Porsche 911 964C2

The other day, I drove our air-cooled Porsche 911, the 964C2, for the first time in a while. The last time I drove it was in the fall of last year, so it had been over six months since I last got behind the wheel.

My husband has been driving the air-cooled Porsche quite often lately, and every time he gets in, he says,

The 964 is really something special. When I swap the GT3 and the 964 in the parking lot and head home, I always think, “The GT3 is amazing, so I’d really prefer to just go home in the GT3.” But once I’m driving the 964, I end up thinking, “Wow, this car is incredible. Maybe I don’t even need the Boxster or the GT3.”

He says the same thing every time with a big smile (laughs).

Also, our 964 isn’t a manual but a Tiptronic, and my husband passionately says,

The Tiptronic is plenty fun. I really think this automatic transmission was well made for its time. Especially after changing the AT fluid, it got even better, and you can easily enjoy the excellent chassis of the 964 anywhere in town. So, you get to enjoy the luxury of using the 964 as a stress-free daily driver. Among the cars I currently own, I’m glad this one has the Tiptronic. (Though if I didn’t have any manuals, I’d probably buy one.)

I used to look at him a bit skeptically, but after driving the air-cooled Porsche again myself, I too was moved and thought, “This really is a fantastic car.”

It’s hard to put into words, but I felt, “Ah… this must be what Porsche is all about…” Compared to that, our GT3 and Boxster GTS have a lot of tuning and flair added.

Of course, the water-cooled models have amazing performance and are much easier to drive, but when you get into a raw 964, you really feel the simple, unpretentious, well-built quality of a truly fine car.

I’ve never driven a Porsche older than the 964, but the solid feel, suspension, and steering all made me think, “This might be the foundation of today’s water-cooled Porsches.” Even driving slowly around town is a lot of fun.

The engine sound also clearly communicates that the engine is working hard—it’s a natural, mechanical sound with no gimmicks, and it’s very pleasant.

What surprises me most is how well this car, built 30 years ago, still drives. The light, responsive feel when you press the accelerator is surprisingly youthful for a classic car, and it’s incredibly stable even on the highway.

Of course, the steering is heavy, and it’s really tough to turn at very low speeds like at intersections, but within that analog feel lies the essence of Porsche driving pleasure and character.

And when I’m driving it, I feel really happy and deeply appreciate what a great car it is. My husband also says about the 964,

The sound and atmosphere are great, but more than that, the feeling of “controlling” the car is the real thrill of this era of Porsche. The other day, we were driving on Route 194 in Shikoku during heavy rain, and the road conditions and limits were communicated to the driver through the steering feedback, sounds, lateral G-forces, and vibrations as analog information. Modern water-cooled Porsches have PSM, and as long as you don’t push too hard, the car takes care of the driving. But the air-cooled Porsche constantly communicates with the driver, who then “controls” the car in response. That’s what makes it so interesting.

I totally get it.

Soon, I want to take this 964 for a drive on Rokko and the Royu Driveway!