Blog

September 2022

In the 1994 movie Endless Summer II, director Bruce Brown follows another pair of lucky surfers around the globe in search of the perfect wave. At just about every location the protagonists encounter local surfers to get acquainted with the area as well as the culture. One mantra keeps repeating itself throughout the film no matter how epic or mellow the surf is in each of the different short vignettes; “The stoke is the same”. This take was used to describe young kids riding perfect tubes over dangerous reefs, experienced surfers riding specialized-boards called “guns” while being towed into 60’+ waves or a couple of old Boomers paddling out onto Lake Michigan in Chicago on long boards to ride a gentle wave back to shore. The films’ narrator reminds us time and time again; “the stoke is the same”.
I always loved that nugget from the film. For years I felt it has given me permission to participate in just about anything really and own the experience without having been a pro at it. Like my love of basketball. I played pick-up and rec-center hoops well into my late 30’s and loved it even though I never played in college or obviously, the pros. Seeing my name on a banner at the San Francisco Bay Club for winning the championship year after year put as big and as proud a smile on my face as anyone who ever cut down the nets after winning their division in college or pros. “the stoke is the same” means no one can ever take that away from me.
Driving is fun. I think we would all agree with that. But driving can be very subjective. What is fun for me may not be fun for you and vice versa. I may like rally’s and you may like track days and another person may like road trips. There is no right or wrong here because for each of us, it is quite personal. “the stoke is the same”. Fortunately the best brand from Stuttgart is well aware of the differing opinions and tastes and has over the years, made it their job to create specialized cars for myriad of different types of driving fun. 
My first 911 just happened to be a GT3 (I know, I jumped right into deep water). I wanted to go fast and around that time, this was THE Car. I ordered it with racing seats and everything! I got it out on the track and the car blew me away with just how proficient it was. It was so obvious that I was barely flirting with its’ limits. Fast forward about a half a dozen years later, I found myself selling Classic Porsche’s for Gaudin. I quickly found a bunch of road-rally junkies who would drive across state lines without a second thought in search of that perfect road; check that, in search of any road that turns! In my new environment, a GT3 was simply overkill. I desperately needed an air-cooled 911 and luckily found a beautiful 964 gen Coupe. Immediately I drove it out to LA with my new pal JP for a weekend full of mountain passes and coastal sights. To my astonishment, I loved it! I was reminded of why I fell in love with driving in the first place. My taste had evolved to bring me back in line with older, slower cars. Cars that you have to work at to drive swiftly, harmoniously. I returned home to Vegas after that trip buzzing from my weekend. All that fun and none of the risks associated with a track day. In fact, I feel like there is more artistry in driving on the road than perfecting apexes on a closed course. “the stoke is the same”. 
In my opinion, I think real Porsche people get it. They don’t judge you for running a rusted out 914 with no muffler, or a brand-spanking-new GT3RS, or a 911 SC with a “swirling mélange of patina” as each car means the same to each owner. We all choose our Porsche’s that are most inline with our taste in driving. We pick the best example we can afford and begin shaping it to our personal taste. Astonishingly, there is a Porsche for any road you have ever heard of on the planet. Feel like over landing this weekend, grab the keys to the Cayenne with a manual. Taking a road trip to across the country, gas up the Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo S e-Hybrid.  Going to the track on Saturday, fit your second set of wheels with R compound tires to the GT3. Taking her to the beach on Sunday to watch the sunset, stash your favorite blanket in the frunk of your Boxster. No matter what occasion you can think up, Porsche has engineered the best possible solution for driving that road. And the common theme felt by each of the different Porsche owners?  “the stoke is the same”