1988 PORSCHE CARRERA TARGA 6
> MADE IN GERMANY, PURCHASED IN JAPAN, ENJOYED IN CANADA
The car: 1988 Porsche Carrera Targa with six-cylinder (flat six, horizontally opposed) 3.2-litre engine.
The owner: Mark Fielden, Osaka, Japan (originally from Pickering)
The story: I purchased this car in Osaka, where I reside, in spring 2004. Japan is not on most Canadians’ list of places to shop for used vehicles. But the Japanese look after their cars and with an enviable public transportation system do not drive them too often. It had a very low 52,000 kilometres on the clock.
In fact, Porsches are very popular in Japan, along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Classic 911s like mine are good finds here because they have never been exposed to snow or salt.
I shipped the car to Vancouver in August of 2004 so that I could enjoy it during my summers in Canada. It is a monumental task for an individual to ship a car to Canada from Japan; I wouldn’t recommend doing it to anyone.
The 20-foot container used to send the Porsche by ship from Kobe to Vancouver cost me about $4,000, but the pain does not stop there. Upon arriving on our shores come more fees. Customs and Border Services must inspect (in case you have cocaine packed into the doors). Agriculture Canada also pays a visit to ensure nothing invasive has hitched a ride.
While you are waiting for the inspections, the car sits in a customs-bonded warehouse that you (the owner) are forbidden to enter, though you are expected to pay the rent during the forced sequester. Tack on another $1,000 or so.
Two weeks later, I could hold my baby. After that, fun: a six-day, 4,800-kilometre journey on the Trans-Canada Hwy. to YYZ.
Everywhere I go I get I get a thumbs up from onlookers. Even the staff at Downtown Porsche, though surrounded by 2015 models, have said “what a cool car.” Praise of the highest order came a few weeks ago in Niagara Region when two sisters (as in nuns) asked if they could take a picture with my Porsche. Was it Divine approval of a nice piece of engineering?
I enjoy my little baby only one month of the year, each August when I return to Canada. It sleeps for the other 11 months in a secure underground parking space, which some would think a crime, but it keeps the mileage low.
Show us your candy: Got a cool custom or vintage car? Send us pictures of you and your family with your beauty, and tell us your story. The more photos the better — of the interior, trim, wheels, emblems, what you admire. Email wheels@thestar.ca and be sure to use “Eye Candy” in the subject line.