Am I getting old??

[Ignatzcatz]

It seems all you read about is Taycan this Taycan that, Tesla blah blah, EV stuff, E racers, Nordshlife whatever. It just doesn't gel with me. I'm basically a hot rodder, I love V8's the V8 rumble is the most intoxicating sound and a flat 6 howl comes pretty close too. I've been to motorsport events from mud plugging trials up impossible gradients to 12 car club rallies to world class sports car racing to 4 second quarter mile drag racing, but E racing leaves me cold. EV cars leave me cold. And Porsche is really starting to leave me cold. I know they are trying to push the 'classic' side but it's all very peripheral. The only stuff that gels with me is R Gruppe 911's, Classic Porsche mag, Outlaw 356's that it, the Boxters - yuk, the new 991 and/or 2's you can take down the tip and all of the other electronic sporty cars. Carburettors Rule! Oh God I've just remembered the wife's got a Cayenne.

[Sam]

You are indeed getting old.

[mycar]

Yes, fortunately you're getting old.

[majordad]

I can vouch for the 991.2 GTRS.

[KS]

I'm getting old, too. Nothing to be ashamed of. We only drive these cars for fun and if moderns don't do it for you, so what? I only kept my Cayman for a year because, to be frank, it did nothing for me. Messing with the 914 (and the Westfield) is far more fun.

[911hillclimber]

Resisting or refusing to accept change is a sign of getting old, unless the change suits you.

Accepting the computer?
Yep, brilliant. Internet, On-Line ordering, tracking your package etc, all great.

Computers in a car? well, you seem to be anti that.

Yes, getting old, just like the rest of us and the younger ones will scoff until they get to the same place, and find themselves in the same way.
It is the progress of life, why even fight it?

There is enough room for carbs and points and a screwdriver, my fastest car has them.
ECU, injection and a lap-top interface; my best cars have them.

You do not have to have an EV, you do not have to be aware of all this E stuff in transportation evolution (revolution?), let it pass by.

Soon it will all effect you and it might be an issue when you realise you have been left behind, but only due to a closed / closing mind.

So what? Just soak up all the stuff that excites you and accept that all this EV stuff excites others as the 'old-skool' stuff is becoming irrelevant for lots of serious reasons.

Just note that the Old-Skool guys (and I'm one) are becoming a minority right now.

Enjoy the AA fuellers while you can, and THAT dates me!

[Ashley James]

I have and love my 356C, I’d probably love an early 911 if I had one too and I don’t like most moderns because so many are butt ugly, horrible colours and despite decals on the back proclaiming some sort of performance most only ever exceed fifty, if they reach it, on the motorway immediately prior to arriving at yet another traffic jam.

However I’ve been an Apple fan since 2006 and after twenty years of anguish and frustration with Microsoft, so now that my 718 has Apple play and a pretty good in car system as well, I really like that and the tremendous advantage it has over even an expensive Satnav, but most of all, the car is a fabulous drive and the roof folds down.

I’ve been out in it most days this week and with the roof down unless it’s really tipping down. I absolutely love roof off motoring. As a lifelong motorcyclist I discovered being out in the open, even in the cold and wet, suits me better than even the best aircon in a saloon. I’ve even had the roof down when it’s half snowing and very cold.

I don’t see any point in opting for even more speed, my 718 is fast enough, not as fast as my bike was, but you can’t drive road cars as fast as bikes and people get furious if you fly past them at high speeds, presumably because it surprises them.

Therefore I think the most appealing aspects of a modern are looks, performance, the electronics and a really good hood. I’ve got a lovely dark blue 718 with a two tone leather interior and the four cylinder engine has power everywhere. The old six sounded nice but was rather gutless.

[Ollie]

I'm not sure old is the right word... probably more refiened in your tastes and less tolerent of things that you see as pointless!

My take... classic cars represent a golden age of motoring particulalry with the 356/912 and early 911. Driving these cars is absolutely thrilling, why... because they feel fast at legal speeds. The sensation of road and speed translates quickly through the car to the driver, you feel a part of what you are doing, involved, immersed. Most modern cars fall well short of this, the level of detachement in modern cars is huge. 70 feels like 40, you barely notice the road surface, the engine torque curve is flat and boring. There is just no excitement in modern cars unless you want a jazzy paint job and and a flashy computer on wheels!

[anglophone1]

Graham- from memory we are around the same age I feel exactly the same!
However not sure if "modern" cars have ever interested me.
I bought my first new car in 1982 an Alfa Spider - converted from LHD to RHD by Bell & Colvill.
I bought my first Porsche in 1987 a 3.2 carrera supersport cabriolet .
In between was a Saab Turbo Convertible- great car !
Whilst these were all new - and therefore modern- they already had a "classic" feel.
Since then - I have had conventional DDs [ Range Rovers currently - we live in deepest West Cork, although my wife has a 1990 500 SL in France]
I recently had the opportunity to drive a 2018 Gt3 RS for a couple of hours in the UK- frighteningly fast , but little connection- in a sense boring - great for long distances I'm sure- which is when my 78 gets a little too raw [age again]
In the USA I always rent new muscle cars - at least they have "soul" - best yet was a Challenger!!
Actually "soul" is what it's all about -isn't it?
C

[Timo]

I’m not so sure it’s an age thing, more a petrol head thing. I’ve just reached middle age and the thought of electric cars just leaves me numb. I’m sure they have their advantages (or at least that’s what the marketers want you to believe this week!) and I even like some of the design features on the Tesla (the exterior door handles for instance are very cool) but somehow that’s never going to be enough. I can’t ever imagine wanting to take the EV out for a drive without actually needing to go somewhere. Give me carburettors any day!

[fcd911]

I can’t ever imagine wanting to take the EV out for a drive without actually needing to go somewhere

I think that sums it up rather well for me.

John

[keith fellowes]

I can’t ever imagine wanting to take the EV out for a drive without actually needing to go somewhere

I think that sums it up rather well for me.

John

In a nutshell for me as well.

EV will just be a means to get somewhere
Cars are just not aspirational any more

[911hillclimber]

Growingly I feel younger people than us are just not that interested anymore, we are a breed getting rarer and traffic, costs and the environment will kill motoring to just moving you to another place because you have the need to be there.
That dull position is some years away, and we will observe it rather than be part of it.

[rhd racer]

I can’t ever imagine wanting to take the EV out for a drive without actually needing to go somewhere

I think that sums it up rather well for me.

John

I think that sums it up too.

I am late 40s, a total petrol head, that had 3 cars on the road at the age of 18, used to drive 40k miles a year for work and actually enjoyed most of them. I have worked from home for 12 years, hate driving in modern conditions (traffic, pot holes, speed limits that seem utterly ridiculous for the road, average speed cameras and smart motorways). It is hardly fun to 'have to' drive any more, and I'm glad I don't. And then there are queues of cars behind some smug tw*t in a Prius doing 55 that thinks they are saving the planet in a fuggley car that does less mpg than a decent German diesel. How do they pull that face?

But, my wife recently replaced her A1 with a leased e-Golf and it's fantastic. I have had 3 new Golf GTs over the years and this is pretty much as much fun. Linear acceleration, and does everything that you expect a Golf to do. It even carries it's weight well. Now it is not a car I would jump in to razz along the back lanes, but it is fantastic for her commute to work and goes some way to offset my racing hobby and our other 5 vehicles. Will it save the planet or be the future of cars, no, but it is an interesting experiment and the lease company is taking the risk of it being a short lived fad. In the meantime, I might even develop a smug face....

The point is, in it's role in our household it does a job and it does it well. I am unconvinced too that an EV can sensibly be seen as the only household vehicle (range wise) or one that can truly be fun and immersive as a sports car. But as an appliance that gets you to work....

The other point is the number of near misses with pedestrians that are not tuned in to silent cars - crossing roads looking at phones then waving their fists.....you have to be super careful, and car parks / highly pedestrianised areas are a pain in the arse. I hate to think what our town centres will be like when the yoof are hooning around in EVs doing 0-60 in diddly squat and if they don't have the stereos on you won't hear them coming....

[911hillclimber]

Wayne's scenario is exactly what is happening.
Conditions are stopping people venturing out for a drive.
So many of the cars in my cul-de-sac never move over the weekend and only do so when work becons.
Out of the 12 cars I can see well one is a plug-in and about 75% are oil burners, many are leased near new vehicles, but most never seem to go anywhere in leisure time.

They must be bemused at how much we go out in our household.
Most have converted the garage spaces to home office or bigger kitchens and of 8 n houses I am the only one to put cars in the garage space.(and actually wash my own cars).

But, what does all this matter?

So we like our passion for the car as a freedom device with lots of features and charms, many of which are growingly anti social, politically incorrect, and permanently damaging the planet/us which they are, we cannot avoid that fact.

Once, someone from the environment (city clean air) said the motorist faces the challenge of giving up the car for the good of everyone, just like giving up smoking, it will do you good when you have.

I'm not convinced that EV's are the Green Machines some preach they are at all, but their introduction (being forced on us) will stop their use being the same as today's cars, mobility will be reduced, discouraged and made unaffordable.
We will be made to kick our habbit.

Now I'm just old and grumpy.

My daughter (34) and her husband are both petrol headed, drag racing, sports cars Le Mans etc, she has had 4 MX5's etc and he Golf GTi's, GTD's.

Both will have electric cars when the leases come round (both company car eligible), probable E Golfs, and will work their way round the range issues.

They are looking forward to the change and feel good about it.
Perhaps they are typical of what is changing out there.