Copyright © 1999

Porsche Club of America Out For A Spin February, 1999 Bruce Corwin Bruce968@PorscheNet.com

Okay, so it’s February and your Porsche is stored away in the attic, buried under a snowdrift, or maybe encapsulated in ice like some sort of perverse paperweight. But let’s not wait until the thaw; let’s have some Porsche fun right now! If you don’t have access to the Internet, you can stop reading here. Just turn the page to read about some of our upcoming events.

Good, now that Fred Flintstone has stopped reading, let’s get on with the good stuff. This month I have compiled a list of some of the coolest Porsche-related web sites on the Net. If you want to check them out, the easiest way might be to start with the best web site of all: www.PorscheNet.com.  From there you can view my column online and just click the links, rather than have to type them all in. How’s that for user friendly? Just remember, links change, so don’t expect this to work a year from now.

You might begin with the sites of some of our sponsors, such as www.epe.com or www.autobahnperformance.com. These are well-designed sites with good pictures and information.

Now move on to the official Porsche site, www.porsche.com. There is quite a bit more here than the expected 996 and Boxster info. Although, if you are interested in those cars, you can build your own Porsche online by selecting colors and options and see what the car will look like. You can also choose “news” to get the latest news, “excitement” which is only somewhat exciting, “Dialog” for chat, Q&A, etc. or my favorite, “Unlimited”. Here you can download some large wallpaper images or a really awesome Porsche screensaver showing an original 911 gradually morphing into an SC, Carrera, 993 then 996. Also play “Guess the Engine Sound” and maybe win a prize! There are two video games too, a 996/Boxster racing game and a tennis game.

Another good factory site is www.porschemotorsport.com, which has info and images of the racecars they sell. A Porsche chat room and more is at www.porschelist.com.

For some neat images, wallpaper and multimedia applications try www.pohoda.cz/muzi/kola/porsche/index.htm or www.supercars.net for a great selection of sports car images or www.animatek.com/demos_awb20.htm for some nice computer generated movies, including a Porsche!

Another really good site with lots of information and images is www.porsches.com, formerly known as “Whale Tail” and probably to be renamed soon due to Porsche’s crackdown on trademark infringements. In addition to the many standard models, you can find images and specs of some rare stuff here. For example the 968 Turbo S, a 928 that seats 4 adults, a four-door 911 or a Porsche boat or tractor.

To find out what options your Porsche came with from the factory, try the nifty decoder in www.kindel.com/Porsche/options.asp. Want to buy an electrically powered 944? Check it out at www.mcn.org/a/innevations/944.html. The picture is interesting, showing two big electric motors driving the rear wheels with toothed belts.

For information on wheels and tires, www.tirerack.com is an excellent resource, which includes racing tires and “The Wheel Rack”, an online application to choose wheels and see how they will look on your car. If you’re buying or selling a car, get an online value from Kelley Blue Book at www.kbb.com.

Here are a couple QuickTime virtual reality applications.
www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/8757/porsche/911xtern.mov is a VR view of the 996. For a VR view of the James Dean Memorial, try http://geogweb.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/QTVR/InnerCoastRanges/JamesDeanMemorialL.html

Check this page on our home site to watch a virtual lap of New Hampshire International Speedway: www.porschenet.com/nhislap.html or you can see what the new F1 course at Indy will look like at www.indyf1.com/circuit.html.

If you are planning on traveling, load www.mapblast.com. You can get maps and directions to your destination, plus you can map the effects of a nuclear bomb blast in the location of your choosing and find out how dead you will be. This next site has nothing to do with Porsches, but is so incredible, that I had to list it here. It is www.terraserver.microsoft.com. Here you can get aerial photographs of much of the world in various scales. You can point and click a location on the map, type in a location to see (I tried Boston and the Kremlin), or choose some of the predetermined locations, such as Daytona Speedway or Disney World.

If you come across any other cool web sites, send me a message at Bruce968@PorscheNet.com. Maybe we’ll do this again sometime!