There is no substitute. Everyone who has seen the movie Risky Business, with the not so well known at the time Tom Cruise, knows exactly what I’m talking about. It wasn’t the call girl who Tom’s character Joel fell in love with. It wasn’t the Faberge Egg that the mother cared more for than her own son. It wasn’t all that money Joel made as a Fraternity Pimp either. It was the fathers Porsche that Joel not only drove against his wishes but also outran the villains in the movie and later dumped in Lake Michigan. As far as I’m concerned, the Porsche 928 was the real star of that film!
So what is it about Porsche that evokes such a stir in car lover’s emotions? Even people who think cars are only a means to get from point a to point b know and understand what a Porsche is. A Porsche is riding and mastering a twelve-foot wave on a surfboard made of carbon fiber. A Porsche is the lead car of a monster roller coaster except you are in control of its speed and direction. A Porsche is dropping in on a powder filled bowl of your favorite mountain cornice on ski’s (or snowboard) made of exotic materials like titanium and carbon fiber. A Porsche is an IMAX view of a Napa Valley road filled with rolling hills of wild mustard flowers and grape vineyards. A Porsche is designed to grab hold of every visceral human sense, mix it with a massive dose of adrenaline, and drag you through a marathon of Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino movies only to let you down gently and safely like a cottonwood spur floating down highway 99 on a morning spring breeze. That’s what a Porsche is!
This Porsche spied in Phoenix just north of Ashland is the 911 (996) GT3. Porsche has always offered a high performance version of their road going cars and that’s what the GT3 is to the base 911.They start by taking the base 911 and removing heavy things like sound deadening materials, air conditioning, and electrically controlled seats. They remove steel body parts and replace them with very cool looking carbon fiber bits. They add some big brakes and up the horsepower from 296 to 355 and hang a big spoiler on the rear of the car. What you end up with is an entry-level super car! The cool thing about a Porsche is you can always tell it’s a Porsche. Whether it is a 40 year old 356 or a brand new 997 Turbo you will always know it is a Porsche. The 911 has basically evolved from it’s original sixties design and has been improved upon over the years to what is the best road going sports car every built!
Happy motoring!
