want to go flat out, grinning like a maniac!

And even if I have ridden Ducati's, KTM's and the powerful BMW K1200, I still feel that my old 74 Porsche 911 is the biggest thrill, it is so alive, so full of drama, the sound it makes, I think is unmatched by anything out there... So gruffy at idle, so full of promise in the midrange, and wailing, screaming at full throttle that it makes the small hair in my neck stand out, and making the grin wider and wider...

So baut man sportwagen. Make no mistake!

For two years now, I have been living the dream, and yes, I am drawn deeper and deeper into it. This thing is addictive.

Ole

[bivenator]

Damn, I feel like going for a drive after reading that.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Why are Porsches so fascinating?
____________________

ummmmm....you mis-spelled frustrating.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I've always been fascinated by their simplicity. They're relatively raw, simple vehicles that produce great results and are damn near bulletproof for it. At least the "real" ones are. It's a welcome change from today's plastic McCars with all kinds of electronic crap in it to get into a 911 with its raw, unrefined air-cooled flat-six and go screaming across the blacktop. The most sophisticated circuitry in my car is the headlight switch. And I'm proud of that. I doubt I'll even put a radio in it. I don't see the need.

It's perhaps a commentary on how spoiled by technology we've become to be so stunned that such a "simple" vehicle can perform so admirably, but there it is. Too many of today's cars are "manufactured". Porsches were "crafted". There's a difference.

I'm also fascinated why something so simple and easy to understand can be so bloody expensive.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I've always been fascinated by their simplicity. They're relatively raw, simple vehicles that produce great results and are damn near bulletproof for it. At least the "real" ones are. It's a welcome change from today's plastic McCars with all kinds of electronic crap in it to get into a 911 with its raw, unrefined air-cooled flat-six and go screaming across the blacktop. The most sophisticated circuitry in my car is the headlight switch. And I'm proud of that. I doubt I'll even put a radio in it. I don't see the need.

It's perhaps a commentary on how spoiled by technology we've become to be so stunned that such a "simple" vehicle can perform so admirably, but there it is. Too many of today's cars are "manufactured". Porsches were "crafted". There's a difference.

I'm also fascinated why something so simple and easy to understand can be so bloody expensive.

Gotta disagree. I started in an air cooled car, and moved into water pumpers.

I do understand your point. To have a well tuned flat six in a 911.....wow. Its art. The air cooled cars are like fine automatic watches. Engineering marvels, and beautifully constructed by hand.

But I don't think the technology of the modern cars is 'spoiling' them. Indeed, when done properly, much of the technology is somewhat hidden. I drove a 911 turbo (996) recently. The car, like all 987\997 cars has PSM. That doesn't take away from the driving experience for the average driver. In fact it dramatically improves the experience. It make it what is should be: A fast sports car that feels stable and fun to drive on the street. You can turn the PSM off if you wish, but the car quickly reminds you that there is 400hp on tap!

I think folks are facinated by Porsche for both the cars as well as the legacy. In an age of huge international conglomerates, where name badges are somewhat meaningless, Porsche stands proudly independant. There is the racing history as well. I mean, here is a company that has made the same model for over 40 years, and it is still viewed as the benchmark by which other cars are judged. THAT is an amazing legacy.

[Ole Petter]

[QUOTE=Porsche-O-Phile;3636654] The most sophisticated circuitry in my car is the headlight switch. And I'm proud of that. I doubt I'll even put a radio in it. I don't see the need.QUOTE]

I removed the stereo system last week... It is NOT what the 911 i about! The boxer six plays the music....

A tester once wrote: This is a car you can purely relate to as a MACHINE. And that is plain truth. As you also state! When it comes to sports cars, less i more in my view.

I'm lovin' it The rewness only adds to the experience. Ferry Porsche once stated: You can't be comfortable when having fun... You have to work at it!

Ole

It's a penis extension.

[flashgordon13]

They may be so fasinating because they are so damned hard to drive fast. They will reward you when driven properly yet are very unforgiving to even a small mistake. Driving a 911 at the limit is an art for sure. I have great respect for drivers who make them look effortless to drive quick. They are the most rewarding car to drive once you figure out all the crazy little quarks and how to drive around them.

[Won]

There's are Porschs?

[Mo_Gearhead]

It's a penis extension.
__________________
'97 C4S - Ginger

_____________________________

...and anyone that has named their car "Ginger" should probably be in line to be measured.

[VINMAN]

Im with Jeff on the simplicity aspect! The newer cars, including Pcars take away from the driving experience. Everything on them is "electronically assisted". They practically drive themselves. There isnt a thing on my 944 that I cant fix myself. dont need a dealer or computer to repair it.
The newer 911 series do nothing for me, Give me Old School!

[Palum6o]

They're raw and invigorating, subconciously reminding us of how much fun it was sitting in our mother's womb.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

HD I do get your point. My M.B. is a relatively "new" car with computer controls, electronic stuff in it, etc. It's amazingly comfortable and is a fantastic daily driver. Even so, I went for the SLK-320 over a slightly newer SLK-230, a Z4 and a S2000 because the SLK-320 is the most "basic" of them. It has electronics, but they're transparent to the driver. It has a bona-fide MANUAL transmission (not some electronic-assisted pseudo-manual slushbox). There is not an over-abundance of screens, buttons, knobs, switches and god-knows-what-else that one sees on even new Toyotas. A guy I used to work with bought a new BMW 325i and that sucker had a fuse block with something like 80 fuses. And EVERY ONE of them was filled. No spares or blanks. Within 4 months the car was grounded due to a failure of some damn thing-a-ma-whatsy or another that I don't even know what it did. Granted BMW has a great warranty program but the fact remains - it still puts you without the use of your car for a day or two, it's inconvenient, etc.

I COMPLETELY believe in the "less is more" philosophy in cars, aircraft and other elements of our mobile world. The last thing we need is more distractions and flashing lights and other nonsense to distract from the task at hand. Perhaps the ultimate extension of this is the SUV - an insulated, mobile living room replete with a gazillion cup holders, stereo, DVD players, cell phones, video games, electronic lighting, automatic everything, etc. The thought that at any given time there are millions of people spacing out in these 5,000-pound contraptions COMPLETELY disconnected from the reality that they are operating a deadly hunk of metal that is inherently unstable on the roads with me scares the crap out of me at times. These people really should stay home in their living rooms. Not that they could probably tell the difference. I don't want to turn this into another SUV-bashing thread, but these are some of the reasons I have such disdain for those vehicles. IMHO we should have people feeling CONNECTED to what they're doing in driving, not being completely cut off from it as they sit on their "couch" and sip a latte and watch television, with the driving part becoming more and more incidental. Heck, at least my SLK has good road feel and doesn't isolate one from the road - it preserves enough of the connection with it, transferred to the driver that makes it still enjoyable.

Anyway, although I bought the SLK to be a daily driver and it performs ADMIRABLY in that role, I still enjoy the hell out of the 911, simply because it's so much more experiential. You don't have to drive it fast (although you can) to have fun. It's the EXPERIENCE of driving that is rekindled in me every time I get in - from the moment the door goes "clunk". This has been lost under many layers of plastic and circuitry in more "modern" cars that people can't relate to it. There really was a time not that long ago when driving in and of itself was actually enjoyable, and the 911 captures that beautifully like nothing else I've ever driven (a motorcycle is similar in this respect). Free from the over-abundant "processed" feel of modern conveniences is very, very liberating. I just love it. Now that I've "seen the light" and crossed over to the world of air cooled cars, I doubt I could ever go back. They're simply awesome. I doubt I'll ever be without one until the day I leave this earth.

[GothingNC]

I found this link

http://www.clubferdinand.us/cf-why-porsche.htm

70% of all Porsches ever produced since the company began production in 1948 are still in use.

You will find more bearing area, big-ends and mains for each liter of displacement in a 911 engine than in any other engine in production today. It’s an obscure technical point, but a telling one; indicating Stuttgart’s commitment to combining mechanical strength, accessible performance and glorious precision. You simply can’t buy a more robust high performance automobile. - Don Vorderman

[Mo_Gearhead]

QUOTE: "...not being completely cut off from it as they sit on their "couch" and sip a latte and watch television, with the driving part becoming more and more incidental."
________________

We have a winner!

MOST vehicles have become rolling living rooms. Cadillac builds TRUCKS! Porsche builds SUVS!...(etc.)

MOST people drive almost ...unconsciously! Air bags, bumper/side impact/rollover requirements, seat belts/harnesses, (the Gov. will protect me).

MOST have not been in an accident and experienced IMPACT!

So they glide through their daily routine at 70 MPH, doing lots of activities besides DRIVING.

Ever contemplate (when driving on un-divided, two lane hwys. at 55-60 MPH) that FAITH in your fellow man is all that is keeping the opposing cars from crossing that yellow line? Scary!

[Dan in Pasadena]

My Dad was always into American cars so I grew up loving them, of course.

At about age 13 or so, my mother's boss (then maybe 40ish) had a beautiful brick red color 356 and I ACTUALLY remember thinking, "Wow, that's a nice car for a man his age". I didn't think about Porsches again until a few years later.

It's 1972, i am a senior in high school and I am literally pressing my face against the glass of a sort of "general European Imports" car dealership where they sold one or two of many different cars. They had a then brand new silver 911S in the very small showroom window and I remember thinking it was beautiful and that I would never be able to afford a car like that.

Jump forward again to the Bicentennial summer of 1976. I am in Geneva with my then girlfriend on Fourth of July (nothing is happening of course, its Europe, they don't give a schit!) I see this "new, modern" yellow 1976S roll down the street at low speed and I think, "That does it, as soon as I get home and finish my last semester I am buying a Porsche" - So I DID...30 years later after a 20 year marriage/divorce from that same "girlfriend". I decided it was MY time.

Their simplicity, purposeful-ness (such a word?) and their elegance (prior to turbo flares, wings, etc-YMMV) always struck me and still do as a classy car without many peers.