What about Charlie?

When I started thinking about buying a 356, I wondered if I would be willing to give up Charlie, my Tangerine 1969 Porsche 912, to fund the purchase of the 356. I love the 912! But, I wasn’t sure which I would prefer long term? The 912 or the 356 Cabriolet? I had a gut feeling the cabriolet would suit me better. But, I wasn’t sure. Ultimately, I came up with a wife-approved plan that didn’t require sale of the 912 prior to buying a 356. But, under that plan, I did agree to sell Charlie, if necessary, if the 356 worked out. Julie approved the plan, and I went looking for a 356 cabriolet.

Admittedly, however, selling Charlie was a possibility I didn’t like. I knew that it might be the practical decision, once I got a 356. I am a “one-car guy.” I consider these cars a “relationship.” And once I start driving one, I don’t need any others. And I have limited time to maintain multiple cars, anyway.

I also wasn’t sure if I would like the 356 as much as Charlie, having never driven one prior to 2 months ago. Once I had a chance to test drive one, though, I knew I would love it. After buying the 356, I quickly started to wonder whether I should sell Charlie.

A few weeks ago, though, after getting the 356, Olivia my 14-year old daughter overheard Julie and I talking about whether to sell Charlie. My daughter quickly pointed out that we can’t sell the 912, since I had promised it to her someday. And she is right, I did. I just didn’t realize she really wanted it. She cleared that up for me. Olivia wants Charlie! And so, that quickly put an end to the selling Charlie conversation. It gave me just enough of a reason to convince Julie to keep both the 912 and the new 356. So Charlie stays!

So what is the plan for Charlie the 912? A lot. We are doubling down on Charlie!

I have wanted to do the La Carrera Panamericana race for a long time. As well as the Targa Florio. So it seems that Charlie might be getting a roll cage. A tangerine 912 would make a great rally car, don’t you think?

But first we need to do some maintenance. Last summer Charlie developed a transmission lube leak. I knew it was leaking before the Great Race, and I pumped it full of lube a couple times as we did the Great Race across the country. I think the seal in the bell housing is leaking. So the engine will have to come out to fix it. While it is out, we might as well do some other maintenance too. And, I have been wanting to build the car a new engine anyway. It is not a numbers-matching engine in the car now, and I have been slowly collecting the parts to build a new engine. I have a new case, crank, rods, etc., at a friend’s shop where preliminary balancing etc., is being done. The plan is to build the new engine and put it in Charlie in mid-March, before my son and I take the Charlie on a little adventure – Cannonball Run from New York City to LA.

Stay tuned . . . . Charlie has some exciting adventures coming.