A Long-Awaited Drive in the Porsche 911 A few days ago, I wrote an article titled, “Why I Don’t Feel Like Driving the Porsche 911 or Boxster We Have at Home.” At home, we have Porsches that my husband purchased, but since he cherishes these cars deeply, I felt hesitant to drive them. Then, just recently, when I was going to renew my driver’s license, my husband said, “Since it’s a special occasion, why not...
Crossing Shikoku on Route 194 The morning in Saijo City marked the final day of our touring adventure. Although the snow clouds that brought a cold wave to the Japanese archipelago had eased somewhat, there was still a risk of snow in the mountainous areas of Shikoku. Checking the weather forecast, I confirmed the route. The 911 was quite dirty, its body sticky from road salt. Washing it now would be pointless since it would...
Enjoying the Okayama Wide-Area Farm Roads from Tsuyama Following up on the previous touring report, this time I’d like to share the wide-area farm roads of Okayama and Hiroshima. Mornings in Tsuyama often bring thick fog. The last time was foggy as well, and this morning the mist is deep again. After getting ready at the hotel, the fog cleared and the sun began to peek through by the time I was about to leave....
Porsche 911 Carrera RS (964 Model) It’s been about three and a half years since the air-cooled Porsche 911 (964 model) Carrera 2 came to our home. Captivated by the analog feel that modern Porsches no longer have, and the handling that directly reflects driving skill, I still find the 964 endlessly fresh and enjoyable to drive. It’s a car that’s fun even without pushing it hard, enjoyable at any speed or situation—from city streets...
Driving Along the Sea of Japan from Tsuruga to Kyogamisaki The morning in Tsuruga City was bitterly cold. Fortunately, the snow from yesterday had stopped, and there seemed to be no accumulation. Climbing into the ice-cold 911, I carefully warmed up the engine, PDK, and suspension components at a slower pace than usual. Both the 981 Boxster and this 991.1 Carrera 4 GTS take quite a while for the oil temperature to rise. Sometimes it...
Annual Year-End Touring At the end of last year, I went on my usual year-end tour. In our family, my wife and kids head to their parents’ home, and I take off alone on a trip with my beloved car—that’s become our tradition. Usually, this time of year means snow and icy roads, so the destination tends to be somewhere in the south like Shikoku or Kyushu. But this time, since I was driving the...
The other day, my friend Tomozō-san took delivery of his 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet (early 991), so the three of us—TAKURO’s 981 Boxster GTS, my Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, and Tomozō’s car—headed out for a day trip touring the usual wide-area Okayama farm roads. This time, I’d like to share a report on that tour and my impressions of the Carrera GTS Cabriolet. AM 7:30 I met up with TAKURO at a convenience store, and...
911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet This time, I had the chance to test drive the 991.1 (early 991) Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet. The name is a bit of a mouthful, but to sum it up, it’s the all-wheel-drive GTS model in an open-top version—basically the convertible counterpart to my own Carrera 4 GTS coupe. It’s an extremely rare model. Just the Carrera 4 GTS and the AWD GTS are already scarce, but add the convertible...
Porsche 911 Targa 4S Lately, I’ve had the chance to test drive the early 991 models quite often. Everyone truly falls in love with this naturally aspirated engine, unanimously praising its thrilling sound and feel. This time, I drove the early 991 Targa 4S. When it comes to the Targa, its production numbers are even lower than the GT3 variants, making it the rarest 911 grade. On top of that, this particular car is Racing...
Following up on the previous Autumn Touring in a Porsche 911: Journey through Shinshu, Noto, Hida, and Mino (1), here is the continuation. Hakusan Shirakawago White Road On the morning of day three, I checked today’s route on the touring map. Since it was peak autumn foliage season, I was quite torn about whether to go to the Hakusan Shirakawago White Road, but since it was a weekday and early morning, I expected it wouldn’t...
