PCA Southeast Michigan Region

From the Blog

Jeff Hober’ 1986 Porsche 944

Passion for Porsche

“Passion for Porsche…My Story” (A.K.A. “Car of the Month”) will feature a different club
member’s Porsche each month. Our hope is to provide an opportunity for club members, new
and old, to learn about each other and their cars.

If you don’t have high quality digital photos, please
let us know when submitting your story. We’ll take them for you.

Jeff Hober’ 1986 Porsche 944

pas·sion n. 1. A powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger.

Take a minute and read that definition again. It’s perfect. Perfect for just about
every person reading this club newsletter. However since this monthly article
started up a short while ago, we’ve all gotten a glimpse of the typical SEM
“passions”. Mine’s a little different. You won’t see my car at the concours, I’m not
exactly the progressive dinner type, but hopefully you’ll agree my type of passion
lives up to the definition and that more than likely there’s a little of my passion in
all of us.

Yes my love for Porsches started at an early age, along with my love for all beautiful
sports cars. And although to some, my current age of 27 is still an early age, it
wasn’t until a couple years ago and my first garage, that I was finally in the market
to buy a “toy car”. Now I’m not a mechanic, I’m a driver. That’s my LOVE, and 10
tickets spread over 5 states (and 1 province) can attest to that. But being too
impatient to wait for large enough savings, I was looking for a fun car around $5k.
Who would’ve thought that could be a Porsche. And when a friend found a nice
looking Guards Red ’86 944 on his way home from work, I got the call, and the car
was mine. And what a JOY that was.

For those of you that look down your nose at us front engine, water cooled four-
bangers, this joy is not far off your own. Sliding into the leather seat, that grips
your ribs just enough to let you know you’re not going anywhere. The simple white
on black dash and gauges, so timeless, as you forget that this was a design from
the mid-80’s. The shifter, the pedals, the wheel, everything is right where you’d
want, and it fit me like a glove. You shut the door, and wonder how a nearly 20
year old car can feel so solid. Then it’s out on the road. Looking up at the towering
Ford Focus at the stop light, how can I be this low to the ground? And shouldn’t I
be more nervous as the needle crosses 100mph. It’s that solid feel again. Oh the
joy.

But now it’s time to really learn about joy, where these cars are meant to be…on the
track. And my first school was Mid-Ohio. Wow, what a track. As I’m waiting in the
false-grid parked along side an E55 AMG, and an NSX, and thinking, “6 figures, 6
figures, and my 6 grand, I blend.” Yeah, Right! Well, a few corners in, and I’m
smiling ear to ear. But oh, those straight-aways. GRRR! With only 149 hp, that’s
where the HATRED comes in. How I hate those V-8’s that catch you in the middle
of the straight. But by the end of the weekend, it’s that bottled ANGER that pumps
all that adrenaline as you get smoother, more aggressive, and best of all…faster.
And the cycle reverts to JOY, as you get that pass sign from the ‘vette up ahead,
and he’s out of your mirror in a matter of corners. And that leads back to LOVE, as
you pack up and drive home into the sunset, lost in the senses of the weekend. Me
and my Porsche.