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This story was submitted by Erik who runs RennPassion.com. A great story about how he come to love Porsches and even start a site dedicated to them:
Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve loved cars. (Sound familiar?) Naturally, this was easy for me, as my father dedicated his entire life to working in the automotive industry, where at his peak, he oversaw market operations for a better half of the globe. The first time I chose to cover my walls as a young lad was with a poster of an original Dodge Viper with the American flag draped in the background. The rest was history. I set out on a journey to find the most pure sports car out there.
My uncle Garrett served in the US Military for many years and because of his lifestyle he became an avid Porsche enthusiast. This was to be my first encounter with what I would later fall in love with and never look back, the Porsche. Aptly so, and of course I didn’t realize at the time, he even named his dogs Targa and Carrera. What an inspiration. Enter the summer of my younger brother’s 2nd birthday, our annual Florida vacation had us stop in Atlanta to visit his family on the way. That summer would change the way I looked at cars forever.
It was a beautiful summer day in the suburbs of Atlanta when my uncle asked me if I wanted to go get some gas and milk. Not thinking anything of it, I said “sure” and proceed my way out the front door to where his ‘regular’ car was parked in the driveway – The Porsches stayed parked in the garage. But as I lead out the door, I was stopped with, “we can go out the garage.” So I back tracked inside and down the stairs towards the garage not knowing what I was about to experience. There sat two Porsches keenly preserved in the darkness that slowly disappeared as the early morning light progressively revealed the black and silver beauties. Covering the walls were posters, calendars and more; I was immediately enveloped by a positive energy, a thrill of excitement- a Passion. Without knowing it, Garrett unlocked the passenger door of his 1978 triple black Targa. To this day my eyes still water. He fired it up and lead me on a journey that left only traces of leaves, dust and boisterous fumes. Off to the gas station we went, to grab my first real encounter of Premium Petrol.
Excerpted from Garrett: “The original triple black was a 1978 911 SC Targa. It was all original and had an immaculate stainless steel roll bar. Interior was tan and the Targa top was in great condition and was collapsible. It was the first 911 to have the 3.0 liter as the standard engine. Prior to this car the standard engine was a 2.7 and the car was a 911S. The 3.0 liter was reserved for the Carrera. The SC was produced from 1978 to 1983. I bought the car in 1985 and owned it until 2004. The car never leaked oil and never had the upper or lower case opened. I also owned a Yellow/Black interior, 1975 911S Sunroof Coupe and a Guards Red/Black interior, 1984 911 Carrera Cabriolet. I actually owned all three at the same time for a couple of months. My all time favorite was the 1978.”
My efforts are to capture the spirit of Porsche enthusiasts worldwide, and hopefully, someday very soon, find a way to finance the first Porsche of my own.
I connect with the Passion that lives within those that understand why Ferdinand Porsche chose to build the sports car of his dreams.
My family lived in Stuttgart for two years, and while I visited one year, I was able to go to the headquarters and old Porsche museum. I have some great photos of the new museum while still being constructed, as well as many, many Porsches that at the time were new models that could only be seen there. It’s been a fantastic journey, and I truly hope to win the 911 you guys are giving away. It would be a dream come true.
Additionally, this video embodies what I believe to be the Porsche experience (we featured this video a while back on a Monday Video post…still one of my favorites):
good story Erik, and that is my favorite Porsche commercial ever
Cool story Erik, 78 Targa, Love the Targas of the late 70`s and early 80`s!..That commercial…..simply awesome.
That is a really cool story. my uncle did the smae thing to me, only mine was rather a disapointment. He only had a mustang that he thought was cool. And that commercial is amazing. It really does sum up the effect that porsche has on people.
good story. i wish my dad was a mechanic or had some involvement with cars.
enjoyed your story and hope you get a porsche soon!
A lot of good Porsche stories lately. Same with the youtube videos! One of my favorites.
Great story Erik. And I also love watching that video again, as it really excites the dreams you can experience with a Porsche.
Awesome story. My wife brought home a poster for my sons yesterday of a Cayman S. My boys were so excited! It was a proud moment for me.
great commercial.never seen the long version.
good story
That is a great story. also I am glad to finally have seen the whole commercial, I have only seen the short version before
I like these stories. It’s interesting to read how people’s
lives are affected by Porsches. I really enjoyed the
commercial. I guess we all had some positive experiences
early on to get that interest in cars rolling.
Thanks for the great comments guys! Sorry for the lack of visuals, I just sent over some pics to hopefully be merged into the post!
The video of the Porsche racing the Ferrari on the rennpassion website was cool. That GT2 is fast.
@Ryan – lol, I don’t know if you’ve read this post/watched this video on Erik’s blog, but go to the 1:30 mark (it’s 1:30 from the end as the timer tracks time remaining). Sound familiar?
http://www.rennpassion.com/Porsche/gt3/2009/07/why-rennpassion-jay-leno-and-the-911-gt3rs/
@Andrew – Yeah, I’ve seen that video before. Should have referenced that in my Porsche video. I’d forgotten about it.
^^Not that you were complaining about it or anything, but I just thought it was humorous in light of last week’s video posting.
Great story. Ask any guy about a first car, a favorite car or a car that is special or was special. I have seen quite a few guys on the emotional side talking about that favorite car. Perhaps, though, it is the retelling of that story that connects us with better times or fond memories that seem too far in the past. Every guy needs a good story…preferably with a Porsche involved.
after watching the video i thought i had saw the video before. i thought also maybe i had just dreamed this whole video and porsche some how got it out of my mind… crazy the way i think, i know
I wonder if this kid had enough money for a Porsche after
getting paid to do this commercial?
I watched this commercial vid again and it just absolutely hits home 100%. I am sure i am not the only guy who identifies himself with the kid in the video! Staring out the window, watching the 911, doodling it and then making a plan as a kid. Genius connection by Porsche.
When was that commercial? How old would that kid be now?
the car is a 997 they started production in july 04. maybe the kid is 15 now?
so he still has to wait a while
Brings back memories of what instilled within me a longing for all things Porsche! My uncle Jeff has owned several Porsche’s over the years, including a 1970s 911, a 930 Turbo, several 944s, and now a 928. When I was about 8, he offered me a ride in the brown 930. I had several Porsche models and was thrilled at the opportunity! It was my first experience to visit the triple digits, and I was hooked!