I really want a Porsche. Specifically the 1963 Porsche 911. I have absolutely no clue when this dream began, but let me paint you a picture. The car is a beautiful deep green with chrome trimmings. The interior is a light tan and all the dials are analogue and absolutely stunning. I am sitting in the driver’s seat and all you can see is my huge, goofy grin.
I don’t know why I’m drawn to this car, but I just am. I like to believe that I am won over by the culmination of beauty, performance and longevity. Maybe I’m just another boy that likes a car because it’s pretty. My dream, however, doesn’t only include owning this vehicle. I want to be a self sufficient Porsche owner. I want to find an old model that needs me to breathe life into it. I want to work on it on the weekend. I want to take it apart and put it back together again. I want to know where every nut and bolt goes so that if anything ever goes wrong, I can be the one to fix it. I like it when we respect the things that we have. We are so quick to throw away instead of fix nowadays, but I so enjoy the process of repair and upkeep. It feels like I am turning my time and effort into something tangible.
Of course, it’s very easy to romanticise weekends working on the car when you are sipping Pinot Noir, attending to your vintage Porsche. I have a vintage car, but it’s a 1993 Mazda 323. It hasn’t got quite the same appeal as it’s older, German counterpart. I haven’t spent one weekend working on the car I own. I think I washed it three times in the first year I owned it. I only recently found out that my car has spark plugs, never mind what they spark or where they plug. Clearly, then, I have some ground to make up before I become a Porsche doctor.
Recently, though, I decided to challenge my way of thinking. I washed my car. I cleaned the windows properly. I vacuumed the interior. I even replaced the floor of my boot (it’s just hardboard and carpet but I’m very proud). I decided to become a steward of what I have now. It’s no use buying the perfect Porsche to fix when I have no clue which end of a spanner to hold. Trick question, you hold a spanner in the middle. I want to start now because when I do scrub the dirty old carpet from my little Mazda, I get a taste of my dream. The same is true for any dream. Writing, music, business. It’s so tempting to say I’ll start when I have the perfect tool. Start now, do the best you can with what you have now. My little Mazda is going to be spotless.