Rob Clarke
Bristol, UK @rob911_ltl @ROB996LTL
Model 996.1 Carrera 4 Year 1999
Acquired February 2014 It’s not always about the destination, but the journey. After hearing about Flat Six Sunday down at Poole Accident Repair Centre and with the recent warm weather, I thought what better way to spend a Sunday then drive down, catch up with Lee and a few others who contribute to Total 911, and speak to other like-minded owners.
Of course, the weekend arrived and the heavens opened. The journey also threw up a few surprises: first, my sat nav routed me round bits of Bath I had never seen before, which included a toll bridge! I stopped and there was nobody in the booth, and there didn’t appear to be anywhere to put the money, so I carried on; next time I go over there I had better pay the £0.80 I owe them!
About 25 miles out I turned off a main road and the front end washed out. I was going through mild panic. I applied some more lock and the front wheels gripped and the car had a little twitch and went in the direction I was expecting it to go! To finish the journey off there was the common scenario of somebody pulling out on me. Full stop required
ABS going active and a complete look of horror on the lady’s face as I was aiming straight for her door – she was crossing at a junction where I had right of way. I stopped, she carried on. All was good.
I arrived in Poole and it was all quiet. One other 911 was there, so the guys at Poole Accident Repair invited me in for a coffee while the others arrived. By the time I had started on the coffee a few people had arrived, other mad tools braving the rain.
The day was a joint event between 9Werks and Poole Accident Repair.
Leon opened proceedings and gave us a tour of the facility, talked us through a number of processes and provided a behind-the-scenes look at a Porscheapproved bodywork repair centre. Chuck was on hand to chat with us all and share the interest.
Some great kit there, and some interesting insight to modern car production and, more specifically, the implications of this on bodywork repair, such as how the use of lightweight materials and composites have higher repair costs and consequently a lower threshold to determine write-offs – it’s quite staggering, the level an insurance company will deem it is not worth it!
Also, manufacturers chase every last gram to reduce weight at the expense of using one-use-only titanium bolts… feels like a false economy to me that in the future may kill cars of today as classics, as they will be deemed uneconomical to repair! It’s reassuring to learn that the UK repair industry has the best standards in Europe; makes you think twice buying about an import.
Chuck closed proceedings with an award for the Spirit of Porsche – luckily it was awarded to me! It was a big surprise and as a result I went away with a nice scale model of a GT3 Touring. I just need to save up for the real thing!