We had no right to be there, really. As two
working class car nuts from the country visiting
the big smoke of Sydney, the Porsche showroom
in Willoughby, with its huge glass windows, shiny
white floor and glittering metal (championed by
a white over red 996 GT3), seemed to belong to
another universe.
Perhaps the dealer principal had a son of his
own. Or maybe we just caught him on a good day.
Whatever the reason, instead of rebuffing our
uncertain approach, he welcomed us inside. I was
even allowed to sit in the cars, including the GT3,
and on the way out, we were given two thick, stiffly
bound brochures (which I still have). It left an
ineradicable mark.
I’ve thought about that moment a lot this month,
given this magazine’s hat tip to Porsche’s 70th
anniversary. I’ve been trying to pinpoint the exact
moment where my passion for Porsche began; to
understand why, of all the brands out there, that’s
the one that resonates most with me.
It’s a selfish quest, I admit, but also one
applicable to all of us. Be it Porsche, Ferrari,
Holden, Ford, something Japanese, British, French,
or a brand more obscure, every one of us has a
marque that speaks to us more than others.
The influence of our parents is hard to escape, of
course, but in my case it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Dad didn’t love Porsches, he was a Ford man, and
while the dealer experience helped cement it, I’d
been a Porsche fan long before that.
Nailing down the precise moment has proven
elusive, but I was able to glean some insights from
Mark Webber and Walter Rohrl, both of whom
contribute to our Porsche coverage on p70. Rohrl’s
passion is infectious, his words coming in a rush
and his voice rising as he hastens to explain what
Porsche means to him (he currently owns 11).
What struck a chord, however, is that both Rohrl
and Webber singled out Porsche’s “subtlety” as a
Editor’s letter
ALEX INWOODI CAN STILL SMELL THE PETROL. STILL SEE THE WRINGING OF MY FATHER’S HANDS
AS WE LOITERED IN THE FUEL STATION’S FORECOURT, OUR SHOES SQUEAKING ON
THE SLIGHTLY SLICK CONCRETE AS WE PACED BACK AND FORTH; MY 12-YEAR-OLD
SELF CASTING QUICK, FURTIVE GLANCES AT THE DEALERSHIP ACROSS THE ROAD,
MY DAD WORKING UP THE COURAGE TO WALK US THROUGH ITS DOORS.
key attraction. Porsches are rarely as brash or as
outlandish as their competitors and nowhere is this
approach more visible than in the brand’s claimed
performance statistics. Porsche’s head of motorsport
Frank Walliser once told me that after collecting
the times from a full day of straight-line testing,
Porsche always adds a tenth or two to ensure the
number is repeatable by average drivers in varying
conditions. I like that.
Stephen Corby wrote an excellent column for
this magazine last year where he asked: “Is brand
allegiance and tribalism in car culture dead?” He
argued the apathy of many youngsters is proof
that it is. It’s a scary thought, but the counterpoint
is that it’s up to us to keep it alive. Our love of
cars is what drives us. It’s what compels you toread this magazine, to be inexplicably passionate
about collections of metal, plastic and glass. And
if passing that onto the next generation requires a
small moment of courage to walk into the showroom
of a brand we can’t afford, we shouldn’t shy away.I’ve been trying to understand why, of all the brands,
Porsche is the one that resonates most with me
Covering all bases
If you bought this magazine
off the shelf then you’ll have
(hopefully) noticed that you
had three cover designs to
choose from. Each celebrates
Porsche’s 70th birthday with
a different colour palette and
hero car: our fi rst blast in
the 911 GT3 RS (red), or two
icons from Porsche’s back
catalogue – the Carrera GT
(silver) and 918 Spyder (yellow).
Subscribers also get a unique
cover design, taking the total
number of covers for this
special, collector’s edition of
Wheels to four. If you missed
out on your favourite hero car,
or you fancy the subs design
the most (turn the page to
see all four covers), email
[email protected]
to arrange purchase.@wheelsaustralia 13
“CAN WE
KEEP IT,
DAD?
PLEASE?”