A long drive up California’s Highway 1 reminds Paul why early Porsche 911s are so special—and why owning one is not always comfortable.

After spending several days behind the wheel of an early 911, Paul, Casey, and Dave discuss what it takes to make a classic Porsche genuinely usable for road trips and rallies. Dave breaks down modern electric air conditioning, including installation requirements, airflow challenges, upgraded alternators, cost, and how it compares with a traditional engine-driven system.

The conversation also covers the current Cayman GT4 market, a Mexico Blue 914 hot rod, upcoming rallies, and Casey’s long-awaited drive in a B5 Audi RS4 that did not quite live up to the dream.

Then the hosts answer listener questions about radar detectors, repainting versus preserving patina, preparing a car for an online sale, Tuthill-built Porsches, and Porsche facts that sound completely made up—but are actually true.

Connect with the hosts:

Paul Kramer — AutoKennel Instagram: @autokennel Email: paul@autokennel.com

Casey Parkin — Group C Curation Instagram: @groupccuration Email: casey@groupccuration.com

Dave Van Epps — Sonderwerks Instagram: @sonderwerks Email: dave@sonderwerks.com

Special guest Jo Bejar—known as @a_car_gal on Instagram—joins Shifted Opinions to talk about building, repairing and driving classic cars instead of simply admiring them from behind a screen.

Jo shares how she bought a neglected 1972 Datsun 240Z at 18, left it unfinished while completing the automotive restoration program at McPherson College, and later rebuilt it for the Great Race.

What followed was a cross-country adventure involving a mystery engine, a donated transmission, electrical problems, parking-lot repairs, fuel-system failures and an alternator issue that kept disguising itself as something else.

Jo also discusses working on historically significant race cars, navigating a male-dominated industry, her dream Porsche 911 Slantnose project and the automotive work she loves—and hates—most.

Before Jo joins the conversation, Dave provides an update on his recovery following the GT3 RS accident and explains the unusual process of evaluating the heavily damaged Porsche.

Follow Jo on Instagram at @a_car_gal.

Follow Shifted Opinions and subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify for more honest conversations about Porsche, classic cars, road rallies and the automotive industry.

This episode goes from vintage racing chaos to very real Porsche ownership advice.

Paul Kramer, Casey Parkin, and Dave Van Epps start with The Great Race, Cannonball Run memories, and the kind of car-movie disappointment only a Countach-obsessed kid could understand. Then it turns into a proper Shifted Opinions shop session: 993 cabriolets, a low-mile Boxster Spyder, dead batteries, jumper-pack hacks, a 968 Club Sport, Cayman GTS auction talk, and Paul’s newly acquired Albert Blue 1971 911T.

The listener questions get into the good stuff: when does a sports car become too raw to enjoy, what air-cooled Porsche makes the most sense for a first-time owner, whether a cabriolet is secretly the best value 911, what actually makes someone a good driver, and how to keep old air-cooled cars alive on modern fuel.

It is part Porsche therapy, part marketplace reality check, and part old-car survival guide.