Keith’s Blog: Bonding with the 996 C4S

Keith Martin has been involved with the collector car hobby for more than 40 years, and is the founder and publisher of this magazine. Keith has also written for the New York Times, Automobile, AutoWeek, Road & Track and other publications, has been an emcee for numerous concours, and had his own show, “What’s My Car Worth,” shown on Velocity. He has received many honors, including the Lee Iacocca Award, the Edward Herrmann Award, was inducted into the Concorso Italiano Hall of Fame, and more. He has served on the board of directors of The LeMay Museum and Oregon Ballet Theater, and was formerly the chair of the board of the Meguiar’s Award. Learn more about Keith here. Even though our 2005 Porsche 911 C4S came into my life on Dec. 22, 2025, when my son Bradley delivered it to me as a 75th birthday present, I haven’t had much of a chance to drive it. My time has been spent deaccessioning our 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 coupe and 1975 Porsche 911S Sportomatic from the SCM collection. Both were sold by local BaT power-seller 911r. The Jag brought a respectable $50,763 and the Sporto a rather remarkable $89,775. (As we had over $90k in the 911, we were pleased to almost break even.) I had an unfortunate first outing […] Even though our 2005 Porsche 911 C4S came into my life on Dec. 22, 2025, when my son Bradley delivered it to me as a 75th birthday present, I haven’t had much of a chance to drive it. My time has been spent deaccessioning our 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 coupe and 1975 Porsche 911S Sportomatic from the SCM collection. Both were sold by local BaT power-seller 911r. The Jag brought a respectable $50,763 and the Sporto a rather remarkable $89,775. (As we had over $90k in the 911, we were pleased to almost break even.) I had an unfortunate first outing with the C4S, as we picked up a nail on the freeway that punctured the tire. Luckily there was a tire shop at the next exit, but driving the mile to get there destroyed the sidewall. That resulted in a purchase of two new tires for $1,500, and a further $400 expenditure to repair the cracked wheel. It was not an auspicious beginning. But last week SCM Editor-In-Chief Jeff Sabatini and I declared a Gearhead’s Afternoon Off and drove a 100-mile round trip of twisty two-lanes to the scenic Skamania Lodge, which overlooks the Columbia River. We both liked the car. It had plenty of power, was quiet and handled well. Its steering did not have the delicate feeling of the G-body 911, nor did the engine have the thunderous push of the Jaguar V12. But both those cars are over 50 years old, and a two-hour drive in them won’t leave you refreshed. I was curious to listen to the OEM stereo system, playing “vintage” CDs through the upgraded Bose speakers. But Jeff and I got so involved with our conversation that we barely turned it on. Which makes me have second thoughts about spending $3,000 for Porsche’s Apple CarPlay system. In summation, we traded the raw edginess of the classic cars for the comfort, luxury and refinement of the newer one. Overall, I was satisfied with the C4S and glad I bought it. I wanted a sportscar that was stylish and powerful and still had good A/C and power steering and brakes. The only way you bond with a car that is new to you is by spending time behind the wheel. Finally, I’m starting the process with the 996. Have you made a similar decision, trading the intensity of a classic car for the comfort of a modern one? I look forward to your comments below. I did exactly that in 2016. Over the years I had owned many classic, sports, high performance and antique cars. All were used cars with stick shifts. Between roughly 1994 and 2016 my only “toy” cars were a 1993 Corvette ZR-1 and a 1995 ZR-1, both wonderful classics with plenty of power, kept in show condition and which I drove a combined 85,000 miles. But in 2016, at the age of 70, I decided that I was old enough to deserve an automatic and a warranty, so I sold the ’95 and ordered a 2016 Corvette Z06. It was a beautiful car with more power than either of the ZR-1s (650 HP) and it handled extremely well, though my few track sessions were limited to touring laps at several tracks. The Z06 was a great touring car and we did three 2,500 mile plus trips in it. After ten years and 34,000 trouble free miles (I owned many British cars, so “trouble free” was not something I had said frequently) I sold it this spring, concluding that at 80, probably 650 HP was not such a good idea. But I sure miss it! –Bob. Leave a Reply