I didn’t see it coming, I have to admit.
I was going to drive Gavin’s Alfa into work today but because I left a bit early, I had time to prepare the driveway and take the 968. And the unusual part is that I felt motivated to take the 968.
Why?
Well, it wasn’t because the 968 has a fantastic torque curve and is therefore effortless to drive on Hobart’s hilly roads (which is true). It wasn’t because the car handles with balanced precision aided by its optimal 50/50 weight distribution (also true). Those qualities have been lost on me for the last month as I struggled with my driveway and the infrequent use of the car.
I felt motivated to overcome my problematic driveway because I felt a little bit of Porsche pride after receiving my hillclimb trophy yesterday.
What a cheap date I am!
In my mind, I know this is irrational. There were only a few competitors in my class and winning the class was more a case of good luck than good management. In fact, there were non-Porsches in our class that beat the Porsches quite easily. As it was a PCT event, though, there are PCT awards to give to PCT members who did well amongst their PCT peers. The event within the event, you might call it.
The trophy is quite impressive in presentation. It came in a black box lined with blue velvet. The award itself is laser-etched glass with an engraved plate on the base that records my win.
My guess is that Porsche make the etched glass trophy available to all affiliated clubs for purchase at minimal cost and the club does the engraving. As a recipient of the award – and again, I know that this is slightly irrational – it makes you feel like you got a little pat on the back from Porsche itself. It’s like they’re saying “We build cars for competition and we support clubs directly because they uphoild our culture and they compete. Well done on being part of our world.”
I’m impressed by the way Porsche support their affiliated car clubs. Porsche clubs that are affiliated with the company have access to a standardised content management system for their websites so that they all fit a company standard for presentation. A few years ago, Porsche sent a car from its museum to participate in Targa Tasmania with none other than Walter Röhrl at the wheel. Walter even attended a dinner hosted by the club here in Tasmania – a little car club with just 60 members.
That’s impressive. And I’m sure there are much more substantive ways the company goes out of its way to support the people who make it prosperous.
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I think Saab were pretty good with community support, too.
The personnel that they sent to Saab Owner’s Conventions over the years was consistently high calibre. The access that attendees had to company executives at Saab Festivals was wonderful. Any fan can walk into the Saab Museum today and talk to the keeper of Saab’s culture and history, Peter Backstrom. Then there were events and experiences like the Ice Hotel, driving experiences and other stuff. The customers all pay for it in the end, but it’s nice when a company spreads the love around a little.
I think that support would have improved even more, too, had the company continued. I know it was one of my goals with the role I started there.
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Have you ever had a little thing happen that was so unexpected and yet quite personal, something that gave you a new appreciation of, and insight into, the big machine?
I’m interested to know who’s doing a good job of making people feel included. It doesn’t really take much, but a little personal touch can go a long way. Heck, I put my car up for sale last week and now I’m thinking of restoring the few bits that are non-standard!!
So what’s your best experience of community support from a car company? Dazzle me!
Regarding manufacturer support, Saab-Scania of America sent to every new Saab owner a coffee mug with S-S Griffen logo one one face, titled with “Make this your one for the road” on the reverse, signed by Robert J. Sinclair (aka Uncle Bob), President Saab-Scania of America, Inc. The mug was made by kiln crasft of Staffordshire, England. The mug in my possession was from a ’86 900S my father purchased as his 67th birthday present to himself.
Later on this was replaced by a pewter key fob with genuine leather backer fob. Each key could be registered so that if lost, the attached keys could be returned to the “rightfull” owner. Again, I have three of these fobs in my collection, one from my father’s ’93 900S and two from ’96 9000s. The fobs from the 9000s were passed down from previous owners.
To be honest I like the mug idea better, even though I’m not a coffee (or tea) drinker.
Thanks for the mug explanation. I just bought one at a charity shop here in Canada and didn’t know the story behind it.
Maybe if you wrote nicely to them, explaining your predicament and that you’re feeling forced to sell because of the driveway, it might give them a real opportunity to show community support by sending a team round to engineer a solution 😉
Even if Porsche would not engineer a solution for you, it seems a real shame with how much you enjoy your 968 (and you seem to have got a good one) that there is not a way to more permanently solve your driveway-street boundary issue that would alleviate your temporary solution which makes it extra effort to use. It seems like there should be some more permanent solution that would not be too expensive. (And it might even be a selling point when you eventually do sell your current home…if you do….).
The inherent contradiction between the desire to profit from the customer and the requirement to serve them makes the issue of ‘community support’ an interesting one, that’s for sure.
I don’t have much personal experience with this aspect of automobile ownership, but from the outside looking in, I’d say that Mini owners are well taken care of, but if you’ve paid that kind of premium for a Mini, I guess it’s to be expected.
Aston-Martin has been famous for premium support, too.
BTW Swade, would be very interested to read your reflections on:
1. The latest do-or-die plan to relaunch Alfa as luxury mass-market cars with Ferrari engines
2. The biological battery that can recharge in under 30 seconds and its long-term automotive potential
I got a blanket from Saab as a holiday gift one year in the mail, and a delightful pen that I still use. Silly perhaps, but also lovely to be surprised in that way.