The Car Matchmaker Calls Out Stuttgart’s Best

Spike Feresten knows more than a thing or two about cars and that’s why people have been coming to him for years for advice on what car they should buy. Spike got so good at narrowing down their options and helping them find the perfect car for their personality and lifestyle that he figured maybe he could help other people with the same problem, people he had never met. Thus was born Car Matchmaker on the Esquire Network, a show in which Mr. Feresten attempts to get to the core of a person and find their perfect ride. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Spike has long had a soft spot for Porsches. With interest in the brand at an all time high, and with market values going towards the stratosphere, we decided that it would be worth picking his brain about what he thought the best cars to ever roll out of Stuttgart and Weissach were, and here are his answers:

10. 1970 911S

For me these 2.2 liter models are the ultimate 1970’s 911 road cars. Light, rev-happy, sure footed and fun. Get yours in Conda Green.

9. 2007 997 GT3 RS: 50 pounds lighter than a normal GT3, these race cars with a license plate go 0-to 60 in 4.0 seconds and top out at 193 MPH. Best of all they only came with a manual gear box. All ready collectible with prices rising rapidly. Buy. Drive. Thank me later.

8. 1970-72 914/6 GT : The GT version of the mid-engined 914/6 built for competition. Good luck trying to keep up with it in the twisties in your early 911. The 914-6GT is like driving on rails.

7. 1995-96 Porsche 993RS: I love all manner of 993 911s and this is the ultimate lightweight variant. Super rare, super light, and super collectible. Remember, you can’t drive your Apple stock.

6. 1970-71 908/3: Driving this open cockpit Porsche miracle is like having your head welded to the hood of a flat-eight, three liter engine. Jo Siffert and Brian Redman famously won the 1970 Targa Florio in one. It is especially wicked in a Gulf Blue with Signal Orange arrows livery.

5. 2004-07 Carrera GT: A mid-engined supercar with a 5.5 liter V10 originally built for Le Mans racing until it was shockingly re-directed for the road. Weighing 3000lbs and packing 605 HP it’s unforgiving and demands respect. A truly thrilling car to own and drive.

4. 1958 356A Speedster: My one-car collection car. I like them more than the multi-million dollar 550 Spyders. A simple, elegant road and race car that gets more beautiful with age.

3. 1974 IROC RSR: 15 3-liter 315 HP racing 911’s were built for the International Race of Champions. Identical in every way but color. They are light and loud and incredibly can be registered for street use. For me, the purest 1970’s racing 911 money can buy. A ’73 RS is rendered ordinary when compared.

2. 1970-71 917K: The 5-liter, flat-12, 220 MPH star of McQueen’s film Le Mans. Many a car guy melts in its presence. I once spent 2 hours just looking at one. No lie, 120 straight minutes in awe. A few weeks later I saw the same car at speed at Willow Springs and well… goose bumps and shortness of breath. The 917’s famously beat the Ferrari 512’s at Le Mans in 1970. Vic Elford remembers, “I went flat out, through the kink, at night, in the rain, at 245 mph.” Do not try this at home.

1.1964 Porsche 901: Rare, ground-breaking and room for your golf clubs. The first born of a fifty-plus year legacy of 911’s. The beginning of what I consider the ultimate sports car design. The 901 is my someday dream car. The One.