A Summer of excuses
might remember my minor catastrophe with the Boxster’s hood, revealed in last issue. Well, take a look at the picture below: no cracked rear ’screen visible there. That’s because we’ve had a decent run of weather since my careless episode. I enacted a cheap fix with some transparent tape, then lowered the hood – and left it that way. An old bed sheet acts as an impromptu tonneau cover to keep out the dust when it’s in the garage.
On the basis that a problem you can’t see ceases to be a problem, I’ve decided to carry on racking up the miles. In fact, more so than I’d expected. Three months in, we’ve covered 2000 miles, a mix of work stuff, weekend trips, and those quick blasts because you need a pint of milk, and who cares if it’s a 20-mile round trip because the sun’s out, etc… Sorry I was gone a while, Mrs W.
That’s equivalent to an 8000mile annual average. Good job, then, that when I added the Boxster to my classic insurance policy, my provider Peter James upgraded the mileage allowance from 3000 to unlimited. So let’s just hope we keep the dry weather for a bit longer.
On one lengthy trip, I did a brim-to-brim measurement of the fuel consumption. Any guesses? It was a 200-mile cruise up the A1, roof down, mostly at the legal limit, and I was getting 38mpg. Of course, that figure can tumble (blame those milk errands), easily landing in the low-20s, but I reckon I’m averaging about 30mpg, which is still pretty good overall.
There’s an MoT coming up, so fingers crossed no hidden horrors are revealed, but there is little in evidence so far. A minor misfire one morning cleared itself, and revealed that the coil packs are Porsche-branded and therefore likely to be the originals (replacements are usually by Beru), so they’re probably on borrowed time after 23 years.
But there’s no holding this car back on a cross-country run, which is exactly what I bought it for. Last weekend’s excuse was to meet up for a Sunday breakfast with good mate Lee Marshall, who has just bought a 1953 Third Series Lancia Aurelia B20 GT. Gorgeous car, which some of you might have seen with the J40 pedal cars at the most recent Bicester Heritage Scramble. It was a pleasure to follow around Rutland lanes, with possibly the most cultured exhaust note of any car I’ve ever heard.
Meanwhile, an old university pal has got in touch, now working at the Classic Car Hub over in the Cotswolds. That’s sounding like the perfect excuse for another proper run out.