Porsche, Royu

Last Sunday morning, my spouse and I went to the Royu Driveway for the first time in a while. It had been four months since we last visited Royu on a Sunday morning. The weather at the foot of the mountain hinted at spring, but as expected, the lookout on the Royu Driveway was still chilly.

Various cars had gathered at the lookout, but the Porsche presence was definitely high here. If you come here on a Sunday morning, you can almost always see both new and classic Porsches, as well as some rare models.

That day, a colorful lineup of Porsches was on display, including the new Crayon 911 (992), 928 GT, air-cooled 911s, and Boxsters.

One of the joys of going to the Royu Driveway is the excitement of wondering, “What kind of cars will I meet today?”

Porsche Owners

That day, I was able to greet and chat with the usual folks I meet there as well as readers of this blog. Many Porsche owners often say,

The charm of Porsche isn’t just the cars themselves, but also that the owners are friendly and good people.

I truly felt that again that day.

Especially those who get up early and pay the toll just to gather at the lookout are mostly people who genuinely love cars, so it’s no wonder everyone gets along so well.

Among the owners, we talked about the difference in engine sound between the base 992 model and the S version (apparently, not that much difference), the upcoming release of the 992 Turbo S, Boxster daylight running lights, air-cooled engines, and many other topics that never ran dry.

(Everyone really loves cars, huh? lol)

Speaking of which, recently I had a chance to talk with a Porsche owner couple, and something the wife said left a strong impression.

My husband bought a Porsche and was invited to a touring group for the first time, so I tagged along. The Porsche owners we met there were all friendly and maintained just the right distance, and they were all great people… As his wife, I felt reassured that he was expanding his circle with such people.

Indeed, that rings true. (Of course, I’m sure there are all kinds of Porsche drivers out there.)

Before I was interested in cars at all, my image of luxury car owners was “flashy and stylish people.” I wasn’t comfortable going to gatherings like that, so I rarely went to Royu (even though my husband kept inviting me for years). But when I finally went and talked with everyone, I was surprised how different the reality was from my image.

Most people there genuinely love cars and love Porsche as a car, and including their clothing and atmosphere, they were approachable and reassuring. (Well, I guess that means they’re all enthusiasts, lol)

My husband often says about this,

When you drive a highly passionate car like a Porsche, your network and friendships naturally expand. Especially for me, after buying the air-cooled 964, I feel it expanded even more. Porsche owners really love the cars themselves. Whenever someone opens the engine bay, a circle forms around it. Then the mechanical talk starts, like “On the early models, the aluminum parts are such and such…” or “This part often breaks, so watch out…” You don’t see that kind of scene much with other brands. I think Porsche owners are people who truly love the car’s inner workings and performance. I get along well with those kinds of people.

Makes perfect sense.

Since it was still cold at Royu that day, there weren’t many cars, but when it warms up, sports cars line up so early in the morning that parking becomes impossible. I’m looking forward to visiting again around cherry blossom season.