It feels like it’s been a while since I featured a 911 residing closer to the value end of the spectrum so I hope to remedy that with a couple posts for the end of this week. There do still exist wonderful, beautiful, and exciting alternatives that can bring joy to any motoring enthusiast. Sure, prices have risen across the board and, if we’re all honest, you’re not going to get a 911 Turbo for this sort of money – though we shouldn’t forget that the 996TT can be had for very reasonable cost – so performance by modern standards will be good but not the sort of thing to blow you away. Ultimate performance is somewhat beside the point though. Performance almost always will reside in the most modern machines enhanced by constant technological improvements. But the joy of driving, outside of a track, has never been purely about performance. It is into that arena that classic cars begin to make sense and our understanding of value begins to shift. You could find any number of new cars for a similar price as where I’d expect this 911 to sell. Some of them may even out perform this 911, most will surely provide higher levels of refinement and luxury, and many will be more reliable. But few, if any, will provide the kind of feel that connects driver to machine, the sound of the air-cooled engine clattering away behind your head, or the more ephemeral qualities that come with driving a machine with significant automotive history. An air-cooled 911 is rarely cheap, but it has value that most modern cars fail to approach.
