Car of The Week: Porsche 911

1970 Porsche 911

Oh the Porsche 911. I have wanted one since... well since i can remember thinking about cars by name. When something has been made for so long without major changes, you know it has to be good. There are things about the car that I am not too sure about but it still tops my list of cars to own. There are a few reasons for this. One, it is unique. There are not too many rear engine cars around these days... in fact I cannot think of another one sold in the US. Even the Bug has gone front engine. Second, it is fun to drive (this is a statement that is not based on first hand experience) which is probably a direct result of the engine being in the rear. Third, it is a fairly affordable piece of everyday sport scar wonderfulness. Older versions are really starting to become collectors items but you can pick up a 80's or 90's 911 for fairly reasonably money. And what you get is a car that is a paragon for sports cars. You could not talk about sports cars and leave the 911 out of the conversation. This brings me to my last reason, it is hard to drive well. 911's are know for being very drivable everyday cars... but, when pushed to the limit the have a nasty side. It takes a driver to understand the difference in weight distribution and traction between the front and the rear wheels. It is also different because it is different than any other car in the way that it handles. Today you can buy the all wheel drive, liquid cooled, turbo charged, traction controlled marvel of engineering, but what I really want is a late 60's or early 70's 911 with manual steering, air cooling, rear wheel drive car. I want to own the car that blew minds back in the day, and has classy looks too. I want to drive a car that takes effort to drive, where you can feel the mechanics of the vehicle. Not that I don't want the new, they are just way out of my league price wise and They are insanely overpowered. If I think of the 5 cars that I have had the most fun in and totaled up all the horse power it would probably just reach the new Porsche Turbo's power... and that is crazy. No I like the idea of a car you have to work hard to get to speed and the quickness is determined by how late you can brake in a corner and how much speed you can keep through the corners. The Porsche 911 is all of that, molded into the same shape that they have been making for 60 years.

2010 Porsche 911S