It is no secret that I love the 911.
My first car was a very early Beetle and whilst not a Porsche, the shape and the sound of the 356 always reminds me of that first taste of four-wheeled freedom. I've never given in to the urge to buy a 356 and there are two I regret not buying due to being too pragmatic: a RHD 356 C I had the chance to a few years back and a Convertible D about 20-years ago. I still look at 356Cs from time to time but practical head says 'just another thing to insure, maintain and worry about...'
As for the 911, I love Morgans but I think we are talking apples and oranges. I know George's original post was about value(s) and I am yet to watch the video but I think it is easily summed up by degrees of demand. The 911 is iconic and desirable to a far larger section of the car buying public. From motor racing success (at pretty much every level), to being the hero vehicle in various films over the year and onto being linked to various golden era celebrities, Porsche and the 911 have an enviable place in the public conscience and recognition. Furthermore, this iconic status is global; a bit like musicians, you can be big in Europe but to really succeed, you 'need' to crack North America.
With all that said, it is still apples and oranges. A friend recently asked me my thoughts on the 991 Targa and my response was "how are you going to use it?" My reasoning being, if he was going to drive it daily, then I cannot think of a better car: quick, reliable, enjoyable to drive. However, if it was going to be a weekend toy, high days and holidays, then I fear it would not provide the sense of occasion he was looking for. Once the novelty of the performance wore off (all too quickly in the UK, on our roads), you could interchange it for any quick, capable, vehicle. For me, the 997, 991 and 992 are all victims of their own success: ultra capable but lacking that special quality that provides a sense of occasion. I am excluding the GT models from this but even they are moving in this direction imho.
And that is where Morgan have the edge - imperfect and still enough analogue involvement to feel special. Are they a better quality car than a modern 911, no they are not but they can, and do, win in other areas. For me, comparing the two - as was done with the Supersport - is a mistake. People without prior Morgan experience will expect the Porsche experience from a modern Morgan and they won't get it; worse still, in not doing so, they'll miss out on exactly what Morgan ownership can deliver.
Where I do see a more interesting comparison would be 912 or Carrera 3.2 / 964 / 993 vs Morgan ownership. All four Porsches give a sense of occasion when drive and they have bags of character and analogue involvement. The downside being £50,000 is really the entry for any of those and rapidly climbing; so the debate would have to be new vs old and I'm not sure that is fair to either camp!
Being greedy, can we just agree that the best garage would have both a Morgan and a 911 or 356 parked in it?
