> ‘THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A ROAD TRIP IN A PORSCHE ROADSTER’
The car: 2004 Porsche Boxster S The owner: Paul Ireland, Mississauga The story: In the early 1970s, I fell for Porsches when I visited Mosport Park to see the IMSA races. Porsche 911 racing versions (934, 936, 959) were cleaning up on the track, and I even saw the 917 at a CanAm race with Mark Donahue behind the wheel.
So one day I was going to have a Porsche. Little did I know it would be almost 40 years in the future. I drove one for the first time in the late ’70s, a 911/930 early version of the Porsche Turbo, which had been imported to the U.S. (where I lived at the time) by a colleague. It was crazy fast and you could kick the back end around if you weren’t careful.
In the late 1980s I decided to look for an older 911 and drove several, all of which had mechanical issues or needed extensive restoration work. More time went by and eventually the Porsche Boxster was introduced to the Canadian market. I liked the concept of a mid-engine vehicle and drove several used Boxsters to confirm that they are very well-balanced.
After an extensive search we found this gem in Oakville which I bought in September of 2013 with only 54,000 kilometres on it. The car is equipped with a 3.2L flat six engine generating 258 HP and has a six-speed manual transmission.
The vehicle is equipped with the sport exhaust (and sounds awesome) and air conditioning for the really hot days. It originated in Mesa, Ariz., and has never been driven in winter but was caught in the rain once. It is not a “trailer queen” but as you can see it is well looked after. I have equipped it with racing pedals, new Lloyd’s floor mats and replaced the Boxster S badge on the trunk lid.
My wife, Cathi, and I have taken several road trips, our most ambi- tious being to Napanoch, N.Y., in the Catskill mountains. We covered 1,400 kilometres over four days, and never had the top up while as we visited Geneva, toured Finger Lakes wine country, and stopped in at Woodstock where some music fans never left.
There is nothing like a road trip in a Porsche roadster on fresh summer mornings and cool evenings before the sun goes down. This August, we toured the Kawartha Lakes region driving only the back roads. Throw in a few Sunday cruises to the Forks of the Credit, up to see family just south of Barrie and other destinations and we’ve had another summer of fun with the car. My grandchildren have all had rides, as well as the neighbours. Everyone returns with a smile on their face. Show us your candy: Got a cool custom or vintage car? Email wheels@thestar.ca and be sure to use “Eye Candy” in the subject line.