For my first post regarding spots, I though it would be a fun idea to put together a collection of Porsches that I’ve seen throughout the years and post about them here. Do note that all of these pictures have never been seen on my Instagram page, and are exclusive to this post only. I decided to do this because it would give me an opportunity to give you all my thoughts about certain models of Porsches at the time in which I took the pictures, and how I see those models now. You can essentially say that it is a good way of describing how my thought processing has matures over the past couple of years. The pictures you are about to see go back to as early as 2014, and then progress up until recent years. Without further do, let’s begin this journey back to the past.

1. Porsches at the 2014 Canadian International Auto Show

The first set of spots takes us back to February of 2014, aka AutoShow month as I like to call it. It was that year that I finally decided to attend the Canadian International Auto Show for the first time, and I haven’t looked back since(I’ve attended it every year since). It was around this time that I began to get more into detail with Porsche models(i.e analyzing the market and learning more about technical specifications) as I anticipated getting my driver’s license that June once I turned 16. During this time, the 991 was still in its .1 phase and the 981 had only been released 2 years prior. Despite this, I never had the opportunity to look at a Porsche in detail until that event. One of the highlights was seeing the 991.1 Turbo S for the first time, which I had never seen in the flesh before, and also getting the chance to see a 964 Turbo for the first time(I eventually had the opportunity to check one out in detail, but more about that on another post). Asides from these cars, there weren’t exactly any other Porsches on display that grabbed my attention, but nonetheless, it was great to get up close to some of these machines.

2. Summer Driver 996 Turbo

Fast forward to the summer of 2014, and I spot a 2002 996 Turbo with a manual transmission. An added bonus, this one had the Sport Seats, which are somewhat common on 996 Turbos. I remember speaking to the owner who was standing right next to it and having a chat about the car. During this time, I was certain that I had a soft spot for Porsches older than the 991(I didn’t like the .1 at all), and leaned more towards cars like the 996 and 997 and so(I still do). Unexpectedly, that October, I found the very car for sale on a local classified site for $45,000(It had 40,000km then). Its interesting to see the different state that the 996 market was in then(a 996 Turbo with the same kms and options would easily go for $70,000). That being said, whoever bought this car can say they hit the jackpot with regards to 996 Turbos. With the Arctic Silver exterior on Black interior, it sure is a looker.

3. It’s twins!!!!!

Moving on to December of that same year, and I spot my first set of “twins”(similar cars). As you can see, they are two 991.1 911s(both of them Carrera 4). I remember this being the day of a school trip, and myself and my classmates went to eat at a restaurant before heading back to school for dismissal. Still, at this time, I heavily disliked the 991(I didn’t know what was coming then). Despite this, it was pretty cool to see two 911s being driven in the winter, as that is a rare sight here in North America. I in particular like the black one with the stock wheels and the ducktail, though the grey car with what appears to be Techart wheels could look better with the ducktail. All in all, two 911s being used as they were meant to be. And with that, came 2014 to a close.

4.Porsches at the 2015 Canadian International Auto Show

These are my only spots of 2015, as I never saw any interesting cars for the rest of the year. While it was nice to see a 991.1 Turbo S Cabriolet, it was not anything exciting for me back then. Asides from that, I was able to see the then-new 991.1 GTS model, which to me looked just like another 991.1 but with a bit of aggressiveness. The reason for my disliking of the 991 at the time was primarily due to the fact that it was the 911 model in which Porsche began a transition of primarily focusing on developing the car with the PDK transmission in mind, with the manual transmission as an afterthought. I was a hardcore fan of manual transmissions back then, and essentially hated PDK. Little did I know that by the end of the year, my view on the 991 would take a drastic 360 degree turn.

5.Porsches at the 2016 Canadian International Autoshow

When Porsche unveiled the facelift 991.2 Porsche 911 in September of 2015, I was enamoured by the car. The refinement done to the exterior was like no other, and I like it over the 992 at the moment. The biggest change was the switch to turbocharged engines for the Carrera models, which I didn’t mind, and I think it helped with making those models more exciting to drive. Finally seeing them in person at the Autoshow, they just stood out. Not only was the exterior styling much modern, but so was the interior as well. Asides from the updated PCM unit, the 918-style steering wheel became a standard across the Porsche range, which included paddle shifters ONLY. One of the aspects I disliked about some cars equipped with PDK was the Multifunction Steering Wheel at the time, which had these “buttons” on both sides of the wheel to switch gears(it was terrible). Being 2016, the world was still not aware of the great cars that would come out of the 991.2 generation. Over the course of the year, I managed to see several 991.2 cars, but I never was interested in snapping photos or capturing video at the time. That aside, I was really looking forward to seeing the future of the 991, while speculating about the 992.

So there you have it, a little trip to my early days of the serious Porsche-fever. Looking back, it’s interesting to see how the market for several cars have changed with time, such as the 993 market which has gone bonkers, or the 997 Turbo market, which was seen a slight increase from 2014. Seeing a 991.1 generation 911 in 2020, I have to say that while it has somewhat aged from an aesthetic point of view, it is a good bargain of a car, especially if you are looking for a 911 that you could daily drive. I think that Porsche was aiming to make that car more daily-friendly, and hence that is why it was made with more driving aids and PDK in mind. As for my views on PDK, I think it is a wonderful transmission. Heck, If I were to get a 992 today, I would get it with the PDK, reason being that it is a car I would daily. The manual transmission still has a place in my heart, however, as I prefer it in any pre-991 911. In all, it was nice to look back at these pictures and thinking about the state of the Porsche world at the time. I must announce, when the Autoshow gets going in February, I will be doing a Recap post on whatever vehicles Porsche will demonstrate. I look forward to finally seeing a Taycan in-person for the first time, in addition to the 718 Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder. The most exciting announcement of the year, however, would probably have to be the 992 Turbo and Turbo S, though that will no happen until the Geneva Auto Show in March. While that happens, all we can do is wait with excitement and enjoy the next two months day-by-day. I hope you enjoyed reading this post just as I enjoyed writing it and digging for these old pictures.

Best Regards,
Juan Reyes-Abreu