Porsche 911 Story

The other day, a very hefty book titled “Porsche 911 Story” arrived at my home.

The author is a foreigner named “Paul Frère.”

Who is this elderly gentleman? (*_*)

Curious, I looked him up…

He was a Belgian driver born in France. He competed in F1 from 1952 to 1956 and became an automotive journalist after retiring. He had a close friendship with Akitaro Kobayashi, the founding editor of the magazine Car Graphic, since the 1960s, and appeared frequently in magazines and TV programs. He is very well-known among 911 fans. Although he passed away in 2008 at the age of 91, he maintained his passion for cars until the end, even driving himself around the Nürburgring at age 90.

That made me think, “Wow, he’s quite an amazing person.” When I asked my husband, who came home that day, “Is this person famous?” he replied,

“Famous? He’s the world’s greatest Porsche driver and journalist—a truly incredible man. This ‘Porsche 911 Story’ is often called the bible for 911 owners. Come to think of it, we actually have two more books by Paul Frère at home.”

And he brought them out.

Porsche Boxster Story, New High-Speed Driving, and this Porsche 911 Story. This Porsche 911 Story is Paul Frère’s final edition about the 911, but unfortunately it is now out of print and has become quite a collector’s item.

Car Graphic and Paul Frère

Since “Paul Frère had a deep connection with Car Graphic”, I looked up an article on WEBCG and found a tribute published after his passing.

The article was written by Akio Oya, who first met Paul Frère in 2002 at the Concours d’Elegance “Louis Vuitton Classic (LVC)” held in Paris at the time.

Frère, who was a judge, and Oya happened to sit next to each other at lunch, but Oya thought it would be rude to speak to such a distinguished figure and instead chatted with a journalist sitting across from him. After the main course, when the dessert plates were served, Oya was surprised.

On the dessert plate was a business card from Mr. Frère…!

While Oya was engrossed in conversation with the person next to him, Frère quietly placed his card there. When Oya looked up in surprise, Frère smiled mischievously.

Rather than acting haughty as a big name, he was charming, warm, approachable, and a wonderful person. The following episodes written about him were also remarkable:

At the next year’s LVC, Frère again served as a judge. This time, he spoke fluent Italian to accommodate me. (Omitted) From his perspective, I was just a young man, yet he cleverly adapted the conversation.

As the year before, Frère was already using a cane. (Omitted) Still, he never missed the press day at the Geneva Show every year. When I greeted him, he accurately grasped the key points of the noteworthy new models each year.

Every year-end, a Christmas card arrived from Frère’s home in Monaco. If a journalist’s career were likened to a rakugo storyteller’s, receiving a New Year’s card from Frère was like a fledgling creative rakugo artist receiving one from a living national treasure of classical masters. (Omitted) Sometimes the card had a Japanese style. What a tasteful gesture! Depending on the year, it was written in Italian or French, always handwritten with care. He polished his language skills, kept keen interest in new models, treated even distant people like me as equals, and acted independently without relying on others. (Omitted) I silently learned how a journalist should behave in Europe from him.

*Source: WEBCG, Episode 31: “I never got to experience ‘High-Speed Driving’… A Tribute to Paul Frère”

Humble, modest, sincere, and always striving to improve no matter his age. I felt anew that truly great people are like Paul Frère.

Let’s Read the 911 Owners’ Bible!

What kind of book could such a legendary person have written? When I opened the cover, I found this passage written by Ferry Porsche about Paul Frère:

Paul Frère, the author of this book, is one of the few people who knew our company from its founding days. (Omitted) Especially over the past 25 years, as a calm tester and passionate fan, he has driven and reviewed almost every 911 model. I know no one better suited than him to unravel the history of the 911’s development.

To have known Porsche’s history from the very beginning is truly amazing. I was excited, thinking a book by such a person must be incredible, so I eagerly flipped through it…

…

…Oh no, I have no idea what this says…! (*_*)

When I told my husband, “It’s way too technical and mechanical—I can’t understand a thing (-_-)” even he admitted,

“There are parts I don’t get either. I don’t think there’s anyone else in the world who can talk about the 911 in such detail. There’s always someone better.”

Amazing… Somehow I felt a little embarrassed to call myself a Porsche fan just because I update a Porsche blog every day. I realized I need to study a lot more. (What exactly am I aiming for, anyway? lol)