Porsche 930.

The number of the beast isn’t 666: it’s 930.

I’m lucky enough to have owned my Athena bedroom poster car. A 1996 Black 930 4 speed. I was in love, she was perfect, aesthetically she was the perfect Porsche an icon of automotive design. It’s an odd thing to achieve a dream, it’s amazing, then it becomes a nightmare. 

Driving the 930 took a little while to get use to, despite only 300BHP (which by today’s standards isn’t much) she delivered a completely immersive driving experience. The turbo lag from the massive single KK&K turbocharger takes some time to master and even then the sudden surge of power can catch you out.

These cars are often referred to as widow makers. There’s no four wheel drive or special differencials to keep you on the road in fact you often feel like the car is actually trying to kill you.

But, fear aside, driving her was probably the most perfect driving experience of my life, I had to be completely dialled in all the time, it’s visceral and totally mechanical experience.

Taking her out early Sunday morning when the air is still cold hitting the Hertfordshire roads near me, I know the roads intimately as I ride my bike in the same lanes. The sheer joy from owning and driving the 930 was equaled by the horror of ownership costs. Breakdowns were frequent, the good people of Hatfield Porsche got to know her well…they even displayed her in the showroom for the launch of the 997 turbo.