“I’ve driven Miatas and I do agree that enthusiasts should at least try one once…and I drove a freshly restored Jag E-Type Series 1 4.2, which was sublime and oh so visceral (though not very comfortable as they were not designed with 6’3″ guys in mind). Believe it or not, a long test drive of a ‘98 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS (blue with gold wheels, natch), was an incredibly memorable drive (I just threw that thing around and it lapped it all up like an eager puppy). I had a 1st-gen ‘new’ Mini Cooper S for a couple of years that was so fun to drive it should have been illegal. I’ve also had several others that were very important to me, and experiences I think other enthusiasts would benefit from…from C4 Corvettes to 87 IROC Zs, to a few Ferraris and more ‘pedestrian’ fare like C5 Corvettes and late 90s Cadillac STSes…
“But the one that really sticks with me is the Porsche 930 (911 Turbo to Americans). It was a 1988, the last year of the 4-spd (yup, no 5-spd until 1989), and it was 1989 and I was 18 at the time. The owner’s brother was in the passenger seat and was NOT a ‘good passenger’, but I still managed to have a bit of fun. It was a MACHINE. I’ve never driven anything that felt so much like an extension of my body…I could FEEL everything that car was doing and encountering. I’d bet good money I could feel a dime if I drove over one. It was so RAW, but not in any way rough (the E-Type was also raw, but quite rough…being a mid-60s sports car, it wasn’t a shock).
“The engine was a bit of an enigma. It would take years, and many miles, to really learn how to work and predict that motor. The acceleration has been described, very accurately, as ‘brutal’…and it totally was. You’d start off and it would pull like any other 911…then you’d hit 3500rpm or so and HOLYMOTHEROFGODWHATTHEHELLISHAPPENING!!!!! I’ve driven many turbo cars, but nothing had such a huge gap between off-boost and on-boost power. It was insane. And addictive. I almost immediately started trying to figure out how I could keep it ‘on boost’ more. If I had had more time (or, you know, OWNED one), I would likely have experimented with Hurley Haywood’s and Walter Rohrl’s left-foot brake-dragging while staying on the throttle to build boost, but not speed. Alas, I did not have that chance. I could go on for paragraphs about that car, even though I only drove it for an hour…and I think every true driving enthusiast should have a chance to try one. I will make you think about things in an entirely different way…”
If a car doesn’t make you think “HOLYMOTHEROFGODWHATTHEHELLISHAPPENING” is it even worth driving?
