Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
I ALWAYS thought that Porsches were for 50-something-year-old businessmen going through a mid-life crisis and trying to reclaim their youth. However, after my day cruising around in the 911 Carrera S, I now know differently.
When I got to the Porsche Centre in Sitra, dressed in my sharpest black suit paired with a yellow tie, a wide grin beamed across my face as I spotted a bright yellow 911 Carrera S parked outside. As it happens, this was the car I’d be driving ... it seemed like fate, we were destined to be together.
First impressions matter and the car’s seductive curves and sloping lines immediately caught my eye. This is a model that has been designed with pin-point precession and is as aesthetically close to the perfect sports car as I’ve ever seen.
Once I slipped inside, the bucket leather seat wrapped around me, like my mother’s arms, giving me a sense of comfort and security. The cabin exudes an ere of practicality and luxury thanks to the smooth leather surfaces and easy to use touch-screen control panel, which can be used to control practically everything inside the car from satellite navigation to radio and media functions.
The pleasure of driving a Porsche starts from the second you turn on the engine and it begins to purr majestically as if it’s pining for the open road. I hate to disappoint anyone, so who was I not to give the car what it wanted?
Illogical as it sounds, Porsche is a marque that’s future lies in its past. This is because the iconic designs of the past are being tweaked to meet modern demands, its designers say.
The 911 is an iconic model, now in its seventh generation, and although it is fresher, sleeker, considerably lighter and 90 per cent of all components are either new or have been fundamentally revised, the exterior is a largely familiar shape.
This is a car that is guaranteed to turn heads as you drive by and that’s without the bright yellow paint job. If, however, for any reason you feel like you’re not getting the attention you deserve, simply shift into sport mode and the throttle response sharpens, which turns the gentle purr of the engine into an almighty roar.
Now you’ll never again have to wonder why people in sports cars rev their engines at traffic lights, just give them a friendly wave and acknowledge how awesome their car is and they’ll speed off happily ... as I did.
Since the 911 is a real ‘driver’s car’, there is also a sport-plus mode. Once selected, the steering gets stiffer and gear changes become manual, which enables you to utilise the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters or, if you’re a traditionalist, the gear stick.
I loved this mode because it made me feel more connected to the car and more in control of the drive, which is a handy thing when you’re pushing to the speed limit on an open stretch of highway.
Under the bonnet of this gorgeous mean machine is a 3.8-litre flat-six engine that seems far more powerful than its 400bhp rating would suggest.
Simply tap the accelerator and you’re off the mark faster than Usain Bolt, with enough force to fling you back into the bucket seat. It makes the trip from 0-100kmh in just 4.3 seconds which is cut to 4.1 in sports mode.
If you heard a loud roar and saw a yellow blur zooming past you on the Seef Highway last week, chances are it was me.
The electro-mechanical power steering is another thing that I really noticed during my drive. It offers even better precision and response, while increasing efficiency and reducing general fuel consumption. It’s so responsive I began to wonder why all cars are not built like this. Even when cornering at speed, all you need to do is gently caress the wheel and be confident it will steer in the direction you are aiming at.
I now understand why middle-aged businessmen drive Porsches and it has nothing to do with a mid-life crisis ... They’ve just been working hard all their lives and are now able to afford one.
So, if you see a middle-aged man cruising around Bahrain in a Porsche in 25 years’ time, you’ll know I’ve finally saved enough money to secure the drive of my life.
Prices start from BD41,000.
For details, call Porsche Centre Bahrain on 17459911.
