Joe Croser
Northamptonshire, UK @jcx911 Model997.2 Turbo Year 2010 Acquired December 2015 Living on the Northants, Lincs, Rutland and Cambs borders I am surrounded by scores of old RAF airfields. While a small number of them are still in use, the huge majority no longer have any military connection whatsoever. And so, it was on a chilly winter afternoon, some 60 years after the last plane left, that this old airfield was peaceably ‘invaded’ by Stuttgart’s finest. Organised by Alan Kenny, a Stamford-based photographer and flying veteran, our photoshoot welcomed eight local TIPEC members and
Porsche enthusiasts.
We ‘landed’ at 14:15pm sharp, and after introductions were directed with military precision to arrange our cars in flight formation on the runway. Alan ran around, climbing steps and laying flat on the floor to shoot the Stuttgart stallions from different angles, while we picked and poked at the cars on show. And wow, there were some beautiful examples.
Martin’s 2015 991 GTS was the newest car there. A Jet black-on-black coupe with black centre-lock wheels and ducktail, it was absolutely stunning. Dark and moody, it was the darling of many, but if the 991 is your weapon of choice then its hard to look beyond the 991 Targa 4 with silver roll hoop and red leather. I’ve always had a thing for red leather in cars.
The 997 was well represented by a couple of Gen2s in Meteor grey – my Turbo and Neil’s C4S coupe – both looking resplendent in the setting sun. Similar to a chameleon, Meteor grey conforms to changes in light and surroundings, and in the setting sun with a near-black runway, the 997 curves became very moody with brilliant highlights, as you can see in the group shot to the left.
Andrew’s 996 Cab continued a Red Baron theme with his red convertible roof and tasteful red rev counter. His car has been on quite a journey of customisation, and it’s fair to say he’s settled in a great place with subtle and very tasteful mods. Then there was the 1972 911 which has been dressed up as a 1967 recreation with full racing ‘box and clutch. It looked and sounded amazing, and I was lucky enough to be thrown the keys and told to drive it. I jumped in and paused…
I needed directions for starting it, assistance with closing the door and I had to lift my bum off the fixed seats to get the 500lb clutch to go all the way to the floor – as advised – for changing gears. Then I had to sit back down to raise the clutch to its bite point somewhere near my left ear. Needless to say, I managed first to second and left it at that. I’ll take my Sharkafied 997.2 Turbo every time.
A couple of other Porsche interlopers joined in with a beautiful 981 Cayman and a timeless 944 Coupe. While neither carries a 911 badge, which largely disqualifies them from this mag, they are nevertheless stunning vehicles which held their own and reflected the Porsche brand supremely.
All photos were the work of
Alan Kenny. To view all the photos from the shoot, visit Alan’s website: alankennyphotography.com/ automotive/tipec