Porsche 911 Is A Vintage Daily Driver

Owner and photographer: Rui Vieira Esteves

Year, Make, and Model: 1970 Porsche 911T

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

When asked why daily-drive a Porsche? Mr. Rui Vieira Esteves replied, “Have you driven one? I could go on and on, but it wouldn’t accurately describe the driving experience. If I have to go from A to B, it had better be engaging and fun.” He found the car in Cape Town, where he lives and while it was originally ‘Bahia Rot’ (Bahia Red) it hides a decent body and solid engine. It was a daily driver from the start with no problems.

Rui considers himself a Petrolista, yet he doesn’t buy ‘performance cars’, “I buy cars preferably from the late ’60s/early ’70s. My first was a 1964 1/2 Mustang.” He grew up around cars, as his father used to race a Mini Cooper S in the early ’70s. And Rui himself has restored and owned numerous American cars from the same era. A few years ago he bought a 1970 Mercedes 280SE (check it out here) as a daily driver and fell in love with old German cars.

Which led him to Porsches. “This old 911 is so small and nimble, understated and unique, reliable and relatively economical with its 2.2L flat-six. It ticks all the ‘daily driver’ boxes.” And even though it remains tasteful, it is mildly hot-rodded: the brakes, exhaust, suspension, have been upgraded and wheel flares added. Although, “I’m not gonna mess with it too much since it is otherwise super original and numbers matching.” When asked why he prefers older cars, Rui replied that, “new cars feel like numb appliances. Older cars are visceral. You have to use all your senses to drive them. If you can talk on the cell phone and drive it, I don’t want it.”

Much like love at first sight, Rui knew this was the car for him the first time he drove it. “I remember thinking ‘This is exactly how every car should be.'”

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