The mysterious Porsche
08/25/2025
A few years ago, I went camping with a good friend. We were allowed to borrow his father's new VW Buggy and wanted to spend the night on the Klausen Pass. When we got to the garage, something else caught our attention: a Porsche 911 T (built in 1971) was standing near the car with a flat tire and cobwebs. Completely fascinated, we walked around the car and gave the door a tug. Reluctantly, it popped open. It's hard to describe the smell that hit us - something between an ashtray and a wet dog.
During the whole camping trip, we thought about the Porsche and wondered what its fate had been. I couldn't let go of the car - I wanted to find out its history. So I asked the property management, but they couldn't (or didn't want to) give me any information about the parking lot tenant. So I paid the car another visit and looked for clues about its owner. During my inspection, I discovered not only chewing gum wrappers from brands that no longer exist, but also that the last highway sticker had been affixed in 1986.
I finally found it on the sun visor. There, neatly folded, was an invitation to the 15th wedding anniversary on Saturday, August 30, 1986, addressed to Julia and Peter - at least now I had the owner's name! However, you don't get very far with two first names (especially such common ones). Fortunately, the letter also had a return address, and with a bit of research in the phone book, I found out that the hosts from back then still live in the area.
The elderly couple were amazed when I stood in front of their door with a photo of the invitation letter and let me in. In the bright, stylishly furnished apartment, I explained to them what had brought me to them. Of course they could still remember the party forty years ago and also Julia Meier (the second most common surname in Switzerland, of all things) and her companion. They were happy about the fond memory, but couldn't reveal the secret about the Porsche because they had long since lost sight of Julia and Peter.
I haven't been back to the Porsche since then and don't know if it's even still in the garage. Every now and then it comes back to my mind. Then I ask myself: "What happened in 1986? Did Julia and Peter break up and he ran off abroad with his new girlfriend? There were strange pills in the car - maybe he fell into a drug addiction? Or did he simply forget where he parked his Porsche?" I'll probably never know the whole story. And that's exactly what makes this car so mysterious.
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