Already the owner of a modern one, Jean-Michel also wanted an air-cooled 911 in order to trace, in a way, the history of the brand. “To have an old one is for me a Proust madeleine. On an old one, there is a noise that the modern ones don’t have, like the click when you open the door and the clack when you close it. These particular sounds bring back great memories. The smells are also unique and bring me back to childhood. Having a 993 is fulfilling a childhood dream.“Three years ago, Jean-Michel expanded his Porsche family to his delight and that of his family.
Why the Porsche 993? This porschist wanted an old one with a certain comfort, including air conditioning. Hesitating between a Porsche 964 and a 993, he was finally won over by the latest air-cooled one. Among one of the triggers, he tells me: “I dreamed of the Porsche 959 when I was a kid. I remember the victory in Paris-Dakar very well. It was amazing. Today I can’t buy one but the lines of the 993 remind me of those of the 959.”
This 1995 Porsche 993 Carrera is sparsely equipped and gray like his grandfather’s first Porsche. Moreover, it is a reliable car (like most models will you tell me). “My 993 starts all the time, I never have a problem. However, it retains old car sensations.”
It has a short gearbox combined with the varioram intake system. Its manual transmission is not insignificant for Jean-Michel who, suffering from a handicap, was dedicated to using the automatic transmission only. “It’s a personal challenge and I would even say rehabilitation. This is the first car with a manual gearbox that I decided to drive after my accident. It was extraordinary.”
At the wheel, Jean-Michel talks about time travel but also sensory travel “The vibrations in the steering wheel, the gear lever, the steering, the smells, the noises… All the senses are mobilized.”
