When Road and Track did a cover shot of the brand new porsche turbo, with the blurring zoom of trees at the side of the road, my fate was sealed. No other car, even a Testarossa, would satisfy this itch. I said I would have a turbo before the gray hair set in, but alas other priorities were first.. so it took me longer than hoped. My love for Porsche was increased again in childhood when our neighbor bought a 928 for his wife for Christmas and needed a place to keep it until Christmas morning. Of course our garage had a spot free. It was great when the dealer dropped it off, 3 Porsches arriving in our driveway(neighbor in his 911 and a dealer car to ferry the 928) . I sat in the 928 every night after school up till it disappeared. A long time coming and I love every day of my ownership.

 

When I was 5 or 6 my dad bought a 1964 356, and from there on he always had a 911, up to now where he has a 2010 GT3, so that's what pushed me to get my 2002 TT.

 

When my father bought me my first car... 72 914. That was around 1997 ish

 

MY first job was a valet for a fancy restaurant. A patron INSISTED I take his 2002 lapis blue X50 for a hard 'romp'.

Hooked ever since.

Mr. Beyer wherever you are -- my brain thanks you but my wallet absolutely hates you

 

My 'Porsche Passion' just comes from wanting to go fast. I had an Audi S4 before my Porsche and it was a great car, I just wanted more. I looked at all of the options and for the money the 996 Turbo was the only logical choice. I looked into E55AMG, M5, and that was about all I could afford.

So for my 26th birthday I bought a 996 Turbo. It's been a fun ride since then.

 

Over engineering and the ability to handle well with the engine over the rear axle is what is awesome about the 911. The significance of the body design is another great feature of the 911.

 

Watching 24 Hr L on TV many moons ago.

 

928 Risky Business the "move", I am 42 and forget how old I was when I watched it.

Then forgot all about them until a buddy pulled up in a Guards Red 996tt and that front bumper with those flaring nostrals got me again. He was testing the car on loan from the dealer and then a week or two later pulled up in a 997.1 white tt.

Shortly after, I bought a 997 C2S and then quick after that traded for my 996tt.

 

The movie

 

What an interesting thread.
I am from South Africa. I was in school (1973) and had to walk past the VW garage everyday. One of the mechanics has a 356 B that he did up to absolute concourse condition. I just loved it and looked at it every day. After leaving school I begged my dad to buy it for me and that I would pay him back. He asked only something like $ 700 US converted from local currency. Ever since I was hooked. Had two 911's, one 356, one 930 and now 996 TT.
Thanks for the thread.

 

I'd lusted over them in magazines and in person since a young child, but always wondered what the hype was all about since they didn't seem as exotic as a Ferrari or Lamborghini. At that point the financial side of it didn't register quite so much in terms of cost of ownership, reliability, etc.

When I was in early college my mom's boss let me take out her 1977 911S and the love affair was born. Suddenly I understood *EXACTLY* what the hype was all about and why Porsche made some of the best driving cars in the world. I remember pressing the brake pedal and thinking I could feel the brake pads pressing against the rotor, and the steering feel was extraordinary!

At that point I knew I'd own one someday, but as fate would turn out, it would be quite a few years before I got my chance! It was worth the wait.

 

as a child my preschool teacher had one, and i thought it was the coolest thing. when i was 9 my mother bought an Audi and the salesman let me sit in a turbo while they did the deal. when i was 14 a friend of my mothers had a 72 with a turbo engine modded into it and took me for a ride.. still haven't felt that rush; took me some time to figurer out that the 72 weighed 2000 pounds and had 400 HP.. that thing was a rocket, and i was only 14.... its been a life long attraction....

 

I grew up fascinated by true sports cars. As I got older and more aware, I became more and more impressed with Porsche's engineering, every-day drivability and reliability. All things being equal, a Porsche, even though a world-class sports car, would still start every day and get you there. I never thought any of them were beautiful by any stretch, but like everything else the Germans build, you have to marvel at their strength in design and execution.

Going back to WWII, with the exception of aviation (minus the ME262), almost everything else the Germans produced was superior to anything else on the battlefield. They just couldn't build enough of them to keep up with the mass production of the United States and the Soviets. Their machine guns, artillery, submarines, tanks, and some of their ships, were the apex of engineering. So, part of what fascinates me about the car, besides it's underlying magnificence, is the better part of an enduring culture that produces it.

BTW, I really enjoyed that groovy clip of Condorman!

 

Sneaking into my dad's friend's maroon 911 targa in 1980 and smelling the leather and seeing the iconic gauge cluster and left-handed ignition switch for the first time
Going to a summer swim meet and seeing a restored cream colored 1969 911 in the country club's parking lot.
Living in West Germany pre-1989 Berlin Wall falling and seeing Germans drive Porsches
as every day cars in town and on the Autobahn- summer and winter.
Having a Guards Red 944 with black and white checkered flag upholstery and a Guards Red 911 Turbo poster hanging up in my bedroom growing up and building Porsche car models.
Having a co-worker drive to work each day in a Polar Silver 2002 996 C4S with HRE black 19" wheels and (in a friendly way) taunting me regularly about how much he enjoyed driving his Porsche every day.
Finally-seeing a 3.2 L Guards Red 1985 911 Turbo look for sale next to my sister's house- re-awoke the previous love and interest- and went looking in earnest. Determined the 996 TT model to have everything that I would require and would have wanted from a Porsche, so here I am. Big grin on face driving to and from work today thanks to Ferry, Butzi et al.

 

Glad someone else enjoyed it. I would like to thank everyone for all the great contributions. From roaring 917's, the iconic 959, Hollywood stories from the seventies, to family influences and experiences; all the stories were great. I hope the stories continue to come in. It seems I am taking the same road as many 6speeders and moving from my current Audi S4 to a 996 or 997. While my search continues, it's good to know that few have had regrets following this path. Merry Christmas everybody.