A Passion For Porsches

It's funny. It took this recession to re-ignite my passion for Porsche. My first Porsche was a 1984 911 Carrera (1/48 scale). It was white, with blue/red racing stripes, courtesy of my parents, on Christmas Day. A durable little thing that survived (barely) countless drives, zooms, turbo boosts (you Knight Rider fans know exactly what I'm talking about), and lendings to younger relatives and friends. The last I saw it, last year I think, it needed serious bodywork, a new paint job, a new rear axle, and two, new tires. It's now somewhere in this house thanks to my daughter. That's the final status of things I haven't personally misplaced, but I can no longer easily find in the house.

My next Porsche came just six years later (although then it felt like a lifetime) in 1990. It's was a Porsche 959 (1/36 scale), white. It had "PORSCHE" across the face of the spoiler. The license plate read "IM NUTS". It was a gift, from my mentor at the time, for graduating high school. He had listened to me for the past two years, joke about getting a Porsche once I had graduated.
It's the only Porsche still in my possession.

By 1994 I realized it was easier and cheaper to get a fast motorcycle than the slowest Porsche. Since God has a sense of humor, I ended up renting a jury-rigged (but technically road worthy) motorcycle, with an automatic transmission, for my motorcycle endorsement road test. It turns out the owner of the motorcycle school (a side business) also owned a auto school. He was so busy and understaffed that day (plus he was just a really nice guy), he ended up taking me in his white Porsche 944 (1/1 scale) to pick-up the motorcycle. I almost cracked my skull on the A-pillar getting in the passenger seat. It was my first and only ride in a Porsche. The interior was blue leather, and in decent condition considering it's age. However, it had the suspension of a ten-year-old's, un-motorized go-kart.

In 1996, I bought my next Porsche, on the ferry from Harwich, England to Hoek Van Holland, Netherlands. It was a Porsche 928S (1/36 scale, I believe), black, with racing decals all over. It is the only Porsche I've ever bought. I wasn't crazy about so many decals, but it was a 928. A few years later, I ended up giving it to a young boy as a solution to the problem every parent knows. The problem of, "mine!"

Then somewhere at the intersection of the reality (and sometimes) tragedy of life, and all too often, short lifespan of childhood dreams, I forgot all about Porsches.

Again, since God has a sense of humor and works in mysterious way, I ended up in 2004, helping a relative fulfil an Ebay deal. I just happen to be in North Miami, and soon returing to Boston, with no luggage. The seller met me at the mall in a yellow, Porsche 911 Twin Turbo (1/1 scale). It was pristine. Two years later (with no prompting for me), I received as a gift, from a high school buddy, a...yellow Porsche 911 Twin Turbo (1/12 scale). It was remote control, and faster than I expected (read: outdoor use only). Unfortunately, my daughter developed an obssession for it. Rather than have my wife stress about her breaking it, I gave it to her.

Then last year at a new job, I noticed a Porsche I had never seen in my life. It looked like a distorted 911. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me, and it was really another marquee trying to imitate the guys from Stuttgart. I walked up to it. It was black with tinted windows, and across the butt read, "CAYMAN." An extension of the 911 line I thought? An entry-level 911? It was a 911, but it wasn't. A little more curvy and bulbulous. Same delicious Porsche, 19-inch wheels to be sure. I think I took the five minute walk to the same spot it was parked, every single day the weather was good, until winter came.

Today as I write this, I just purchase my first Porsche magazine in probably a decade and a half. On the drive back from the bookstore with my daughter, I noticed a Porsche dealership. I smiled. As I look back in time and at my 1990 Porsche 959 (1/36 scale) next to me, I think of the old Porsche magazine ad. There are no old Porsches, just new owners.