Going to Wisconsin

 Since the 981S was in Wisconsin and it coincided with the kids' spring break week, we decided to make a bit of an adventure out of going to get it.  The 911 was due for its annual service, so I worked with my brother to schedule it for when we were going to Wisconsin.  One wonderful thing about working with The Exchange for service is their loaner fleet of Cayennes.  The Cayenne is an excellent SUV, and made for the the perfect accomplice on this mission.

To The Exchange!

Knowing we had no hope of fitting all of our luggage into the 911, my brother graciously agreed to take some bags to The Exchange with him when he was visiting for the weekend.  On departure morning, we stuffed the trunk full with our remaining luggage:

and prepared to fold our tall bodies into a pretty small space:

Once aboard, the drive to Chicago felt like a regular road trip...

...and before long, it looked like one, too!

Who says a 911 isn't a family car?  I think it's perfectly practical!  That said, it was nice to have a 2 hour hop instead of being in there for the 5 hours that we'd need to get to our final destination...

The Nuthorn Quest

Whenever we go to Wisconsin, we make a point of visiting the New Glarus Bakery, which is a little over 2 hours away from The Exchange.  As long-time patrons, we know that it's completely worth pre-ordering nuthorns because in addition to being amazingly delicious, the sell out quickly.  Since they're delicious, we ordered a dozen so we could enjoy some on the fly and save some to bring back to share with others.

After a delicious lunch, saddled up for the final ~2 hour ride to Appleton:

We got to the hotel in time for the kids to frolic in the pool, which they loved!  There was no hurry to get to bed early or get up early because we didn't plan on picking up the car until after 9 the following day.  Of course, I couldn't sleep.

Delivery Day

We got up leisurely in the morning and grabbed a family workout in the hotel gym before searching for a tasty coffee shop in Appleton.  Allison took the time to fulfill one of my fantasies by painting her nails to match the red belts in the car (remember, I am a strange man):

Fulfilling the "taking delivery of a Porsche at a dealership" fantasy, Allison also was cool with wearing the awesome Martini Racing sweatshirt she got me for Father's Day, and I chose the F.A.T. International hoodie I got while traveling with my brother in 2024 when we visited F.A.T. Mankei on the Grossglockner Pass.  

Decked out and ready, we found a coffee shop, headed in that direction, and enjoyed a good cup of coffee and some tasty breakfast:

After breakfast, it was time!!!  We piled into the Cayenne, drove to Porsche Fox Valley, and with wide smiles and a lot of excitement, got ready to fulfill the dream:

Part of the joy of the purchase experience was the actual purchase experience.  Nothing compares to taking delivery of a Porsche from a Porsche dealership.  I did it once before, at The Exchange, back in 1997.  I really wanted Allison to have that experience - of being shown the car, all the features, pairing her phone, really making it feel like it's her car.  Which it is!

The kids were immediately smitten.  Heck, who am I kidding, we all were.  It's a really pretty car.

James, our salesman, was fantastic.  He spent plenty of time with us, never making us feel rushed or like we were consuming too much of his time:

We all loved exploring the car, and I'll never forget how wide the smiles were!

I particularly love the red belts!

My brother, ridiculously generous person that he is, had Porsche winter floor mats waiting for us at The Exchange, so I took out the stock mats and snapped in the more durable, rubberized versions.  I mean, this car is going to get a fair bit of use, so it makes sense to protect from crumbs, potential spills, etc:

After chatting and exploring the car, it was time for the first drive.  I loved every second of it!  It was so cool to see Allison's level of nervous excitement:

I really love seeing her excited smile:

Of course, Allison insisted we trade places so I could sample the car:

For me, the greatest joy came from seeing the wonder and happiness on the faces of my family:

And from driving lazily south, close to Lake Michigan:

And seeing Madeline get ready for her first driving experience in this car:

We had deliciously beautiful weather for the pickup, sunny, cool, perfect top-down/heated seats weather.  For whatever reason, the weather gods were smiling on us, and it made the trip that much more delightful.

Homeward Bound

After overnighting in Sheboygan where we enjoyed an unexpectedly delicious Italian meal at my brother's suggestion, we cruised into Milwaukee to visit Colectivo Coffee Lakefront.  I'm a massive fan of the Dark Sumatra.  The weather greatest hits album kept playing, and we were able to sit outside in the crisp sunshine.

After a leisurely breakfast, we made our way back to The Exchange where the 911 was waiting with fresh oil.  It was the first time that the siblings got to meet each other:

I like to observe how cars evolve over time.  I think this photo from the rear is particularly telling.  Look how high the bumper is on the Boxster, and how low the lights are in the 911.  Admittedly, the 911 has been lowered, but you can't get away from the fact that in the 1990s, legislation hadn't gotten to the point that higher bumpers were mandated.

Afterwards, we went to one of Faris' friends house for dinner.  We got to park next to each other, and I love the top view of the cars next to each other.  You can see that the Boxster is longer (172.2 inches vs 168.3 inches).  The difference in width is much more pronounced, with the Boxster coming in at 70.9 inches vs only 65 for the 911.

I've been reading Mom's book to Enzo as his bedtime story.  In the book, he was introduced to Cat's Cradle, and has gone down a YouTube rabbit hole learning a variety of different designs.  Steve, Faris' friend we had dinner with, is of a vintage that he remembers playing Cat's Cradle as a kid.  His muscle memory kicked in, and soon he and Enzo were swapping the string back and forth.  It was such a delight to see, such a high entertainment value from the simplest of things:

'After dinner we made the trek home to South Bend.  On the way, the 911 hit a significant milestone:

140,000 miles and still running strong.  Over 27 years later, the car still pushes all of my buttons.  The Boxster is 11 years younger, much more modern, and the car I'd choose if I had to be in Washington, D.C. tomorrow.  That said, I have super fond memories of a pre-GPS world when Faris and I took multiple days and blue line highways to get to the same destination.  I really like the 911 for just driving.  They're so different, these two cars.  That's probably a post for another time.

After a brisk drive through the night, we got all the cars safely tucked in for the night, where they could murmur to each other through the wall:

Since the winter mats will live in the Boxster, I brought the original floor mats into the house, where two very curious animals sniffed them and felt very safe "in the box."

All in all, I can't overemphasize how truly wonderful it was to have our kids part of a magical pickup process.  I love their open-mouthed wonder.  Allison's smiles and laughter are burned into my psyche.  And joy of joys, the Boxster is working its way into our daily life.  I had the pleasure of following Allison this morning as she took Enzo to school and I made my way to the gym.  I love how the Boxster is reflected in the hood of the 911:

I love plotting and planning, and top of the list is a raid to Cedar Falls to enjoy pizza at The Brown Bottle.  It was a childhood treat, and I really have a major hankering for their pizza, it's outstanding.  With a little creativity, we can fit the seven of us (my family and my brother) into the 911, the Boxster, and his Spyder RS!  It should be epic!!!!

Fresh Meats!

 I love my GLI.  It's a phenomenal car.  It's quick, quiet, comfortable, and efficient.  I did a round trip from South Bend to Interlochen on a single tank of fuel.  The front differential is amazing, it handles great, it's a joy to shift, and makes me smile every time I get in.

In the power department, I'd say it's sufficient in stock form.  Not blazingly fast, but certainly enough power to keep me entertained, and as I've mentioned before, compares pretty favorably with the original M5.  A stock GLI is enough to keep anyone happy, but recall that I had a 1998 Passat with a 1.8-liter turbo 4.

Stock, the Passat made 150 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque.  It was fun, but we gave into the temptation to get the ECU flashed to let the turbo work a little harder.  The car was absolutely transformed.  Passing on a two-lane road in third gear was delightful, the car pulled so much harder.  With more than 120,000 reliable miles on the reprogrammed engine, it made me start thinking about what one could coax out of the EA888 2-liter 4 in the GLI.

After a bunch of research and reading, it came down to Cobb and APR.  Ultimately, I decided to go with the APR Plus offering, primarily because the warranty gave me some peace of mind.  The APR Plus adds 42 hp and 57 ft-lb of torque, bringing the total to roughly 270 hp and 315 ft-lb in a car weighing 3,178 pounds. 

For perspective, my 911 makes about 250 hp and 230 lb-ft of torque in a car weighing 3,031 pounds.  So, if you do the math, the APR Plus-equipped GLI has a power-to-weight ratio of 11.8 lb/hp versus 12.1 lb/hp in the 911.  Heh heh heh.  I love the idea of sleeper sedans in general, and the GLI with a better power-to-weight ratio than my 911 makes for wicked fun.

From the driver's seat, third gear with the APR tune feels about as strong as second gear in stock form.  The APR tune also got rid of the pesky top speed limiter, with the car still pulling hard through 140 mph in 4th gear on a race track.  The car feels quite stout.  While I haven't instrumented the car, those power gains should get the car to 60 mph in about 5.3 seconds and through the quarter mile in ~13.2 seconds at 111 mph.  That's more than a second faster through the quarter mile, which I have no problem believing.

The downside to all of this additional power is that the original equipment Hankook Kinergy GT tires simply melted.  While they did a reasonable job of coping with the extra torque in the dry, they were useless in the wet, easily spinning up in first, second, third, and occasionally fourth.  After roughly 25,000 total miles, 10,000 of which were pre-tune, the tires were cooked.  

While the end of a set of tires typically bums people out, for me it's one of my favorite times because I get to go tire shopping!  For the new set, I was committed to getting tires that could cope with the extra power.  With six vehicles to manage, over time I've grown to love Michelin tires.  They're just great.  The Defender2s on the vans have an 80,000 mile warranty.  I have Pilot Sport All Season 4s on the 911 that have good grip and seem to be wearing well after more than 8,000 miles.

Since I have a set of Blizzaks for the winter, I thought about getting a set of Pilot Sport All Season 4s for the GLI since I'm having good luck with them on the 911.  Then I thought about it a bit more, talked with my brother, and rationalized a set of Pilot Sport 4Ss for the GLI.  The rationale went something like, "Well, how many sets of tires do you actually buy in your life, and is it worth compromising summer performance if you already have a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires?"

With thinking like that, the choice was clear:

I have to say, I really think Michelin has figured out the sidewall branding.  I love the Michelin stamp, how legible the tire model is, and the little checkered flag.  I do think there is a trickledown effect from Michelin's endurance racing experience to its street tires.  I have super fond memories of the 2018 "Pink Pig" class victory at Le Mans, a once-in-a-lifetime megatrip that I reveled in with my brother.  Guess what tires the class-winning car was wearing?

That's right - Michelins.

Anyway, this is what the GLI looks like with its fresh meats:

I only have about 70 miles on the new tires, but my initial impressions are that these are the tires the car deserves.  Full power in second gear doesn't phase the tires, and they seem like they grip well.  I can't wait until I get them scrubbed in a bit more so I can explore their capabilities a bit more fully.  I'm also looking forward to driving the car in the wet, just to see how these "max performance summer tires" cope with wet pavement.  While I'd imagine that full-throttle pulls on the wet would cause the traction control to flicker, I'm optimistic that they won't spin worthlessly like the overmatched Kinergy GTs.

More to come as I get some driving in.

Turning wrenches

For years, I've had passing thoughts about removing the secondary muffler on the 911.  The primary muffler I replaced over twenty years ago with a pipe fabricated by Midwest Eurosport.  They basically cut the ends off the primary muffler and welded a pipe in the middle.

When the engine was resealed in 2024, my brother generously replaced the corroding part with a beautiful stainless steel piece from Fabspeed.  It felt great to have the new pipe in place and the car back on the road!

As 2024 faded, I continued to think about replacing the secondary muffler.  As I tend to do, I spent time reading and researching and pondering.  I happened across this video, and was captivated:

I really liked the sound, and after much hemming and hawing, decided to do it.  Installing this pipe wasn't about improving performance or losing weight, it was all about changing the sound.

My brother once again exhibited his limitless generosity by shipping a the appropriate part from Fabspeed to my door.  It arrived looking magnificent in fresh stainless steel:

After receiving the part, I promptly weighed it out of curiosity.

Weighing in at 2 pounds 5.6 ounces, the pipe itself is light and beautifully fabricated.

Then it was a matter of turning some wrenches to drop the old muffler and get the new pipe in place.  I get a little thrill every time I use the toolkit that came with the 911 to work on the car.

I knew I needed a 13mm wrench to loosen the clamps holding the secondary muffler in place, and I also knew that's one of the wrenches in the tool kit.  So, I got the wrench and my socket set, then got down and unfastened the clamps holding the exhaust tip to the secondary muffler and the secondary muffler to the primary bypass pipe.

The guy in the YouTube video had his bumper off which made the wrenching pretty easy.  I didn't want to do that.  At first, I thought I could get the secondary muffler off with the car resting on its four wheels.  After crawling under the car, it became immediately clear that I didn't have the angle on the screws that hold the secondary muffler to the frame.  So, I got the car up in the air and took the right rear tire off.  That made it much more accessible.

Here are the bolts I couldn't quite get to with the wheel on the car and the car on the ground:

After taking out those two bolts, the muffler was free.  I was careful to place a box under the muffler so it didn't fall to the ground.  Ah, so much more space:

Here's a different angle on it, where you can see the exit of the primary bypass pipe:

With the secondary muffler off the car, it was time for it to weigh in.  It tips the scales at slightly over 20 pounds.  Visually, there's a massive difference:

Clearly, the new pipe is significantly smaller and lighter.  OK, the next step was to connect the new part to the primary bypass.  This was pretty easy.  I just had to pry the clamp apart, fit the pipes together, and tighten the bolt:

OK, looking good here, just missing the tip!

One fun part of this project was that I was able to do it with my brother on FaceTime.  It was cool, I have a kickstand case for my phone, so I could just set him on the ground so he could see the progress I was making.  He also took a couple of FaceTime videos that captured me trying to get the exhaust tip attached to the secondary bypass:

He also caught this picture, which looks like it could be an ad for Fabspeed.

After more time than I thought it would take, I finished up.  It took a little longer than I thought since I was working alone, getting the exhaust tip lined up:

With the exhaust buttoned up, it was time to give it a go.

Here's what the car sounded like for the past 20 years or so.  I think it sounds great.

Here's the first cold start without the secondary muffler:

I immediately giggled.  I think it sounds like a cup car.  I took my daughters for a quick spin, and completely approved.  With the oil nice and warm, here's a start and some revs:

As you can hear by my daughter's commentary at the end, the sound is a winner.

I've been enjoying driving it around, it sounds great:

After driving it for a couple of weeks, the exhaust tip worked itself loose.  I clearly didn't tighten the clamp tightly enough.  So, one evening my daughter gave me a hand.  She held the exhaust tip while I tightened up the clamp and applied a little locktite to the bolt.  Everything looks great:

Random acts of kindness

One of my friends has a beautiful white Audi S5 Sportback.  It's a stunning car, and it has four beautiful chrome tailpipes.  However, the engine has direct injection, which produces soot, which then stains the tailpipes black.  I know this from experience, as the GLI suffers from the same effect.  Here's what the tailpipes look like when they're clean:

If you don't keep on top of keeping the pipes clean, they accumulate soot:

Dirty pipes that should be clean drive me crazy.  Dirty pipes also expose one of my biggest automotive design pet peeves: the fake exhaust pipe.  Why why why put a fake exhaust pipe on a car?  You'll start seeing them when you look around - a car with more than one exhaust pipe, one of them is clean, the other is filthy.  Fake pipe, just there for style.  Drives me crazy, just skip it!

Anyway, back to the S5.  I've been telling my friend for years that he has to clean the pipes on his S5.  Every time I'd see his beautiful car, it was marred by the dirty, crusty, soot-covered pipes.  You couldn't even tell the the tips were chrome.  Those pipes are meant to be clean!

My friend and I work together, so one day, after verifying that he was going to be on campus, I snuck out to the parking lot, armed with some Bar Keepers Friend, a sponge, some paper towels, and some rubber gloves.  After scrubbing those pipes for about 40 minutes, I got them to the point where they'd pass the "10 foot test."  If you get up close to them, you can tell they need a bit more attention, but from 10 feet away, the improvement is noticeable.

I left him a little note under his windshield wiper, telling him I just couldn't take it any more.  Later that evening, I got one of my favorite text messages:

I admit that I'm a strange car-obsessed man, but I think it's a good kind of strange.

How do you create a car person?

I really enjoy The Car Podcast with Chris Harris and Friends.  These are car-obsessed folks about my age, so unsurprisingly, I connect with many of their opinions about cars.  They recently recorded a live podcast during which they took questions from the audience.

One question I really liked was, "If you had 24 hours to turn a non-petrolhead into a petrolhead, what are you doing, where are you going, and what kind of car are you driving."  While the answers were all reasonable, I thought they were reasonable if you were predisposed to liking cars.  

For example, taking a 964 RS to a race track is fun if you like driving cars on race tracks.  Passengers, especially if they're not predisposed to that experience.  Driving on a race track is exciting and fun.  Being a passenger on a race track can make you nauseous.

My answer is much different.  My answer is simple - let the person experience a car where the roof disappears.  Why?  Because I think almost everything is better outside.  There's something about infinite space in your peripheral vision that is appealing.  I like being outside, as it lets the eye wander and explore:

You don't even have to be in a place of particular magnificence, just walking through a park is a delight:

An open top car is simply magic.  Speed is irrelevant.  You can be going 20 mph or 120 mph, and it's equally magical.  Pottering along slowly, you are immersed in your surroundings, kind of like riding a motorcycle.  You smell flowers, feel the chill in the air when you drive close to a lake or through a grove of trees.  You can't help but smile.

I honestly don't think it matters which convertible you put a person in.  Without a roof, everything beyond the windshield's frame extends your visibility to infinity.

While all open top cars are magical, there's something special about a two-seat roadster.  It's whimsical, frivolous, and fun.  It's potent, powerful, and purposeful.  It's sleek, svelte, and sexy.  You end up with faces that look like this: 

 So, how would I create a car person?  I'd slide them into the driver's seat of a convertible, have them put the top down, watch them smile, and go for a drive.  The destination wouldn't matter.  Of course, a drive by the ocean or in the mountains would be magnificent and enhance the experience.  But even something as routine as dropping a kid off at school or getting groceries is transformed into an adventure.

If you need a car, plan on making a convertible part of your life at some point.  Trust me, it will be as transformational for you as it is for the car as its top disappears from view.

Joy

Automobiles are not merely transportation capsules.  They are art, inspiration, dreams fulfilled, future possibilities, magic.  Automobiles have the power to transform people's lives.  Automobiles are about emotion, about creating faces like this:

Cars are about wonder:

And delighting in the unexpected:

And about the visceral joy of something mechanical coming to life. 

<rant>

I originally hosted this video on YouTube, but it was taken down because of a violation of "child safety standards."  I filed an appeal, which was denied.  This makes zero sense to me, and Enzo isn't driving the car, he's just starting it.  Give me strength, this overly paranoid world.  I'm so irritated.

</rant>

And about the exhilarating feel of acceleration:

Magic cars transform their operators into joyous beings, dancing in the driver's seat:

In a world filled with transportation appliances, there are cars that kindle feelings of magic, of delight.  One of my favorite advertisements of all times captures the spirit of the automobile in a way I profoundly connect with:

When faced with the opportunity, choose joy.