Air- or water-cooled? Keith Hamersma didn’t care; he just had to have a 911 ragtop - Hagerty Media

When looking for a fun-to-drive drop-top, Keith Hamersma was pretty focused. It had to be a Porsche 911. Certainly, there are many options for open-air driving, but Hamersma fell in love with the 911 decades ago, so when he finally reached a point in his life where he could afford one, he really didn’t have a choice.

Interestingly, as we learn in the latest edition of Why I Drive, Hamersma didn’t jump straight into the air-cooled cult. Instead he elected to purchase a cabriolet from the 996 generation, which started in 1999. Liquid coolant courses through the innards of the flat-six engine, which is blasphemy to the purist, but Hamersma doesn’t get caught up on it. He chooses to enjoy the drive.

Hamersma even eschews a manual transmission in favor of the six-speed Tiptronic, which allows him to sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s all about the fun of driving, which is a highly personal thing and doesn’t always require three pedals.

While Hamersma loves his water-cooled 996, he elected to add a slightly older sibling to the garage when he grabbed an air-cooled 993—also a cabriolet. The pair represent the end of an era and the beginning of another, but that is merely a bonus to the driving enjoyment they bring Hamersma.