Meeting 911 (Air-Cooled) Owners

One day, just before noon on his day off, my husband said, “I’m going to take the air-cooled 911 for a quick drive up Royu.” Then he headed out on his own. As usual, he drove to the East Rokko Observatory on Royu Driveway, where he found several air-cooled Porsches parked together.

“I wonder if they’re a group of air-cooled Porsche fans…” he thought. He parked a little way off, went to buy a coffee from the vending machine, and was heading back to his car when one of the air-cooled Porsche owners called out to him.

…Um…you’re the person who writes the blog, right!?

My husband said he was taken aback for a moment. The owner explained, “When I saw this 964, I thought, ‘That’s the 964 from the blog!’ I’d read that you come to Royu Driveway quite often, so I’d been hoping we’d meet someday!”

“Well, thank you very much for following the blog!” my husband replied, before chatting with the group. Among them were people who lived near Royu Driveway, as well as the person who runs a 964 owners’ club.

After talking with everyone for about an hour, my husband headed home. Before he left, they gave him one of their custom Royu Driveway stickers (inspired by the Nürburgring sticker design).

I’m jealous! They even turned the “U” into a “Ü”—so stylish! (laughs)

Back to Royu

The next day, my husband went back to Royu (He really loves it up there! lol). Once again, he spotted a car parked there: a brilliantly red 964. He got talking with its owner, who turned out to be part of the same air-cooled Porsche group that had been there the day before. The owner also knew about this blog.

When my husband got home, he said, with a thoughtful smile:

Porsche has brought so many good people into my life lately. Everyone’s so courteous and nice. I wouldn’t have met any of them if I didn’t drive a Porsche.

Then he added:

You should go to Royu on your own sometime, Mina. I’ll look after the kids.

How many times has he said that to me? (Probably more than 30.) But every time, I come back with something like:

No, because I didn’t buy the Panamera Turbo myself. People will think, “She’s acting all high and mighty, even though her husband bought it for her.” So I’m not going.

Or:

Even if I took the Boxster, I’m not a very good driver. I’d probably panic in the parking lot and stall it over and over. People would think, “Why is she driving a Porsche when she’s that bad behind the wheel?” So I’m not going.

And every time, my husband says:

What’s with that Yoshida-from-Black Mayonnaise kind of way of thinking? lol

So even though I live near Royu Driveway, I’ve never once driven up there on my own. I wonder why… I can be pretty bold in other situations, so why do I turn into such a nervous wreck over this?

Still, I’m sure I’d make new connections if I gave it a try. So this year, I’m going to make my solo debut on Royu Driveway.