HSK’s manual 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 4. A story that began in California in 2019 and continued in Korea.
OWNER · HSK
A red 911 against the sea and evening sky.
THE CAR
1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 4
TRANSMISSION
Manual gearbox
FIRST MEETING
2019 · California
01
A connection that began in California
Sunlight reveals the front of the 911 and the lines of its body.
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.
The 911 pauses in front of a wooden building.
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.
02
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.
The rear of the 911 on a tree-lined road.
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.
03
Time I want to hold on to
A red 911 in the scenery outside a temple gate.
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.
A moment shared with the car.
Some cars take you to your destination. Others let you revisit the time you have lived.
