Porsche Design

In an earlier posting I mentioned the Porsche Design mini store at my local Porsche dealership.  It's a small version of Porsche Design stores that can be found in high end shopping establishments around the world.  I've been to the one near my home at Tysons Galleria, and also to the one in Chicago at The Shops at Northbridge.

Every store has different items, their inventories change a lot, and they always have beautiful stuff on display: clothing, luggage, watches, handbags, and many other accessories.  All of their products are known for their simplicity, sleekness, and cleverly detailed European styling.  It's fun to look around inside.  Here are some of the things my family and I saw at the Chicago store:

While the brick and mortar stores are relatively recent, Porsche has been designing car and other accessories for decades.  You can find more detailed information about their history here. 

I somehow managed to get out of the store without buying anything, but my husband fell for and bought a very cool pair of Porsche design eyeglasses, that he still needs to have his prescription put in.  They're what I like to call Euro-man frames (and not hipster, thank goodness; when will that trend ever be over?), made of brushed titanium and in a subtle metallic maroon color.

Typical of the company, Porsche Design is very functional as well as being pleasing to look at.  And austere and clean, like the cars.  I was intrigued by the shoes they had for sale, some of which you can see at the online store.  However, my husband is not a fan of Euro-man shoes, instead preferring classical laced British shoe styles, such as those made by Trickers or Church's.  A few years ago we visited Northamptonshire, England and the shoe factories that remain there, which sell factory seconds-- you can't tell-- at their outlet stores.  He got some very good deals and we

trudged home with British shoes stuffed in our backpacks;  I wouldn't dare put those in checked
luggage.   With Porsche design shoes, I have to

assume that most of them are made in Italy.  Certainly a lot of the other products they had for sale were.  You can tell by the quality of the leather and other details.

It was a fun afternoon just to look around, something I don't get to do that often.  Now to get back to driving and cars.  I'll have a surprise piece on my new daily driver and something on tires coming out in the next few weeks.    

A Wonderful Weekend for Gawking...2012 911 GTS

The weather was very nice this weekend, around 60 F, and everyone was out and about.  We avoided the crowds and Black Friday weekend bedlam-shopping-mania and opted to stay home and collect leaves, wash the truck, clean up the house, and walk several miles.  Saw this en route:

It's a 2012 Porsche 911 GTS.  Simply beautiful.  I'm personally not a big fan of the decals on the doors of this car, but the painted red brake calipers against the black rims are a very nice touch.  I like the classic silver metallic finish too.   Someone has really good taste in cars. 

Stumbled Upon: Vintage 924S

To my US readers-- Happy Thanksgiving!  We had a wonderful holiday, good food, and cold but sunny weather, and lots of quality time spent with family and friends.  Typically we go on a long walk in the afternoon on Thanksgiving day.  Today was a charmer, in part because during our foray I spotted this:

It's a vintage Porsche 924S, which were made from the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s.  It's not my favorite design the way the 911 is, but it's still unique, and that bright red paint really stands out.  Someone has taken pretty good care of this car.  The 924 was the first front-engined, water-cooled model mass production vehicle that Porsche ever developed.  It was also the first Porsche to come with an optional automatic transmission-- not a good thing in my opinion but it was inevitable. 

Our New Nitrocharger Sport Shocks...For the Truck

Among our other vehicles, we have a favorite 2002 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.  This is our down home practical utility, hauling, and snow vehicle.  It's our workhorse.  My husband is attached to it the way I am to the Porsche, and previously was to my BMW.  The last several years have seen more snow on the Eastern seaboard than previously, which has led to a lot of rust on the truck.  In fact, the 2002 model Tacoma is known for its undercarriage rusting out.  But at 149K miles, ours is still going strong.  We change its oil frequently using Mobil 1 synthetic and Mobil 1 filters. All other transmission, transfer, and differentials are filled with Red Line Oil products.

We've been managing the rust at least.  This past summer, the Tacoma's front and rear brake calipers rusted out and we replaced them.  Then a month ago I took it to the dealer for a factory safety recall repair on the plate which holds the spare tire on underneath; the old one was deemed unsafe because of their tendency to rust through.  On a brighter note, last year I bought my husband a brand new set of Michelin LTX tires for the truck, and they ride nicely, and are less noisy than our previous BF Goodrich Radial all Terrains. Living on the urban East Coast, off roading isn't a frequent option, although the BFGs did last for 80,000 miles.  But I love Michelin and always had that brand on the BMW.

By far the most exciting thing we did with the Tacoma was have new shocks installed on it last week. These were not just ordinary shocks: we got ARB Old Man Emu 4X4 Nitrocharger shock absorbers-- some of the best on the market.  They're manufactured in Australia based on extensive testing in the Outback.  My husband knows Jim Jackson, who started ARB in Seattle and attended a few SEMA shows in Las Vegas with him. Jim has moved on from ARB to another position within the automotive industry. While most drivers purchase Bilstein, KYB, or other brands, ARB are more robust but just not as well known or advertised.  Old Man Emu is the Snap-On tool of shocks while Bilstein and others are more like the Sears Craftsman version.

We had this done over at Arlington Motorcar Service, where Eliot, the General Manager, did a great job advising us on what to get and explaining how these shocks work, are installed, and what to expect.  Overall they did an outstanding job. 
 
The Nitrochargers give a great ride: very sporty but still comfortable and adaptable to the road condition.  They give you a noticeably increased sense of control.  We haven't taken it off road yet but are looking forward to that someday. 

Compared to these babies, the factory shocks looked like toothpicks.  Their installation even raised the truck by an inch or two.  They're definitely quite an upgrade, and well worth it for a vehicle we use all the time for just about everything other than pleasure/performance driving, which is what the 911 is for. 

The New 2015 911 Carerra GTS

Forbes recently published a review and s w e e t  series of photos of the new 2015 GTS.  There are several variants of the GTS available, from a "base" Carerra S GTS loaded up with extra features all the way up to the track-inspired GT3, which has been modified to be street legal.  With the GTS models, you get extras like Porsche Sport Exhaust, the Sport Chrono Package, bi-xenon headlights with a smoked lens, and Porsche Active Suspension Management.  The interior features a unique combination of fine leather and Alcantara-- the latter is most easily described as a synthetic suede used in race cars because of its superior grip and durability-- and it's really plush to boot; I've touched it.  However, stick lovers be warned:  the newest GT3 street version comes with PDK only, and is not available with a manual transmission, the lack of which no doubt will make Porsche purists unhappy.  Luckily you can still get the other 911 Carerra GTS models in a stick or PDK.  

Looking Back 20 Years at My First Manual: the Honda CRX Si

About 20 years ago I bought my first stick.  It was a second-hand 1989 Honda Civic CRX Si in black.  For a while I even owned an additional one in white, also a manual, but that's another story.  The black one was my favorite and daily driver.  I loved it and kept it for about 6 years and 155,000 miles, until everything started failing on it and I sold it and bought the BMW E36.   The CRX was an enormously fun car.  A true two seater, it had a hatchback with a power sunroof, front wheel drive, and 1.6 L, 108 HP 4 cylinder 16-valve 1590 cc D16A6 engine with multi-point fuel injection.  It had a surprisingly roomy trunk and the stick shifted like butter.  It certainly was not a high performance car in the way a Porsche is, but for its size and fuel economy it was a little rocket and the high end version of a Civic.  It was by no means a collectible car, but it ran and ran with little maintenance, and didn't cost me much to operate-- plus in those days gasoline was around $1.00+ per gallon.  Towards the end of its life I had a new clutch put in, but no other major work. 

CRXs were manufactured from 1983 through 1991.  Mine was the third generation, which was replaced by the del Sol in 1992.  Just a few years ago, Honda introduced what is supposed to be another successor to the CRX-- the combined combustion-electric CR-Z.  You can look at it on the Honda website.  There is serious debate as to whether or not the CR-Z lives up to its CRX predecessor in terms of performance and uniqueness.  The CR-Z is certainly reminiscent in appearance of the CRX.  I've been thinking about going to test drive one just to satisfy my curiosity.  Ok-- I have to-- my curiosity won't let up.  Let's do this!  Reviews of the CR-Z have been mixed, and I've heard that if you previously owned a beloved CRX you'll be disappointed. I'm bracing myself but going to be open minded:  I'm getting ready to buy a new daily driver car as my work commute is going to be changing dramatically (for the better!) soon, and the Porsche is not an option for the coming winter and Northeast foul weather.  I've got my eyes on a couple different cars, and looking forward to spending time behind the wheel test driving those.  I'll  be sure to share my experience here. 

Confessions of a Porsche 911 Addict

You know who you are, 911 addicts. You can't help it.  You've had an obsession with them for as long as you can remember: mine started around age 16.  If you own one its that thrill that jumps up from the bottom of your stomach through your heart when you punch it on the highway.  Or the growling German engine when you start it up.  And the way it feels when you slide into the hand-stitched leather wrap-around seats.  It's a lot of things.  Admit it, you've thought about going to sleep in it, and after you've washed and waxed it you've at least once leaned face down on the trunk and tried to put your arms around it and whispered "Have I told you lately that I love you?"  Oh, is this a car we're talking about?  Yes, and your spouse thinks this is all extremely funny and chuckles at you.  

When you're traveling for work in that tinny rental car you really miss your own, don't you?  At your workplace, if your office or division director is evil and insecure, he's secretly enraged with jealousy of your ride.  And you don't even remember his name when you're out moving gears on the open road.    

PorscheLover.com is obsessed and totally gets it-- please keep posting those awesome photographs.  That 1960s advertisement with the man and woman getting affectionate against that orange 912 is classic. Will that car make you sexy?  I can't say.  Is that car sexy?  Hell yes.  I hope that 912 belonged to the woman in the photograph, by the way. 

I'm obsessed with Porsche design and engineering too, which never ceases to surprise.  Since I bought my 911, I keep discovering features it has that I hadn't come across in my research prior to purchasing it.  If I had read about them I hadn't retained.  Things like the way the mirrors automatically sense the incident light around you and switch themselves to nighttime driving view that features a greenish tint.  Or how the ignition switch knows which of the two keys for the car are in proximity.  Or on gradients greater than 5 percent a drive-off assistant kicks in when you're putting it into 1st gear or reverse.   Or the at-first-quirky but then oh-yeah-it's-logical way you program the navigation computer, European style:  state, town, street, and then house number. 

The first time I ever drove a 911, back in 2010, I knew I was hooked.  My husband knew I was too and said he could see it on my face.  Once you've done it, there is no going back.  Don't try to fight the addiction because you can't.  

Spied: McLaren 650S and Audi R8

I was in the middle of my commute from work to home last week and spied a number of McLaren 650Ss and an Audi R8 at the Bentley dealership.  You don't see that many McLarens around, so those stood out.   The R8 does too, although these cars are a bit more common than the McLaren.  I was helplessly drawn over to look at them.  It was raining, so nobody else was out on the lot except for high performance auto fanatics who can't resist great design and won't let a little foul weather curb their enthusiasm.  There were a few other McLarens on the lot, but I snapped this 650S in black:

 

McLarens are made in England and are a street car spin off of Formula 1 technology.  The 650S was revealed only this year.  Like its other high-end brand cousins, the 650S is a supercar, a trend that seems to be growing and looking like it will continue in the near future.  The 650S has a unique carbon-fiber composite chassis, a 3.8-litre V8 twin-turbo engine, sporting 500 ft-lbs of torque. It can reach a speed of up to 207 mph.

Not to be outdone, Audi came out with the R8 in 2008.  Here's the one I spied, also in black:

I wasn't certain about exactly what year this R8 pictured here is, so won't comment about this one in particular.  But in general, the R8 comes in your choice of a V8 or V10, and like the Porsche 911 is a two seater, although the Audi is a mid-engine.  The 2014 has a big 4.2-liter V8-- located behind the passenger seats- that gives 430 HP and 317 ft-lbs of torque.  It comes with a new Audi automated manual transmission, but you can get it with a traditional manual transmission if that's what you want.  When I checked it out I was taken with the louvered back design shown above.  It's sleek and cool.  The inside is beautiful too.  I didn't get any pictures of the interior of this one but you can see that and lots more at http://www.audiusa.com/models/audi-r8. 

A Two-Wheeled Porsche

I was at my Porsche service department yesterday dropping off my car for an end-to-end inspection before its warranty expires.  They pointed out a Starbucks coffee machine in the lounge in their showroom, in case I was inclined.  I was, and wandered over to the lounge, which is actually a mini Porsche Design store.  In case you haven't heard of this you can see what I mean here.  Porsche Design does have some beautiful items and it kind of reminds me of the Tom Ford shop on New York's Upper East Side, but with other items besides clothing.  So I got my coffee and turned around, and in front of me is a Porsche bicycle:

Yes, a Porsche bicycle.  I had no idea.  It caught my eye and it turns out Porsche makes a small number of bikes, both for off road and for more urban environments.  Like most other things made by or licensed by Porsche, they're pricey, starting around $3600.00 in the US.  Then again Yeti bikes start at about that range too.  No doubt Porsche bikes are high performance if you're into cycling.  For now I'm content with my Specialized guy's mountain bike and spend more time in my 911 than on my bike anyway.  The car checked out ok today too. 

Lamborghini Rocks the Paris Motor Show

Lamborghini has joined the ranks high performance auto manufacturers who are turning out hybrid supercars.  And apparently they stole the Paris Motor Show.  There is a good write up and video on Bloomberg about the new Lamborghini Asterion. 910 HP, V10.  Also more information about the Asterion at The Truth About Cars.

Autoweek Review of the 2014 911 Carrera Turbo S

Autoweek liked the 2014 911 Carrera Turbo S, and published a good review of that beast today, following a track session at the Michigan International Speedway. 

Bury it in the Asphalt: Porsche Sport Driving School

You will come back to your hotel each night spent, hot, and sunburned. Your clothes and hair will smell like auto exhaust, motor oil, and brake dust. You will be mentally drained, immensely satiated, and you’ll have had time of your life.  This was my experience at the Porsche Sport Driving School at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama last week, where I attended the PSDS women’s only entry level performance driving class.  

Why?  It goes without saying that this is the Porsche driving school, so do I really need to explain? But actually there were a couple other reasons I did this.  First, ever since I bought my 911, everyone including my friends, my boss, and my neighbors kept asking me the same question: “When are you going to take your car to the track?”  This was the answer to that, and the clever birthday present my wonderful husband proposed in lieu of my wearing out my own tires and brakes on the track.  And what a gift it turned out to be, because—and the second reason I wanted to go to PSDS—I wanted to become a better driver, especially because Porsches and particularly 911s require special handing because of their engine placement, weight distribution, and immense power. 

Pit lane at the Barber track

The entry level performance driving course is intense, professional, well organized, and more physically and mentally demanding than I ever imagined.  Most of my classmates agreed about this.   Most of us were first timers to PSDS, with the exception of a few repeat customers who loved it so much they wanted to do it again. 

Even though the school sent a welcome package in the mail early on and instructions about attire (casual with no sandals or open toed shoes allowed), logistics, and to bring your valid drivers license, I didn’t quite know what to expect when I arrived in Birmingham, where I and other attendees were collected by a limo driver at the airport the evening before the course started. 

At the track

Class starts promptly at 8:00 am, after about a 40 minute ride to the track from the hotel.  The first thing the attendant at the registration desk asked was “Can you drive a manual?”  Many participants could not or instead requested paddle shifters, of which there were plenty available.

2014 Boxster and 911 Carrera S

Overall the course consists of two very full days of driving exercises, track time, and group and one-on-one attention from instructors, along with a small amount of classroom time.  There are almost no breaks between events. Participants are constantly evaluated, data is collected as you drive, and you’re given tips for improvement based on your skill levels and strong and weak points.  They divide you up into small teams right away and your team moves from exercise to exercise to track throughout each day.  

We drove 2014 Panameras, Caymans, Cayennes, Boxsters, 911 S sticks, automatics, and paddle shifters, and a 911 Turbo.   They also had a single Macan available, which is a new, small SUV that is still hard to come by at dealerships: one of my teammates fell in love with the Macan and at the end of the course she was headed home to order one.  And somewhere they had hidden a 918 Spyder hybrid on the property, but I didn’t spy that.  Word got around during the course that it was reserved exclusively for serious prospective buyers to try out on the track prior to ordering one. 

On the skid pad

We did multiple episodes learning on the skid pad, autocross, cornering, lane changing, heel to toe downshifting for those who drove manuals, effective breaking at high speeds, launch control in the 911 Turbo, a rugged off road adventure in a Cayenne, and lots of track and lap time.  Other than the approximate 1.5 hours spent in the classroom and short lunch breaks, most of the time you are outdoors.

I liked all the exercises and loved the track time, but for some reason the skid pad was just plain old fun:  it’s about a 25 by 25 yard square of slick surfaced asphalt that adjacent sprinklers keep good and wet.  You drive out, speed up straight, turn in a figure 8, your wheels skid, you might spin out, and you learn to recover and gain back control back.  Then you do it again several times.

The launch control exercise was mostly for thrills, but gives you a taste of what the 911 Turbo beast can do:  0-60 in 2.2 seconds.  Initially you’re in the passenger seat while the instructor—ours was a way cool lady named Tiresa-- explained how to use launch control, which is a Porsche option you can purchase on 911s with the Sport Chrono package.  She warns you to be tightly buckled in with your head back on the headrest, then she launches the Turbo.  It’s thrilling and scary, and over in a few seconds.  Then it’s your turn, and it’s even more thrilling and less scary when you’re in the driver’s seat.  

911 Turbo Launch

Some people can get motion sickness from certain course activities, because you do get up to high speeds, near 80-100 mph or so on the track towards the end of the second day, and most of the exercises are intense.  But if you are prone to motion sickness they provide Dramamine.  They also provide water and sodas all day; this is Alabama, it’s hot most of the year and easy for you to become dehydrated.  I was there in mid-September and it still reached 90 degrees F with strong sun in the afternoons, and I got sunburned even while wearing sunscreen and a ball cap.  

2014 911 Turbo S

As fun as the whole event is, the course, its instructors, and the Barber track are all very technical.  Don't come here thinking you're going to just screw around with these cars.  The Barber track is a demanding 2.38 miles long with a lot of elevation change and curves.  At PSDS it’s about technique, precision, discipline, safety, and making you a better driver, and not about being reckless and turning you into a race car driver in two days—sorry to break the news but that takes years to achieve.  In the entry level course you aren’t allowed to go out on the track alone, instead you either follow your instructor in their pilot car as they give directions and tips via intercom or they will ride with you (you still move at high speeds!) However, once you pass the entry level course, PSDS does offer more advanced classes culminating in a GT3 Cup experience.    

Above: The GT3 Cup Car Exterior and Interior

The school strongly emphasizes directing your head and eyes up and ahead on the track so you can anticipate what’s coming and plan for it, instead of reacting to it.  At curves they want your head turned practically 90 degrees right or left to be aware of the upcoming horizon.  And they kept drilling us on placing our hands at 9:00 and 3:00, along with smooth but firm acceleration and breaking. 

The instructors are delightful, knowledgeable, and charming.  Don, a senior instructor with whom we did lane changing and breaking exercises, told me to hit the break on the 911 S “like you’re going to bury it in the asphalt!”

About 50 instructors work at the school; most are former professional race car drivers.  Hurley Haywood of Daytona, Le Mans, and Sebring fame directs PSDS.  We didn't get to meet Hurley, unfortunately, but no doubt he’s one busy guy running that school.  He did sign all of our graduation certificates.   

Sure, the course had a light but not overt sales pitch undertone to it. For example, given my expressed preference for a stick, that’s what I drove most of the time on the track.  But I was given an automatic Carrera S for one set of laps and was then asked how I liked it.  I liked the speed and the way the car handled, similar to mine, but I still love the way you engage with the car more completely with a manual transmission.  I told them I’m not willing to give that up yet, and no one tried to sway me otherwise.  And really, the staff’s beaming professionalism is one of the strongest points of the whole course, outshining all else. 

How do you sign up?  It basically goes like this:  go to the PSDS web site and you can email them to start the registration process at sportdrivingschool@porsche.us.  You can also register by calling them at 888-204-7474.  I registered on line and it was easy, fast, and seamless.  The official lodging is at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort located about 20 minutes outside of Birmingham.  If you book the school’s hotel package, you’ll get free airport pickup and drop off and transportation to the track both days.   Breakfast and lunch are served at the track, and you can have dinner with the instructors one night at the Renaissance. 

Finally, since everyone asks about this, there is a small Porsche swag shop next to the classroom, with apparel, model cars, and other Porsche gear.  And, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is on site, which you can visit when the course concludes. 

If you plan to enroll in any of their courses do it at least 3-6 months ahead as all of them sell out early.  The women’s only course is currently offered one time per year, in mid-September.   They also offer classes to corporate teams and groups.     

I’ll likely be back to take the master’s class at some point down the road when I'm craving another 2 days of Porsche-fueled pure adrenaline. If you love to drive these kinds of cars and want to learn how to do that best, this is the place. 

 

 

Here Comes the 918 Spyder

The hybrid supercars are here, and in a big way. 

Jay Leno's Garage on NBC just did a fun feature on the 918, the new Porsche hybrid supercar.  Did I say Porsche hybrid?  Yes, it's here.  It's beautiful. And it's incredibly powerful.

This is a mid-engined car, featuring a 4.6 liter V8, that can provide up to 608 HP, along with two electric motors that can give up to 279 HP, collectively delivering a total 887 HP, and 1000 pound feet of torque. 

Car and Driver has a good review of it too with lots and lots of detail, which I won't repeat here.   There are tons of pictures of it all over the internet as well. Motor Trend's video review of it is good...hang on!..there is also a salute to the old 959 in there.  And, of course the Porsche website has a lot of information about the new 918. 

I haven't driven one, but hope to someday.  As of now there are only a few of them in the US.  There is at least 1 of them at the Porsche Sport Driving School at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.  I know because I was there attending a course last week, and will have a full report on that soon. 

As with the BMW i8 and many other hybrid supercars that are in development or shipping now, this is the future and we're witnessing the ushering in of a whole new era of sports car technology.

Oh and the cost of a 918?  How about a whopping $845,000.00 base.  Save up your money and go talk to your dealer because it may take some time to get your hands on one. 

Saving the Manuals

About four years ago Car and Driver started a campaign to save the manual transmission from going into extinction.  The campaign has gotten some traction, and there is a lot of discussion going on about this.  Manuals are particularly becoming rare here in the United States, for probably a lot of reasons:  convenience, our love of cell and texting, eating breakfast on the way to work (most of us drive everywhere anyway), and whatever else we do in our cars.    

So there are a number of people thinking about ways to keep manual transmissions in production and available to North American drivers.  Over at godsavethemanuals.com you can buy T Shirts, wristbands, and all kinds of stuff devoted to this cause. There is a facebook page at www.facebook.com/SaveTheManuals.  And there is yet another discussion at www.thesmokingtire.com/2014/save-the-manuals/.

Porsche manual lovers tend to see themselves as "purists" - those who will only drive a stick-- not too long ago 911's came only with a stick and no automatic option-- and tend to like the traditional Porsche attributes of the rear engine and other trademark features.  Many view the 911 as the only true Porsche, although things are changing as technology advances and some folks are softening their once hard core views on what a real Porsche is.  A few years ago The Globe and Mail did a nice piece on the new Panamera, calling it the car the "Porsche purists hate to love." To me its a weird looking vehicle but nevertheless popular.

Personally, I'm clinging to my stick and clutch, because there's just something that feels so damn good about it. Perhaps its because there is something of an art to driving a manual where you have to engage all your limbs, hands, and feet.  Once you become intimate with your 911 (or your BMW, Audi, or whatever sports car you drive) you begin to feel when you need to shift, and don't even necessarily look at the RPM gauge.  For some, maybe it feels like you're more in control of what you can do with the car, and this is what it's like to really drive one of these things.  Plus I refuse to text in the car unless I'm parked or a passenger; texting and driving is a fool's game, and I discourage it.  As they say, it can wait.   

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

People can't help but gawk: I too can't take my eyes off of the new BMW i8 that is coming to the US this fall.  New Yorkers were salivating, as this recent Bloomberg piece on the i8 describes.

Is That Your Boyfriend's Car?

You knew this post was coming sometime.

Probably I've not seen or heard it all yet, but I've gotten the weird stares, the younger guy with the leased 911 Turbo or high end Vette pulling up to me at a light intending to challenge me to race, seeing me, then backing off, or looking surprised at the very least, and the neighbors asking my husband about when and how he got his new Porsche. 

My favorite one by far and away is the question, "Is that your boyfriend's car?" I've been asked this once in a parking lot and once when stopped at a light.   Am sure the question will come up again. And for the record I don't have a boyfriend. I did a long time ago but for many years since then I've been married to him.  

And of course there are the positive comments and gestures.  To his credit, when Tom sold me my 911 he made the comment:  "Don't take this the wrong way, but you know more about these cars than most guys."  No offense taken.  In fact, I view that as a compliment.  And it proves I did my homework.  Likewise, a dude bearing down in a new-ish black Dodge Charger came up on my right on the Washington beltway a couple months ago and gave a me an enthusiastic thumbs up, then zipped away off an exit ramp.  And when I told my current boss (also a car guy) I was acquiring a 911, he stood up, shouted "yeah!" and gave me a high five. 

I've no intention of turning this post into a deep analytical piece over why things like this happen, and no doubt there are all kinds of psychological, cultural, and gender difference reasons for the choices we make in auto purchases or other prominent things we buy or own.  At the end of the day it's all really very funny. 

In fact, about a year ago Motorista posted an excellent piece about a similar experience driving a 911.  By the way, that Crimson 4S your employer owns is absolutely beautiful.  And what a great blog that is lots of fun to read, too.   Keep posting, and drive what you love!

The Low-Down on Clay Bars

I was not familiar with giving a car a clay bar treatment until the former owner of my 911 told me that's what he did every so often.  He said it helped retain the finish by pulling contaminants off the paint, and was worth checking out.

So recently I tried this.  I'm not advocating any particular brand, but I bought the Mothers brand California Gold Clay Bar Kit, because that was what I noticed at my local Advance Auto Parts store.  But no doubt you can find this and many competing brands at any auto store and at Target, Walmart, and their competitors.  And of course on Amazon and tons of other online shops. 

With the Mothers kit you get 2 clay bars each the size of a bar of soap, a microfiber detailing cloth, and detailing liquid spray.  The basic idea is to wash and dry your car, spray the painted sections one by one with the detailing liquid, and rub the clay on that section to remove tar, tree sap, and other pollutants from the clear coat.  Then you polish it with the cloth.  The trick is to keep kneading the clay with your hands to encapsulate contaminants and so that a fresh swatch of it is on your car as it picks up grime-- you don't want grains of sand scratching your finish.  If you drop it on the ground, toss it and get a new bar.  The clay is sticky, and has the consistency of Play-Doh.  It's not real clay, but synthetic Polybutene that is pliable. 

Ideally, once you finishing buffing the excess detailing solution off the car with the microfiber cloth a good wax treatment is recommended.  

It did boost the shine, for sure.  And the surface felt very smooth. 

My garage reflected on the 911's door

The common thinking about how often to do this is once every six months, although some folks like to more often.  It depends on what kind of climate you live in and how often you drive, if your car sits outside, and other factors.  One rule of thumb is to run your hand over the paint. If it feels a little rough, it may be time to get out the Clay Bar.  As with most things, everyone will have a different opinion about this. 

To be perfectly honest, half the fun of detailing one's car is because it's therapeutic in some way, especially if you have an office or desk job.  And if you have the time.  Washing, drying, and detailing my car with the Clay Bar took about two hours-- time which I rarely have to myself or to spend doing what I want.  For me, it's probably worth detailing my 911 like this a couple times a year.  And the Clay Bar combined with the detailing liquid seems to work.  I would recommend if you have the time, or have a professional auto detailer do it for you. 

Not Under the Hood

If you're familiar with 911s, you probably know their engines are in the rear, not the front.  It's a Porsche tradition.  Way back when, Ferdinand Porsche designed the first Volkswagen with a rear engine, and later the 356.  The idea behind a rear-engined auto is to give it push from behind the rear wheels and to give it traction and improve its aerodynamics.  And it does make a difference in the way the car handles, and although the rear tires wear faster than the front, that's part of the deal with a 911.  Porsche makes other models that have a front engine, such as the current Cayenne and Panamera, and the 924, 968, and 944, all of which are no longer made.  When I was growing up my neighbor had a 944 and it seemed pretty exotic at the time.

The newer 911s all feature the rear engine, like this:

The 2010 base Carrera features a 3.6L horizontally opposed Flat 6 Cylinder DOHC, with variable valve timing and 4 valves per cylinder.  345 HP at 6500 RPM, and 288 pound feet of torque at 4400 RPM.  All controlled by that 6 speed manual transmission.  The Carrera S and higher echelon versions naturally boast higher performance engines with significantly more HP and torque.   This is also a water cooled engine, introduced to the Type 997 (this is the internal Porsche designation for the 911) a few years ago.  People have differing views on water versus air cooled, but Porsche seems to have gotten this right for the 997.  Come to think of it, water cooling seems to be trend in the HPC business lately too.

As you might guess the trunk or boot is in the front, or "frunk" as some like to call it.

It's actually a little bigger than it looks and can carry a small to medium suitcase and other items.  The back seat, or Sport Seat as Porsche calls it, is good for carrying modest sized things too and that's about it.  It's not meant for an average sized or tall person, you can't sit up straight in it.  I can just sit sideways in it and even then it's not comfortable.

The front trunk also contains the car's battery.  Batteries on a Porsche are whole matter unto themselves, which I'll write about in a subsequent post.

Business Up Front, and a Party in the Back

"Business up front, and a party in the back." - so says Motorweek of the 2015 BMW i8.  This one promises to be a game changer.  Soon hybrids will be as much fun to drive as traditional combustion engined cars.  The i8 is a true hybrid sports car with a front mounted 129 HP electric motor, and a rear 3 cylinder 1.5L turbo charged engine, capable of producing 228 HP. With both engaged, it's 0-60 in 4.2 seconds.  An informative video can be seen at http://www.motorweek.org/reviews/first_impressions/first_look_2015_bmw_i8.

Another good, brief review of it can be found in The Guardian from last week.  The swan-wing doors are reminiscent of the DeLorean.  Remember? Made famous mostly by the time machine in Back to the Future. 

But the i8 is the future.  It's not cheap at around $135,000, and they go on sale in the United States this fall.  There'll be a long waiting list.   A friend of mine-- who I won't name-- disclosed to me last week that she really, really wants one of these.  I can totally see her driving it on the California freeways in the perpetually nice weather (and yes, we're all at the same time praying for rain for California).  I say buy it! 

2015 Sneak Peak

The 2015 911 has not been officially unveiled yet, but here is a link to some spy photos of it, at http://www.topspeed.com/cars/porsche/2015-porsche-911-ar162114.html.  Apparently it's getting a bit of facelift, featuring new air intakes and a new rear bumper and tail lights and air outlets. 

How to Sell a Used Car on eBay

I've been a member on eBay for many years, soon after it was established back in the mid-1990s.  It has grown into a profitable and fascinating business over the years when former CEO Meg Whitman was at the helm.  I remember being surprised when I first discovered eBay Motors and the mere fact that people were buying and selling used cars this way.   Back when I was looking for my BMW I cruised eBay a lot, but didn't find what I wanted at that time. 

But it works generally, and most of my transactions with other eBayers have been fine, and eBay is usually thorough and swift at handling fraudulent items and punishing shysters.  There is the exception here and there:  a couple years ago on eBay I bought on a whim a replacement battery for my MacBook Pro from somewhere in Brooklyn, NY, via China.  When I got the battery, it looked genuine but the imprint on it read Lithium Ion battery for MacBook Pre.  I knew it was a fake, and then confirmed that when it caused my screen to waver insanely.  Luckily it didn't damage my laptop.  It took some effort but eBay got my money back for me.  For related fun, check out this video of an entirely fake Apple store in Kunming City, China. 

So back to cars on eBay.  In my view you'll do better on eBay than on a forum like Craigslist.  I posted my 1998 BMW 323is to Craigslist twice last spring and received a total of 2 emails from people who were virtually kicking tires and not serious. One asked me if I would take $2000 less than I was asking.  I didn't respond.  So I began following similar autos to my BMW on eBay, seeing what they were going for, how they were presented, and what condition they were in.  Here's what I learned:

1) Presentation is key.  Post lots of pictures from hood to trunk, with as many interior as exterior pictures.  Show the odometer reading.   Clean your auto thoroughly first- not many folks want to buy a dirty car.  Clean those tar marks and give it a good wash and waxing too.  Vacuum the upholstery and dust everywhere else, including the trunk.  Clean the windows and mirrors, and Armour-all your vinyl.  If you're a smoker or have dogs or other pets that frequent your car, be honest about that in your listing.  Nothing is worse for a non-smoker or non pet-owner to find that the new car they just purchased smells like a bar or kennel.  People want to know what they're getting. 

Cleaner than clean helps sell your car

2) Don't price your old car, unless it's rare or very collectible, to make a killing because you won't. Do your homework on blue book values and take into account the usual things such as mileage, overall condition, what things have been replaced (ie new clutch? Suspension? rebuilt engine?  etc?) and what is original.  Ebay makes you post the VIN number so people can do a carfax, which I recommend.  It'll give you peace of mind, tell you how many owners -- be honest about this too-- it has had, and whether or not the car been in an accident.  Used autos can have either a clean, or sketchy history. 


3) Adjust the price lower by a bit if you're not getting many watchers or bids in the first few days.  This will attract more attention.  Often, most of the bidding action takes place near the end of the auction, and you can see people out-bidding another.  You want your car to be the subject of a bidding war, which is fun to watch.  

4) Answer any and all technical questions that viewers may have, and post the answers publicly.  If you have a desirable vehicle you'll get a lot of questions. 

Generally, there can be lot of junk on eBay, but many perfectly good autos, too. In my experience there were at any given time 3 to 5 other BMWs of my vintage and model on eBay.  Most were trashed or defective in some way, mostly because of their age and having gone through several owners.  Mine was the exception and I think back to my parents' drilling into us to take care of our things-- it paid off in this endeavor.  One 1998 E36 I watched had a seized engine, another's leather upholstery looked like the family dog had chewed its way through all the seats, and yet another's 323ci convertible top motor no longer worked. There were also the typical "Frankenvehicles" with different colored body panels.  A piece of trivia about BMW that is useful if you're in the market for a second hand one:  BMW stamps the individual VIN number on all the major body components of each of its vehicles that rolls off the assembly lines.  So if the front panels and doors, for example, are original to that car there will be a small VIN stamp on those matching the one on the hood cowl.  If the VINs don't match or one is missing, you've got a problem. 

EBay allows dealers to list their inventories too so there's more competition than from other private sellers, but you can beat the dealers, especially by disclosing everything about the car you're selling to prospective buyers.  Dealers almost always want more money for the same car a private individual may have listed, and in the case of older vehicles, many of the dealers' offering have come from auctions, and you may not know exactly what you're getting or where the vehicle has been. In a flood perhaps, or a fire? Or did someone die in that vehicle?  Carfax helps in this regard, but is not 100 percent perfect in its coverage. 

In the end, my 1998 BMW 323is had 546 page views, 61 watchers, and was the object of a bidding war on the last day of the auction.  I got significantly more than I planned on for a 16 year old car by selling it on eBay.  With some homework, full disclosure, and clear communication with potential customers, you can too. 

Bringing it Home

Fast forward a couple Fridays from my initial visit to Richmond.  I was on the train back to Richmond where Tom would pick me up to take ownership of the 911.  If you're familiar with Amtrak you know they often run late.  Today was no exception.  3 hours from Washington DC to Richmond is an unacceptably long stretch of time, but I'm used to this as I often take the trains to New York to go home, thus I've learned to always bring work to do.  And in some ways the train beats flying commercial airlines these days.  After an eternity the train finally arrived Richmond and I texted Tom.  He was there at the passenger pick up lane in 10 minutes driving my car, or more precisely what would be my car after we completed the title transfer.   
 

Everybody on the platform stared at us as I jumped in and we whisked out of the parking lot.  “You don’t mind my driving it one last time?” he asked with a laugh.  “No of course not. I would have done the same.”  He then proceeded to tell me a great story as we drove to his house:  his wife had long wanted a convertible to replace this 911, and he told me how he had bid for one on e-bay during the past week but neither he nor the one other bidder had reached the reserve the seller in Rhode Island had set.  Tom immediately called the seller, worked out an agreeable price, flew up there, and purchased and drove a 2012 911 convertible home just 2 days ago.  It was waiting in his garage when we arrived to complete the title exchange for my car. 

While I’m not a fan of black auto paint these days- I had 1989 black Honda CRX in graduate school (more on that in a later posting)- Tom’s new 911 cabriolet was still absolutely beautiful.  Not a scratch on it.  After he signed the title of the 2010 over to me we ended up sitting in the 2012 and he showed me all its features.  This is the redesigned 991 model.  It had some extra fine detailing, with the ability to drop the top at up to 31 mph, a 7-speed manual, a 96.5 inch wheel base, and a custom clear-bra on the front end to prevent excessive dings and scratches.  It was longer and had a wider rear wheel base than mine.  We started it up and had a great time discussing it.  This one even featured the Porsche push-button exhaust sound enhancement, formally called the Porsche Sport Exhaust or PSE feature.  It doesn’t actually create more exhaust and does not provide any power gain but works sort of like this:

Porsche 911 mufflers normally have 3 chambers in them. When you purchase PSE, you get an extra exhaust pipe from each muffler, which exits from the first chamber.  So with the push of a button you can direct the exhaust to bypass 2 of the 3 mufflers.  When activated it does crank up the exhaust sound considerably.  This is not something I would go for, but I can see where some people would really enjoy it.   It was soooo bad sounding as I described to Tom. 

We went through a few final details of my new purchase and synced up my phone with my new vehicle's bluetooth, and I programmed my home address into the navigation.

“You nervous?” he asked me laughingly as I got in and sorted my paperwork and backpack.   "A little, like a nervous bride in a way," I joked back but there was a hint of truth.  It was so different from anything else I had ever driven.  It was nearly a 200 HP increase over my last car.  And I kept reaching for the ignition switch with the key in my right hand.  911's are on the left, a holdover from racing design and now a tradition, dating from the early LeMans races where the  driver would start the car with their left hand and put it in gear with the right, saving critical time. 

I started it up-- on the left side of the steering column-- and began to head out the driveway, waving goodbye to Tom.  It was great working with him.  He had even filled the gas tank for me and let me drive back with one of his plates with the understanding that I'd mail it back to him.   It was not going to be LeMans during the 2 hour drive up I-95 in rush hour Friday afternoon Eastern Seaboard traffic, but I'd make the most of it.  It was fun driving home except for the backup near Springfield, Virginia, due to massive construction, and the challenge of avoiding potholes created last winter.  I-95 was full of them.  I got a chance to open it up north of Richmond, push it into 6th gear, and enjoy a hint of what it could do. 

When I got home, my husband was waiting for me in the driveway, and the twenty-something kid next door and his buddy came running over to look.  I switched it off and the engine cooling fan came on to do its after-run to cool the radiator following a long ride like that.  It was nice to be home.  Now to get it titled and plated, and study up on the manuals and learn how this remarkable piece of technology really works. 

The 911 and the BMW 323is right before it was listed on Ebay