When did you Know?

Today’s post if brought to you from a new quest blogger “Kim.” I met Kim on StumbleUpon. If you happen to use StumbleUpon, you can meet up with Kim, myself and other Porsche enthusiasts at the Porsche Group on Stumble. Kim is one of the biggest motor-heads I know (male or female.) Her love of cars extends into her work (she is a car detailer and from what I understand a damn good one.) We’ve been emailing and sharing automotive related web-sites for the past six months or so. Kim wrote this post some time ago and it was/is long over due to be posted. Besides StumbleUpon you can view and connect with her on MySpace too. She would really love your feedback on her first time as a blogger posted below…

OK – first off – lets dispense with the pleasantries….

My name is Kim, and I am an addict…

I am addicted to fast cars, to classic cars, to adrenaline, to 13 second quarter miles, to….. shit – who am I kidding, if it is fast, has 4 wheels and is the automotive equivalent of Angelina Jolie, I am in love….

(And, yes, *all* cars are girls. I have only met one male car. A Miata & according to his owner, he was gay… ’nuff said)

My question for you all – when did you know? At what point in your life, what happened, when did it click? What moment did you know that you were a gear head? What car were you in? How old were you? What were you doing?

For me, it is almost cheesy. I realized that I was an adrenaline junkie early in life. Couple that with one of the most competitive personalities that you have ever seen, and I am, frankly, a bit surprised that I have managed to live this long. However, I was 14 and my grandma was teaching me to drive. It was raining. I was driving her Mazda 323 (no laughing!!). I wanted to see just how fast I could make it around the corner. Needless to say, we lost traction. My first instinct was to jam my foot all the way down on the accelerator (resulting in a very lazy application of speed, it was a Mazda, fer goodnessake!). However, my grandma (to her credit) never uttered a word, we were sideways for at least a half block before I coaxed her back to a more decorous n/s attitude. I never lifted the accelerator from the floor. I was hooked. (I also didn’t get my license until I was almost 18!).

I am curious – what is your story? What hooked you and was Porsche always your first love?