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Reply to "Porsche Model at Walmart.com"

A huge part of why I climbed out on this tiny little branch of the automotive tree at all was the dead-end nature of it.

An air-cooled, rear-engine vehicle with very little in the way of comfort accouterments makes these cars the Neanderthals of automotive progress-- very developed in specificity, but ultimately compromised by an engineering Achilles heel. The limits are baked in the cake, but with enough engineering work-arounds , the limits are stretched beyond my own abilities as a driver. 

The 911 points to just how far one can take an imperfect architecture. It retains the imperfection of layout, but remains one of the sharpest, quickest, and most desirable automobiles manufactured and sold in 2019. The limits are out there, but with every successive generation, Porsche seems to keep stretching out what is possible. The 911 may ultimately be defeated, but the evolution of a platform that has been declared dead for 40 years has been astounding.

I love that-- because I find in myself a fundamentally flawed package, easily written off as inferior to those with better raw material. And yet, with refinement and steady improvement, I can hope to become more than I ever should have been. Sure, it would be easier to build a sporty, fast mid-engine car-- just like it would be easier to have built a good life with a less abrasive personality, or better looks, or a higher intellect.

I very much like that my speedster is an imperfect thing to start with-- but that as it sits, it can perform well beyond what it ought to be able to do. It reminds me to never give up on my own ability to be refined and improved.

Last edited by Stan Galat
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