Page 5 - WinterEdition2017

COLOR AND NOSTALGIA DRIVE PORSCHE LOVERS
THE DOCTORS ARE IN THE HOUSE
It wasn’t until 1998 that Dr. David Cohen and his wife Dr. Susan Cooley bought his rst Porsche, but the model had stolen his heart long before that momen- tous day.
For the doctor, thoughts of his Porsche resonate with fond memories of
his father, “a car guy”
who swooned over Fiats, Renaults, and Peugeots during Dr. Cohen’s child- hood. As he entered his teen years, Dr. Cohen became increasingly in- terested in cars and would accompany his father on trips to local foreign car dealerships to test drive some of the toys on the premises.
To Cohen’s recollection,
visiting the Porsche dealer
in the early 1970s was en-
countering “the best of all car showrooms” for a teen with a driver’s license on his mind. The showroom had maybe two or three 911s, most T versions, with maybe one of the more exotic and expensive E and S versions, but there were usually a lot of 914s and in very bold colors like tangerine, raspberry, lime green, and several orange and yellow hues. The 914 permeated his soul. He could simply sit
in one for hours while his father seriously contemplated his 911T purchase. Buying
a Porsche 911 in 1973 was a big deal, and in the early 1970’s that was the preemi- nent model to own. As a matter of fact, Porsches on the road where he grew up in Richmond, Virginia were a rarity. His “old school” father had a mind of his own, and would hardly consider the teenage Da- vid’s beloved 914, let alone the wild colors that appealed to his son. His father’s 911T of choice was beige gray. Regardless of the subdued tone, the test drive, in which young David took part, involved winding out the engine and changing gears so aggressively that it transformed his father from a dad to a race-car driver in his perception. It was then he knew that one day he would have to have his own 911,
inevitably in a vibrant color that made the 911 distinct from any other sports car.
Flash forward 25 years when the doctor and his wife Susan moved to West Palm Beach. It was now 1998 and he was driv- ing a BMW 530i, but was ready to live his teenage dream. “I wanted a sports car for our new summer all year environment,” says Cohen. “That’s how I came to Braman Porsche for the rst time.” Braman had an ocean jade‐colored Boxster right on the showroom oor. The color emulated lithe ocean waters o Palm Beach, and was therefore the perfect color of convertible sports car for their new Florida home. Needless to say, he drove it home.
As expected, the car brought the Cohen’s joy, and so did the Braman experience. The service people were as enthusiastic about the cars as he was, and the ser-
vice work was always done quickly and competently. “I have to admit that though I’ve dealt with other dealerships over the years, I never received the quality of care that I got from Braman during my Boxster ownership,” he says, adding: “Driving a Porsche is always special, but to keep it that way it’s essential to have a service
partner who looks after the car along with you.”
With time and hard work, Cohen was - nally able to live his Porsche 911 dream as part of a delightful sequence of model af- ter model. After the Boxster came a 2006 Cayman S, then 2009 911S Cabriolet, a short stint with a 2013 C4S coupe, a 2015 GT3 and currently a 2017 C2S ( nished
in one of the wild early1970s colors he cherished.)
“I continue to receive excellent service from Braman, which is really the factor responsible for my repeat ownership,” says Dr. Cohen. He relishes the feel behind the wheel that few other cars besides the Porsche can match. He vividly describes the unsurpassed handling as a virtual extension of his own limbs.
All said, he adores his current 911 C2S
but intends to attempt ful lling his goal
of creating his own 911R with a wingless Gen 2 GT3 and paint to sample with an- other unconventional 1970s color. “Fortu- nately, the Braman Porsche folks aren’t yet tired of my unique Porsche visions,” states
a grateful Dr. Cohen. 5