When I look at the pictures of the original 901, I often think... "If I was a 356 guy and saw a pic of that in 1964-ish, I'd think 'WTF?!?'"
...In the same way when I saw a pic of the introduction of the 996.
We get stuck in our own era, and romanticize about earlier era's. Music, Cars, everything. That's what we do.
Couple of random meaningless thoughts:
Even when 914 came out in 1970's- it was a "poor man's Porsche"- not "that's not a Porsche."
When the 944 came out, my dad said "That's not a real porsche." (he had a 1965 911)
When a neighbor drove up in his new 1983 944 NA, I, as a young child idiot, said to him (with a child's honesty)
"My dad says that's not a REAL porsche because the engine is in front and is watercooled"
- this in front of my dad AND the neighbor.
I've driven/owned 911's, 911S's, 912's,914's,931's,924's,944s,951s,930's,997S's, 996's, Caymans, etc....
My dad wimped out and missed a deal on a 904 back in the day... ARGHHHH... the agony!!!!
They're all GOOOOOOD (well- except the 924!) Just kidding.
It's all relative!
(Imagining Grady Clay driving a 917 or 935)
Edit 1: Who remembers the panorama that stated that after driving a 935- driving a 930 felt like driving a VW?
Edit 2- Recently- while driving my SC in a quiet upper white class neighborhood, a guy came out of his house and waved me down. I thought he'd say "Your exhaust is too loud... your golf shirt is not tacky enough! slow down fool!!! (Bursch exhaust). He didn't. He said- I want to show you something. He opened his garage and revealed his 1960 356 which he had restored. I had never really looked at a 356 before, and immediately got under it to look at the undercarriage. The whole car was more organic that a car- undulating and asymmetrical. He complained he couldn't get the 4 wheel drum brakes to pull right, so it always veered while braking. Incredible quirky- yet understandable. The car could not even stop straight- yet no one would deny it was a porsche!