From California to Korea: My 1989 Porsche 911

Hello. I am the owner of a 1989 Porsche 911.

My connection with this car began in California in 2019. While living there, I wanted to drive an old Porsche along the Pacific Coast Highway, with the ocean beside me and the sound of an air-cooled engine behind me.

It was never a perfect car. The passenger window would not go down, and the air conditioning would not blow cold air. The interior had been restored somewhat awkwardly, and the film on the instruments was peeling.

Yet once I took the wheel and began to drive, those things mattered less. The sound of the engine waking up, the vibrations coming from behind, the road reaching my fingertips. There were plenty of inconveniences, but the more we drove together, the more attached I became.

Together, to Korea

When it was time to return to Korea, I had a lot to consider. Bringing an old car all that way would cost a considerable amount, and I had no idea how much more attention it would need.

But we had already made too many memories for me to leave it in California. In the end, the car came to Korea with me.

In Korea, I can no longer drive along the PCH looking out at the endless Pacific as I once did. The roads, the scenery and the surroundings have all changed.

But when I sit in the driver’s seat, turn the key with my left hand and hear that familiar engine, those feelings return.

Perhaps what I loved was not only the beautiful coastal road, but the moments I spent driving it in this car.

Time I want to hold on to

There are plenty of faster, more comfortable cars. But I do not think I will easily find another that can replace the way this one makes me feel.

Even if driving becomes more difficult one day, it may be enough simply to see this car resting quietly in a corner of the garage, and remember the California sunshine and the Pacific breeze.