Blog

By Stanley Anderson

My first and only Porsche is a 2012 Carrera GTS (997.2) that is the end of an era.  The 991’s were about to arrive in dealerships only a couple of months after I purchased the 997.2.  Since I wasn’t interested in being an early adopter of the next generation, I was more than happy to get the GTS.

The Carrera GTS is now approaching 12 years old.  It was my daily driver for most of that time.  In the beginning, I made relatively few changes to it, but as it got up in years, I decided it was time to make a few changes.  Those changes include updates to the wheels, exhaust, suspension, side markers, steering wheel, stone guards, as well as numerous interior changes such as carbon fiber door pulls, and metal door opening handles, just to name a few. 

The car is currently in Georgia getting what I’ve called a ‘makeover’.  The engine is getting an overhaul due to bore scoring—and will come back with an upgrade from a 3.8L to a 4.0L.  To support the extra horsepower and torque, I also had the transmission upgraded to handle up to 750HP.  It will be quite the wolf in sheep’s clothing when I get it back, which unfortunately won’t be until sometime in 2024.

There’s a bunch more stuff – but I’ll leave those details to individual discussions.

The first car I ever purchased with my own money was a brand new 1982 Honda Prelude.  I only kept it for a year before selling it to get a Mazda RX-7.  A string of other cars followed including a Honda CRX, a Toyota MR2, and both a BMW E36 M3 subsequently an E46 M3.  Then came the Porsche.

Of all the non-Porsche cars, I think the MR2 and the E36 M3 were my favorites.

I joined PCA the month I picked up the Carrera GTS.  I would have joined sooner, but since you must have a Porsche VIN number to become a member, my enthusiasm was put on hold until I picked up the car.  

I like to joke that I can read, write, and count!  I have a bachelor’s degree from MIT with a joint major in Electrical Engineering and Writing & Literature.  I also have an MBA from University of California at Berkeley (Haas School of Business).  I have worked in technology companies for the majority of my career, but I also spent a few years in the golf industry where I was the general manager of an 18-hole public golf course. 

In addition to those adventures, I have had a few small companies along the way, mostly doing technology business consulting.  Recently, I switched gears and became the owner of a pickleball paddle company which I will be looking to grow over the next few years.

I grew up in Chicago, spent my summers until high school in Arkansas, got my undergraduate education in New England, then moved West to California, where I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for about 40 years.

Of course, I enjoy cars, but I also like computers, home theater & audio, fine dining, and travel.

That about covers it—but if you ask me, I’ll tell you about taking an ‘Around the World’ trip, which I did when air travel was less crazy and a whole lot less expensive.