One of the great things about 911 is how perfect the design was initially. Despite 50 years of technological innovation and change, the basic style of the body was not only immensely practical in terms of drag, friction and displacement (function), it is also one of the most striking, unique designs ever made (form).
For this reason, when you see the 1971 911T in our video driving across the back roads of North Carolina, winding ever closer to Raleigh, the car looks amazing. This particular car belongs to Magnus Walker, a Southern California visitor who came to see the Porsche by Design exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art, and to track his 911T at the Virginia International Raceway.
For nearly the first two minutes, there is no dialogue to the video, and no music or narration: just the pure sounds of a 1971 Porsche flying through the greenery that Walker describes as undulating and lush, a stark contrast to the deserts he is used to.
As the video progresses, Walker talks about his car and what it’s like driving it across roads in North Carolina that he’s never seen before. Every hill, dip and curve is new to him, and you get the sense that this, for some elusive reason, is a mysterious experience.
Perhaps it’s a subtle reminder that every so often it’s good to visit new places and take a more adventurous road than you’re used to. It reminds us of a quote, passed around and attributed to various people over the years, that “The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.”
In any case, you can see what a pleasure it would be to find new experiences if you were doing so in a 911T. The “T” was the entry-level model of the 911 in 1971 and had a relatively modest engine. Walker is a believer in customization, so many of the features and components in his 911T are non-standard, including the 2.4-liter engine inside.
His has a short wheelbase that rewards hard driving, and we’re quite glad to see a Porsche driven as they are meant to be. As Walker puts it, “dirt never slows you down.”
Also, the Porsche exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh is open through February 2, and we highly recommend you attend.
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