MY HAPPY PLACE

My Happy Place

A beloved 968 rises again

WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY: TINA CAMERON

In 1984 Universal Pictures released Sixteen Candles, a coming-of-age romantic comedy starring Molly Ringwald as Sam. In a scene near the end of the movie, handsome Jake Ryan surprises Sam by arriving at the church after her sister’s wedding, and he’s driving a red Porsche 944. The car was stunning. It distracted me from this pivotal scene when Sam finally gets to hook up with her crush. I decided that someday I would own a car just like that.

When I first got together with my crush and future husband, Don, he drove a Porsche 914. Over the years of our marriage, we owned various Porsches, including 356’s, 914’s, a 911 and a Boxster, but the dream of owning a red 944 was starting to look just like that, a dream.

From the beginning, we joined Porsche clubs and attended as many events as possible. We’ve made wonderful lifelong, gear-headed friends. It’s been a big part of our lives. We even co-hosted a weekend event ourselves, the West Coast Ramble in San Simeon, CA.

While visiting a friend in 2011, he showed us the latest addition to his collection, a 1993 Porsche 968 Coupe. The 968 was the last evolution in the 924/944 models, but with a 3-litre engine and 6-speed manual transmission. It kept many of the styling cues making it recognizable to the 944 and was originally going to be numbered the 944 S3. But after making more enhancements than originally planned, Porsche renumbered it to 968.

The car was beautiful, painted Guards red with a Cashmere leather interior, with the iconic heavily tinted rear hatch window. I loved the streamlined look, and the exposed pop-up headlights, integrated bumpers, and cup-style alloy wheels. It looked classic, sleek, low, and fast. Until that day, I didn’t know these cars even existed. I looked at Don, my eyes dancing with wonder and wearing a big grin. For the one and only time, I didn’t need to know the history of the car.

I was ok that it had high miles and a mysterious fuel smell. This was THE ONE. We asked our friend if he would sell the car to us, since he was always buying and selling cars. But, he liked it too much, and said this was a car he was going to keep.

The 968 stole my heart. We started researching and learned the 968 is a rare car. According to the 968 Registry, Porsche manufactured approximately 12,000 968s for the 1991-1995 model years, with a top speed of 150 MPH. Porsche exported only 4,242 to the North American market.

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Even rarer is the Guards red and Cashmere interior combination, in which they made only 207. It seemed my dream car was more out of reach than ever.

But, two years later, our friend called to let us know he had bought yet another car for his collection and he needed to make room for it, and asked if we were still interested in that 968. YES! Before he could change his mind, we raced over to his house with cash and took possession of the car.

I still remember the first time I slid into the contoured seat, the feel of the shifter in my grip, getting up to sixth speed on the highway, with the sunroof open and the warm air flowing down on me, feeling so carefree and alive. I was in my happy place, like no other. The red Porsche I had always wanted was finally mine!

In 2020, we left California for a slower and quieter lifestyle in Texas. About a week after getting settled in, we anxiously awaited the arrival of the transport carrying our Porsche collection. We purposely bought a house with a four-car garage to protect them. However, the transport did not arrive.

Along the way, the truck driver detoured and headed north to Kansas, to drop off and pickup other cars and then head south to Texas. I wasn’t too concerned about a delay because I had a good rapport with the driver, and our classic car insurer recommends this transportation company on their website, so what could go wrong? But when the new drop date came and went without a call from the driver, I worried. A couple more agonizing days of not knowing went by before we learned there had been a fire. It started because the brakes failed and the rear axle caught fire, which quickly made its way up the back of the trailer. The evening news in Topeka, Kansas featured the incident. There was our transporter, with our babies on board, on fire.

Upset is an understatement. We were first in a shocked stupor. Then we felt extreme sadness. Then, we became really angry. One of our cars, the 914-6, arrived damaged but not totaled. The Boxster and 356 were completely destroyed, and the 968 was severely damaged.

We had the 968 brought to us. It rolled off the ramp into our driveway covered in black soot, bumper to bumper, tail lenses melted. The once shiny wheels were yellow and black. When Don tried to start it up, it grumbled horribly and shut itself down. I was beside myself. I cried for hours.

We decided that the 968 was too special to go to the crusher or pick-a-part, and we turned down a gracious offer from the friend we bought it from, to buy it back. We were going to do right by it. The estimate to restore the 968 was more than a few pages long. We braced ourselves, knowing upfront it was going to be expensive to fix. But first, we had to see what was under all that black soot, because it permeated every inch. A fellow member of the PCA Lone Star Region recommended a great detailer, Anointed Mobile Detailer. It took two detailers two days to clean the exterior, the interior, and steam clean the engine bay. They also cleaned the residue from melted vinyl inside the windshield. Finally, they ran a deodorizer through the vents to get rid of the strong smokey odor. Unfortunately, the seats didn’t look as good as before, and they would need to get reupholstered. And the sun visors were melted from the heat.

She spent six months at The Garagisti, a Porsche restoration shop in Houston. She had been on life-support but eventually moved to the recovery ward. The mechanical work included replacing the engine mounts, wiring harness, drive belt, tensioners and pulleys, timing belt, water pump, starter, power steering lines, thermostat, alternator, cooling fan, tail lamp assembly, oil pan gasket, brake master cylinder, brake lines, and rubber seals and hoses. It needed servicing of all components that were, or could have been, damaged by the fire. It received new gaskets, seals, and all new fluids.

The exterior work included repairing and respraying the front and rear bumpers, hood and driver’s side door. We replaced the rear lenses and tires. The wheels were refinished. Just to replace the original XD4 black, red, and gold Porsche crest center caps, set us back $500. We wrote a blank check, and we don’t normally do that. But that’s what becoming emotionally attached to a Porsche and then traumatized by the loss of it will do to you.

The day she finally came home from hospital (The Garagisti), and we parked her safely away in our garage, I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around her. My love and admiration swelled for my little red Porsche. Along the way, “it” became “her.” When I take her out for a drive now, running better than ever, with an 80s rock station turned up high, I still experience the feel of being in my happy place, wearing a silly grin on my face, not a care in the world.

Believe it or not, we didn’t restore her just for my benefit. There aren’t as many 968s around anymore. It was important to us to preserve and keep her on the road where she belongs. The sight of such a rare beauty is a feast for the eyes of any Porsche enthusiast. J

Crikey mate, I reckon you must be a drongo if you call this a knife.

It’s a scalpel! But really, after seven years of support, we’ve decided to make it official, and become an LSRPCA sponsor. We’ve got some incredibly exciting things in the works for next quarter, so watch this space. In the meantime, know that Modern Aircooled has been inner-Houston’s Porsche specialist since 2015, and it’s time to start celebrating that by giving back. LSRPCA membership will get you 10% off any service or repair* (some conditions apply, please inquire).

1718B W 23rd St. Houston, Texas 77008 (832) 582-7344 modernaircooled.com