December Musings

Winter is here and I've noticed something.

I put the car away late this year, close to the end of November, which is a record. Perhaps global warming...? But since that time, my viewing of Porsche-related videos, and musings in the online forum have increased inversely proportionally to the amount of driving I've gotten to do in November / December. Coincidence? I think not.

Obviously there's no substitute for getting in the cockpit and seeking out some pristine blacktop, so the Internet makes for a (very) second-best alternative during the cold months. If there was a counter on some of the videos I've rewatched from back in those early days of aspiring to Porsche-ownership, it would be easily in the double digits now.

With the 718 getting rather long in the tooth for the YouTubers, who crave the newest, the latest, the updated more than anything, there's little in the way of new content online about this platform. Occasionally I find a little something - perhaps a comparison of the 'old' 718 against the new M2 - or something like that.

And in those types of content, a consistent thread emerges: the 718 is the long-running benchmark for all the others to aspire to. Not so much in any one single dimension (there are plenty of faster cars out there, plenty with more features, more screens, higher top speeds, etc.), but rather in the overall, all-encompassing area of 'fun to drive' or 'complete package'. Not surprising really, in that the design is iterative over multiple generations, but still pleasing to hear about as it is pitted up against newcomers from all angles (BMW M3, Alpine A110R, the Lotus Emira and such).

For me and my 'content' it's the same old story as well I guess. Winter is here so it's time to work on the things I neglected in the summer - time to break out the buffer and do a little paint care. This winter I'm reverting back to an old standby for protection / gloss, but with a slight twist. After dabbling in other sealants / waxes, and pondering the idea of applying a ceramic coating, I gave my head a shake.

Other than driving her, what do I love doing with 'Red' more than anything else? Why washing and waxing of course. So why would I put a coating on that reduces - nay, that eliminates - the need to spend an afternoon washing, and another afternoon 'waxing' by putting on something newer and longer lasting?

Don't get me wrong, I think the durability and ease of application of coatings these days is a real boon for anyone who wants to keep their car looking sharp with only the barest minimum of effort. The technology is there to do a fantastic job of that, there's no doubt. But for me, perhaps car care is more like my philosophy of 'sporty' driving; it's almost always about the journey, and not the destination.

There are few things I enjoy more than having a day to spend beautifying the Boxster. The key is to not have any time constraints; that's no appointments to get to by the end of the afternoon; no pick-ups or drop-offs to interrupt the process; nothing to put the pressure on and make one contemplate skipping a step here or there for the necessity of expediency.

Nope. Give me a nice day (with some cloud cover please), and all the time in the world, and I'm a happy camper. I can start with the wheels, carefully tackling each one, foaming, washing the barrels, iron-removing if need be. Then moving on to the paintwork itself: pre-wash, foam (so satisfying and likely just aesthetically-pleasing, really), hand-washing to allow one to 'feel' the paint (and look for blemishes at the same time), and drying. All leading to the rewarding step of applying wax / sealant knowing that one gets to do it all over again a few weeks later.

It can be a truly zen time, just a guy and his car, maybe some tunes playing in the garage, following a satisfying regimen resulting in a shiny machine just begging to be driven.

Which, of course, then has to happen. Which means then the car gets dirty again.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

All the while enjoying every second of the process. It doesn't get much better. In the summer, that is.

So in the winter, a different zen time. A guy and his car, tucked away inside, maybe with some tunes playing and a space heater on. A clean car awaiting some extra treatment the summer driving time doesn't allow for. Here the satisfaction comes from jeweling the paint so that come that first spring day when the roads are clean and salt-free again, the GTS is ready to launch forth from this dark cave.

Oh we will be ready!

~ Luke


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