“The days of the petrolhead are numbered,” says the media. “Rubbish” says John Glynn, who has complete confidence in the next generation of car fanatics.

The daily papers are awash with tales of woe: soaring energy prices, crashing economies and knife-wielding thugs at the gates of every school. With so much bad news everywhere, peace of mind now depends on getting no news at all. “No news is good news” as all of our grandmothers used to say.

Our grandparents’ generation endured their catastrophes, and we must have ours - that is the way of the world. As one generation matures and begins their weary descent towards decrepitude, so the next generation must step up to take the reins. (more…)

When it comes to the extra-sensory experience that is owning and driving an older 911, some senses are more equal than others, says John Glynn.                        

Sound is a key component of the 911 experience. The instantly recognisable Porsche Symphony Orchestra is a critical part of the process wherein we hand over large amounts of cash to own what is essentially just a means of getting from one place to another. Or at least it would be just another means of transport, if it didn’t have that flat six singing away in the rear.

To the dirty fingernail brigade, the air-cooled boxer engine speaks volumes in mechanical terms, with diminuendo hints of cam and valves and the basso profundo throb from the external cylinders, all accompanied by the drumming of the fan. On the move, the motor communicates via the throaty chomp of induction noise, followed by compliments to the chef from the rewarding rasp of the evocative exhaust. Even non-Porsche people know that nothing else sounds like an air-cooled 911.    (more…)

Classic Porsche enthusiasts are often derided as anoraks, but so what, asks John Glynn, who urges 911 fans to embrace their detail-loving tendencies.

The recent Techno Classica at Essen in Germany was the usual mecca for Porsche fanatics. Though there was a stunning selection of Stuttgart’s finest on show, there was a noticeable shortfall of pukka 911 racing product present, leading me to wonder whether there is perhaps an opportunity for some bright spark to come up with an off season, access-all-areas, indoor historic race car show on the mainland.

What about the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Classic Le Mans you say? Yes, thrilling celebrations of amazing racing cars, but not necessarily fully open to all and sundry. The Rennsport Reunion comes close in concept, apart from being held in a thunderstorm three thousand miles away. Personally speaking, I would like to see a similar event to Essen: indoors, with the world’s greatest motorsport machinery organised by manufacturer, and where enthusiasts like myself would get a chance to examine the engineering details in depth. Is this a workable concept, or just me being sad?

Sad is a word often used to describe men of a certain age who are consumed by the intricacies of their hobby. This use of the word is utterly incorrect in my opinion, as I see nothing remiss in an awareness of the minutiae of one’s chosen subject. Ponder this example. Driving down a local road the other day, I spotted a remote-controlled aeroplane flying up from behind a hedge on my left. As we drew nearer and slowed down, my travelling companion and I saw two men about the same age as ourselves, using this field as a airstrip for flying their planes in and out of. “Cool!” I exclaimed. “Sad!” my friend insisted. (more…)

With the emerging emphasis on energy efficiency, John Glynn proposes that Porsche take a leaf out of their history book when planning the next-generation 911.

Whatever your politics, the record price of oil and other non-renewable forms of energy mean that the cars of the future require a fresh approach. Only an imbecile could drive down the motorway surrounded by countless other cars, all powered by dead dinosaurs and all carrying just one person, and think that was indefinitely sustainable in an increasingly energy-conscious world. If we want to enjoy the same motoring “freedom” in the years to come, we must develop a new mindset where our cars are concerned.

Mayor Livingstone of London is one of the people attempting to provoke a people change, by making it increasingly wallet-unfriendly to drive a heavily polluting car through the capital. Porsche GB’s public objection to the £25 daily charge for driving the biggest oil burners into the heart of London might be commercially understandable, but is it ultimately sending out the message we want to hear from the fathers of our beloved 911s? As a long-time Porsche fan, I’m not so sure. (more…)

Marriage is all about teamwork, but a certain amount of independence is also important in a healthy Porsche-supporting relationship, says John Glynn.

When I was growing up in Ireland in the 1970s, nice cars were rare beasts. For a start, the country had yet to discover the EU Development Fund, so away from Dublin (as we were), the roads were straight out of the third world. There was no MOT, so people maintained their cars as they saw fit, which meant most didn’t. Finally, there was the Government, who considered that if you were wealthy enough to have a nice car, they deserved a reward for giving you the opportunity to amass enough money to buy it. Irish car tax was and is obscene.

None of this deterred my dad, who owned a few successful music shops, and had a bit of money to spend on his favourite things: cars. Dad’s best buddy was a car dealer, so he was always coming home in interesting machinery, most of which is etched upon my memory.

My first car journey was home from hospital in a carrycot plonked on the back seat of a Fiat 850 Sport Coupe – there still exists a cutting from the Limerick Leader, showing the local Fiat agent presenting dad with the keys. Next, he pushed out not just the boat, but the dock and nearby warehouses too, buying a brand new Mercedes 250SE, in Sand over Chocolate, with caramel-coloured MB-Tex trim and an ice-cream-white steering wheel; the epitome of ‘70s in-car decadence. (more…)