Yesterday, at a Porsche Club concours in Kemah, I was fortunate to come upon this Porsche 918, a hybrid supercar the company produced in limited numbers 3 or 4 years ago. The 918, all of which were sold before the first one was manufactured, set back the buyer around a million bucks US. According to Hagerty's valuation tool, these things go about 1.7 million now.

This is the second one of these cars that I've seen (the first at the Houston auto show), and the first I've been able to approach closely.

Jer

[Sailor]

awesome shots, what a machine. looking forward to more, cheers

Thanks much!

Jer

[RichardS]

Your reminded... reminded me of this 1975, Ferrari 308 GTB.

Is it wicked of me to mention that my 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero (slightly warmed up) is faster (acceleration to 100kmh and top speed) than this Ferrari? Of course, it would beat me around the curves, but ...

---------- Post added 13-03-18 at 18:29 ----------

A lovely series Jer. Having an affinity with the subject comes through in you images buddy. Very well taken.


BTW, you mentioned $1,700,000 USD for that beauty, with the dismal exchange rate, that is $2,200,000 Australian.

If only it was that simple, it would be paradise here. A friend who has been driving Porsches for many years bought a new Carrera S a few years ago. He's had a few of them as well as Porsche Turbos. He trades them in every three years when the warranty runs out. The government tax that he paid on his Carrera S, around $USD 100,000, was more than the total cost of the car in the USA. Another example: you could buy a new 1973 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 4 speed manual with the ride and handling package for just under USD 4,000 in Detroit MI. The same car, 4 years old and somewhat used, was on sale at Dodgy Brothers at the corner of Warrigal Rd and the Princes Hwy for over $USD 16,000.

Cars are outrageously expensive here.

[charliezap]

Sweet rides there Jer---charliezap.

[Sailor]

Is it wicked of me to mention that my 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero (slightly warmed up) is faster (acceleration to 100kmh and top speed) than this Ferrari? Of course, it would beat me around the curves, but ...

---------- Post added 13-03-18 at 18:29 ----------



If only it was that simple, it would be paradise here. A friend who has been driving Porsches for many years bought a new Carrera S a few years ago. He's had a few of them as well as Porsche Turbos. He trades them in every three years when the warranty runs out. The government tax that he paid on his Carrera S, around $USD 100,000, was more than the total cost of the car in the USA. Another example: you could buy a new 1973 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 4 speed manual with the ride and handling package for just under USD 4,000 in Detroit MI. The same car, 4 years old and somewhat used, was on sale at Dodgy Brothers at the corner of Warrigal Rd and the Princes Hwy for over $USD 16,000.

Cars are outrageously expensive here.

Hey Richard - three cheers for Mr. Red; I'm one of his biggest fans.

Also, please tell me where I can get a new Carrera S in the States for under a hundred grand! I've surreptitiously ghosted the checkbook from wife Connie's purse and I'm ready to add an S Coupe to the stable (maybe she won't notice ).

Jer

Sweet rides there Jer---charliezap.

Thanks, buddy!

Jer

---

Last edited by Sailor; 03-13-2018 at 04:12 PM.

[RichardS]

Hey Richard - three cheers for Mr. Red; I'm one of his biggest fans.

Also, please tell me where I can get a new Carrera S in the States for under a hundred grand! I've surreptitiously ghosted the checkbook from wife Connie's purse and I'm ready to add an S Coupe to the stable (maybe she won't notice ).

Jer

Oops. I've lost track of his cars. That one was a plain Carrera and it was around 2005. You'd have to look for a bargain.

[Sailor]

Oops. I've lost track of his cars. That one was a plain Carrera and it was around 2005. You'd have to look for a bargain.

Still, your point is well taken, Richard - you guys've gotta pay a big premium on imported cars. Based on some of the bloviation emanating from D.C., we may get the same "privilege" here.

Jer

[RichardS]

Still, your point is well taken, Richard - you guys've gotta pay a big premium on imported cars. Based on some of the bloviation emanating from D.C., we may get the same "privilege" here.

Jer

Hi Jer,

Memories are tricky things. After a while, you tend to remember the conclusions, but the details can get a bit hazy or even drop off. It's a bit like doing an end-of-year consolidation with some accounting programs. The totals are kept, but the transactions are deleted. My virgo and engineering impulses are coming to the fore.

I've been thinking about when exactly I got the info and whether or not it's 100% accurate. And I've done a bit of research. I know that there was an article in either a newspaper, a motoring magazine or maybe even a Porsche blog that was complaining about the tax on cars in Oz and they gave the example of a 911 in Oz being more than or more-or-less the same as the total cost of the car in the USA. This was at a time when 1 AUD was worth around 1.05 USD. And I remember how Michael Douglas, as a young detective in "The Streets of San Francisco", could afford to drive a 911 and a young detective here would have been lucky to afford an entry-level Ford. So it must be true

My friend bought a few 911s and he has complained about how much tax he's had to pay.

I think that that's where my memory comes from, but I could be wrong.

I'm not going to comment on Washington bloviation because I might get pinged for a politics and religion violation. All I will say is that tariffs and protectionist schemes end in tears. e.g. if you deprive a manufacturing company of a cheap source of input material, e.g. steel or aluminium, then their prices have to go up. Then they become uncompetitive in the world market and the business closes down. The local steel or aluminium producers that you were trying to protect also have to close down because their market no longer exists. So everyone has lost their job. I could say more.

It's happened here.

Regards,
Richard.

[Sailor]

Hi Jer,

Memories are tricky things. After a while, you tend to remember the conclusions, but the details can get a bit hazy or even drop off. It's a bit like doing an end-of-year consolidation with some accounting programs. The totals are kept, but the transactions are deleted. My virgo and engineering impulses are coming to the fore.

I've been thinking about when exactly I got the info and whether or not it's 100% accurate. And I've done a bit of research. I know that there was an article in either a newspaper, a motoring magazine or maybe even a Porsche blog that was complaining about the tax on cars in Oz and they gave the example of a 911 in Oz being more than or more-or-less the same as the total cost of the car in the USA. This was at a time when 1 AUD was worth around 1.05 USD. And I remember how Michael Douglas, as a young detective in "The Streets of San Francisco", could afford to drive a 911 and a young detective here would have been lucky to afford an entry-level Ford. So it must be true

My friend bought a few 911s and he has complained about how much tax he's had to pay.

I think that that's where my memory comes from, but I could be wrong.

I'm not going to comment on Washington bloviation because I might get pinged for a politics and religion violation. All I will say is that tariffs and protectionist schemes end in tears. e.g. if you deprive a manufacturing company of a cheap source of input material, e.g. steel or aluminium, then their prices have to go up. Then they become uncompetitive in the world market and the business closes down. The local steel or aluminium producers that you were trying to protect also have to close down because their market no longer exists. So everyone has lost their job. I could say more.

It's happened here.

Regards,
Richard.

Speaking of shaky memories - mine could use some upgrading. I checked the Porsche North America website and found that you can, in 2018, buy a bone stock, base model Carrera Coupe for 92 grand - well under $100K. Of course, few - if any - are actually delivered at this price in the States; Porsches are still sold more-or-less a la carte, so buyers have to add several options to get the kind of features - such as power seats, good sound systems and convenience gadgets - that we hedonistic Americans expect on cars in this price range. I've learned to budget at the very least $15,000 to the base price of a Porsche to get one you'll take home.

I also forgot the admonition to refrain from political polemic on the Forum (a very good rule), since I never engaged in such stuff when it was allowed here. Even so, with my use of the word, "bloviation", in my comments about potential trade policies I was dangerously close to stepping over the line . Regardless, I agree with every single thing you say about the issue.

Jer