Gina Purcell

Oxford, UK

Model 911 sc

Year 1982

Acquired April 2014 Model 964 carrera 4 Year 1989 Acquired september 2004

With Steffi the SC finished, fate conspired with the weather to spoil my dream drive home in my ‘new’ car. I did manage to briefly drive her on my birthday, the official completion date, but snow, ice and salted roads set in for over a week. The quick shakedown drive revealed the need of some ‘snagging’ of the heating system, so I left the car at Riviera for a couple of weeks to await better conditions. It transpired that both blower motors had expired and there was a wait while they were sourced and fitted.

My husband’s 3.2 Carrera was due to go to BS Motorsport for installation of the Classic Retrofit Electro Cooler

A/C system, so his 3.2 got swapped out of storage with Wolfi the Carrera 4. I hadn’t driven my 964 in five months, and had only managed the one quick drive mentioned above in the SC two weeks prior, so you can imagine my delight at being unleashed behind the wheel of a 911 once more!

One photo I’d been waiting to get for many years was one of the cars next to the gate guardian Photographic Reconnaissance (PR) Spitfire Mk XI replica at RAF Benson. It is a busy, active station, and in these times of heightened

security I always presumed any request by a civilian for something so trivial would be rejected. How wrong I was! I asked the RAF policeman at the gate if it was possible, and after a check with his superiors I was cleared for pictures. Wolfi garnered positive comments from many RAF personnel during the quick shoot, and I offer thanks to the RAF police for their willing cooperation. The Spitfire carries the markings of Flt Lt Duncan Mccuaig, who lost his life during Operation Crossbow over Bremen.

I find it quite appropriate to pose together the icons of two differing periods in history and two countries that enjoy strong ties in lasting peace.