Every day that I enjoy my new Boxster, I can't but ask myself "why did you wait so long?" The beautiful 911's from the 1960's were few and far between when I was in my 20's. I admired those cars then, but today I'm sorry that I didn't own one back in the day. But growing up in Triad North Carolina, these were cars you rarely saw on the streets, much less on a dealer's lot. So I would be grateful if P9 members who were actually lucky enough to own a Porsche in their "formative years" might be willing to share their experiences of purchasing and ownership. Today it's hard for me to think of anything better than owning a Red '66 911 at the age of 20 in 1974, even without the sideburns and bell bottoms!
i get the most thumbs up on the one in the left! we actually have one every decade... if funny the progression in driving comfort..but i get a kick of the driving the one in the left the most..because you really have to drive them...i mean it takes skill.. i need not say more on pride of ownership.
I bought a 914-1.7 in 1973 just before the gas crisis ... I had a 71 SS-350 Camaro with a worked over engine getting 5mpg ... traded it for the 914; I was 21. I drove it for 2 years and sold it for more than I paid; one of two Porsches that I made $$ on.
In 1976 I bought a 1970 911-T; I drove that until I broke the engine in 1979... I was an experienced engine builder (used to build engines for a drag racing team) so I rebuilt the engine in my living room. That 1970 911 was the most fun I had in a car ... I long for the days where cars were simple and uncomplicated ... of course that 70 911 only had 130hp and got 16mpg, but it was just 2200lbs (or so) so the performance was fine. It had the 901 transmission, which I had to have rebuilt because (at the time) I didn't know you weren't supposed to use 1st gear very hard .. the bearing was fragile...
As you can tell, I'm an old fogey now ... but still a pcar addict.
I still have my '74 911S. I love it. Very light and extremely simple. The handling is surprisingly good for its age. The major difference in day to day driving is its a bit more harsh over bumps than my CR. There is no reason to have regrets. Just find you a nice example, and soon. Air cooled prices are on the rise.
Not a good pic, but it shows part of the stable...
You captured it perfectly in your post: driving the first 911 models took extraordinary skill to drive anywhere near their limits. I lost count of the number of times that I did inadvertent 180s despite having attended performance drivining schools and raced in many SCCA events.
My first Porsche was a 1970 911E. My recollection is that its engine only produced about 150 HP, but it still had decent acceleration since I believe its curb weight was only about 2100 lbs. Central to the early 911E's character was the fact that it demanded an expert touch from its driver when driven near the limit. The short wheelbase, rear-weight bias and semi-trailing arm rear suspension made it easy to break the tail loose. Driver aids that current drivers take for granted did not exist. There was no traction control, stability management or even ABS to assist the driver. Finally, the cabin was very spartan. It would be interesting to see how many of the current 991 owners would have tolerated the challenges and lack of comfort of the early 911s.
The trickiness of the early 911s is one reason why I went for a 914. That, and being a cheapskate.
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Check my avatar! I found it in a little used car lot in the early 70s. I kept it for three or four years until I went to graduate school. I couldn't afford to keep it in graduate school. (I learned a lot about adjusting Webber Three Barrel Carbs back then.)
That looks like my old R65! I wish I still had it.
Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, sports cars were not revered and few were found outside of major US cities. American muscle ruled. Drag racing and the quarter mile ruled along with NASCAR in the South. In this time, people did not dream of owning sports cars or road racing. Road racing was for Europeans. Instead, one dreamed of a Hemi Roadrunner, 454 Camaro, or Boss 429.
But for those who did dream of sports cars, at least the ones normal people could buy, two stood out above the crowd: The E-Type Jaguar and the Porsche 911S. The Jag was revered being the successor to the Le Mans winning D type. Its voice was, and still is, fantastic. It shape, probably still the most revered sports car shape ever. The 911, well to many was a glorified VW. Still, it was highly desired, but both vehicles well out of the price range of most mortals.
The fact is, few people actually bought these vehicles new in their time. Jags were not known for reliability. There was not an extensive dealership network or shops to work on these vehicles. It was a different time. You bought a Chevy, Ford, or Mopar, and that was it. Few people bought foreign sports cars. If it broke down in the boondocks, you were mostly out of luck. But a Ford or Chevy? Anyone could fix anywhere.
Of course, the oil embargo killed the Muscle era and times changed.
When the time came I could actually afford a new 911, specced and ordered from Germany, the way I wanted it, a decade had passed. I'm sure many thought I was nuts not buying American. I remember worrying about which stereo to buy, the difference between standard to high end being high. I remember the long, long wait. It must have been a really slow boat across the Atlantic, and watching all the car carriers on the road.
I remember the PCA DE and PCA autocrossing, great fun. And the downside too, when one day someone took a screwdriver to the front logo and decided he or she needed it more than we did. Not a fun thing to come out to your car to see the Porsche logo gone and a scratch in the front bonnet.
And yes, it was red. And, of course, I wish I had the brains then to have kept it to today. My bad.
No matter what anyone says, there is something about the total involvement of not having any nannies. No ABS, no nothing, shifting when you decided to shift and not when some computer decides to shift. When I watch autocross videos today, I see more of a video game than anything else. Just point the car and steer. I feel somewhat sad for future generations that will never have the involvement of full control over your own fate.
