michael meldrum

Houston, Texas

@p911r Model 911T Targa Year 1972 Acquired 2013 Model 911e Year 1972 Acquired 2014 Model 930 Turbo 3.0 Year 1977 Acquired 2014 Model 930 Turbo 3.0 Year 1977 Acquired 2015 Model Carrera 3.0 Year 1977 Acquired 2016 Model 911 SC Year 1981 Acquired 2015 Model 3.2 Carrera Year 1986 Acquired 2015 Model 993 C4S Year 1996 Acquired 2016 Model 964 Carrera 4 Year 1994 Acquired 2016 Model 997.1 GT3 Year 2007 Acquired 2017

Don’t be fooled by my location: I was born and bred in the UK and frequently visit. My passion for Porsche started in the UK, but my approach to 911 ownership has been heavily influenced by comrades in the US.

As a regular visitor to the UK, I joined the GB Porsche Club with my mum’s

991 GTS. During my most recent visit, an email hit my inbox from then-local Scotland North PCGB announcing a New Year ‘Hardy Souls Run’. I’ve participated in numerous events and drives, but this is the first on the right side of the road.

The meeting point was a delightfully British affair, a cup of tea and bacon roll a pleasant change of pace from Texas’ tacos and coffee. The pre-drive sit down was ideal as a first-time attendee, and I chatted to the local enthusiasts. By my count there was around 20 cars, a diverse group made up of 944s, 996s, 997s, 991s, a Panerera and a Macan.

The drive kicked off with freezing but dry conditions. The summer tyres on the 991 GTS caused me a few anxious moments, not normally something that’s high on my list of priorities when driving in Texas. The charming Stonehaven harbour was the first pit stop. I was

expecting the worst as it’s situated on the North Sea but was pleasantly surprised, no wind and the waters were smooth as glass. We had full access to the pier and the Porsche fleet parked precisely, but we had a few interesting moments due to the ice.

During the pitstop I quizzed a few of the locals about their thoughts on modified air-cooled Porsches. The consensus was to keep them original, a stark contrast to much of the Porsche community in the USA. This got me thinking about the different attitude to ‘outlaw’ Porsche. Houston’s population is over 5 million, it hosts three major Porsche dealerships, a large and active PCA group and lots of air-cooled Porsche, so it stands to reason that we would have more outlaw enthusiasts. I think that’s part of it, but I think it’s something more. There’s a fiercely independent streak in Texans that manifests itself in a “I’ll do it my way” attitude.

Back on the road, on the way to the Hill of Garvock (a scenic viewpoint near Laurencekirk), on came the torrential rain. I was starting to understand why this event is named The Hardy Souls Run. We stopped very briefly, snapped a few pictures and tried not to get blown away.

The grand finale of the run was the run over the Cairn O’ Mounth route,

which sits at a slightly higher elevation to the rest of the area. Due to the lashing rain, many decided to take the direct motorway route back to Aberdeen, but I continued on with the route with a few other brave characters.

At this point, we accomplished the full Scottish driving experience with the onset of heavy snow showers and complete whiteout conditions. I wasn’t thrilled about driving on the summer tyres. I was following George in his 944, so I reckoned if his 944 could handle it, I’d be fine. Thanks to the 991 GTS’S four-wheel drive (and other technological safety gadgets that I typically despise) I made it. I think I’d have to revisit my ‘less is more’ approach to the 911 if I lived back in Scotland – though the heated seats were very much cherished.