CULTURE // ROBERT CARRIER GOES SHOPPING FOR EXOTICS

Through a somewhat random set of circumstances, I found myself in Irvine, California this weekend with my father as he shopped for a low-mileage 996 Porsche Carrera 2. Though I originally intended to bring my camera along simply to document potential cars for later reference, I quickly decided that I would do away with that notion when I saw the hardware on the floor of the dealership that we visited! I like to think that I've seen nearly everything under the sun when it comes to cars, but I was pleasantly surprised by this small Orange County dealership!... [read more]

Upon walking through the front doors, my eye was immediately drawn to a bright red car in the back corner. Past the Gallardo Spyders, Porsche Turbos and Aston Martins sat a car I had never seen in person and one for which I had a long-term love affair. Growing up, I had a Ferrari F40 poster that was for all intents and purposes the birth of my lifelong passion for cars (I even brought it in to "Show and Tell" at school), but the red car before me was not from Maranello. In fact, the car before me was the arch rival of the Ferrari F40: the legendary and ahead of its time Porsche 959.

With bright red paint and flat black wheels, the car looked aggressive and purposeful, and despite some tell-tale clues of its age, such as the simple interior and airbag-less steering wheel, one would be hard pressed to prove that the car was nearly 25 years old! Before leaving, I asked the salesman if the car was for sale, and he replied, "Not really. If you have $700,000 though, I'll let it go." I wish that I did!

With a collection of classic Porsches on hand, including an original 911T and a 356, as well as an original FIA-certified Shelby Cobra and a nice selection of newer exotics, from Aston Martins and Ferraris to TechArt tuned Porsche Turbos, it was a real pleasure accompanying my father on his car shopping expedition to Irvine. If ever there was a day when I was glad that I grabbed my camera, this was it! And thankfully, my dad walked away a happy man as well, as he drove home in a new car.

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Photo/Editorial: Robert Carrier