A 911 Comes Home

Last Friday, a 911 finally arrived at our home. Not a 991-generation car, but an air-cooled Porsche 964 C2. The owner of the used-car dealership brought it all the way from Nagoya to our home in Hyogo Prefecture. (And he even brought sweets for me and the kids. Thank you!)

First of all, it’s so small!

The body color is Amazon Green, though depending on the light it can look green, blue, or even black. This particular car was featured as a magazine model on pages 63–67 of issue 73 of 911DAYS. It’s easy to see why it was chosen: the car is in excellent condition and looks beautiful.

So, here are my first impressions after getting behind the wheel of the 964 C2. I usually drive a 971 Panamera, and only occasionally drive our 981 Boxster with its manual transmission. My experience has mostly been with relatively recent, water-cooled Porsches—and I’d only driven a 911 once before, on a test drive.

In other words, this was pretty much my first time driving a 911—and my first experience of an air-cooled Porsche.

What I Expected from the 964 Before Delivery

To be honest, I initially didn’t expect much from the 964. I’d often heard negative things like:

・The air conditioning doesn’t work.
・The cabin is cramped.
・It overheats in summer.

So I’d imagined an air-cooled Porsche as a car that feels like it could break down at any moment, rides poorly, and demands that you put up with it. (Sorry…)

Then came delivery day. The weather was unfortunately rainy, and the car had already gotten a little dirty on the drive from Nagoya to our home. So I figured, “If it’s going to get dirty anyway, I may as well take it for a drive today!” After dark, I took it around the neighborhood.

The first thing that surprised me about the 964 was its door. You often read about this in test-drive reviews, but the metallic “clunk!” as it shuts—and the solid feel of the door closing—are things you just don’t get in a modern Porsche.

Then I climbed into the passenger seat as my husband took the wheel, and I was blown away.

Wow… so this is an air-cooled Porsche.

It delivered “go, stop, and turn” at an impressively high level, and I could clearly feel the roots of the handling and driving character we know in today’s Porsches. (Though if you trace those roots further back, you end up at the 356 and beyond.)

At the same time, the body’s sense of solidity, the comfortably supportive seats, the firm yet composed ride, and the feeling of connection to the road were unlike what you find in a modern Porsche. It felt like a beautifully engineered car, lovingly built by skilled German craftsmen who took pride in their work 30 years ago.

I’d also expected a harsh ride, but even with its firm setup, the car absorbed bumps well. I thought, “A long road trip in a 964 would be absolutely fine.” After filling up with gas, I got the chance to take over driving.

I took the wheel, set off—and was immediately surprised!

The steering is so heavy! ((；ﾟДﾟ)!!)

At first, I took every turn too wide because of how much effort the steering needed. But strangely enough, as I drove, I started to think, “Actually, anything lighter might feel a bit lacking.” Before long, the weight began to feel natural.

The brake pedal was also quite heavy, but it wasn’t like the rock-hard pedal in a supercar I’d driven before. Press firmly and the brakes responded quickly, without any abrupt jolt.

Until then, my idea of a “classic car” had been shaped by the Mercedes-Benz SL500 (R129) we had at home until recently. But the SL makes you want to cruise in relaxed luxury, whereas the 964 made me feel like I wanted to “keep driving, and then drive some more!”

I was so excited, exclaiming, “This is amazing!” over and over, that my husband said:

“What’s gotten into you? I didn’t think you’d get this hooked! lol”

The rain was getting heavier, so we headed home after less than an hour.

Taking the 964 on the Royu Driveway

Then on Sunday, with the weather on our side, we left the kids with my mother-in-law and took the 964 out for a drive on the Royu Driveway and the highway.

The Panamera I usually drive has superb handling. People even say that “on a winding road, it feels as if the car has shrunk around you.” But it’s still a huge car, weighing two tons, nearly two meters wide, and more than five meters long.

Compared with the Panamera, the 964 rolled less through corners, steered with real precision, and was a lot of fun.

It felt like a true partner. I found myself thinking, “A long road trip in this car would be so much fun.” It also has a sunroof, and driving with the autumn breeze coming in on a clear day felt wonderful.

Then I blurted out, “This is amazing! It feels so much like the 911 (991) I test-drove before!” My husband pointed out:

“Well, this is a genuine 911, after all. (-_-)”

That’s right—I was driving a 911! (lol)

That said, compared with a modern 911, I felt the 964 demands more from the driver. Even though I’m not particularly confident in my driving, I could push the 991 along a mountain road without much hesitation. It was easy to start wondering, “Have I become a better driver?” Maybe thanks to its well-calibrated electronic systems, I never felt the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout made the 911 especially difficult to drive.

You could call it a model student.

The 964 was different. I found downhill corners fairly manageable, but uphill corners were quite challenging. Perhaps it was the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, but if I braked too late before a corner, the car simply wouldn’t turn. Getting back on the throttle as I exited the corner also took careful timing.

And with the steering so heavy, I spent the whole drive muttering to myself, “Hmm, this is hard!” (lol)

I imagine it takes both knowledge and driving skill to truly master a 964. As I drove along the Royu Driveway, it felt as if the car were telling me, “Tsk, tsk. You’re getting ahead of yourself. You won’t master me that easily.” (lol)

I suspect the fun of a 964 lies in the journey from where I am now to becoming comfortable behind the wheel. You gradually get in sync with the car, and once you can drive with a real sense of connection, it must feel unbelievably good—and be incredibly fun.

I was also too nervous to really put my foot down, so I didn’t get to experience that wonderful air-cooled engine sound for myself. (It felt fantastic when my husband was driving, though.) It may be a while before this car feels comfortable enough with me to really open up. (lol)

Driving the 964 on the Highway

On the highway, the 964 felt more stable than I’d expected, and at 100 km/h, it felt as if I were going much slower. Even when I turned the wheel to change lanes, the car stayed composed and responded smoothly. That’s Porsche for you.

Still, I’ve grown used to the Panamera Turbo’s size, reassuring feel, and acceleration, so there were moments when the 964 felt a little less reassuring. I also had to watch out for the steering being pulled by road grooves, and I wanted more acceleration when merging. But I can’t really compare it with the Panamera.

I also found it a little inconvenient to have to switch on the headlights manually every time we entered a tunnel. I tend to forget things, so I could easily leave the lights on after parking and end up with a dead battery—and calling JAF, Japan’s roadside assistance service. (I once had to call JAF after that happened while I was driving a rental car.)

After driving the 964 on the Royu Driveway and the highway, we had to stop by the Porsche Center to hand over the vehicle inspection certificate and take care of a few other things.

As soon as we arrived, H, our Porsche Center contact, exclaimed, “Wait—what is that car?” (lol) We picked up a few event freebies while we were there, then headed home.

My First Impressions of the Air-Cooled Porsche 911 (964 C2)

Well, the 964 is truly amazing. I never imagined it would be such a joy to drive, or such a well-engineered car. The fact that it was built 30 years ago and can still be driven hard today without a problem is incredible.

That said, I can tell I still have a lot of practice ahead of me before I can really master it. I’d never given it much thought before, but now I have a newfound respect for air-cooled Porsche drivers. They must have serious driving skills.

That’s my first impression, then. I’d like to share my husband’s thoughts in another article, but the other day he said:

“It’s too early to sum up my thoughts on the 964. Right now, I’d only have superficial things to say. It’s not the kind of car that opens up to you after a week or so. I’ll need to drive it more, take it on a long road trip, and understand its depth before I can really give my impressions.”

So it sounds like it’ll be quite a while before I can share his take. (lol)