Vroom Vroom

If I were to sum up my thoughts on the 911 in one word, it would be “Wheeee!” 1991 was the first year for an updated body style of the iconic 911, and was referred to internally as the 964. While the 964 also included an updated engine from its predecessor, the engineers were still working on a turbocharged version when the car was released. However there was an overwhelming demand from European customers for a turbocharged version of the 964, so Porsche decided to release the 964 with the turbocharged engine from their previous model, the legendary 930. The 930 was Porsche’s first turbocharged offering, and it rocked the automotive world from its release in the late 1970s. Turbocharging was a relatively new technology, and therefore, it still had some quirks. The most noticeable was the fact that it took a little while for the boost to kick in, something that journalists would coin the now notorious “turbo-lag.” What this means is, at low revs, say under 3000 rpm, the car is very docile and drives much like a normal 911. However stomp on the gas, and something peculiar happens- absolutely nothing. Then about 3-4 seconds later, your heart is sucked into the backseat as the car launches forward like a midget out of a cannon. It is absolutely thrilling, and utterly addicting. However, the engine in the 911 is in the rear, and the car is rear wheel drive, meaning all the weight and power of the car is behind you, and when it is ready to go, it launches you in only one direction- straight forward. Which is stellar if you are headed in a straight line, however, if your wheels are at any sort of angle, this car slides around like a puppy on a wood floor. There is a very good reason that all 911 turbos since 1994 have had all wheel drive. Luckily for me, most of the drive through Jutland was straight. There were very few cars on the road, and I didn’t see a single police car the whole time I was in Denmark. The Porsche was a rarity, and people who saw the blue beast approaching in their rear view mirror swiftly changed lanes. This gave me about 700 kilometers of left lane all to myself, and I was able to cruise at an effortless 200+km an hour for most of the trip. Save for a few “oh my god I’m going to lose it” moments when traffic would slow or twists would appear, (and one long, loud, tirespinning burnout in a small towns center ) it was a thrilling and manageable drive.