Porsche? Nah, I’ll take the MX-5 thanks

Dan Trent writes:
Did I just say that? Yes, it appears I did. I write having had my first proper on-road drive in a 911. And by proper I mean keys in hand, free to go where I chose, I-could-just-be-mistaken-for-an-actual-owner drive. Surely a landmark moment for any car geek. And it was so nearly the magical experience I was hoping it would be.

Trouble is it’s an automatic 911. OK, it’s got the new Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (my current favourite German word) twin-clutch transmission. And it’s very, very good. Brilliant in fact. But it’s so efficient, so Porsche, so German that it robs the 911 of that essential magic I was craving. It’s 99.9% as good as I hoped it would be. But I’d still take a manual. And get rid of the stupid ‘sculpted’ steering wheel too and swap it for a proper, slim-rimmed item like real Porsches have.

Which brings me to the MX-5. I’ve just had a week of driving it constantly with the roof down, seeking the long way into the office and, accordingly, arriving consistently late but with a daft grin plastered across my face. I’ve never driven anything that offers such innocent fun before. OK, not totally innocent but you get my … drift.

In the Porsche I’ve been wincing at the licence shredding numbers that appear on the speedo any time I’ve wanted to get my pulse above its normal resting beat. But in the Mazda I’ve just been enjoying myself without risking getting into any serious trouble with anyone, relishing the simple pleasures a well-balanced rear-wheel drive chassis and limited-slip differential can deliver. And if you actually understood that sentence like me you’re probably a) dull company at dinner parties and b) likely to spend your lunch hour looking at prices of secondhand MX-5s.

Dan

Links:
My other first drive in a 911
911 PDK first drive
Ian loves the MX-5 too

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