What's the appeal of air-cooled Porsches?

"Bryan doesn't drive a 1M" (bryantakespictures) 08/05/2015 at 11:09 • Filed to: None

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They seem nice, but what specifically makes them special? Other than nostalgia or anything else on older Porsches not related to air-cooled-ness.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 08/05/2015 at 11:41

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What’s the appeal of old American muscle cars? I mean apart from the nostalgia, they’re fairly terrible automobiles.

Snark aside, the appeal of anything is based on a variety of different factors, many of which one may not fully understand, but should still allow because people are different than you.

Or more simply, because people like them.

DogonCrook > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 08/05/2015 at 11:52

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To keep them from overheating you have to keep the rpms high and the speed up, while a cop isn’t likely to care, you do kinda have an excuse..

They are very basic cars, the only accsessories they have hardly work anyways, there is no power steering, and the brakes are unassisted. There is a lot of feedback, and it’s very engaging. You aren’t in one to listen to the radio, or transport passengers, or even to be comfortable, it’s built to drive. There are no cup holders but there is an ashtray.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 08/05/2015 at 12:17

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That’s what I want to understand. The appeal of muscle cars is the power and the noise and the size and the power and the noise. Having never driven an air-cooled anything, I’m just curious what makes people like them.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > DogonCrook 08/05/2015 at 12:20

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Thanks for the info.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 08/05/2015 at 12:37

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Other people are not you. That’s why they like them. I do not like old muscle cars, for the very same reasons you listed, and I do not understand why people like them. However, I know that other people have different likes than I do.

If you really want to understand, then you need to find someone with an old Porsche and get them to let you drive it.

Chasaboo > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 08/05/2015 at 13:04

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Elitism. Clarkson got it right, 911s are just Beetles.

DogonCrook > Chasaboo 08/05/2015 at 13:51

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People love the fuck out of beetles, why not get a fast one that doesn’t look as bad and gets rid of the pretense of a passenger carrier? Every reason he gave arguing the f40 is the best car ever made applied to an air cooled Porsche.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 08/05/2015 at 17:28

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If I’m taking a cynical look at the whole thing, there’s a period C&D review that might shed some light onto the matter. It’s a review by Bobby Allison, stock car driver and racecar builder, who ‘holds no reverence towards Porsche’s’ and was selected as he’s an unaligned driver with great qualifications who will give an unbiased view of the cars.

This paragraph is particularly interestig: ‘Allison’s point is that, unlike an Ameri­can car, the Porsche’s back end doesn’t trail meekly behind the front. And it’s this feeling that convinces so many street drivers that they are in the world’s best handling car. At low speeds, city traffic and brisk marches through winding lanes, a 911 is supremely agile. The steering is quick and the car instantly changes direction with only the lightest touch. It feels for all the world like a civilized formula racer and gives great plea­sure. But the Porsche’s personality changes drastically as you approach its limit. Then the tail swings heavily, and the car responds to an unpracticed and unsubtle touch with a vengeance. Moderate street drivers never learn of this; the venturesome ultimately will find out. Allison, of course, has already served his apprenticeship on the race track’.

Well worth a read of the full article, but it seems like the sharpness of the front end gives the impression of a supremely agile car at speeds up to 7-8/10ths (most people’s fast-road pace), which is a hell of a trait to have if you’re looking to convince the average person that you’re an excellent sports car.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 08/05/2015 at 22:46

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I always thought it had to do something with a lot of Caucasian middle aged men suddenly realizing that they weren’t getting younger, and that they can finally afford* a car they once had a poster of on their wall as a kid. “Oh, Mr. Jones just got an air-cooled Porsche? I need one now too!” sort of a thing.

*Or think they can afford.

Nauraushaun > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/05/2015 at 23:33

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Interesting read, but this has nothing to do with air-cooled-ness does it? Unless you’re using the end of the air-cooled as an abritary point to define “older” Porsches.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > Nauraushaun 08/05/2015 at 23:48

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That’s what I suspect is the appeal. Air-cooled vs watercooled is when a lot of other “sophistication” crept in to 911’s. So maybe it’s not the air-cooling itself, but everything else.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Nauraushaun 08/06/2015 at 04:56

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Ah, thought you just meant the era of ‘air-cooled’ Porsches (which do tend to be the ones based on the old 911 chassis and formula).

If it’s the air-cooled-ness that your wondering about, the lack of a water jacket means that more of the mechanical noises of the engine escape creating quite a nice noise. It also makes them light as far as the displacement goes.

Other than that, I just think they’re a really sweet engine to drive and rev :)