Rob Clarke
Bristol, UK @rob911_ltl @ROB996LTL
Model 996.1 Carrera 4 Year 1999
Acquired February 2014 It was back to school this month as I had an invite to the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone, for a brand awareness session. This session was open to me and a guest so, instead of taking one of my carenthusiast mates, I thought I would take my daughter. Since there is no chance of her driving one of our Porsche I thought she might as well get to drive somebody else’s! The objective of the day was to drive as many Porsche as possible and experience all that the PEC has to offer.
Our afternoon started with a road trip in the Macan: this was a good starting point for my daughter as it was the leastpowerful car we would experience and, since we own one, at least she had been in it as a passenger. Next we moved into a Panamera Turbo. What a machine! For something so large it was an awesome car, coupled with the crackle of the Turbo on downshift and that go-fast button on the steering wheel – what a blast! Next up was manoeuvring the tricky Ice Hill in a Boxster, followed by the Kick Plate in a Cayman. I had done this before in the Macan, so it wasn’t too difficult this time. Next up was the slower pace of the Cayenne, off-road. One of the consultants demonstrated all the off-road features. To be honest I was impressed, the Cayenne does seem as capable off-road as it is around the city streets!
The last session of the day was the 911s; it was luck that this was last, but what a way to end the day. I started in a PDK GTS, and after a few hot laps took the car onto the low-grip track under the guidance of the consultant. I was turning in late and the back end was breaking away. Most times I corrected, but on a few occasions I did end up sideways on the track. We moved on to the second part of the handling track, my speed and confidence were increasing so I was one of the few overtaking. I probably shot past my daughter at some point, but was too busy concentrating on the road to notice. I did manage to put the car sideways exiting the corkscrew section, as I got greedy on the kerbs.
Next up was launch control! This is something my car does not have, so it was good to experience it. Since the GTS was only two-wheel drive you could feel the car struggling for traction, but it was great to fire the car forward and hit the brakes ready for the next run. Next was a swap to a C4 – this had less power than the GTS and was a manual. Immediately this car felt better than the GTS. Whether it was because I am used to four-wheel drive anyway or if it was the last car of the day so all that tuition was taking hold, I’m not sure. Either way this felt like the car I could drive the fastest.
I did feel slightly uncomfortable letting the engine rev in third, whereas if it was my car I would have changed up, but these are track cars and you do need to let them rev! I did manage to spin the car due to an overenthusiastic entry speed (and lack of talent) but I stayed on the tarmac, so I take that as a positive.
All in all it was a great day. Many thanks to Porsche Experience Centre Silverstone. Both myself and my daughter preferred the C4 GTS 911, it just felt more planted than the C2 GTS. Tough call with regards to gearbox though. Both manual and PDK have their merits – hopefully I will get an opportunity to go back again in the future to try and figure that out.