It’s getting darker earlier and steadily colder as we creep through fall towards winter here in England, but we’re still clinging to the memories of the summer months, even if the season wasn’t as easy to enjoy with friends this year. But for the owner of this 911, the heady days of better weather are conjured every time he drives, rain or shine.
The happy driver of this black beaut, Adam, would sooner live out of this car than sell it. He tells me, “If I was going hungry maybe I would have to, but it would still take some serious thinking before I could imagine letting go of her.” He’s only had it for a few years—won in an auction up in Scotland, bought sight unseen from behind his computer screen—but it’s likely to be with him for the rest of his life.
Adam paid near the top end of the market for the car back then, and though he keeps up with the market, he doesn’t view the car as a pure investment into anything but driving pleasure. To prove that point, he flew north to Scotland to pick up the car, only to drive it further away from home. Specifically, to the famous North Coast 500. Adam and his 911 spent two days exploring the Cairngorms mountain range, during which he decided to give it a name: Bonnie, after the 1935 comedy Bonnie Scotland. After a weekend getting to know the car on some of the planet’s best driving roads, Adam drove back home to England in one go. In essence, the Porsche had left an even better first impression than expected, and Adam has routinely taken it on road trips around Europe ever since.
“This car is special to me for so many reasons. I love to look at it in the garage at night with the bodywork warning the overhead lights like only a 911 can, but I first fell in love with the act of driving this car. It’s of course not the fastest car out there, but it has a mechanical feeling that blends the original 911s into their evolutions. It gives a distinct sense of being a machine, but it doesn’t sacrifice any of the emotion inherent to driving old sports cars. Ideally we like to be on roads that wind through dramatic topography, but it makes even the most mundane routes into something to look forward to,” Adam says.
“It’s also a very understated 911 compared to most, and I love that it has all of the beauty of the G-model shape, but can still be driven around without catching too much attention—from the police or otherwise! I still get thumbs up from people who like the car, but it doesn’t attract a group of phone photographers every I go.
“It’s the perfect aesthetic for my tastes, and it’s a sheer joy to be in the driver seat, but I also appreciate the practicality of this car,” Adam continues, “it’s a friendly one to work on. I’ve done the basic maintenance on it in addition to some of the bigger jobs that might otherwise fall into the deferred column on less approachable kit. I’ve learned a lot in the process, and each job has left me with more confidence for the next one. It’s a nice feeling, to want to take care of your care with your own two hands instead of feeling forced to. I think that sentiment is felt by most people who’ve fallen in love with a car, and I’m just happy to count myself among that group.”
