John, I don`t think James Dean might have disagreed with your comments re safety at speed, and less so in a Porsche 356..though I suspect relativity plays a part...? When I thought to buy back into Porsche some years back, my good lady expressed something similar to your thinking, in her case thinking was that an ageing motoring enthusiast such as I, might be better off in a tin top, than roaring around scaring sheep(and myself) in my old Mog...(-:
As for flat driving out, even in the 82 3litre 204 HP SC I owned way back when, was not something I ever attempted, though I suspect on quite a few occasions I did engage in pedal to the metal in short bursts, mostly on track though. As for today, There seems little doubt that the 991 along with so many other modern tin tops, seem likely to be a much safer structure to have an accident in than my former 911 SC.
Today, feeling most fortunate that I can still enjoy my old Mog on interesting roads hereabouts... (-:
