It turns out I’m a total prick. I’d long had my own suspicions. More than a few colleagues and acquaintances have given me their explicit thoughts on the matter. But it took a trip to Circuito Guadix in Granada, Spain, and a day on the track with rally legend Walter Röhrl and the new 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 to confirm my status.
I suppose I should explain. One of my earliest childhood memories about cars is of a now well-known joke among enthusiasts. As my dad told me and still does at every opportunity: What’s the difference between a porcupine and a Porsche? With the porcupine, the pricks are on the outside! Much laughter ensues. Those Porsche guys, what a bunch of jerks. But their cars always seemed interesting — if a bit odd, with their cart-before-horse layout.
More than 20 years later, I got my first taste of life behind the wheel of a proper, rear-engine Porsche. That was more than a decade ago now, but that first bite of the apple set me on an irreversible course, one that culminated last week in Spain.
Nelson Ireson 