Repainting the Wheels of the 911 (964)

The saying, “things have souls,” really rings true. Even with electronic devices, if you treat them carefully, they work well for a long time. Sometimes, the moment you say, “It’s been acting up lately, so maybe I should replace it,” it suddenly starts working perfectly again.

I wonder if the same applies to cars.

The other day, my husband had the wheels of our 911 (964) repainted at a car repair shop. As expected for an older car, the wheels showed signs of balancer marks, numerous small scratches, and the clear coat had peeled off, leaving the color dull.

Wheels after repainting. Completely flawless now.

This time, we only had the wheels repainted at Total Repair Avenir, without changing anything else like the suspension. Yet my husband said:

Somehow, after getting the wheels cleaned up, it feels like the 964 is running better. It’s a bit like how a car seems to drive more happily and lightly after a wash. Toyota once did an experiment where just putting aluminum tape on a car improved handling, so maybe it’s something like that…

Humans are prone to illusions, and there’s even the placebo effect (where taking something that isn’t medicine can still make you feel better because you believe it works), so it might just be my imagination. But I feel there’s something that can’t be dismissed as purely psychological.

Every Time We Maintain the 964

Recently, on a rainy day when I was about to go grocery shopping, I asked the kids if they wanted to come along, but they said, “No, we’re watching YouTube,” so I decided to go alone for the first time in a while.

Then my husband said, “Why not take the 964 since you’re going out?”

But since it was raining quite hard, I replied, “It’s wet and will get dirty, so I’ll pass.”
He said:

It’s fine, you can just wash it again later. Since the wheels were repainted, it feels like it’s been running better, and with the headlights and interior lights switched to LED, it’s more comfortable. You should check that out too.

Come to think of it, my husband has been tinkering with the 964 late at night lately, almost as if he’s trying to “bring the 964 back to life as a modern car.” I hope to write more about that soon.

So, I drove the 964 in the rain, and indeed, it felt easier to drive than before.

Well… I had already heard from my husband that it had improved, and I’ve also gotten more used to driving the 964 and grown fond of it over time.

But with each maintenance, it feels like the car responds in kind, and the “spirit” the car carries seems to get better and better in a mysterious way.

Of course, the latest Porsches have better performance, added safety features, and are easier to drive, but with the 964, it feels like “a well-built car with a solid foundation is regaining its original driving character” (though I wasn’t around back then).

Before the 964 came to our home, when my husband said, “I’ve started wanting a 964 recently” and was searching used car sites almost daily, I honestly thought, “Why would anyone want to buy such an old car? That’s a bit eccentric.”

Even after buying it, seeing all the maintenance costs made me think, “Old cars really are a hassle with all these expenses.”

But now, I realize that even a 30-year-old car, if properly maintained and cherished, can run so well. It made me think, “It’s really nice to keep driving a car made long ago with care…” (though it does cost money…)

Of course, this is only possible because “the 964 is a high-performance car built to last.”

The 911 with a Soul

Returning to the idea that “things have souls,” among the cars we have now, the 964 feels like the one with the most soul (well, it is an old car after all).

Made in Germany, it has traveled many roads, experienced many things, seen countless landscapes, and from here on, it still seems eager to embark on many new journeys with its new owner.

By the way, some well-maintained 964s nowadays go for over 10 million yen, and my husband says

When I bought mine, it was about 7 million yen, but once you let it go, you might never find one in the same condition again.

That’s true… once you let it go, you might never get it back. I hope we can continue to cherish and drive it carefully from now on.