Photos by Andrew Golseth
Posted up in America’s Finest City, I’m fortunate to live within what is arguably the automotive capital of the world: Southern California. SoCal and cars go together like PB&J, which means I’m lucky enough to regularly see, touch, smell, and experience an extremely rich and diverse automotive spectrum. When I first moved to California, seeing these eccentric cars on a regular basis spoiled my taste; I temporarily lost interest in cars that weren’t concours queens: not anymore.
That’s taken a complete 180-degree turn.
Now, when I see a Ferrari F40, I think to myself, “Nice”. But when I see a creampuff Mercedes-Benz 280SL ‘Pagoda’, I totally geek out. Likely inline with your tastes, my appreciation for classics isn’t defined by monetary value, rarity, or racing pedigree: I simply love old cars of all types. This 1988 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera is precisely one of those cars. It’s not necessarily worth all that much, especially considering the current air-cooled market. Porsche made tons of 3.2 cars, so it’s not even that rare. It’s not some trick custom either. It’s just clean.
To me, what makes this car so cool is the color combination and the owner’s nutty attention to aesthetic and mechanical condition. Owner Jon Eng is just like you and I: a true do-it-yourself gearhead who works hard, appreciates what he’s earned, and always seeks to keep his cars in tiptop shape. So, a while back on an especially beautiful San Diego summer day, I told Jon to, “Pick me up… and bring the 911.”
Waiting for him to arrive, I heard a familiar metallic burble encroaching the neighborhood. Just as I thought, “That’s got to be Jon,” I got a text saying he’s out front. Walking to the street, I noticed his 911 was freshly washed as always, and the sun was just starting to tank towards the horizon. I opened the passenger door, tossed my camera bag in front of the floor mounted fire extinguisher, carefully set my derrière on the subtle leather factory Sport seat, and gave the door a solid pull with a satisfying “clunk,” sealing us from the outside world like a bank vault.
We headed to my favorite Point Loma shoot location: Shelter Island. An aquatic parking lot for the local yacht clubs, the vast bayside concrete loading dock area is a prime downtown San Diego backdrop location I regular—especially on nights like this. I hopped out, grabbed the Canon, and began firing.
We arrived on site just in time, as the warm summer sun plummeted, I was able to get a few shots of direct light on the Granite Green Metallic finish—something I find challenging to capture due to the complex grey/green mixture. Notice how much more green the car appears in the light as opposed to the gunmetal reflections when shaded—just absolutely love this color.
What’s even cooler than the paint is the color-matched green leather interior. With black accordion bumpers, window trim, and Fuchs, there’s a basic two-color black and green palette theme that carries into the cabin—it’s hard to explain how much this harmonious combo pleases my OCD.
After the light had vanished, we made our way to a nearby bar for a round of pints. Friends, cars, a perfect California summer day, and a craft beer to end the night—pinch me, I must be dreaming.
This evening just goes to show: it doesn’t take a million dollar car to Drive Tastefully.
