How did your love of Porsches begin?

[Grinner]

Hello.

 

I am interested how peoples love of Porsches began? Was it from childhood, a poster on a wall? Family had Porsches growing up? Driving a friends and realising how great they drive? Motorsport heritage? Bucket list to own a Porsche?

 

There are lots of ways to get hooked on Porsches!! Interested to hear how the love of Porsches began amongst fellow forum members.

[Coastr]

For me I coveted my brothers pristine 930 matchbox in green, but the first love was for a 308 Ferrari.  The Porsche thing was a slow burner for me but jumped a few notches when I heard an impact bumper car with a loud exhaust growling past when I was walking to uni one day.  Then I really looked at a 930 at a car show one day and it started to really sink in deep.  Add in a string of bmws which turned me into a strict German car fanatic and then there could only be one result.

still hope to scratch that Ferrari itch one day though.

[MattKH]

Hello.

 

I am interested how peoples love of Porsches began? Was it from childhood, a poster on a wall? Family had Porsches growing up? Driving a friends and realising how great they drive? Motorsport heritage? Bucket list to own a Porsche?

 

There are lots of ways to get hooked on Porsches!! Interested to hear how the love of Porsches began amongst fellow forum members.

 

This is me with my Mum and Dad when I was 3 in 1975. I grew up with Dad loving Porsches. It has continued from there!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Andy73]

34 minutes ago, MattKH said:

 

This is me with my Mum and Dad when I was 3 in 1975. I grew up with Dad loving Porsches. It has continued from there!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Love this - suspect it will be a similar story with my son...

 

[thumperson]

I am the only weirdo in my family (dad and brothers) that likes cars. I have no idea where the porsche thing came from but it has always been there. As I got older as a kid I think the porsche approach to things like 959 v F40 etc attracted me too and I think they had a sniff of attainability. There is something to be said for the up yours aspect of pushing on with the whole rear engined thing too and kicking so much ass over such a long time. 

[Andy73]

Great topic...

Hard to pinpoint for me. I think its a mix of things. As a kid growing up in Melbourne in the 80's, Porsches were the only exotic sports car i'd see. Once in a while I may have glimpsed a Ferrari but i never recall seeing a Lambo. I loved the design of the 911. I must confess I thought the 928 looked downright weird (love them now) but i was also a fan of the 944 which seemed so 'of its time'.

I remember riding my BMX to red Rooster to buy chips and there was an independent Porsche workshop right behind it (in Ferntree Gully). I'd peer over the fence, hoping to catch a glimpse of the precious metal contained therein. My parents would sometimes drive past Brent's toyshop and I vaguely remember seeing a black 930 there.

Then pop culture. I loved the black Porsches (including a slant nose) in Condor Man. Loved Luke Perry's Speedster in 90210 (yup 90210) and there was a light blue targa in High School USA that was beautiful! Then the Bad Boys 3.6 Turbo - I saw that film a second time in the cinema for no reason other than to see that car again. For me it's still the white whale.

Once my dad started racing cars in my teen years, I'd go to Winton and Phillip Island and see 911's and their shape just captivated me. Every weekend I'd drive to Church street and stroll around Hamiltons looking at 964's then 993's before crossing the road to Duttons to see yet more 964's as well as G Bodies and Long Hoods. When asked i required assistance at Hamiltons, I'd reply, "I wish I did."

From age 18, all i wanted was to get a job so i could buy a Porsche. I stretched to get my Targa when i was 24 and then sold it after only 18 months, scared of what i thought was the inevitable crippling bills I was going to face to keep it on the road as a daily driver.

After that my focus turned elsewhere and I've followed Porsche as a fan only, briefly considering a Cayenne at one point. Beginning of last year i started thinking that maybe I could find a way to buy one. Fanciful. Ridiculous. Preposterous. Four months later I had a 964 like I used to ogle at Hamiltons (complete with original Hamiltons sticker on the rear windscreen).

I'm a fan of all Porsches these days, but as a student of design I find the 911 an amazing story. So incredible that a car shape could have been conceived so long ago yet remains stunningly relevant all these decades later. And i love that, as I started my journey of buying another 911, each time I opened the door, the sound, the smell took me right back to my early 20's and that 76 targa.

[Niko]

What a fantastic photo Matt.what colour was it and what a great number plate, shame you d]couldn't have hung on to at least the plate.

You might still be able to get it,...maybe

[ANF]

14 hours ago, Grinner said:

Hello.

 

I am interested how peoples love of Porsches began? Was it from childhood, a poster on a wall? Family had Porsches growing up? Driving a friends and realising how great they drive? Motorsport heritage? Bucket list to own a Porsche?

 

There are lots of ways to get hooked on Porsches!! Interested to hear how the love of Porsches began amongst fellow forum members.

What is yours?

I used to build the odd Tamiya plastic model kit back in the day, I had a few and then got a catalogue and saw this in the pages 

and that was it, I never could afford that kit (bloody hell I can now should go and get one... ) and I did have a yearning for the 911 breed from time to time, but I have stuck with what first grabbed me. I love the engineering/ design side of things, and the 928 being a totally clean sheet design (one of the very few P cars that is) is just a bonus.

[WOKA]

1 hour ago, MattKH said:

 

This is me with my Mum and Dad when I was 3 in 1975. I grew up with Dad loving Porsches. It has continued from there!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great first post and what a great picture.!

For me, Matchbox cars, playing Top Trumps and reading through 'What Car' back in the day..

@Coastr I have that green matchbox 930 somewhere, I'll dig it out along with some of my old Top Trump cards that I still have (pictured).

 

Since as long as I can remember I've always loved 911's...  

 

[Raven]

For me it was going to the race tracks like Oran Park and Amaroo Park  with my dad at a very young age in the late 70,s and 80,s and seeing these strange rear engine air cooled cars with only 6 cylinders right up at the pointy end of the field giving it to the biggest and best of the V8 cars...

The 911,s were always in the winning circles with smaller capacity engines and less power and the cars shape was so different to every thing else on the track it just stuck with me ...

In the 80,s I remember Allan Jones 935 and Moffats 934 and many other drivers behind the wheel of 911,s with huge tires and large whale tail rear ends and the buzz word Turbo ,,if it had a turbo it was fast ,,,,those cars and the Porsche brand just stuck with me

 Porsche just seemed to dominate motor racing in the 80,s world wide ,victory after victory in many classes and categories of motor sport  this had a lasting impression on me and as a result I have never been passionate about any other brand ..

[michel]

I met @turboT

[Jason A]

What a great topic.

For me - my father took me to the Porsche dealer in my final year of high school. Remember seeing a 928s (I didn’t see anything else that day). Said to myself I will get one of those some day. At age 32 bought a buitiful light blue 928S4 with about 20,000 ks on it. Loved the car but took a bath on resale. Since then have owned a few 911’s  first was a 993 RSR clone which I had for 12 years. Now have mainly track focused cars. Oh - I still have the brochure I picked up that day in 1982. Has the full range unit from that year.

Have two girls now, they are pretty familiar with the brand and all the models.

Luckily for them they will inherit my cars and probably won’t have to save for 15 years for one like I had to. But they will have the sentimental connection, which is great.

[LeeM]

 I remember this as if it was yesterday. 42 years ago as a 10 year old, I was looking out the back window of dad's old wagon, and saw this red sports car approaching at a rate of knots. He slowed down to draw up next to us with what I imagine was a hot blonde in the passenger seat, and even today, I swear he saw the look on my face and smiled. I asked dad what it was, and his reply was 'A glorified Volkswagen mate'. He then told me it was a Porsche. Turbo I think.

  I can say with hand on heart, that I had thought about a Porsche probably every day of my life leading up to about 4 years ago. I'd been into VW's for a few years, and went from 60's and 50's beetles to a Karmann Ghia, then splitty bus which bored me to tears, so after 6 weeks I sold it. Had $19k and looked on the internet for a new toy, and had an imaginary  (wishful) budget of $30k to see how much a 911 was. To my surprise, they seemed within reach if I borrowed a few dollars for a cheap one. Anyway, I found a 912 at a wrecker yard (I didn't know a 912 existed), and offered bugger all for it as a one time only offer, as it had pan rust and was just average all around. Ofcourse he knocked it back so I left a card and drove off. He rang me within a minute and accepted the stupid offer. Or maybe at the time I had paid a few grand for a money pit! Over 4 years, I sympathetically restored it with some help from friends (body and paint) and had the engine totally rebuilt coz it was toasted (that cost more than the car did actually). Then ofcourse the Porsche values went through the roof and my 912 had turned out pretty well, so I was pretty happy. Ofcourse, I had a tax problem, so I made the decision to sell it which was relatively easy, as I had waited 4 years to drive it, only to be very disappointed with its lack of power, and I wasn't much of a fan of the LHD thing. I had 3 serious buyers lined up pretty easily, and it sold to a local which I was happy about. I made enough profit from it to pay the tax bill and buy an interstate friend's silver 911SC that had average paint that I could clean up, but a rebuilt engine and gearbox, exactly what I wanted. So in essence, I'd waited nearly 40 years dreaming nearly every day that I wanted to own a Porsche, yet I ended up with one for free! Even now that I've owned it for 18 months or so, I still get a buzz when I go in the shed just to look at it and give it a pat. 

  Although I'm nowhere near the realms of financial security as a lot of Porsche owners, I'll always own a Porsche of some sort 

 

[Asyd]

Agree great topic.

For me it was reading sports car world in the 70’s, in my early teans.

i read Jeff Carter ‘s (australian photographer and writers chronicles about his many Porsche down around Fox Ground, south of Sydney.

his description of sliding his 356 around the bends of the Coast road just intrigued me. that someone could describe such joy at handling a car sold me on the spot. ........30 years later it was my joy (not that I slide ...much!)

[clutch-monkey]

dad sold business and got a then near-new 996 GT3. neither of us had any idea about porsches.
i then was looking for an affordable track car and ended up in an SC.

[Stew F]

I had a black 930 poster on my bedroom wall when I was a kid. Then, sometime in 1978 (I was in year 9), my maths teacher bought a brand new arrow blue widebody SC. It was love at first sight. The car, not the teacher. Tho as I recall, my geography teacher was pretty hot.

Anyway, my mum worked at the school and we used to catch the bus together in the morning. One day that blue Porsche went past. Then he slowed down, reversed back, and told us to jump in. That was my first time in a Porsche.  Every now and then he would swing by the bus stop and give us a lift.  I felt like the beez neez.  I often wonder what happened to that car.  If anyone on here has that Adelaide delivered SC I'd love a picture of it.

[WOKA]

28 minutes ago, LeeM said:

 I remember this as if it was yesterday. 42 years ago as a 10 year old, I was looking out the back window of dad's old wagon, and saw this red sports car approaching at a rate of knots. He slowed down to draw up next to us with what I imagine was a hot blonde in the passenger seat, and even today, I swear he saw the look on my face and smiled. I asked dad what it was, and his reply was 'A glorified Volkswagen mate'. He then told me it was a Porsche. Turbo I think.

  I can say with hand on heart, that I had thought about a Porsche probably every day of my life leading up to about 4 years ago. I'd been into VW's for a few years, and went from 60's and 50's beetles to a Karmann Ghia, then splitty bus which bored me to tears, so after 6 weeks I sold it. Had $19k and looked on the internet for a new toy, and had an imaginary  (wishful) budget of $30k to see how much a 911 was. To my surprise, they seemed within reach if I borrowed a few dollars for a cheap one. Anyway, I found a 912 at a wrecker yard (I didn't know a 912 existed), and offered bugger all for it as a one time only offer, as it had pan rust and was just average all around. Ofcourse he knocked it back so I left a card and drove off. He rang me within a minute and accepted the stupid offer. Or maybe at the time I had paid a few grand for a money pit! Over 4 years, I sympathetically restored it with some help from friends (body and paint) and had the engine totally rebuilt coz it was toasted (that cost more than the car did actually). Then ofcourse the Porsche values went through the roof and my 912 had turned out pretty well, so I was pretty happy. Ofcourse, I had a tax problem, so I made the decision to sell it which was relatively easy, as I had waited 4 years to drive it, only to be very disappointed with its lack of power, and I wasn't much of a fan of the LHD thing. I had 3 serious buyers lined up pretty easily, and it sold to a local which I was happy about. I made enough profit from it to pay the tax bill and buy an interstate friend's silver 911SC that had average paint that I could clean up, but a rebuilt engine and gearbox, exactly what I wanted. So in essence, I'd waited nearly 40 years dreaming nearly every day that I wanted to own a Porsche, yet I ended up with one for free! Even now that I've owned it for 18 months or so, I still get a buzz when I go in the shed just to look at it and give it a pat. 

  Although I'm nowhere near the realms of financial security as a lot of Porsche owners, I'll always own a Porsche of some sort 

 

^^ Nice.  That was a great journey.!

 

After years of wanting, then through a period of being able to afford one but life getting in the way to realise they've 'gone ballistic'**  I finally came to me senses and thought 'fuck it', and went out and bought the one I have now.  Thing is, I want another..  And its a dilemma.

Another thread, for another day, meanwhile, off to Melbourne tomorrow to kick some tyres. 

 

** A picture tells a thousand words....

 

 

[James P]

What a topic..

It started at about the age of 5 when i got a ride in my soccer coach's 70's green Targa, i use to see it in the car park & have just loved Porsches ever since. On the first day grade 3 i found a Porsche 934 matchbox toy car in the school yard it was meant to be (I still have the 934 sitting above my work bench)..   A few years after that a family member bought a 1981 silver 930 Turbo it was beautiful & aggressive looking, i always wanted to go over just to look at it.. Going through the teenage years i had Porsche posters on the wall & watched as much motorsport as i could featuring Porsches, i even remember getting the news paper on Monday morning after Le Mans just to see the results (no internet or tv coverage back then). Whilst other kids were into normal sports i was into motorsport but could never afford it i had to just look at magazines & TV. At the age of 20 i bought a 1964 Mini Cooper for $200 & rebuilt it then started racing it in club sprints.. One day in my early 20's i was looking through Auto Action & there was an Ad for weekend race crew members in a Porsche race team, i applied & to my surprise got the job.. some of the best years of my life traveling around the country with the team & the latest race cars Porsche had to offer... the rest is history & all of the guys are still heavily into motorsport more than 20 years later.. When i bought my first Porsche a 911 SC i thought that was it i wouldn't buy another one due to the cost of them.. fast forward to now & about 17 Porsches later who knows what's going to turn up in garage...

[michel]

2 hours ago, michel said:

I met @turboT

Jeez ive resorted to quoting myself ...

 

more seminal and involved a 10 year old boy leaning over the back (vinyl) seat of the Brown Kingswood station wagon as we barelled down the old Hume , just nth of collector.. late autumn and as we passed through the stand of poplars an odd frog light visage cane into view... orange, and moving fast throwing up huge drifts of leaves .. I was struck as it hunted us down and thrashed past doing a fair ton plus... what’s that I asked me dear ole da... 

porsche son, came the reply. 

So indelibly marked and melded in that moment was both the allure or a  911, the colour brown.

spent  many years trying to find that ACT plated early 911 

 

 

 

 

 

[SteveF]

Thanks Grinner...excellent topic.

I always loved cars growing up. Collected all the magazines, drew my own designs and dragged my dad around the Sydney car show every year. Like most had the supercar posters on the bedroom wall. We had a Lambo workshop near to our place so I would always ride past on my bike to get a glimpse. My first drive in a Porsche was an early 70's kermit green 911 when I was doing some casual weekend work at a local car yard for extra cash. It was pretty rough but geez it went! The turning point was when a mate of mine ( DOISH on this forum) was visiting my office and came down the car park ramp in his beautiful 911 sc ('78 I think). It sounded amazing and looked amazing. I was hooked and immediately started doing my research and looking to buy one.

I joined the forum and started my learning journey and have met some great friends along the way. Caver was the first PFA member I met. Whilst I wanted a 911 my budget didn't allow for that so looked at 944s. I looked at many, one which was in Melbourne and met a number of the Melbourne crew including Niko, Kerry & Theo at The Parmie for lunch. The car Caver I went down to see was crap but meeting fellow Porsche lovers meant the trip was worth it. There was a 911 on this forum a few years back (a silver sporto) that I was following closely as the owner was thinking of selling. I keep an eye on it for a year and it eventually came up for sale via a post and I was on it straight away. What a fantastic car with equally fantastic tartan interior. I eventually sold the car, to @michel so it is in good hands.

Went away from Porsches and bought an Audi TT which looked amazing and was fun to drive but always missed the old Porsches. Got back into a Porsche with a very original '86 944 which I love driving and just looking at. There are things to do to it over time but that is part of the fun of owning an old car. (and having historic rego!!)

 

[grantmr]

I don't know where my love came from and it's something I wonder about often. I typically frown on brand worship but Porsche is the exception. I've loved them since I can remember. I would draw them, would get the matchbox cars, posters, calendars that I would separate and stick on the wall, and rack up magazines on my dad's newsagent account. Model kits and remote controls. Would ask to go to charity ride days for my birthday. Work experience at Hamilton's. 

It's a passion that I don't really understand, but when the car is singing as you come out of a turn, it all makes sense.

[Grimmy]

As a young child my mum worked in admin at a bumper repair and chrome plating shop in Prahran. 

One day around 1979 I was visiting and out the front was a 928.

Well it might as well been a space ship as I had never seen something so outrageously modern in comparison to the streets lined with kingswoods, falcons and 1970”S era Mercedes. I recall standing at the back of it and reading the big P O R S C H E in the rear bumper.

 

 

[turboT]

9 hours ago, michel said:

I met @turboT

I will refer all questions to my media agency 

 

[Coastr]

After reading all the input it triggered a memory I have of some remote family friend visiting.  He was a lawyer or something like that.  They had a brand new white 3.2 Targa and it was so special the old man took his car out of the garage so they could park the Porsche there for lunch.   I didn’t get a drive but I remember looking at the back seats thinking they looked so sporty compared to the flat benches I was used to.  The whole thing just looked sporty and luxurious.

I spent a lot of time around new cars at the time - including brand new s-class and sl benzes but that Targa was a step up.  I think that might have been the point that it started to crystallise.  To me the benzes just looked to straight and boring.

[Niko]

What a great topic and some great stories coming through.....

My first encounter, with what became my dream car brand....1956

My hootch space in Vung Tau, Vietnam in 1971, where all the blokes had pictures of girls up on their lockers etc, I had pics of VW's and Porkers.

 

Always wanted a Porsche since I can remember.  

I know that every time I seen one on the road I would rip out a loud "YEEEESSS" which would scare the beejessus out of anyone else in my car or near me .

Ha ha I even used to give Porsche drivers a wave.   I'd be in my Standard Vanguard or VW, can't understand why they never waved back

Never thought I would get one, thought they were for rich people.

Did the apprenticeship with VW's 

After a stint in VICPOL and working on several errrr persons of ill repute, who drove Porkers, I thought if  "Crime doesn't"t pay" then I don't know what does.

If it's good enough for those people to drive them then I am going to get one.

Retired in 2007 and got the first one, the yellow Coxster.

I had never driven a Porsche in my life, this was my first drive and I bought it.

I definitely wanted an air-cooled but was a bit scared I might buy a "dog" and end up regretting spending my hard earned super/long service on a car I knew nothing about.

In 2007 there was no PFA and I didn't know anyone with a porker who could guide me along the AC path.

So I took the safe option and bought the yellow Coxster.    It was a good decision, I had fantastic fun in that car.

Different ball game now.   I have some great PFA mates, with lots of great available advice, and I have a great CAYMAN.

So glad I own a Porsche.    I would still love to own an air-cooled before I turn my toes up...

Oh, and I'm still not rich nor ever will be....But I have a Porsche and shit I'm happy.