They say never meet or drive your idols. You’ll be disappointed they say. To hell with that I say.
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but as much of a self-proclaimed Porsche nut that I claim to be, I had only driven water cooled examples. Shocking, I know. I had experienced the sights and sounds of the aircooled cars being a PCA driving instructor, as well as a Porsche salesperson, but never had the chance to actually DRIVE an air-cooled car. That all changed this past weekend thanks to Jack at Scientific Porsche here in Pasadena, CA.
See, Jack doesn’t just have ANY air cooled car, but he has the epitome of what purists believe a true 911 is - a G-Body Yellow 1974 Porsche Carrera Targa with air cooled 2.7L motor, that I affectionately call the Yellow Submarine. This car has no power steering, no power brakes, ZERO driving aids, no air conditioning, no radio, no frills. A pure analog experience.
Before even driving the Yellow Submarine, I’ve always preferred the look of older 911s to modern ones. They have more character. More personality. I’d never say that an older Porsche outperforms a modern Porsche, but they definitely look better. I never understood why people love older Porsche’s so much? Was it the look? Or was it the engine? Or was it both? To be honest, I had NO experience with an air-cooled engine. I had always heard that driving an air-cooled Porsche would change a Porsche person’s life. I wanted to know if I could differentiate whether I liked THE IDEA OF AN OLDER PORSCHE or did I actually like the car.
The objective was simple - transport the ‘74 Targa from Pasadena, CA, to the Porsche Experience Center in Carson, CA. The night before the drive, I went over to Scientific Porsche and asked Jack if there was anything in particular I should know about the car. He said the only thing I should be aware about is the hand throttle lever located to the left of the handbrake helps the car during a cold start. Essentially lifting that lever raises the idle to around 3k rpm. As the car warms up, you’d lower the lever gradually. Starting the car without this procedure, risks blowing up the airbox. Kind of like a choke, but not.
We got to Scientific at around 5am and it was time for me to hop in the car and turn it on. Older 911s are smaller and lower than modern Porsches, which creates an ergonomic challenge. I couldn’t find the right seating position, but this car is perfect for Jack, so I had to live with it.
I turned on the ignition. Allowed the oil pressure to build. Lifted the hand throttle lever. Made sure I was in neutral. Twisted the key. And the 2.7L growled to life. At that moment, it happened. A light turned on inside of me. I fell in love. I had changed. From that moment on, there were two types of cars - air cooled Porsches and everything else.
I put two feet in, slid the shifter into 1st gear, lowered the hand brake, and slowly lifted my foot off the clutch and I felt the friction point, quite high I might say, and eased the car forward.
As the car idled at a rowdy 3k rpm, we turned out of Scientific and headed towards the freeway. I make it sound easy, but turning a car with no power steering is a workout! We take modern technology for granted.
Once we got onto the freeway, I had completely lowered the hand throttle, and built up the confidence to downshift from 4th to 3rd gear, executing a pretty solid rev match along the way, and dropped the hammer. The sound that this motor makes was intoxicating. It had this aural symphony of angry, yet harmonious raw metallic noises which combined power, fury, and joy into an aural eargasm. It sounded like the strongest and brightest lightning bolts you’d ever seen were having sex with each other. A complete change from the numb and disconnected turbo noises you hear from modern day cars. This was pure air cooled deliciousness. My Porsche lover fiancé sitting in the car with me, who rarely enjoys older cars, screamed “What the hell are we in?”
The freeway gave us long sweepers, reminding me what I once told my students - driving a car fast is like dancing with a beautiful woman you’re intimidated of. You can’t be too aggressive, but you can’t be inattentive. If you see the car sliding or feel the car unbalanced, it’s too late - you’ve lost her.
I had heard that driving a Porsche fast was rewarding; now I understood why. A driver who can really push these older Porsches; hats off to them. I have a newfound respect for people who can run these cars like that. New Porsches are too easy to drive!
At PECLA, I got out, closed the door, and heard that wonderful antiquated door catch & smiled. I finally understood the hype. A Porsche air cooled motor has this rawness that you can’t find anywhere else. I understand why Porsche purists say that REAL Porsches were built before 1999; before they went watercooled. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but I get it. Older Porsches have it all - the look, the engine, the experience, the difficulty, the reward, and the charm.
Surrounded by vintage Porsche asking myself “Do I want a vintage Porsche?” Absolutely yes. As I sit here, two days after experiencing air-cooled nirvana, sore as hell - the new question I have is: which gen do I want?