“915” is the name Porsche gave to a specific manual transmission used in older 911s. It’s the kind of gearbox where you have to shift smoothly and time things well, or it can feel rough. The host is saying it can feel “messy” if you don’t learn how to use it.
The BMW 8 Series is a luxury car meant for long-distance driving. It’s designed to feel comfortable and smooth while still being sporty. In the podcast, it’s mentioned in connection with how it drives and how its systems work.
Term
G15
“G15” is a Porsche name for a certain manual transmission. The point is that it can feel awkward or rough if you don’t shift it the right way. The guest is basically saying you need practice to make it feel smooth.
The Porsche 928 is a different kind of Porsche than the 911—more of a long-distance, touring-style car. In the conversation, it’s one of the 1980s Porsches being considered instead of a 911.
An air-cooled engine uses airflow to keep the engine from overheating. The host is saying they prefer that traditional approach over a liquid-cooled setup.
PDK stands for Porsche Doppelkupplung, Porsche’s dual-clutch transmission. The host argues it’s the “way to go” for serious modern track work because it can shift quickly and keep the engine in the right power band.
The Porsche Cayman is a Porsche sports car with the engine in the middle. The speaker likes it a lot because it drives really well and feels like a true enthusiast car.
IMS bearing is an internal engine part that can wear or fail on some older Porsche engines. If it breaks, it can cause major engine damage, which is why people pay attention to which years/versions they buy.
The 993 RS is a Porsche 911 from the 993 generation that’s built to feel more track-focused. The speaker likes it because it’s still air-cooled, but it’s the more modern-feeling version of that classic style.
The Cayman is a Porsche sports car with the engine in the middle. It’s a coupe, not a convertible. The podcast mentions it because some people really like the Cayman GT4 for its performance.
“Long wheelbase” means the distance between the front and rear wheels is longer. That usually makes the car feel steadier and less “snappy” than a shorter-wheelbase car.
A “shift kit” is an aftermarket set of parts that makes shifting feel better. They’re saying the Weevo kit improved how the gearbox feels when you move the shifter.
“Carrera” is a Porsche 911 trim name that usually means a more performance-focused version. Here, it’s just identifying the kind of 911 the speaker drives.
The Porsche 968 is a later version of the 944 family of classic Porsches. The speaker is saying some Porsche fans really like the 968 and think it’s a fantastic car compared with the 944.
Naturally aspirated means the engine makes power without a turbo. The speaker prefers it because turbo power can be harder to use smoothly in everyday driving, depending on the car and how it’s set up.
Turbo lag is the momentary hesitation you can feel before a turbo starts making boost. The speaker is saying the newer car they rode in didn’t have much of that delay, so it felt quick right away.
A restomod is an older car that’s been updated with modern parts while trying to keep the classic style. The speaker is saying they personally prefer cars that feel more original rather than heavily modernized.
The speaker is recommending the Porsche 944 as a good first Porsche. Their main point is that it’s only a smart pick if you can find a mechanic who knows these cars.
The Porsche Boxster is a Porsche roadster. The host is suggesting an early one as another option for someone looking for a more affordable Porsche to start with.
The Porsche 917 is a famous race car from Porsche’s racing history. It’s known for being extremely fast and for winning major endurance races. People mention it as a dream car because it’s one of the most iconic racing Porsches ever built.
The Ferrari 328 is an older Ferrari supercar with a V8 engine in the middle of the car. People like it because it’s a very “classic Ferrari” driving experience and design from that era.
The Ferrari 308 is an older Ferrari with a V8 engine placed in the middle of the car. It’s famous because it feels very connected and fun to drive, which is a big part of why people love classic Ferraris.
Mercedes is brought up because Porsche almost partnered with them for the Cayenne. In the story, Mercedes asked to own part of Porsche, and Porsche walked away from the deal.
The “Cayenne project” is Porsche’s big plan to create the Cayenne SUV. It matters because it was a huge change for Porsche, and the discussion here is about how partnerships and business decisions shaped whether it happened.
The Porsche Cayenne is Porsche’s SUV. It’s built to combine Porsche-style performance with more space and everyday usability. It comes up in discussions because it represents a major shift in what Porsche makes.
Volkswagen is mentioned because Porsche ended up working with the Volkswagen group for the Cayenne instead of Mercedes. It’s basically about who Porsche partnered with to make the SUV happen.
LIVE
Welcome to Porsche Patter with Bracken Helms, the show where we hear Bracken and his distinguished
guests from the Porsche community patter on about Porsches and all things automotive.
Porsche Patter is sponsored by Circuit 6-4. Circuit 6-4 creates authentic automotive apparel made
for like-minded automotive enthusiasts. The links for Circuit 6-4 are in the shown notes. Okay,
let's get to it. Jay Gelotti, part six. Alright in this one, I kind of ask him some of the
questions I normally do like his preferences on certain models and then I appreciate his
honesty, you know, because he's such a subject matter expert on these cars and stuff, but he's
willing to say, you know, some of these cars I haven't driven, like not everybody just lets me
drive their cars. So, you know, some of these questions, he wasn't completely able to answer
because he hasn't driven them. You know, a lot of car guys, they're just like, a lot of car guys
run their mouth about, oh yeah, I know, you know, they talk big and you find out they don't know
anything. They're just idiots. They're always telling you the people they race and how fast it
is and how much horsepower it is and it's never accurate. So, it's nice to just have someone
that's just honest. So, he talks about the 915 and G15. He says, you know, it was just when I
first drove it, it was like a bucket of bolts. I never got that. I don't know if I was round
them all my life and I just kind of knew that you had to kind of finesse, but you know, I wasn't
driving the cars. I wasn't driving them when I was like four or five years old or whatever, but
maybe it's just because I grew up, like my grandpa had an old truck. When I first got my car or
even before I got my car, I had driven other ones, but I never kind of thought it was just like
chaos going there. It kind of made sense to me. I mean, there's certain things you do, like my
black car going into second. You don't just throw it down into second. You kind of lean it towards
you or I guess to the left going into second. And then the yellow car, it's just like, you just
got to be really smooth with everything. Because if you don't, then it bucks around and you look
like you have no idea how to drive. Then he, like Juergen Barth brought up like, oh, it's apples and
oranges, 928 versus 944. Again, I don't know if it was just because I'm younger, but you know,
they're that 80s vibe. Like my brother loves the 80s and he's like, well, I want to buy a car from
the 80s. That's not a 911. And so he's talking about 944, 928 to me. And we're not thinking like,
oh, those are two opposite things. My brain can't go there. But you know, I kind of see it. One's
like a high end car and one's not. But to me, like looking back, I put the questions together
because they don't make complete sense, but it kind of does. If you're, I don't know, maybe I'm
a fool. We'll see. I'll keep asking the question. We'll see if everybody thinks I'm crazy. Then I
kind of think I missed out on an opportunity when he said, when I asked him for his dream car,
he asked me, do I have to get rid of one of the cars I have? I said, no, because I want to know
the answer. But after that, I should ask, okay, now what about if I did take away the cars you
have? Do you think he would have picked one of the cars he has? I don't know. What would he have
picked? Had he had no Porsche? I mean, I should have got a follow up on that. But here we go.
Jay Jalotti, part six.
Air-cooled or water-cooled?
Forced choice. People ask me this all the time because I have one of each.
I always say air-cooled because I'm an old school guy. I'm a slow car fast guy. I like the idea of
the slow car fast. Forced choice, old school air-cooled all day long for me.
PDK or manual?
Well, I haven't driven a PDK, so it's not really fair for me to rate it.
Again, I'm old school, so I like manual transmission cars. Now, if I was doing any kind of serious
track work in a modern car, there's no question that the PDK is the way to go. Would it be as
fun to drive as a manual? I don't know. That'd be an interesting side-by-side comparison. But
what's your favorite air-cooled series?
Well, my bias kicks in because I said earlier my 3.2 Carrera has become part of our family.
I like the 3.2 because it's the end of a 20-year development cycle. The original car was developed
and improved over approximately a 20-year period of time. So they'd worked a lot of the bugs out.
The car has pretty good power. It's a little heavy. I just have a soft spot. And again,
there's the nostalgia. When I was in college, when I was a college kid, a 3.2 Carrera was like
the cat's meow. Or you'd sit there and you'd say, someday I'm going to have one.
Yeah. Favorite water-cooled series?
Well, I like my Cayman a lot. I haven't driven a lot of water-cooled,
Borschas. If I was going to add another water-cooled to my garage, I would probably go 997.2. I like
the 997 a lot. And along with the rest of the world, the 997.2 is great because it gets rid of the
IMS bearing issue. So I'd be tempted, although they're very expensive, but I'd be tempted to
look for a 997.2. Or also water-cooled would be an early 928. But again, they've gotten expensive
because for me, I'd have to have Pasha. So an early 928 that's in good condition with Pasha,
they've gotten pretty expensive, especially if it's an interesting color. Those are two that
come to mind. Okay. Favorite RS air-cooled car? I mean, it doesn't have to be RS. It can be Club
Sport. Any of their light-weight races? Well, of course, I haven't driven any of them.
Ooh, that's a really hard choice because they're all really cool. I would probably lean toward the
993 RS just because it's a little more modern. Still air-cooled, but it's the modern. It's the
most modern version. I know a few people who have them and say how great they are. And I love the
way the 993 looks. It's a fantastic looking car. So I'll probably say 993 on that one.
Okay. What about water-cooled? It doesn't have to be RS. It can be GT3 or R, whatever these
special models are. Ooh. It's like, where do you start there? That's a really tough one. And again,
since I haven't driven any of them, I hear a lot of good things about Cayman GT4s from my friends
who have them. Of course, it depends on how you're going to use the car. I mean, there's so many
now. Of course, they're all very expensive, but there's so many choices. 997.2 GT3 RS might catch
my fancy. But again, that's not a slow car fast. That's a fast car. car that you
got to drive slow if you want to stay out of jail. So I don't know how passionate I would be about
those, but I think those cars are pretty cool. Okay. Short wheelbase or 69 to 73?
Oh, 69 to 73. I mean, again, I appreciate the short wheelbase cars for being like the origin of
the breed. But to own one, I'd want a long wheelbase, a longhood long wheelbase car with a little more
capacity, either 2.2 or 2.4, something with a little more power, but still the true vintage
9.11 experience. I'd take a T or an E or an S or whichever one you want to give me. I mean,
I think they're all good. So is the S really better than the E? You know, you hear a lot of
different opinions on that. But yeah, no, I would go for the long wheelbase on that one.
Okay. The next two questions have kind of been answered. I was going to say longhood
or G-body SC versus Carrera. So we've answered that. 9.15 or G-50?
Well, okay. So again, I have not driven a G-50. So I don't have the direct comparison.
The conventional wisdom is that the G-50 is better, but I've heard, I've had some experts
tell me not necessarily. I like my 9.15. I have a Weevo shift kit in my 9.15, which improves the
action a little bit. Oh, I've always wondered with the hydraulic clutch, would I like the hydraulic
clutch? I don't know. I kind of like my old-fashioned mechanical Volkswagen clutch.
Yeah. Well, there's no question from a technological point of view and an engineering
point of view. There's no question that the G-50 is better. That doesn't necessarily mean it's the
one you want to drive because it's usually not a clear choice. In your price range,
you get a really, really nice car with a 9.15 or a lesser conditioned car with a G-50.
You want the nice car with the 9.15 and just adapt and just learn how to drive it. I mean,
you and I both know that it takes a little getting used to, especially if you haven't
had much experience with older cars. When you first get in a car with a 9.15 gearbox,
I mean, I remember when I picked my car up and drove it the first time, I was like,
oh my God, what did I do? It felt like a bucket of bolts, but it doesn't take that long to get in
harmony with your 9.15 gearbox. Learn how to drive it, learn how to use it, and it's fine.
I mean, I've driven my car on the track. I've probably done eight or 10 track days with my
9.15 gearbox Carrera, and it's generally been fine, but you just have to learn how to use it
and how to live with it. Yeah. We already kind of answered 9.64, 9.93. I think you're leaning
9.93. Oh, 9.93 all day for the aesthetics. Now, again, I was one of those because remember when
I was a young guy when the 9.64 came out, and like a lot of people, I just had a hard time
getting past the way the car looks. I just never liked the bumper covers. I mean, now I understand
the history and how it all came about and everything, but aesthetically, I just, to me,
then the 9.93 is a work of art when I look at it. I've never once in all my years in the Porsche
culture, never once have I had someone say to me, I really don't like the way a 9.93 looks.
That has never happened. Never happened to me. Now, there might be somebody out there
who has actually said they don't like the way a 9.93 looks, but I've never heard anybody say that.
So next one was 9.96 or 9.97. We covered that. What about 9.91 or 9.92?
9.92 is getting, the cars are getting big, and I kind of like the small. I like the small versus
the big. So I might lean to the 9.91 just as a slightly smaller, slightly more traditional
9.11. But then, of course, we have different generations of all these cars. Now, is it 9.91.1
or 9.2? You have to get into all that. I think the early 9.91s are soon to become
considered kind of classic in a way. And so, I might lean toward a 9.91, but actually,
if I were in that market, I'd want to go drive some cars and see how they drive. Because when
you look at these new cars, to me, it's all about the driving. 9.44 or 9.28?
I've driven a 9.44, and I know how fantastically good the chassis is. And the car, in general,
is great. But I think I'd have to go with 9.28 because it's just this kind of space age aesthetic.
It's sort of 70s futuristic aesthetic that the car has. It's not really apples. It's not an apples
to apples comparison because the cars are quite different. But yeah, if I could afford a nice
9.28, I think I'd definitely go that route. Again, well, again, the question is, all things being
equal, a really nice, pristine 9.44 turbo, 9.44 S2 versus a kind of a mediocre 9.28 that needs
TLC or whatever, then that would put me over probably into the 9.44. But that's just the
way it is. Right. 9.44 or 9.68? I never loved the way the 9.68 looks. Again, if it's an aesthetic
question, I'd probably lean more to the original form of the 9.44. But again, I have a few friends
in the Porsche Club who have 9.68 and absolutely think that they are fantastic cars. But I think
I'd lean 9.44 on that one. Turbo or naturally aspirated? Naturally aspirated for the most part
just because turbos you can't use the way we drive on the street. You can't really use the turbo,
at least in the early cars. It's hard to actually use the turbo. Now, the later cars, of course,
they're all turbocharged or most of them are. And it's a whole different thing because I haven't
driven a 992, but I rode in one. When my friend who was driving put his foot into it, I didn't
sense hardly any turbo lag. I mean, to me, I think just took off like a rocket, basically.
So in that case, there's no handicapper, no reason not to have a turbo in the later cars. And
sometimes you don't even have a choice, really, because they're all turbos. It's just the way
they come. Wide body or narrow body? I'm a wide body guy. If I can, I just, I don't know, I like
the aesthetics of the wide body cars generally speaking. That's a pretty easy choice.
Thoughts on hot rods or outlaws or whatever that you want to call them, modified cars,
Porsches? They're not my cup of tea because being a purist, I'm something of a purist,
as a Porsche historian. However, what I think about the car hobby in general is that it's
great. It's all good. The nice thing about the car hobby is it doesn't matter whatever you like,
whatever floats your boat, it's all for good. So I never criticize or look down on somebody who's
modified or customized or hot rotted their car. If that's what makes them happy, that's great.
It's just probably not what I would have in my garage. I have not seen really hardly any
Resto modded Porsches that made me think, oh yeah, I got to have one. I'd love to have that in my
garage. Again, they don't speak to me in the way that the pure original, the way Dr. Porsche intended
it speaks to me more than the Resto mod cars. Best starter Porsche?
If you have a mechanic nearby that can work on a 944, I think a 944 would be worth a look
as a starter Porsche. Early boxers, I think, might be worth a look. It's getting so that
it's hard to find a 911 that counts or that qualifies as a starter Porsche. But my mind
immediately kind of goes to the 944 as a good starter Porsche. But again, your definition of
starter depends on your personal economic situation. For some people, a starter Porsche,
their budget might be $100,000, right? And that puts us in a whole different league.
If your starter Porsche budget is $25,000, then that makes me think 944, get a good one if you
can and have a mechanic who knows how to work on it, or maybe a nice early Boxster.
If you could have any car, what would it be?
Any car at all. Well, I'm tempted to say 917 just because I love them so much. But what would
I do with it? And if you're going to give me the car, are you also giving me the budget
to take care of it and to rent the track so I can drive it? You know what I'm saying?
It's like a nice fantasy to think of owning a great vintage Porsche racing car,
but then what are you going to do with it? Are you going to pay for me to transport it
to Monterey car week and all that? So in a more practical sense, if I could have any car,
let's limit it to Porsche because let's leave the Italian cars aside. If I could have any Porsche
street car, I still don't know how to answer this question. Boy, that's really hard because I
haven't thought about it that much. But where my mind is going, where is my mind? And can I keep
the two I have or do I have to give those up? No, you don't have to give up anything.
If I don't have to give up anything, then my mind is going toward, I don't know where my
mind is going. I think my mind is going toward one of those early 928s and really in a cool color
with a Porsche for nostalgia value, that's where my mind immediately went without thinking about
it too much. But if I thought about it more, I might go in a different direction. Okay. Next
cool car you think you could see yourself owning. So this is your budget. Yeah, this is on my budget
and this is on my bucket list. And this is where we're probably going to go non Porsche because
again, being of Italian heritage and being something of a Ferrari fan, I probably, if I made
the decision to add another car to our stable. And of course, I always have to remember my Ferrari
friends that we have a horse too on our emblem. But no, I think a Ferrari something in the 308,
328 Ferrari is probably where I would go. Again, because of the nostalgia, because when I was in
high school and college, that was like, I even I briefly worked in a Ferrari dealership after I
graduated from college. And as I said, I worked at Amerispec, which was a Ferrari Federalizer.
So I have some connection to those cars. And I have driven a 308. I have driven a 328 also. So
I know I know what I'm the driving experience is like. So that's probably where I
would go. Okay, thoughts on Porsche going from a small independent niche company to what they are
now? Well, it was a necessary evolution, I think. After all, we always have to remember Porsche is
in business to make money. And the more money you make, the more you want to make. And so you
have to get bigger and you bigger and bigger. And that's what's happened over the
years. The only alternative maybe would have been to get taken over by Volkswagen or Mercedes.
And, you know, there's a famous story, I believe it's in Mr. Ludwigson's book in excellence about
the Cayenne project. And, you know, Porsche was this close to doing the Cayenne with Mercedes.
And the story that I believe is in the book is that at the last minute, almost at the last meeting
where they were going to sign the deal with Mercedes, the Mercedes representatives came in
and said, we'd like to own 10% of your company. And the Porsche guys closed their notebooks,
got up, walked out. So that's how the Cayenne ends up being a project done with Volkswagen instead.
I don't think there's much alternative at that. I mean, it would have just been more and more of
a struggle for Porsche to stay small and only build sports cars. And eventually it just,
the economics of it might have completely failed. And they might have been in an unenviable situation
to go begging to Mercedes and say, will you please buy us out? I don't think that
would have been a good scenario.
Goodbye for now. We hope we can get together again for our next episode.
Now get out there and enjoy the cars and the people.
About this episode
Gearbox quirks and buying choices take center stage as Jay Gillotti and the hosts trade stories about classic Porsche manuals—starting with the 915 feeling “like a bucket of bolts” until you get “in harmony,” and weighing the conventional wisdom about the G-50. The conversation also spans air- vs water-cooled preferences, PDK vs manual for track use, and reliability angles like why the 997.2 appeals for getting rid of the IMS bearing issue. Budget “starter” picks land on the 944 (if service support exists), with Ferrari 308 and Porsche Cayenne strategy as side quests.
Jay Gillotti has written very well know books such as Gulf 917 and Porsche Decades. This year a new book he is writing is coming out about the Porsche 936. He has also written articles for 000, Panorama, Forza, Vintage Motorsports, International Motor Racing Research Center, Collier AutoMedia and Wayne Carini's The Chase. He was also contributed to other automotive books like A French Kiss with Death, 1982 and Daring Drivers, Deadly Tracks. He has helped out at events like Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance and moderated many Porsche Events people like Brian Redman, John Horsman, Vic Elford, Derek Bell, Hurley Haywood among others.
In this episode we talk about: -Air-cooled vs Water-cooled. -PDK vs Manual. -Best starter Porsche. -Dream car. -Thoughts on Porsche today.
