Coming Home

I have fallen into a deep dark pit from which there is no escape… I bought my first 911. I wonder if it’s coincidence that the designation for this most inspiring of Teutonic autos is the same as the number that we dial in a severe emergency?

Working here at the shop, I get to see Porsches in various conditions; some amazing, some not. Those of us who have idolized Porsche since our youth dream of the day that we buy our first one. That day for me was actually more than eight years ago when I bought my ’91 944 S2. And while I love that car (handles great, gobs of torque) it’s still not a 911; not what I lusted after as youth. So I bought a car that rolled off the line when I was 3 years old. I bought a 1971 911E. It’s burgundy, but it was black… and red… and before that metallic baby blue. Lots of new chrome trim, 15” chromed Fuchs, 81,000 miles. When I first met this car it needed a master cylinder so I took it home (even though I hadn’t yet completed arrangements for its purchase) and replaced it. The first in a long list of little things that it will need. Aside from being a remarkably straight car for its age, there’s nothing really remarkable about it. It’s a pretty stock old car… besides the 1973.5 “T” motor in the back. Most don’t know (or care) what that means, but to those who do, it’s a 2.4 liter injected motor that was a bit of an oddball and, by most accounts, fairly rare. Neat! Even better, it’s 200cc larger than the original motor. Power is good.

To put this into personal perspective, my first car was a ’72 Bug, baby blue no less, and my folks had a ’71 Karmann Ghia when I was younger. It’s amazing the sensory similarities between these cars. That old German car smell of gas, oil and something else entirely. This car is just a very refined version of those old cars. Like going home but with better handling and a lot more power than the 46hp offered by 1535cc VW engines. So I’m back home to cooling fans and valve clatter, and horsehair stuffed seats, and perforated headliners, and understeer that transitions into oversteer in the middle of the turn, and nice flat torque curves, and steering wheels that are too skinny…and... any how…

I’m going to take the car back to an original Porsche color in the next few months, any suggestions? No Speed Yellow though, Roxanne would never forgive me.