PORSCHE 911 ADDITION AUTHOR SUNNY SORAL
NEW VS. OLD An iconic evergreen design that still inspires and is a legend that is second to none define Porsche. Porsche as a company has been a force to reckon with in the Sportscar market since an eternity now. We here love the Porsche’s from past and present and are certain that it will be the same in the future as well. Still, if we were ever given a choice we would always choose a classic Porsche 911 over a new one. There are quite a few reasons why we would do that and since we are pretty sure we have got your interest in it, here they are. DRIVING PLEASURE Nothing speaks of timelessness as much as the iconic Porsche 911’s from the past, like the 1987 911 Carrera. This car deserved every bit of praise and fancy words that have been said and written about Classic Porsche 911 cars. The car came factory fitted with heavily bolstered sport seats, a limited slip differential, and that iconic whale tail spoiler. Moreover, it had the heralded G-l50 gearbox. The Classic Porsche 911’s 3.2-Litre horizontally-opposed flat six produced 217bhp while the RWD setup meant absolute enjoyment all the time. And then, there was that brilliant steering which kept things in your control as this 2,866 pound car sprinted to a pinnacle speed of 152 and over mph. PAGE 8 CLUTCH JANUARY 2018
CLASSIC LOOKS Simple, elegant and purposeful, the classic Porsche 911 design probably had its best run around the 80s. Present day cars just cannot match the gorgeous presence of the old ones with their gentle, swooping curves and lines that could get you addicted. Back in those times, the 911’s used to be much smaller, which meant they could be thrown around with much more enthusiasm. Spend some time looking at a Classic Porsche 911 especially from the 80s and you would know what we mean. AIR-COOLED ENGINES All this talk about saving the Polar Bear and burning fuel is a sin has led to the advent of tur-
PHOTO CRED. STEVE ANDERSON
bo-charged era. We aren’t saying that these engines are bad; in fact, they are absolute marvels of engineering. But then again, None of these new generation turbo-charged Porsche’s can return the incredible exhilaration from those air cooled classic Porsche 911 engines. Those were the times when the things were simple and simple is forever. VERSATILITY: No matter how much we call the new generation Porsche’s to be as relevant for daily usage as their predecessors, the old ones knew their game better. The daily drivability of the classic Porsche 911 models was the real thing; the cars were raw enough for the enthusiast, but you could take them for your grocery shopping just like any other family sedan. The cars were fairly quiet at low revs, the steering was light, you got a great view outside the windscreen and the seats were comfortable. Those classic Porsche models were surprisingly subdued in normal daily driving too. However, one you decided to have some fun, they were beyond capable of raising hell without a blink. The new ones still follow the same philosophy but the evolution has taken them far from those simple and astounding machines. COLLECTIBILITY: The Porsche’s from two to three decades ago are going to be the next blue chip collector’s items. And you can still find them comparatively easy and they would still cost you much lesser than the present day cars. Seriously, a car that provides THAT much
fun and still can cost around (or less) the new ones price and promises to only grow in its value is a better option. Not that we are going to sell it, but it is for sure a considerable point. CHARACTER: Is that even a question? These are with an air-cooled, horizontally-opposed engine in the back. Tons of character is what is the main classification of these classic Porsche models is. If you have a one, then be sure they are not really like any car you’ll ever drive. They all look, sound, and feel great, but you don’t have to make any sacrifices in usability like you would in a Ferrari of the same vintage. Fact, we could go on and on forever with finer details like the way these classic Porsche 911’s handled, or how they accelerated. In fact, we can talk about the racing pedigree they had in spades, or just would say, nothing looks as classic as a classic Porsche 911. In the end, we would say only one thing, if you find one and your back balance allows it, never ever stop yourself from buying a Classic Porsche 911. An iconic evergreen design that still inspires and is a legend that is second to none define Porsche. Porsche as a company has been a force to reckon with in the Sportscar market since an eternity now. We here, love the Porsche’s from past and present and are certain that it will be the same in the future as well. Still, if we were ever given a choice we would always choose a classic Porsche 911 over the new. JANUARY 2018 CLUTCH PAGE 9