Thank you, Jim; I tend to like the plain-wrapper Porsches. They remind me of the very early 911s. I do use the GT3 for work sometimes; technology now allows a near race car such as this to be used in traffic. In the old days, there would be much bucking, ropey idling, fouled plugs, and a soaring temperature needle. And no airconditioning. The marvels of technology. My parking at the office is on the 2nd floor; surprisingly the GT3 doesn't scrape on the ramp, in spite of its very low air dam. The dam grounds on some driveways and speed humps though.
The traffic in Manila is incredibly bad and will easily exceed the worst expectations of folks who have never visited. I can use the GT3 only if I leave home at the carck of dawn and go home before 4:00 in the afternoon. Otherwise, it will not be fun at all.
Most of the time, I use a four-door car to the office. Many families here employ a chauffeur; some two or more, especially if there are kids that have to be brought to and collected from school. This is not extraordinary or very expensive, and, with the traffic and parking, is almost a necessity. As late as the 60s, the great majority of middle-income famlies in Manila would have employed a driver for the single family car. This may be in part because the family members didn't know how to drive (my older sisters never drove, for instance). The drivers often become part of an extended family and stay on for many years. I sound almost apologetic here for what seems a vestige of a feudal system.
As the economy develops and unemployment diminishes, and better opportunities become available, the institution will disappear for most families. In the meantime, a driver usually drives a 4-door sedan for me during weekdays. That is of course quite convenient, but I am becoming more of a Sunday driver now.
I was uncomfortable writing this, as I realize full-time chauffeurs are not common in North America and Europe, and my intentions might be misinterpreted. I thought a description of drivers in relation to daiy-driver cars in this country might be interesting to GJ readers, as they ponder garages situated all over the world. To bring some relevance to GJ, a garage here might provide driver's quarters, although most drivers commute to their own homes every day. In my case, the long shape of the lot on which our home sits allowed parking for daily-drivers separate from the old cars I tinker with.
Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, so Kung Hei Fat Choy (that's Happy New Year in Chinese) to all.
Andres
Not that I'm much better. But while my shop is very different and has no actual style as such, the shots of your place have inspired me to think a bit about what will be going in and how I wish to make it look. Thanks for sharing!
