JAN 2007 (ISSUE 154)

Ten years is always a good yard stick and so this issue proves. In worldwide terms it’s a year before the financial crash and, in our news pages, we report more record breaking Porsche profits, helped by Porsche’s ‘share price hedging’ in connection with the purchase of VW shares. This was all a credit to CEO, Wendelin Wiedeking, who undoubtedly saved Porsche from being taken over in the early ’90s. Of course Wiedeking’s ambitions would lead to just that scenario in 2010, and by VW, too.

In Porsche model terms, we’re in the earlyish 997 years and we report on the launch of the 997 GT3 RS, still this writer’s fave 911 of all time. We also drive the then new base model Cayman 2.7 from John O’groats to Lands End, using only A and B roads. Well, that took a long time!

Perhaps most telling, though, of the Porsche landscape of 10-years ago was in our Buyers’ guide for early 911s, which featured an immaculate 911T Targa and an equally pristine 911 2.4S, both from Autofarm. These cars were priced at £26,000 and £50,000 respectively but, as Autofarm’s Josh Sadler, observed, good examples of each could be had for much less – typically £40,000 for a 2.4S.

The same was true in the classified pages. In the ever popular ‘Tried and tested’ slot, we advised that readers should not let a £12,000 Carrera 3.2 pass them by and whoever bought the Ruf CTR Yellowbird at £80,000 must surely still be patting themselves on the back on a daily basis.

Not much had changed in the ‘Our cars’ pages either, as demonstrated by Editor, Bennett, who had bought himself yet another 944!