Joel newman
London, UK
Model 996 Turbo Year 2003
Acquired April 2014
I managed to get a bit of a road trip in the Turbo under my belt this month, something I’ve not had the time to do for a while. Unfortunately, my trip wasn’t to the south of France or to a section of beautiful tarmac somewhere in the Alps, it was to Birmingham for my annual pilgrimage to Autosport International, after which I went back down the country again to Bristol before retiring home to London. Still, it was nice to get some good driving time in the Turbo again.
The car performed brilliantly, except for the check-engine light popping its little head up as I looked for my Airbnb in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Thankfully I know what it is. For some reason when it’s very cold out the 200cell race cat on bank two trips itself up, but my technician says it’s nothing to worry about, otherwise the fault would reappear after I’ve cleared it.
Anyway, Autosport was a great event as always, although every year I regret not asking for a pair of comfortable walking boots for the Christmas prior! I didn’t just come away from the NEC with sore feet though, I came away a little bit inspired. Now, let me preface this by saying I’ve been going to Autosport and talking with tuners and motorsport-tech royalty for the best part of 15 years.
Over the last couple of years I’ve really noticed people’s reactions to, or opinions of, the 996 Turbo have quite changed. There seems to be more and more aftermarket kit being developed and released for the car as it gets older, and the car seems to garner greater respect from tuners too. There were even two Uk-based Porsche tuners displaying at the show, something I’ve not seen before. It seems that the 996 isn’t seen as the – dare I say it – ugly duckling of the 911 Turbo family any more.
Autosport got me thinking about something else too, and that is how my own modifying tastes have changed over the years as I’ve gotten older. When I was a little younger, I dreamt of getting a pair of carbon bucket seats, with the accompanying harnesses, fitted to the car. After sitting in a fair few examples at the show I realised something, I’m too old to be that uncomfortable! The same goes for a lot of current modifying trends, but maybe that’s a rant for another issue…
I did see something I’d quite like to replace the 996 with though, and that’s the new GT2 RS. After pouring over the one on display at the show, and speccing it up on the Porsche Configurator when I got home, I’ve decided I need to win the lottery. Wish me luck.