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Some will recall that I bought an '87 Porsche 928S4 (nicknamed the Orgasmotron) with the intention of seeing how practical it was to run a modern classic as a semi-daily driver. Time, I think then to give a report.
It took a fair wedge to bring the car to mechanically fully usable standard (it was already bodily concours). And in truth it'll probably never be worth what I've spent on it but then I'll probably still get back some / most of what I've spent when it comes to sell. A fairly major engine rebuild, suspension brake and exhaust rebuild, new wheels & tyres, various electrical niggles etc were all sorted before I started the exercise. I think the car had suffered like so many with a decade of poor maintenance and uncommitted owners - so I had 10 years of catch up.
The drive after all this was smooth, with a great V8 soundtrack (with a tweaked exhaust), effortlessly fast and with a better ride than my moderns on their low profile tyres. The car is an unusual sight on modern roads, I like that. I admire the styling, good from any angle but especially strong from front on and rear on. And it ticks the box for being an interesting and landmark engineering and design exercise.
On a trackday weekend, substituting for a broken Alfa Romeo, it was sublime on the way up, working as a comfortable mile eating GT. On track at Blyton (a short, bitty, handling circuit) it wasn't initially in it's best environment, being harried by the local hotshoes in their stripped down, lightened and tuned 306GTI's with slicks and without room to properly stretch its legs. But as the day went on and confidence and experience increased, it showed itself to be perfectly balanced and particularly good on a hard 95MPH S Bend taken virtually flat out. The day finished with rolls of rubber falling off the tyres but no untoward incidents of any type. It telegraphed loss of grip clearly and controllably.
On the road it handles the motorway trips with insouciance, comfortable, quiet, stylish and with plenty of kickdown power if needed. It wasn't until a long cross country trip on 'B' roads (coincidentally to see my Alfa restorer) that I fully felt just how good handling it was. It's completely flat round the corners, perfect 50/50 front rear balance with excellent steering feel, brakes and feedback and with enough power to get past dawdling Audi's. A pleasure in fact. It lacks perhaps the ultimate dynamic feedback you get with a 105 series car - but that's actually quite draining on a long trip. A trip yesterday to Wales saw 130 miles each way despatched in 2 hours - including some B roads both ends. It has been a fine companion on several weekends away.
Fuel consumption is 20MPG on general tooling around and commuting, rising to 24 on a long distance cruise and 22 on my mad blast to Wales yesterday. In reliability terms it had a starter relay issue (fix cost £116) and several more little electrical things - none serious.
The car has one major benefit - no corrosion at all. With a combination of plastic, Alloy and galvanised steel plus a body rebuild just before my tenure it has been the one area I've not got to worry about.
In summary, I think if bought right then it is possible to run an '80's classic supercar as a daily driver, though perhaps the Porsche is more practical than most contemporary rivals. Overall the costs are comparable to a newly bought modern so long as mileage is under 10000 PA. You do sacrifice safety, the only thing resembling an airbag in the car is the windbag behind the wheel.
Why's it called the Orgasmotron? Well, rather like Woody Allen's fictitious machine for replacing the messy reality of physical and emotional interaction in the reproductive process, the Porsche is a highly efficient way of delivering to your destination without full emotional or physical involvement. Though it's no worse than any modern I've driven in this respect.
Got a few road trips planned this year and then will review ownership late summer as finances will be tighter then and I hope to have the Alfa Coupe back too.
It took a fair wedge to bring the car to mechanically fully usable standard (it was already bodily concours). And in truth it'll probably never be worth what I've spent on it but then I'll probably still get back some / most of what I've spent when it comes to sell. A fairly major engine rebuild, suspension brake and exhaust rebuild, new wheels & tyres, various electrical niggles etc were all sorted before I started the exercise. I think the car had suffered like so many with a decade of poor maintenance and uncommitted owners - so I had 10 years of catch up.
The drive after all this was smooth, with a great V8 soundtrack (with a tweaked exhaust), effortlessly fast and with a better ride than my moderns on their low profile tyres. The car is an unusual sight on modern roads, I like that. I admire the styling, good from any angle but especially strong from front on and rear on. And it ticks the box for being an interesting and landmark engineering and design exercise.
On a trackday weekend, substituting for a broken Alfa Romeo, it was sublime on the way up, working as a comfortable mile eating GT. On track at Blyton (a short, bitty, handling circuit) it wasn't initially in it's best environment, being harried by the local hotshoes in their stripped down, lightened and tuned 306GTI's with slicks and without room to properly stretch its legs. But as the day went on and confidence and experience increased, it showed itself to be perfectly balanced and particularly good on a hard 95MPH S Bend taken virtually flat out. The day finished with rolls of rubber falling off the tyres but no untoward incidents of any type. It telegraphed loss of grip clearly and controllably.
On the road it handles the motorway trips with insouciance, comfortable, quiet, stylish and with plenty of kickdown power if needed. It wasn't until a long cross country trip on 'B' roads (coincidentally to see my Alfa restorer) that I fully felt just how good handling it was. It's completely flat round the corners, perfect 50/50 front rear balance with excellent steering feel, brakes and feedback and with enough power to get past dawdling Audi's. A pleasure in fact. It lacks perhaps the ultimate dynamic feedback you get with a 105 series car - but that's actually quite draining on a long trip. A trip yesterday to Wales saw 130 miles each way despatched in 2 hours - including some B roads both ends. It has been a fine companion on several weekends away.
Fuel consumption is 20MPG on general tooling around and commuting, rising to 24 on a long distance cruise and 22 on my mad blast to Wales yesterday. In reliability terms it had a starter relay issue (fix cost £116) and several more little electrical things - none serious.
The car has one major benefit - no corrosion at all. With a combination of plastic, Alloy and galvanised steel plus a body rebuild just before my tenure it has been the one area I've not got to worry about.
In summary, I think if bought right then it is possible to run an '80's classic supercar as a daily driver, though perhaps the Porsche is more practical than most contemporary rivals. Overall the costs are comparable to a newly bought modern so long as mileage is under 10000 PA. You do sacrifice safety, the only thing resembling an airbag in the car is the windbag behind the wheel.
Why's it called the Orgasmotron? Well, rather like Woody Allen's fictitious machine for replacing the messy reality of physical and emotional interaction in the reproductive process, the Porsche is a highly efficient way of delivering to your destination without full emotional or physical involvement. Though it's no worse than any modern I've driven in this respect.
Got a few road trips planned this year and then will review ownership late summer as finances will be tighter then and I hope to have the Alfa Coupe back too.
