Porsche Festival @ Royu Driveway

The other day, I had the chance to drive an air-cooled Porsche 964 (MT). It was so much fun that my image of air-cooled Porsches completely changed, and I want to share that experience today.

A few days ago, my husband went to Royu Driveway in the morning and came home saying this:

Today, a 992 GT3 Touring owner even came all the way from Kyushu, and TAKURO-san showed up in his 964. Why don’t you head to Royu this afternoon? The kids will stay home and watch.

He said.

As usual, being a homebody, I grumbled things like “No thanks, I’m not wearing makeup today” and “I won’t go because I don’t want more sunspots from tanning”, but

“Come on, just go! Opportunities like this are rare!”

he pushed me, so I decided to head to Royu.

That day, I got to drive both the 911 GT3 Touring (992) and the 964, but I’ll share my impressions of the 992 GT3 Touring in another article.

Test Drive of the Air-Cooled Porsche 964 (MT)

At Royu Driveway, I had the privilege of test driving TAKURO-san’s 964, and I was amazed in many ways.

The first surprise was, “What a youthful, lively 911 this is!”

From the start in first gear, it had a strong, assertive push forward. You could say it’s torque-rich. Even in first gear, it surged ahead smoothly as if being pushed from behind.

It’s hard to believe this car was made about 30 years ago. I was surprised by how fresh and vibrant it felt, like a modern car still in its prime.

It felt more solid and planted than our own 911, yet there was absolutely no heaviness. On the contrary, it felt powerful, strong, and very reassuring.

Next surprise was the ease of driving.

Since it was my first time driving an MT air-cooled Porsche, I was worried “It must take some skill” and “I’ll probably stall a lot,” but I was able to drive it quite normally.

That said, I had come wearing ordinary flat shoes (I really need to buy driving shoes…), and every time I operated the clutch, my shoe almost slipped off, so I asked TAKURO-san, “Can I take my shoes off and drive barefoot?” and he kindly allowed me to.

Also, when starting off, I tried to follow the Porsche way of , but I ended up flooring the gas pedal a bit too much… (laughs).

Also, the shift lever is positioned a bit more forward than in modern Porsches, so there were several moments when I reached out with my right hand expecting the lever but it wasn’t there. I think I’ll get used to that with more driving.

The third surprise was how fast it was. It’s genuinely fast. Whether in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th gear, acceleration was strong and quick.

I bet it feels amazing and exhilarating on the highway.

Because of their cute looks, air-cooled Porsches are often thought of as “slow, dawdling cars.” My husband has mentioned several times that he was tailgated while driving the 964 on the highway.

But don’t underestimate the power of the 964.

Contrary to its adorable image, it’s incredibly fast when you push it. It’s a genuine high-performance Porsche.

The fourth surprise was how exceptionally well it corners.

Of course, if you don’t pay attention to weight transfer and just turn casually, it will drift wide, but if you drive consciously, it grips and turns firmly. Modern 992s are more precise and respond exactly as you want, but… I felt the 964 offered a more direct connection.

The fifth surprise was how incredibly enjoyable it was to drive.

I don’t know why it felt so good, but it was just pure joy. I rolled down the windows, felt the breeze, and kept saying, “Wow, this is so much fun! It feels amazing!” the whole time, completely thrilled.

The 964 offers a different kind of driving pleasure than modern Porsches. Without any flashy gimmicks, everything is balanced perfectly, natural, and just feels great.

TAKURO-san’s 964 is in like-new condition, so the engine noise wasn’t very loud, but even without loud engine sounds, it felt wonderful.

As I write this, I realize these surprises also apply when driving modern Porsches. The Porsche spirit remains unchanged, whether in a 30-year-old model or a brand-new one.

I’m reminded once again how amazing Porsche is.

It All Depends on Maintenance

When I got home and told my husband, “It was amazing!”, he said this:

Right? You finally get the charm of the 964, huh? lol
Our family’s 964 hasn’t been driven much until now, but I think you should drive it more from now on.
That it felt so good to drive is largely because TAKURO-san’s 964 has been overhauled and is like new.
If a car isn’t well maintained, the suspension will be worn and parts will have aged.
I really think you got to drive an exceptional, top-quality 964.

I see…

By the way, I was glad I didn’t stall even once, including when parking (laughs).

TAKURO-san said, “Most people stall when parking, but you’re the first who didn’t.” I proudly replied, “Well, I do drive a Swift (MT) every day, you know.” and felt a little smug. lol

From now on, I’ll try driving our 964 again!

For a detailed review of the 964 test drive, my husband wrote about it before, so please check it out if you like:

極上の空冷ポルシェ964｜納車の一部始終と試乗レビュー

TAKURO-san, thank you so much for letting me drive your precious car!