Jeff Zwart on the sound that first drew him to Porsche

According to Jeff Zwart, the distinctive sound of a Porsche six-cylinder engine is what drew him in to the brand. With the possible exception of the 928, no classic Porsche really sounds right at idle. Most Porsches need to be prodded with a stick. Until you wind it up, a 356 or 914 sounds like a Volkswagen bus. The 924 sounds like an AMC Gremlin (though for obvious reasons, this doesn’t really change as revs climb). Even early 911s sound fairly timid at idle. Driven hard, the way Porsche intended, things change radically. Induction noise drowns out the mechanical chatter, and with heat and vigor, a pile of aircooled parts cruising in loose formation becomes a force of nature.

Jeff’s story started with Porsche, he learned to drive in his father’s 1964 Porsche 901, chassis #35. Zwart’s first car was a 1973 Porsche 914-6, which he still owns. Indeed, his first car is still part of his collection and in 1997 he claimed second place in the 10,000 mile Panama to Alaska rally in it. Forty years on, his passion for the brand burns brightly as ever, and he continues to be closely associated with Porsche.

Jeff’s introduction to Porsche is not typical, and few of us had early-production 911s in the family garage. In the comments, share what drew you into the Porsche brand!