Porsche 911 (996)

A car cover comes to the rescue of the weather-battered Carrera

THE FAST FLEET 205 GTI HAS BEEN hogging my garage. Every time the 996 attempts to have its turn in the dry there’s a grumpy ‘Arrêtez!’ – which given said GTI hasn’t moved now for a rather long time is a bit rich to say the least.

The upshot is that the 996 had to spend the winter outside, the British weather cruelly and relentlessly lashing against the pride of the Towler fleet. Despairing in the manner only us petrolheads do – and understand – I could take the torture no longer and decided I had to get a cover.

Our friendly car detailer extraordinaire, Richard Tipper of Perfection Valet, had expressed caution against such things, because paintwork damage can ensue from a cover gently oscillating against it. Still, I figured a bit of swirling was better than the constant deluge of rain, hard frost and UV rays from occasional bouts of sunshine.

Frankly, I envisaged a simple plastic sheet that I’d just throw over the 911s shapely form, but a bit of research threw up the Stormshield+ from Specialised Covers, which is tailored to the shape of your car. The fit is certainly snug, requiring a gentle tug to get the external mirrors into position and prevent the aforementioned oscillation. The fleece-lined fabric is also ‘saturated with UV inhibitors’ to prevent sun damage, and is of a waterproof but breathable material that stops the car from sweating. No one wants a sweaty 996, after all. You even get a choice of colours.

All-in, £300 seemed like a price well worth paying for giving the Carrera some protection against ‘The Beast from the East’.