911 Has Arrived at Our Home

Last Friday, the 911 finally arrived at our home. But it’s not a 991 model, it’s an air-cooled Porsche 964C2. The owner of the used car dealership kindly delivered it all the way from Nagoya to our home in Hyogo Prefecture. (And he even brought sweets as a gift for me and the kids! Thank you so much!)

Still, it’s incredibly small!

The body color is “Amazon Green”, but depending on the light, it can look green, blue, or even black. Actually, this particular car was featured as a magazine model on pages 63-67 of 911DAYS Issue 73. As expected from a model chosen for a magazine, it’s in excellent condition and very beautiful.

So this time, I’ve put together my “first impressions after driving the 964C2”. By the way, I usually drive a 971 Panamera, and only occasionally a 981 Boxster (MT). I’ve only experienced relatively recent water-cooled Porsches, and have driven a 911 only once on a test drive.

In other words, this is almost my first time driving a 911, let alone an air-cooled Porsche.

My Impressions of the 964 Before Delivery

At first, I really didn’t have high expectations for the 964. That’s because I’d often heard negative things like:

・The air conditioning doesn’t work well
・The interior is cramped
・It overheats in summer

So I had the image that an air-cooled Porsche was “a car that feels like it’s about to break down any moment, with poor ride comfort that you just have to endure”. (Sorry…)

Then, after delivery. The weather was unfortunately rainy, and the car was already a bit dirty from the rain on the way from Nagoya to home, so I thought, “If it’s going to get dirty anyway, I’ll just drive it today!” and took it for a quick spin around the neighborhood after dark.

The first thing that surprised me about the 964 was the “doors.” It’s often mentioned in test drive reviews, but the metallic “thud!” sound and the feel of closing the door is something you just can’t experience in modern Porsches.

Then I got in the passenger seat, and when my husband drove, I was amazed.

Wow… so this is an air-cooled Porsche…

The “go, stop, and turn” functions are realized at a very high level, and I could really feel the roots of the current Porsche driving experience and performance. (Though if you trace it back further, it probably goes all the way to the 356.)

On the other hand, the sense of rigidity, the comfortably fitting seats, the firm yet solid ride, and the feeling of being connected to the road are things you rarely find in modern Porsches… It felt like a well-crafted car made 30 years ago in Germany by skilled craftsmen who took pride and put their heart into it.

Also, although I thought the ride would be rough, the firm suspension absorbed shocks well, and I felt that long-distance drives in the 964 would be absolutely fine. After that, I refueled and switched to driving myself.

Then, gripping the steering wheel and starting the car, I was surprised!

The steering is heavy ((；ﾟДﾟ)！！

At first, the heaviness made me take wide turns when steering left or right, but strangely, as I kept driving, I gradually got used to it and thought, “Actually, it might feel lacking if the steering wasn’t this heavy.”

The brakes were quite heavy, but unlike the supercars I’ve driven before, they responded well with a firm press and didn’t give a harsh jolt.

Until now, when I thought of “classic cars,” I mostly imagined the Mercedes-Benz SL500 (R129) we had until recently. That car made you want to drive elegantly and luxuriously, but the 964 gave me a completely different feeling: “I just want to drive more and more!”

Because I was so impressed, my husband teased me:

“What’s gotten into you? I didn’t think you’d get this hooked, lol.”

But as the rain got heavier, we headed home after less than an hour.

Off to the Royu Driveway!

Then on Sunday, blessed with good weather, we left the kids with my mother-in-law and drove the 964 together on the Royu Driveway and the highway.

Even with the Panamera I usually drive, the handling is excellent, and it’s often said that “on winding roads, it feels like the car shrinks down in size.” But it’s still a massive vehicle weighing 2 tons, about 2 meters wide, and over 5 meters long.

Compared to that, the 964 had less body roll in corners, precise handling, and was very fun to drive.

It felt like a true partner, and I thought, “It would be so much fun to go on a long tour with this car.” Plus, with the sunroof, driving under clear skies with the autumn breeze was truly refreshing.

I couldn’t help but say, “Wow! It feels so much like the 911 (991) I test drove before!” To which my husband replied,

No, no, this is the real, genuine 911 (-_-)

Right, I was driving a 911 all along (laughs).

However, compared to the current 911, I also felt that the 964 demands more driving skill. The 991 allowed me, who isn’t especially confident in driving, to tackle mountain roads easily, and I even had the illusion of “Hey, have I gotten better at driving?” Maybe because of the electronic controls, I didn’t really feel the difficulty of driving a rear-engine, rear-drive 911.

You could say it’s a “model student.”

But the 964 is different. Downhill corners were relatively easier to handle, but uphill corners were quite challenging. Maybe because it’s RR, if you brake too late before a corner, it just won’t turn well, and timing the accelerator on corner exit was tricky.

And with the heavy steering, I kept muttering to myself, “Hmm, this is tough,” the whole time (laughs).

I guess mastering the 964 requires knowledge and driving skill. While driving on the Royu, it felt like the car was constantly saying,

“Tsk, tsk. Too soft. You won’t master me that easily.”

(laughs)

I imagine the fun with the 964 is in the process of gradually syncing with the car until you reach a point where you feel a perfect unity while driving, which must be incredibly satisfying and enjoyable.

Also, I was hesitant to really push the accelerator, so I didn’t get to fully experience the thrilling sound of the air-cooled engine myself (though it was amazing when my husband drove it)… Looks like it’ll take some time before this car truly trusts me (laughs).

On the Highway

On the highway, the car felt more stable than I expected, and at 100 km/h, the perceived speed felt slower. Even when changing lanes and turning the wheel, it didn’t sway at all and cut in smoothly. That’s Porsche for you.

However, having gotten used to the Panamera Turbo’s massive presence, sense of security, and acceleration, there were moments when the 964 felt a bit underwhelming, like it almost felt like the steering might be pulled by ruts, or the acceleration merging onto highways was lacking. But you can’t really compare it to the Panamera.

Also, having to manually turn on the lights every time you enter a tunnel was a bit of a hassle. I tend to forget things easily, so I often leave the lights on all the time, and I thought, “If I park like this, the battery might die and I’d have to call JAF…” (I once had to call JAF because of this when driving a rental car a long time ago.)

After driving the 964 on the Royu Driveway and highway, I had some business at the Porsche Center involving handing over the vehicle registration.

As soon as I arrived, Mr. H, my contact, was surprised and said, “What is this car?!” (laughs) … I also cheekily received some fair novelty goods before heading home.

About the Air-Cooled 911 (964C2)

Wow, the 964 is truly amazing. I didn’t expect it to be such a fun and well-made car to drive. The fact that it was built 30 years ago and can still run perfectly today is really incredible.

However, I felt that it still requires a lot of practice to master. Until now, I hadn’t really thought about it, but I have a newfound respect for air-cooled Porsche drivers—they must have serious driving skills.

So, that’s my first impression. I’d like to share my husband’s thoughts in another article, but he recently said,

It’s too soon to sum up my thoughts on the 964. After just a week or so, I can only say shallow things. This isn’t a car that opens its heart that quickly. I’ll share my impressions after driving it more and going on long tours to really understand its depth.

So it looks like it’ll be a while before I can share his impressions (laughs).