Worst Best Car

This weekend I drove my first 356. !!! I was down in Monterey this weekend and my brother told me that he'd been driving past a used-car place that had classic Porsches. So we swung by.

They had two 912s and, tucked in the back, a red 1961 Porsche 356 t5 Notchback. Now, the t5 is the earlier model of Notchback and not the one I covet. I thought I'd check it out anyway, because how often do I get a chance to put my grimy hands all over a 356? Especially a Notchback??? Only 1,400 of these were ever made, less than 2% of the total run of the Porsche 356.

Long story short, I took it for a test drive, and it was the worst car I've ever driven. The carburetors would stick, so that when I pushed on the gas, in neutral, the engine would stay at the higher revs (instead of the lovely "vroom-vroom" sound). The brakes were so soft I had to push the pedal to the floor to even begin to slow down. I could hardly find first gear, and once I did, I could wiggle the stick a foot in every direction. And let's not get into the steering.

All in all, it was horrible. But at the same time: so exhilarating! I was behind the wheel of a 356 Notchback!

First: I fit! There was enough leg room, my head cleared the ceiling, and I could easily see out all the windows. I'd need to swap in a smaller steering wheel, because the stock wheel is too close to my legs. The stock stick-shifter requires me to smash it into my knees in order to get into reverse, but it's easy to swap in a shorter stick. I'd also mount the rear-view mirror on the dash, instead of the windshield, right in the middle of my line of sight. All in all, easy mods.

I wish Erik has taken pictures. He said I looked great. I'm sure the ear-to-ear grin helped.

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Aetna Blue makes these cars look good:


check out the clearance between the steering wheel and the seat!