Still two syllables
This past Saturday, I met up with Woodcox, Steph, and some members of the local 3000GT club. Destination? The Minneapolis auto show.
All manner of car manufacturers were in attendance, from Ford to Maserati, GM to Lotus. By good fortune, my favorite car marque was also represented: Porsche.
Most of the car manufacturers kept their high-end cars locked and/or on pedestals, forcing passers-by to sit and touch only the lesser models. Not so with Porsche. All of their cars were unlocked and easily accessible. All, save for one, but I’ll mention that later. People from all walks of life, of all ages, but almost entirely of the male gender, were sitting in and faux-driving the show cars. Regardless of the person, each had a similar reaction when he slipped into a 911: he gripped the steering wheel, modulated the shift lever, and looked out at his compatriots with a smile of bliss.
The only Porsche that was locked was, in my opinion, the darling of the show. It was a bright yellow specimen of the world’s fastest production car — the Carrera GT.
Its combination of beauty, power, and agility give it a certain je ne sais quois; perhaps it’s best described as a trifecta of perfection. I love that car. It’s my dream car. Someday, I hope to find myself in the driver’s seat, tearing down the open road, with my name on the title.
Even though it was locked, we all got as close as we pleased. We could have touched the car, had we been so inclined. Well, okay, I admit it: I caressed the car for a few seconds, as if to prove to myself that the experience was real. Despite the lack of velvet ropes, raised platforms, or ornery guards, every spectator, from the kids to the pensioners, treated the half-million-dollar beauty with reverent respect. We all studied its lines and features, soaking in the experience, trying to burn the image into our permanent memories.
It was a zen experience for Porschephiles.
Could you really call it a zen experience after the Porsche factory?
Ah, true.
The visit to the Porsche factory at Stuttgart is my favorite Porsche-related experience thus far. The next four, in order, are: learning to drive a stick in a 911, seeing the Carrera GT at the auto show, test-driving the type-996 911, and watching a Porsche-club driving school at a race track.
Honorable mention goes to the experience that inspired my post about the “voluptuous” 911, if only because of the reaction I got from the post. 🙂
dude…you need a girlfriend. As much as you’d like to think otherwise, it’s impossible to make babies with cars.
Not to rain on your parade or anything, because the Carrera GT is most elegant of the true super cars, but I believe the title of world’s fastest production car belongs to the Koenigsegg CCR. Which broke the record only a few weeks ago. The previous leader for more than a decade was the McLaren F1. I’ve heard disputes as to who is number three on the list, some say the Enzo is, others will argue that the Carrera GT the faster of the two. Either way they can all surpass the 300 km/h mark with ease.
I would say that my most memorable Porsche moment was the Detroit auto show last year when they had the Carrera GT’s naked carbon fiber body on display dressed up with all of the meticulous suspension bits.
Okay, I got a bit over-zealous in my description. You’re absolutely right about the McLaren F1 — it is very fast. I hadn’t heard of the Koenigsegg CCR until you mentioned it, but it too appears to be a force to be reckoned with.