Slipstream - May 2019

The Pursuit of Happiness: Part 1
by Jeff Mindrup
Obsession. What are the limits of an obsession? Sooner
or later, most people face up to the reality that there are
compromises, limits, and disappointments in life. More often
than not, even in the life of “winners,” there are unrealized
goals and outright failures. By his own account, Michael
Jordan missed the basket over 9,000 times and missed gamewinning
shots 26 times.
We learn this lesson early in life: the fable of the Fox and
the Grapes, the moral being that we learn to accept and even
reject those things we once wanted but could not have. But
every now and then, the stars align, and that thing you’ve
desired is now within reach. Good luck, good timing, and
preparation all converge at a moment in time. This is a story
of one such lucky confluence of events.
My first Porsche obsession was an early silver 911 that I
would see walking home from junior high school. The car
seemed so pure and clean and simple. The vision stuck with
me for decades. With that early ‘70s 911 stuck in my mind,
my search for the perfect silver-colored Porsche began.
After being beat to the punch on a few occasions, I finally
found a silver Porsche locally that checked all of my boxes. A
short test drive, a fresh over-rev report that passed with flying
colors, and the car was mine -- a 2011 Carrera 4S cabriolet. It
was configured exactly as if I had ordered it from the factory:
full leather, Sport Chrono, and heated and ventilated seats.
Most importantly, the car had been well taken care of by the
previous two owners. I learned early on that you’re buying
the previous owner as much as you’re buying the car.
photos provided by author
My father always told me “never go shopping once
you’ve bought,” but in the need to validate my purchase in
that first week, I kept looking to see if I got a good deal or
if I could have done better. That first few days of continued
searching confirmed my purchase. I got curious though, and
expanded the search criteria by turning off my color filter
from silver only. I also turned off the trim level and began
seeing a much wider universe of
911s. By the end of that week, the
unexpected and unthinkable had
occurred -- something better had
come along.
After holding my version of
desire for over four decades, I was
now abandoning it for something
I didn’t even know existed a week
ago. Obsession had done a 180 and
could no longer be denied.
The 997.2 Mexico Blue Turbo S.
OMG. I’ve never seen such a
car, such a color, and such a perfect
set of photographs showing every
angle of the 911’s inherent pure
clean lines and Teutonic simplicity
in a way I never considered or even
knew possible. Across the internet
and onto my screen, 110 photos
of pure Porsche porn all seemingly
were targeted directly at me and
were becoming my new obsession.
The photographer that took those photos knows his
art. Not only in light and contrast but in imagery and
symbolism that highlights the refinement of this vehicle,
while subtly suggesting its raw power on scale with a
locomotive. True on both counts.
I treated the car like I would any bottle of wine. I started
with the assumption that it was a perfect 100-point wine
and began looking for flaws. With 110 photos to find sour
grapes, I looked over and over but could not find any.
My recent purchase of the C4S had made this car and
auction out of reach for me, but that didn’t stop me from
commenting during the auction, “Wow. Wow. Wow!
I love this car.”
Six months after the auction had ended, my obsession
had not. I can’t say for sure when or to whom I first said
“one day that car will be mine,” but I did begin to believe,
expect, and plan for it. By November, I was both mentally
and financially ready. I appended the auction comments, “I
want to buy this car. Maybe the owner is bored with it by
now.” Like many prayers, mine was only answered with
silence. Days and months would pass.
16 May