Mike Harper’s 1995 911 Carrera

AS A CAR NUT always obsessing over my next purchase, I had fallen into a habit of going for a drive on Saturdays to independent high-end car dealerships, just to see what they had. One day I went to World Fine Cars in west Toronto and spotted this 993 with a unique colour I’d never seen before — Adventurine Green with light grey interior.

Owning the last of the air-cooled cars had always been an objective and so I became obsessed. I probably went back five times to have a look. After deciding that I had worked hard and deserved it, it was then a matter of persuading my wife that a promise is a promise, and yes, I would sell something if she would just let me have this one last car.

My sports-car buying criteria have always been a balance of looks, performance and sound. And this car has all that. It’s one of the last great machines, before electronics and driver aids changed our relationship with cars. Plus, it represents 30 years of air-cooled engine development, so reliability and durability were also assured.

My favourite time with the car is early morning, hitting the empty back roads of Prince Edward County, looking for the right stretch of highway where I can take it up to 4,000 RPM in third gear, punch it, and enjoy all the sound and drama of that flat-six as it truly comes alive. A rush like nothing else.

I’ve been a PCA UCR member for about 27 years, was active in driver ed in the 1990s, and since have just enjoyed — obviously — owning the car and reading the magazines. I live in Prince Edward County, a great place to have one of the last true great machines ever made, before cars became more like high-tech appliances. I just bought a 2014 Cayman S, so don’t get me wrong, I like the new stuff too! They just don’t smell and burp like the old ones. </>

By Mike Harper.

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