The Charm of the Air-Cooled Porsche 911 (964)

Recently, my husband had the air conditioning gas refilled at his usual shop because the A/C in our air-cooled Porsche 911 (964) wasn’t cooling well. They also added a fluorescent dye to check whether the gas was leaking somewhere or just naturally decreasing. After driving it for a few days, he planned to bring it back to the shop for inspection.

Since the A/C gas refill made the air conditioning work well again, my husband has been driving the 964 almost every day. Although the temperature has recently been over 30°C, the A/C still cools comfortably at this level of heat. (He says that once it hits over 35°C, the cabin starts to feel a bit warm.)

And every time he comes back from a drive, he says,

“The 964 is seriously amazing! It’s so much fun. It makes me want to keep driving forever. I know I say the same thing every time, and I don’t want to repeat myself so much, but honestly, I just have to say it again. It really feels incredible.”

The other day, he met up with our good Porsche friend TAKURO at the Royu Driveway lookout, where TAKURO also got to drive the 964 and they had a great car chat. Later, TAKURO posted this on Twitter:

Third test drive of the 964 Carrera 2. Simply put, it’s a semi-permanent driving machine that makes you want to keep driving endlessly. The 964 tells us that acceleration isn’t everything. It teaches the driver the joy of controlling the car even at low speeds. When you sync with the car, it gives you goosebumps.
Result: “Let’s go to the ends of the earth together!! Mark 964”

◆PORSCHE meeting
◆Third test drive of the 964 Carrera 2
◆Simply put, a semi-permanent driving machine that makes you want to keep driving
◆The 964 tells us acceleration isn’t everything
◆It teaches the driver the joy of controlling the car even at low speeds
◆When you sync with the car, it gives you goosebumps

★Result
【Let’s go to the ends of the earth together‼️964】 pic.twitter.com/2wJDdXwwio

— TAKURO.U (@ueno_takuro) July 27, 2021

Wow, that’s amazing!!! TAKURO captured the essence of the 964 so perfectly… My husband read it and said, “No, seriously, that’s exactly right!”

A Feeling You Can’t Experience in Modern Porsches

About the 964, my husband says,

For people who love driving, the 964 is the ultimate car. Sure, cars with 550 horsepower and brutal acceleration that pins you to the seat are thrilling and fun. But those cars often aren’t as enjoyable at low speeds or in town, and you have to pick the right roads to really enjoy driving.
The 964 isn’t like that. It’s fun at any speed and on any road. It’s enjoyable to cruise slowly on country roads, and even on relatively busy national roads, the smooth acceleration when the light turns green feels fantastic.
It’s also fast on the highway, and when it comes to lane changes, it’s the most satisfying Porsche I know.
The engine sound is pure mechanical noise, and when you listen to the oil flowing, it feels like the car has a heartbeat.
On rainy days, hearing the raindrops bounce off the roof and watching the short wipers work hard makes the car feel alive and endearing.
Also, when we go to track days, there are quite a few people running air-cooled Porsches on the circuit.
It’s truly a well-made car that you can enjoy in any situation—one of the best cars ever.

Listening to my husband, I realize that while “incredible performance” is important, “being able to form an emotional attachment” is just as crucial.

That feeling of “wanting to drive anywhere with this car” creates a true partnership that enriches the driving life of enthusiasts. It’s amazing that such a highly refined car, which combines high performance with that sense of companionship, was made nearly 30 years ago and still runs strong today.

The more you learn and drive, the more you fall in love with Porsche. The depth of the Porsche passion is truly bottomless these days, haha.