After just returning from a night in the 911, I figured I might as well write a little review about it.
For those who don't know, it's a chiffon white, 911 Carrera 3.2 of 1984 vintage (and this isn't an attempt to flog it, it's heading rapidly for "keep me" status)
The bad points first, for all those people who call them such interesting, and sometimes accurate, things as "The Ass Engined Hedge Cutting Idiot Killer"
Most irritating thing about it is the clutch. You need a minimum of 3 left feet to drive this thing in heavy traffic. We're talking about one heavy muvver of a clutch, and because it pivots from the floor, yes - like a VW Beetle one, it's like a left leg work-out at the gym driving it for half an hour in traffic. Oh, and the pedals are seriously offset to the left in a RHD one. Never jump from a 911 to an auto car if you're in a hurry. You'll hit the brake when you're after the accelerator and it's quite scary.
Next most irritating thing is the gearbox. If you're not concentrating, it's vague as hell. Baulky, recalcitrant, and generally just there to make life hell.
The turning circle is almost as bad as an Alfa 164's.
Motorway noise levels are pretty bad, 80-85mph is about the limit for a cruise on a well surfaced motorway. 60 if it's one of those dodgy course bits like on the M6 past Carlisle. Then it's ear defender time.
Speaker set up is crap. The one in "mine" has been upgraded, and it's still pretty s**te. Oh, fitting a sub is a bit awkward as well.
However, this is all outweighed by the good points of 911 ownership.
The steering. Brilliant, stupidly talkative at times, but you know /exactly/ what's going on /all/ the time. It's superb. Everything else feels very, very damped after it.
The build quality, unbelievable. Every time I shut the door it amuses me to hear the door lock mechanism clunk into place. It sounds like someone loading a shotgun. "Ker-lick", just one of those little things to make me smile.
The brakes. They work (in the dry) like no other brakes I've ever known. Anyone who thinks cars with ABS brakes have a nice pedal action is, quite simply, wrong. So easy to modulate, yet strong enough to wrench eyes from sockets at any speed. The new 911 brakes much be pretty bloody impressive.
The handling is just superb. Ok, you have to change your driving style before jumping in a 911 and hooning it some, but it's worth it. "Slow" in, fast out. Brake on the straight bits, turn in, when you feel the back tyres start to dig in give it some welly. The back will squat down, do a little shimmy, and rocket you in the direction of the next corner like nothing else. On a succession of high speed twisties you can approach at quite some speed, turn in, the steering will get heavier depending on just how much load you're putting on the front tyres, give it a touch gas, the back will squat down and tighten the line with a smidgin of oh so controllable understeer then as the apex opens up just nail it.. great fun. Just make sure you know there's nothing to make you lift off mid corner...
The soundtrack.. Ho yuss. A manic chainsaw buzz over a strangely addictive air cooled whine with the added bonus of crackles from the exhaust on the over-run when you're giving it some stick.
The engine. Smooth, torquey, strong, and with a nice little step in the power delivery around 3000 rpm. The way it revs from 3-6500 rpm is brilliant and enough of a reason to never drive a diesel as long as you live.
Ok, the thing's only got 230 bhp, but it only weighs around a ton(ish), will do near on 160 mph and 0-60 in 5.7 or thereabouts. Not /that/ quick, but you're concentrating that hard, it's screaming it's chainsaw wail at you, the clutch and the box are being friendly, you can trust the brakes (in the dry), and because it's got such immense traction and the little habit of wild lift-off oversteer, it feels plenty quick enough....
God, I love this thing.