It may be the model which is more style than substance but my ideal Porsche would be the Targa, wouldn’t care about the perfomance but it would need to be an actual colour, bright interior, silver hoop and silver or gold wheels.. probably unsellable spec😂 It all goes to show what a great product a Morgan is, vintage, retro and new all at once, lots to pick from and relatively affordable.
What a great car, never liked the early Targa, but the 993 targa onwards were great cars to enjoy. I had the chance to buy a local 993 Targa manual with low miles about 20 odd years, ago for a relative song but garage space was the issue, I already had the 930, had a Mercedes Cabriolet in storage, 3 Harleys, so told enough play things. I should have developed selective deafness much earlier!
22 Plus Four KIMI 12 Plus 4 Sport OZZY 08 Roadster FELIX 06 4/4 70th LOKI 77 4/4 SEAMUS 85 4/4 MOLLY
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?
To go with a Morgan a well sorted 912 would be more than enough Porsche especially as a daily driver........the looks without the expense (well relative expense)
Last edited by JohnHarris; 03/01/2606:22 PM.
22 Plus Four KIMI 12 Plus 4 Sport OZZY 08 Roadster FELIX 06 4/4 70th LOKI 77 4/4 SEAMUS 85 4/4 MOLLY
To go with a Morgan a well sorted 912 would be more than enough Porsche especially as a daily driver........the looks without the expense (well relative expense)
I enjoyed this video about the 'loss', in recent years, of a well tuned 4-cylinder engine...
...and I agree, a well tuned 912 would be a wonderful companion as a daily driver.
I agonised about, then turned down, a really nice 912 a few years ago. When I contacted the bloke and got the address it was Redlands barn in West Wittering............. I knew I'd heard of Redlands but I couldn't remember where from.....
It dawned on me that I knew of it because of Keith Richards.....!
It turned out to be Keith's next door neighbour....... an incredible barn owned by a lovely bloke with an incredible car collection including several E types, a DB6, DB5, AC Cobra coupe, several Ferraris, Austin Healey 3000, etc etc.....!!!, oh, and a 912..... Looking back on it now it was an absolute bargain........ a no brainer...... but I didn't buy it....🤷🏻♂️ Anyway, the owner said his neighbour was really nice, rarely there but sometimes a bit noisy when he was there.............👍🏼
I've also been to the David Mellor design place in Hathersage...... didn't see the Porsche though..... well worth a visit though. It's amazing what he actually designed....🤯
Please forgive my ignorance and educate me. What is the attraction of a 912? My boss had one early 70s if I remember and we had access to it. It rusted away over just a few months and he replaced with a 911 which was massively better to drive, better in every way. Why the love for 912?
nick w, I well understand where you are coming from when you typed of the 912 rusting away in a few months... The first Porsche I owned in the seventies was a rusted out 69 912, which I inexpertly nailed back together, over a period of about a year, making use of two sheets of 6x4` to make up patches to weld in, however despite the corrosion of the monocoque every nut bolt and screw was either plated or made of high quality materials, thus unlike my old brit cars everything electrical and mechanical came apart with comparative ease, suggesting it had been designed and built by engineers as opposed to being under the control of bean counters....
On the negative side, other than body corrosion, at the time as best I can remember, a pair of valve springs (2 per valve) was circa £50, whereas a whole set for my MGB could be had for £14
Julian, my 912 was a 2 litre, I think later models might have been 1.6 as they seem to be in the US.. Once I had it up and running, I could not wait to get my hands on a 911 to see how much more performant it might be....
A couple of pics of it during repairs and once completed..
I learnt on a VW Beetle 1303S. The super beetle model with McPherson front suspension and 1600cc motor. It was all over the place and acted as a natural kerb to my youthful exuberance. Later in life I bought 911/930 to see what the story was. Not for me. That's the good thing about the world personal choice and choices.
Then again many of my choices are wide open to question.
Everyone loves a Morgan. Even me, unless it's broken again.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2023/01/04/912-Porsche.jpeg)
