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When I was little I always used to dream about being in Maine. Getting here in reality was a long circuitous and sometimes painful journey, but now that I am here, I try hard to take advantage of where I am: Porsche country.
Often I make myself rise early to drive the thirty miles to the end of Mt Desert Island to watch the sun rise out of the Atlantic. In the summer, I can go up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, and be one of the very first in this country to see the sun. Mostly, I am happy to head out in the fading dark, letting the 928 take me east and north to the farthest point of land that I can get to, watch the dawn and then head back in toward Bar Harbor. There's a little shop there where the coffee is good and the bagels are just right warm, with a little cream cheese.
Well, I had been down on the island and was coming back home to write something for this magazine, when something happened that I still can't quite figure out. The 928 was doing its perfection thing, and allowing me to just sort of float along. The effortless power and seamless performance envelope of the car reminds me of riding in an F-4: the power kept coming on, and didn't notice that it was carrying my weight at all. The pinnacle of effortless power.
There's a place along the road where it is a bit wider although there is no house for about a mile. As I came along, I saw a rosy-silver 944 pulled onto the shoulder. A woman was standing by the right rear corner looking downward, and as I got closer, I thought I saw her kick the rear wheel. It was cold and not quite seven fifteen. Since it was a Porsche, I felt it a kindred spirit and eased the 928 onto the dirt shoulder. I got out to see if I could offer help.
She looked up as I stopped the car. She was dressed in a black ski parka that came to her hips, and a skirt that looked appropriate for an office. On the rear of the 944 was the nomenclature "Turbo S"…the first that I had actually seen.
Her smile was very large under very big sunglasses framed by ash blonde hair. "A 928," she said. "I have never actually been in one of those. Are they as expensive and fast as they say?"
"Well," I said. "Fast, yes, but this one hasn't been expensive, but they need maintenance regularly. Are you OK? Are you having some kind of trouble?"
(Continued on page 22)
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