Classic Driver photographer Alex Mitchell tells of his recent purchase of his dream car, a 911 3.2 Carrera

For over thirty-five years I have lusted after a 911; the beautiful body, the glorious noise from the exhaust. Until recently I hadn’t even sat in one, working on the principle that as I couldn’t afford one I didn’t want to find out what I was missing. Then we reached a point where we had some spare money and Karen was interested in a sports car, an Audi TT to be precise. A small amount of convincing from me and we test-drove a Porsche Boxster instead and it was goodbye TT! The right Boxster was found and we very quickly put 10,000 km on it with a trip to Auckland after Christmas. What a fantastic car, but the 911 longing was still there. I was now asking those who know what model I should get. The answer was always a 3.2 Carrera.

Earlier this year a friend was killed, which brought home the frailty of life, so I decided that the mortgage may have to get a bit larger and I would start a serious search for my 911. There aren’t many for sale and most are either Targas or left-hand drive, neither of which I wanted. Then a white 3.2 appeared on Trademe in Wellington. A 1985 with 16” white wheels and a whaletail. The photos looked really good, it had been well maintained and was a reasonable price. Editor Tony and I were heading north in Tony’s Peugeot ute, so I arranged to see the car. It was fantastic, although both Tony and Andrew (the Porsche owner) were more interested in discussing the ute, the only break being Tony turning to me and saying “It looks nice, buy it” before returning to ute talk! The 911 had a brake issue, so we couldn’t drive it then. Andrew would be in touch when it was fixed in a week or so.

That was the longest week of my life waiting to hear and as soon as I did I booked flights to go up for a drive. The drive was worth the more than thirty five year wait! I opened the door, moved the seat and got in. Turned the key and THAT noise appeared from behind me. Andrew got into the passenger seat, I put the car into first and I was driving my dream. For a car which is 28 years old it drove like a modern car, the only issue was the gearbox, which is a known weak point, you just can’t rush the change. The later G50 box with a hydraulic clutch solves this, but they are very rare. I loved it. The brakes were fantastic, as was the noise, the steering, everything really. On the way back we confirmed the price and I was almost a 911 owner.

A couple of weeks later Karen and I flew to Wellington to meet Andrew, pay for the car and then drive it back to Christchurch. I’m sure he had a tear in his eye as we drove off. We took the car to Bristol Motors to get the oil changed before we headed south. 13 litres of oil later we headed into town for the night. The ferry crossing was smooth, as always, and at the Blenheim BP, I got my first 911 shock. As I returned the fuel hose to the pump I read the number, $164.00! It has an 80 litre tank. The second shock was the small amount of fuel we used on the journey home.

The Carrrea has become my daily drive, something I hadn’t expected. I had thought it would only be used for trips and special occasions, but it’s proved to be so docile to drive. The clutch is light and easy to use. Around town I use third gear most of the time as fourth is just a bit too tall. It’s coping well with the damaged Christchurch roads. There is power to spare when you need it and there is so much torque from 1,500rpm through to the red line, you almost don’t need to use the gearbox at all. The brakes pull up the car in an impressively short distance. And the most important bit, I love driving it. And after hearing for many years that 911s love to bite and leave the road backwards into the undergrowth, I’m finding that by driving the car the way it wants to be driven it’s being well behaved and hugely fun to drive.

Thanks to Paul Higgens and John Lanham for the advice on what model to buy, you were correct! And thanks to Karen for putting up with me while I looked for one, but at least now you have the keys to your Boxster back where you can find them.

Outside, the USA friendly colour coded bumpers modernize the look of the car while the shape of the body shows little change. Below With the exception of the fatter, leather-lined steering wheel, the interior of an 80s 911 looks almost...

Back from the dead! By the early 1980s Porsche had intended to have the 911 consigned to history, replaced by the front-engined V8 928. The 911 had the last laugh as it turns 50, the 928 almost forgotten

The “whale tail” dominates the rear of the car. Love them or loathe them (the owner is in the second group), it is this rear appendage which really shouts “1980s!”