Model 997.2 Turbo Year 2010 Acquired December 2015

For some, cars are transport. For others, they are status. For me cars are a source of exhilaration, fun and friendship, as I was reminded on our Total 911 Legends road trip to the Yorkshire Dales.

I could fill every legend column this month by waxing lyrical about the Dales; preaching about their beauty and their architecture. I could rave about the best road I’ve ever driven, or the best fish and chips I’ve ever eaten, but it was a fellowship, the laughter and bonhomie, that has me now, just two days later.

For two days my good mates and fellow T911 columnists (past and present) traversed the Yorkshire Dales, north and south, east and west, in search of the finest driving roads. Of course, we found them all – a few weeks of research had enabled me to compile routes and include photo opportunities which would take our breath away.

They call North Yorkshire ‘God’s own county’ and it’s hard to argue otherwise, especially when wall-to-wall sun is laid on from dusk till dawn as if to light our route and provide a warm contrast to our wet Welsh trip almost two years ago.

I like to think my cars don’t define me, but they do reflect my personality. I don’t see myself as a customiser of cars and I don’t see my car as anything other than stock to the naked eye, but the way it silkily threaded the needle on many of the flowing Dales roads was nothing short of sublime… a testament to the sum of its customised parts.

From the engine to the exhaust and from the suspension to the tyres my car has enjoyed very subtle, but easily discernible upgrades which have transformed my heavy Turbo into a butterfly with the sting of a bee.

My recent Sharkwerks remap and my beloved and much admired Sharkwerks exhaust provided the power and the glory. The DSC V1 PASM upgrade coupled with my Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres kept me firmly planted. The whole package tickled my every fancy in the most spiritual of ways.

And then there was the Yorkshire welcome from the team at The Wheatsheaf in Carperby where we filled our boots with delicious food and drink before resting our heads in their well-appointed and spotlessly clean rooms. Adam (behind the bar), even remembered me from a family visit a year earlier. That’s what I am talking about. Friendship is not just for the folks you see frequently, it’s for the folks you meet once who remember you and welcome you back like an old neighbour.

Two short days and yet it felt like a week, so relaxing was the trip. The driving was Zen-like as I became one with my car and the company was brotherly as we became one, with lots of fun and not an ounce of malice or edge. I am ready to head straight back again, but it may not be the same. Perhaps I’ll select some other routes in a different area.