Bernard Wong By Bernard Wong 2 years ago

My Porsche Story: the lockdown purchase

As part of a new series where 9WERKS members share their Porsche journey, Bernard Wong explains his dream purchase while in the throes of the pandemic in his native Australia 

My Porsche story is one that has three distinct chapters which, coincidently, overlap three distinct eras and generations of Porsche cars. Before I dive into that, I would like to briefly share with readers how my love of Porsche cars first came to be.

As a child growing up, I was always fascinated by cars. I would have all the Matchbox models, knowing all of the different makes and models, also my reading material consisted of Wheels Magazine and numerous car brochures. I was born in Brisbane, Australia (where I still reside) and unfortunately, there were not a great deal of Porsches on the road back in the 80s or 90s. 

That all changed in 1997, when the 986 Boxster arrived on the scene and my father and I went down to the local Porsche dealer (Austral Motors Porsche) to see it in the flesh. Immediately, I was drawn to its sleek lines (even in its slightly unflattering Pastel Yellow) and fried egg headlights. More tellingly, I also saw the 993 911 up close for the first time. The 993 generation was the car that really drew me to the Porsche brand. To me, it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen, something that looked like it was carved from stone. I viewed Porsche as aspirational, Ferrari as ‘one day if I win the lotto’ and Lamborghini as just pure fantasy. From that point on, the Porsche bug bit hard and I did as much research as I could on all the models – predominately the 993 and 996 generations of this era, but also the older cars such as the 928, 968 and the older air cooled cars. I soon had all the various engine sizes and BHP figures in my head and I also knew 95% of the Porsche colour chart by name – Arena Red was my personal favourite as that was the hero colour for the 993 Turbo.

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    Fast forward a number of years later and I had two more personal encounters with Porsche. In 2003, my father was ready for his belated 50th birthday present and came extremely close to purchasing a 1993 968 Cabriolet (only 13 of which were ever delivered to Australia) at a local prestige dealer which had traded it in for a 993 Cabriolet. Only the usual fears of running costs and being a hard car to sell put him off this and he decided on a Mercedes Benz SLK230 instead (which I have never really forgiven him for). Then in late 2005, I came across what must have been the world’s best 944 S2 coupe in stereotypical Guards Red/black leather interior, with only 7,500 miles in 17 years. While I was never particularly a fan of the 944 S2 (it was already a pretty dated-looking car by this time), the opportunity to purchase this immaculate example was just too good to refuse. So at the age of 22, I took my first plunge into the world of Porsche ownership and I was immediately hooked! This particular 944 S2 was also highly optioned – with full leather interior, LSD and even a genuine factory Eurovox CD player! For 2005, a CD player in any car was a luxury, so imagine what it was like back in 1989. The retail price back then for this 944 S2 would have also purchased a nice inner city house too, making this car all the more special. I eventually sold it 4 years later to pursue other investment interests, so went Porsche-less for the best part of 12 years.

    My second Porsche chapter then started in early 2021, right when the global pandemic was biting hard. I was in a 2018 BMW M3, which I was not particularly in love with, but with used car prices soaring due to stock shortages, I decided that it was time to move it on. But what was I going to replace the M3 with? In my mind, only a 911 would do. Interestingly, just before I purchased the M3 a couple of years earlier, I also toyed with the idea of a 911, a 2011 997.2 C2S but the additional funds required over the M3 at the time was a bit too far to stretch (albeit another regret of mine). Once my M3 was sold, I started looking into 911s, particularly the 991.1 generation as that fitted nicely into my budget. After looking at a few online, I found one in Sydney that ticked most of my boxes: a 2014 991.1 C2 in Anthracite Brown. I know this is one of the rarest colours in the Porsche line-up (9WERKS Radio presenter, Max, is the only other person I know who has one), which was probably the greatest drawcard of all. This 911 was also heavily optioned from new, with the two-tone interior, PASM and 20-inch Carrera Classic wheels amongst others. It no doubt felt great to be back in a Porsche and I was also reading up a lot more on 911s again, also observing the general marketplace. Which was probably not such a good thing, as the usual ‘what should I get next?’ started to enter my mind more often than I would have liked……
      This then, comes to my current Porsche, a 2015 991.1 Carrera 4 GTS. It was through my reading of the forums and Total 911 magazine that I soon realised the 911 to own is a 991.1 GTS and maybe, just maybe, I purchased the wrong car? Through a bit of good fortune and timing, in July 2021 (5 months after I purchased my 991.1 C2), my current 991.1 C4 GTS came up for sale at Porsche Centre Sydney South with only 5,000 miles. It was owned by a Porsche collector who traded it in for a 991.2 Speedster. I ‘um and ah’ on this one for a couple of weeks, given the fact that this GTS was a significant step up in price from my recently purchased C2. However, I knew in my heart that if I did not buy it, I would never see one again and I would forever regret it. I was also surprised it did not sell during my time of ‘procrastination’, most likely due to the hard lockdown Sydney was experiencing at the time. The rest, as they say, is history, and I traded my 991.1 C2 for this immaculate 991.1 C4 GTS and I have never looked back. This GTS has simply blown all of my expectations and it really is as brilliant as all of the reviews say. The spec on this GTS is quite high too, with the all-important GTS Interior Package and carbon fibre interior boxes ticked. I only wish it did not have the glass sunroof, but I admit it does contrast nicely with the Carrara White paintwork.

      The third and final chapter of my Porsche story happened this year, when I purchased a 997.2 C2 from Porsche Brisbane. As all readers know, the 997.2 is a rare car and this was a particularly interesting one with Turbo wheels and Macassar package. While it can never match the sound or thrills of my 991.1 GTS, the 997.2 has its own unique charms which I have fallen head over heels for. The driving position, for example, is something I prefer in the 997.2 vs 991.1 in addition to the hydraulic steering (to be fair, there really isn’t that much in it but only when you try both will you know and feel the difference). The car was also in storage for the last 5 years, travelling only 1,200 miles. While my 997.2 is ‘only’ a base Carrera, it still delivers thrills that most modern cars could only ever dream of. 
        Overall, I am extremely happy with my Porsche garage and I could die tomorrow a very happy man. My 991.1 GTS is my ‘forever’ car and I could not ever contemplate trading it for anything. I would like to add another Porsche sometime in the future, maybe something a bit different like a 981/718 GT4 or a Boxster Spyder. A 992 GT3 Touring would be nice too (hint hint, Porsche Centre Brisbane…).

        “As all Porsche fans know, 2023 is going to be a significant milestone, with the 60th anniversary of the 911. This year also happens to coincide with my 40th birthday and I have already planned to visit Porscheplatz to celebrate both milestones! Perhaps Lee and the 9WERKS team could do another road trip at the same time and we could all share some birthday cake together?”
        Finally, the people I have met along the Porsche journey since my 944 S2 have also been equally as special – the friends I have made in the Porsche circles who share the same passion and enthusiasm for the brand is something that makes the ownership experience all the more special. If you haven’t taken the plunge into Porsche ownership, what are you waiting for?

        You can find Bernard on Instagram: @ebitda_911.

        Want to tell your story? Email us hello@9werks.co.uk.

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