Living the Legend
Our contributing enthusiasts from around the world share their real-life experiences with their Porsche 911s
Our band of real-world Porsche owners share their 911 stories from around the planet
This summer we’ve had not just days but weeks and even months on end of uninterrupted, warm sunshine. Great English weather just makes you want to get out and drive! We all know it can be scarce, so we have to make the most of it, and what a busy one it’s been for me.
I consider the 912 a bit of a fair weather car, but this year it’s pretty much been my daily hack. In addition to bumbling round town and to and from the office we took all the B roads into Weymouth for ‘Porsches on the Prom’. I was pleasantly surprised at the amazing turnout. There really was something for everyone, from my humble four cylinder all the way up to a new 991 GT2 RS and everything in between.
One of my real highlights of the year was our European trip. Think five countries in five days to include some of the best mountain passes Switzerland, Austria and Italy had to offer. We even had a whistle-stop factory tour of RUF on the way home. I’d love to take some credit for the planning and route, but in all honesty we just turned up. What quickly became obvious was how the research had paid off, and we felt like we had arrived in driving heaven.
We had an eclectic mix of cars, including a big-spec 997.1 Turbo, 991 R, 991.2 GT3, 991 Carrera T, 996.1 C4 and 997.1 C2S. The obvious choice to add to this line-up was to take something modern, fast and reliable… but after much deliberation a friend and I decided to go twos up in his 1983 SC! Not just any SC, but my friend Chuck’s fully restored concours example. The general consensus among our group was that we were mad putting 2,000-plus hard mountain miles on this lovingly lookedafter show car.
This became more than just a boys’ euro hoon – it was a challenge: a tick off the list and a chance to give the old girl a proper run rather than being wrapped up in her posh stable.
Canford Classics gave her a quick pre-trip service and once over, and then we were ready to go. We had a few tools stowed, a litre of oil, warning triangle and high-vis jackets alongside our modest overnight bags, all safely nestled under the SC’S front bonnet. Excitement, uncertainty and a nervousness started our run up to the tunnel before the slightly dull run through France and into Germany. Our confidence quickly started to grow, and on the first morning hitting the hills out of Baden-baden we realised that the modest SC was more than capable of keeping up with the big boys. If anything I think we might have had bigger grins on our faces winding up and down back-to-back hairpins and stunning mountain passes.
The Swiss alps was our favourite part of the trip; a driver’s playground with some of the most amazing roads we’d
ever seen. The drives through Austria and Italy didn’t disappoint either, with some equally challenging and stunning backdrops, which were breathtaking and at altitudes
I’ve only previously experienced on skis!
We didn’t have the horsepower to muscle up and down the big runs, but we definitely had the fun factor! Keeping the revs up, changing up and down the gearbox early, carrying speed and squeezing everything we had out of the SC kept us with the pack. No power steering and some wide Fuchs wrapped in big rubber made for a mini workout, though!
It really was the week that kept on giving. We clocked just over 2,500 miles in total with a new appreciation and respect for the old girl that didn’t let us down and didn’t miss a beat once. There’s an indescribable, magical feeling about cruising along the Autobahn on the way home in a classic
911, having not just conquered Europe but having earned her stripes as a very capable 911 that’s very much still got it. Bring on the 2019 adventure! This month the 997.1 C2S was due its minor service and MOT, which was a good opportunity to get a couple of other little bits done on the car that were flagged up on my last visit to Revolution Porsche in West Yorkshire.
The car had only covered 2,750 miles since its last MOT, so it comfortably sailed through that with no issues at all.
The minor service, brake fluid change and general health check were carried out by technician Phil Hillyard. He informed me that the car was still in great condition apart from the seized HBA struts and a leaking coolant cap, which I knew about from my last visit.
Both front and rear HBA struts had seized in place, which control the levelling of the xenon headlights. Apparently this is quite a common failure on older 997s, and although it doesn’t have any impact on driveabilty, can blind oncoming drivers when seized in the higher position! The leaking coolant cap was an easy, direct replacement with the newer improved part number.
With all this work getting done with change from £440.00 I was quite relieved! A nice little touch from Revolution was the full walk-around health check video that was emailed to me the same day. You can look them up at revolution-porsche.co.uk.