The Charming Discomfort of a Sports Car
"Nothing sexier than an old guy who can't get out of his own car" sarcastically says the main character in Netflix's Kominsky Method.
Sports Cars are super fun, but they do carry a lot of stigma. Especially the likes of Porsche or Ferrari that are still seen more as a status symbol than anything else.
I still remember the weird feeling I had when I was about to tell my girlfriend about getting my Porsche Cayman. It's bizarre as the price of the car is closer to a regular sedan than to its bigger bro - the 911, not to mention its GT versions or some other exotics. She also knew that I had always been into cars, but my previous ones were more “normal”. This one carried the aura of a "Porsche". Funnily enough, regardless of the driver's age, there always seems to be a reason to hate sports car drivers - Young? Spoiled brat! Old? Midlife crisis much?!
And so, as you can imagine, already nervous, I let her know that I would be getting my dream car. Her reaction wasn't too bad until she learned that it would be white. There are only a few more obnoxious and attention-grabbing combinations as a white sports car sitting low on its big wheels and blinding passerbys with its beautiful white shine (yes, I love it). But hey, I had no choice. I was swapping cars with a friend, taking advantage of the bargain of a century. Beggars can't be choosers, right?
Driving a Porsche is a charming experience. It welcomes the driver to a nice community, and just as in the watch world is a great way to make friends. Picture me driving my car on a rainy day, jumping slightly on all the bumps on the road, perhaps wishing I was in a Defender instead (I mean c’mon how nice is the new Defender). Until I see another Porsche approaching me from the other direction. We wave at each other. He's in a 992s, I'm in my baby Cayman, but we’re good. We are now connected by sharing the uncomfortableness of this moment, two nerds misunderstood by the outside world yet finding refuge in each other’s awkward wave.
There is this special thing about using a sports car every day. It's that trade-off, that for every time that it's slightly annoying in its toughness, the harsh ride, and the lack of practicality. It always gives back.
When you go on a road trip in a regular car there's usually that moment when you get to a really great piece of road, and you wish you were in something sportier to fully experience it. And to be in that situation, on that road, with the right car, that you drive everyday and know in and out like the back of your hand really makes it an unforgettable experience – connecting you to your car even more with each drive. Those moments, make the bumpy ride on the day to day 1000% worth it to me.
And you know what the best part is? Even my girlfriend grew to love it. She enjoys all the mountain passes and the twisty roads that we were lucky enough to drive on together. She calls the cayman the little race car and says it drives like it’s on magnets. And on other occasions, we spend lots of time talking about car designs. It's something that really connects us, even in our disagreements.
I don't think the plushest seat in the most luxurious car could ever give me the feeling I get when I’m in the seat of my Cayman on an early morning as I am about to make my way to university. It was just something I’d always romanticised, and to this day has never left me underwhelmed. That cosy feeling of having the whole car wrapped around me as we make our way through the cold morning is something that will remain with me until I grow old.
I can't wait for all the upcoming car adventures and to talk about them with my dad. And we won't care one bit if anyone thinks we are spoiled or in any sort of crisis. It just brings us too much fun to worry about what it may seem like. And the old man can still be pretty sexy getting out of that low thing, at least if you're far enough not to hear it !
