Before video games and social media and TiVo-ing “Top Gear”, there were only really two ways of seeing your dream car every day. The first was to buy and keep a magazine. The second was a single piece of print. Although many of us rarely saw real Lamborghinis and Ferraris and whatnot often while growing up, we did put them on our walls, where they served as a gateway drug of sorts. The ubiquity of the term “poster car” proves how impactful a sheet of paper can be. Today on Autopian Asks, I want to know what car poster was on your childhood bedroom wall, because they’re often fond early memories of our enthusiasm.
While I did grow up right as gated manuals gave way to single-clutch automated transmissions, the iconic poster car for me was something older. An ’80s archetype, a pure object of speed and greed. We’re talking about a Guards Red Porsche 930 Turbo, but not just any 930 Turbo. Oh no, that simply wouldn’t be excessive enough. Instead, it’s a 930 Flachbau, a pinch of 935 inspiration for the road. To boldly bend a rule around fender flares, Porsche once lopped off the doe-eyed 911 headlights in favor of a wedge-shaped front in the pursuit of pure endurance racing pace. These flat-nose 930s quickly became so dominant that people wanted a little bit of their magic for the road. Thus, the Flachbau was born.
Then, because nothing says excess quite like inappropriate use, it was possible to pair these racing aesthetics with the decidedly touring-focused configuration of a cabriolet. Keep in mind, the 911 had been around for dog’s years even in the ’80s, and the cabriolet had about the same torsional rigidity of damp vermicelli. Still, put all this together and you have a want-one car. The sort of thing that normally makes you want to work a bit harder in school so you can get into a good college and get a good job. Adverse side effects include attempting to make a living out of car writing, who knew?
That 930 Flachbau poster cemented a fascination with this strange little company from Stuttgart while expressing a love for sports cars in general. Whether a humble MGB, a brutally effective Consulier GTP, or a Jano-engined Ferrari 335 S, cars meant for driving rather than mere commuting have always been close to my heart. However, childhood always has to end, which meant I had to say goodbye to my beloved 930 Flachbau poster. More of a framed print than a poster, its likelihood of surviving an upcoming move was dubious. The frame was starting to give up and the glass could indeed shatter in transit, so off to Goodwill it went. While I kept watch for similar prints on eBay, I’d essentially given up on having this poster again.
That is, until Yuri Tereshyn of The Straight Pipes posted on his Instagram story about moving some car art on. I couldn’t believe it. There, among other posters including one of a Callaway Corvette, sat the print I imagined whenever someone said “Porsche Turbo.” Since the Greater Toronto Area automotive universe is surprisingly small, picking up the print was only a matter of taking a jaunt across town. The most memorable car poster on my childhood bedroom wall is effectively now on display in my grown-up apartment, and I reckon younger me would find that pretty cool.
So, what car poster did you put on your childhood bedroom wall? Was it a Ferrari from the Scholastic book fair, the famous “Justification for a Higher Education”, or something else? As ever, let me know in the comments below.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
The post What Car Poster Was On Your Childhood Bedroom Wall? appeared first on The Autopian.
