Taking the 911 (964) in for Repairs

The other day, my husband said, “The accelerator pedal on the air-cooled one is acting up. It’s hard to return, and the engine RPM drops slowly, so I’m going to have it checked out,” and he took our 964 C2 to our trusted local shop, Be-Force.

Regarding the 964, we had done things like an ATF change for the Tiptronic and preventive maintenance last fall, but when it comes to a car that’s about 30 years old, you can’t avoid some wear and tear. Well, that’s only natural.

After the shop fixed the 964 this time as well, my husband came home driving it again and was absolutely thrilled:

It’s totally different! The engine runs so smoothly!! Amazing. It feels so good it almost brought me to tears!

Thank you so much, Be-Force, as always.

Air-Cooled Touring

After that, my husband took the 964 on a long-awaited tour to Naruto, and when he got back, he said,

Wow, the 964 is incredible. I can’t believe this car was made almost 30 years ago. I recently drove the same route in a Note e-POWER NISMO S, but it’s just totally different. The Note is fun to drive, but in terms of stability, road grip, and the feeling of controlling the car, even after 30 years, it just can’t match Porsche’s performance.
Well, the price and concept are different, so it’s not really fair to compare, but I was a bit shocked at how big the gap still is…

He sighed deeply, clearly moved beyond just excitement.

When I asked, “What exactly is so great about air-cooled?” he replied,

Hmm, if I could explain that easily, I wouldn’t be struggling with it… It’s probably an eternal mystery.
First of all, before even talking about air-cooling, one of Porsche’s biggest characteristics is its suspension. The suspension is totally different from other manufacturers’ cars. Mechanics say the materials, thickness, and mounting of the parts involve a lot more care and effort. The rigidity of the suspension and the resulting tire contact feel are overwhelming.
With a Porsche, you can even feel the tires firmly gripping the road when the car is stopped. That’s it, that feeling.
Even with an older Porsche like the air-cooled ones, that grip is amazing. The body is rigid enough that the suspension moves precisely without any wasted motion. It doesn’t feel like the body is flexing to absorb shocks. So even when you’re speeding on the highway and the front feels light and might seem wobbly, somehow you feel a strong sense of stability and reassurance.
It’s not scary at all—in fact, you really feel like you’re in control, and it’s genuinely fun. Especially with my 964, lane changes feel even more agile than modern Porsches. The late Arimasa Tokudaiji’s famous quote, ‘Suppose you want to cut in there. A Porsche is already there the moment you think it. Before you know it, it’s already in that spot. That’s the kind of car it is.’ That’s exactly right! That’s the kind of suspension it has.
And then, there’s the engine. Porsche’s flat-six engine just feels amazing. It runs so smoothly and the response is incredible. I thought I might not enjoy it much since my car has Tiptronic, but that’s not true at all. Manual shifting is really fun. Actually, having only four gears means the wide gear ratios give you a long, smooth acceleration that feels great.
The engine sound from behind is a pleasant mix of mechanical noise and combustion, almost like a motorcycle engine. Especially with air-cooled Porsches, you really feel the gasoline burning inside the cylinders. I know it sounds weird to say ‘feel the gasoline burning,’ but you get it once you drive it. You can sense the power moving the car forward through the sound and the pulse.
The balance between the engine’s sound and feel and that suspension is perfect, so whether you’re driving slowly or pushing it hard, it just feels fantastic. Depending on your mood, you can drive it in a racing style, sporty, or with a nostalgic, refined vibe. Honestly, I just can’t get enough of it.

He was really passionate about it… (￣ー￣)

I once saw a video of the factory where the 964 was made. It showed a small, rough workshop where employees were fitting parts by hand, building each car one by one.

It was completely different from today’s clean, state-of-the-art Porsche factories that use robots, so I was honestly surprised and thought, “Wow, they really built them so painstakingly by hand!?”

To think that cars made like that, even though they need repairs, can still run like new after 30 years, delight their owners, and enrich so many lives—that’s truly amazing.

Ah, I really want to visit the Porsche Museum in Germany again and experience Porsche’s history firsthand… That’s my heartfelt wish these days.