Just felt like sharing an essay I wrote....

[ZAMIRZ]

Wrote this descriptive essay on my Porsche for English class, just got it back with a big fat A on the front so I was definitely stoked, thought I'd share it with you guys and see if you feel the same way about the wonderful Porsche 911:

For almost forty years the shape has been the same. The silhouette roughly resembling the stance of the Volkswagen Beetle, a little lower, a little sleeker. Those unmistakable, twin round headlamps and low sloping rear. The gauges in the same position they have been since the beginning with the large tachometer taking center stage behind the 3-spoke sport steering wheel. The Porsche 911 epitomizes what every sports car should be. Powerful, innovative, unique, unmatched in handling and dynamics and a car you can live with on a daily basis.

This particular model, a 911SC rolled off the production line in July of 1983 and was originally delivered to one of Porsche’s network of dealerships in Germany. After two months of sitting unsold it was privately imported to the United States and purchased by the author’s father new for a sticker price in the neighborhood of $32,000.

Walking up to it, even from a mile away it is obvious this car is a 911. The shape is completely recognizable, kind of like an old friend. The steel unit body construction built with such tight tolerances there is barely any seams between the various panels. The metallic hue on this car, identified by the factory as Venetian blue still shines with a luster like it just rolled off the production line. Taking a closer look, the forged aluminum alloy wheels, the first of their kind on a road car, with their traditional 5-spoke design and black centers wrapped in slightly worn Bridgestone rubber echo a hint of nostalgia and classic design. Unlocking the door and opening it up, the rich smell of leather still stirs in the cabin. Sliding inside is a bit hard with an odd torso twist but one easily becomes used to it. The door closes with a reassuring thud that only the finest pieces of European machinery possess. First impressions are that the interior accommodations are surprisingly Spartan. No cup holders in this car. Center console? Don’t even think about it, you’re banging elbows with your riding companion. Somehow though, the arms just seem to fall in the right place, hands on 9 and 3 for more control and a better grip of the small-diameter leather-wrapped wheel. Reach for the ignition with your right hand and you’ll only be grabbing for empty real estate. All Porsche racecars had their ignition on the left, so this trickled down into the street cars. Turn the key clockwise 90 degrees and fire the engine, with a whiff of white smoke the 3.0 liter flat six roars to life and settles into a steady idle just under 1000 rpm. Glaring at you from between the wheel you watch the giant tachometer as it takes center stage letting you know how fast the power plant is spinning.

The driving experience is unparalleled, with all the weight out back it makes for some interesting and sometimes scary handling characteristics. Snick the short-throw gear lever into first gear and ease off the clutch while simultaneously bringing the engine speed up and it’ll roll away without much drama. Desire a bit more acceleration? Open up the throttle a bit more, sink the clutch quick and you’ll be rewarded with a neck-snapping punch in the back as the cars rear-end drops and rockets the German rocket forward. Almost instantly you’ll need to reach for another gear. Grab second and the same sequence of events awaits. Bring it up to third and now you’re really gaining momentum with the engine roaring from behind, wind noise slowly engulfing the cabin as the speedometer needle streaks past 100mph there’s no hint of even the slightest delay in acceleration. Shift to fourth and at about 120mph the car begins to even out, but now at almost twice the speed limit things are happening fast, and if not cautious one can easily meet their ultimate demise in this car. However, even at this speed, the 911 is rock steady with no wandering or unfamiliar feedback from the wheel or pedal. Highway curves aren’t a problem and as long as the driver keeps the car at a steady velocity through the corners there’s no drama. Only when there is a sudden lift of throttle is the driver met with the sort of nightmarish handling characteristic this car has been known to exhibit. The problem isn’t with the engineering, but with the simple laws of Physics. With all that weight in the back and all the weight transfer going to the front under sudden deceleration the rear acts as a pendulum swinging around wildly and often carrying the car and passengers into a frightening if not life-threatening situation. This is all the 911 driving experience though, one must know how to handle such a capable machine and it isn’t for the faint of heart.

There have been others. For instance, Ferrari is the other most prominent player in the high-buck sports car market. Both companies, Ferrari and Porsche, were established in 1948 and both of them have a storied racing past. Much of both companies development work comes from racing as well, however they follow two very different philosophies. For Porsche it has always been a sort of a treat to race, the boys from Stuttgart feel that racing is to further the technology and advancement they put into the road cars, racing is for the sole purpose of development into cars that customers can buy. Ferrari however has always been a racing-based company. Enzo Ferrari himself had been known to say “the street car sales are only to fund the race team” and this is evident in the type of racing they do. Ferrari has been extensively involved in Formula 1 non-production car based racing. This difference in philosophy is why you see so many more Porsches on the streets than Ferraris, simply because the development Porsches have gone through has allowed them to be easier and much more enjoyable on a day to day basis. The lower-volume Italian machinery might have more “wow” factor and mystique but they are not cars you take to pick up a few groceries. Oil changes and basic tune-ups on a Ferrari start at about $1,500, every 7,000 miles (about half what the average Californian drives every year) there is a mandatory service which costs roughly $3,000. These exorbitant costs make the Ferrari all but impossible to live with on a day-to-day basis unless one has a comfortable amount of disposable income they’re willing to part with.

The design has stood the test of time and it’s still the same with those two round headlights a basic shape almost 40 years old. The newest 911s still employ some of the same technology the very first cars did when they rolled off the production line in 1965 and even though the 2002 models include such creature comforts as cup-holders and armrests the cars’ soul hasn’t changed one bit. The refinement over the years has only served to make the 911 only easier to live with on a daily basis and enhance its already stunning performance. Porsche, there is no substitute.

later,

amir

[pwd72s]

Only an A?

[Jack Olsen]

Nice essay, Amir.

I think I'm going to go for a drive, now.

[Calspeed]

Well said...! I will rpint it out and post it in my garage for all visitors to read.

Calspeed

[bigchillcar]

Great Amir...

Yep the Porsche 911...I guess it's the only thing in this world that I want more than world peace!

Ryan

[GSpreeman]

Nice essay. As you progress you might take on a more "sterile" tone so that the academians will be able to read it. For example, instead of the "the boys," take it up a notch and say, "the designers," or developers, etc. Also, be careful with the grammar, "Much of both companies development work," should read, "Much of both company's development work."

Next time if you need a critique before you submit it let me know. I've got my masters from Columbia University and tend to be anal with proofreading.

Don't let the negatives over-power the other stuff. Congrats!

[ZAMIRZ]

Originally posted by GSpreeman
Nice essay. As you progress you might take on a more "sterile" tone so that the academians will be able to read it. For example, instead of the "the boys," take it up a notch and say, "the designers," or developers, etc. Also, be careful with the grammar, "Much of both companies development work," should read, "Much of both company's development work."

Next time if you need a critique before you submit it let me know. I've got my masters from Columbia University and tend to be anal with proofreading.

Don't let the negatives over-power the other stuff. Congrats!

GSpreeman,

Thanks for the constructive criticism, I'll keep you in mind next time I'm wrapping up an essay and need to polish it up.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Actually, it's

"Much of both companies' development work..."

Plurals that end in "s" get a simple apostrophe at the end when they're used as a possessive.

Let Bob the Angry Flower enlighten (though he tends to be a bit shrill):






Cool essay, BTW.

[speeder]

Blue beat me to that one. Still a nice offer from GSpreeman.

Amir, I always enjoy reading your posts. You are a very mature and intelligent 18 year old, maybe there's hope for the world yet. Congratulate your parents for me!

[michigan]

Well done. I base what I read on "am I enjoying it". To often, I'm not. You held my interest throughout its entirety. I suspect to see your name on a newspaper colume or, a fine novel some day.

[Moses]

In your excitement about your "A", don't lose your head and show dad the paper. The "steady at 120 MPH" may not thrill him!

[Matt Smith]

Nice essay, great topic.
'Spreeman, I'm not so sure about having to lift language up a bit for acedemics. Maybe so about 50 years ago, but now I think that the occasional punchy piece of real-speak can carry an essay along very effectively.
I have to write scientific papers, which can frequently be as dry as a lizzard's tongue. Even we tend to bring things back down to earth occasionally, and the readability -and interest- goes up markedly.

Note that the lizzard carries a possessive gramatical burden in the previous colloquialism.

[wdarner]

"Much of both companies development work," should read, "Much of both company's development work."

Actually I think since companies is plural, and it is posessive it should be "companies' ".

The following is from:

http://www.commerce.usask.ca/faculty/phillips/COURSE2/201MAIN/Media/writingguide.htm

The following examples are intended to clarify the
differences. Company is singular, company's is singular-possessive, companies is plural, and companies' is plural-possessive, and would be used as follows. "The
company's auditor provides advice to many other companies. Several companies' CEOs sit on the board of your company."

OOOPS! Sorry. Someone already mentioned this.

[diy83sc]

Great essay Amir. For the most part, it summarizes how I feel every time I drive it!

Tony

[makaio]

Bravo!

[ZAMIRZ]

Thanks a bunch for all the kind words guys!

later,

amir

[Leland Pate]

Shouldn't that be "Thank's for all the kind word's guy's"????




Sorry couldn't resist...


And yes, I also printed it out and enjoyed reading it.

[86 911]

Nice essay Amir. I really enjoyed reading it. This is the best summary I have read about the 911. Good job!

[ZAMIRZ]

Wow, you picked a good thread to resurrect Matt, I wrote this my 2nd or 3rd semester in junior college and now I'm transferring to UCSD in the fall. Time flies...

[86 911]

OMG, I never noticed that! I was doing a search when all of the sudden I was reading and I said "Wow" and had to reply to this thread. Now that there are a lot more members, I'm glad that I picked this thread to resurrect. Good job on being accepted to UCSD!