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Porsche
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Out
In The Passing Lane
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 Repairing
a damaged or punctured tire must be harder to do than I realize. How else
to explain the great number of cars I see on the highway sporting a miniature
spare tire. From what I recall, automobile manufacturer’s recommend that
these spare tires be driven no more than 50 miles at reduced speeds. Over
the past weeks I’ve noted so equipped cars being driven at speeds well
over 50 miles per hour. I’ve also noted several cars in and around Gloucester
being driven for weeks on these spare tires. Maybe this signals the beginning
of yet another “tuner car” modification idea, but that seems hard to fathom.
No doubt these car owners will eventually find themselves on the side of
the highway with a destroyed spare tire, or possibly something worse will
happen to them. They’ll of course blame the automobile manufacturer rather
than their own inability to visit a tire store on a timely basis.
A few days ago, I was fortunate to get an opportunity to go for a ride in a brand new Porsche Carrera GT owned by a region member. When the car showed up in our driveway I was awestruck with the overall look of the car and the technology employed. The 10-cylinder engine gives off wonderful mechanical sounds at idle, and under hard acceleration the sounds are fantastic. The roads around Boxford don’t offer autobahn top speed potential, but even the few short bursts to 80 mph plus we made were impressive. This car accelerates like no car I’ve ever been in, including our SuperCup cars. The exterior and interior details are visually stunning, with highly finished carbon-fiber pieces to be found throughout. The carbon-fiber engine cradle is particularly appealing, as are all the carbon-fiber elements to be found in the interior of the car. You wouldn’t want to take a long trip in this car, as there is practically no storage space to be found. The custom luggage that comes with the car is designed to fit all the little storage spaces sprinkled about the car (including compartments that can only be accessed when the doors are opened). The Carrera GT sports center lock wheels that require a special socket that’s stored in a pocket in the front trunk. I suspect the custom socket costs a rather spectacular amount, since you can only get one from Porsche. I’d like one as a paperweight they’re that unique. In a nod to earlier times the gearshift knob is polished wood, rather than exotic carbon fiber. There’s no navigation system in the car, or other non-essential systems, this is an automobile designed with one thing in mind, high performance driving. We ventured off to dinner with the Carrera GT, quickly drawing the attention of a car full of young males. They followed us to the restaurant, wanting to know more about the car and to get a closer look. You need to know where you’ll be parking this car before you venture out on a trip as it draws attention quickly. You sure wouldn’t want to park it in a mall parking lot, as almost certainly some klutz would open a door into the side of the GT. Valet parking also wouldn’t be a good idea! With a price tag of around $450,000 the Carrera GT will not be found in many driveways. Is the GT worth that sticker price? I’d say from my brief time with the car it most certainly is worth every dollar Porsche demands. Now if they’d just adapt the car for racing, we’d be very happy Porsche aficionados. Things are looking up a bit for new racetrack construction. After numerous delays it appears they’ve finally paved the new racetrack in Calabogie, Ontario Canada. Our region driver education event at that track this year was cancelled when construction was delayed, maybe next year we’ll be driving the new track – which looks terrific in the pictures I saw in a recent email message. By the time you read this column Susana and I will have returned from a combination business trip to the west coast and a few days vacation in Las Vegas. We plan to spend a day at the SEMA show, checking out all the aftermarket vendor displays setup in the Las Vegas Convention Center. We’re not in the market for anything in particular; we just want to spend a day immersed in all manner of things related to automobiles. Who knows maybe we’ll find something we just have to purchase, or maybe we’ll find a line of products we want to distribute. I suspect we’ll find something to write about in my December column, at least that’s what I’m most interested in finding! |
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