Joe Croser Northamptonshire, UK
@jcx911 Model 997.2 Turbo Year 2010 Acquired December 2015
We ‘Legends’ live life in the fast lane. We’re always scanning the horizon for apexes, and when writing we’re always thinking two months ahead as publication dates trail our submission deadlines by a similar margin.
So with the new year on the horizon as I write this column, it’s time to share some of my 2019 aspirations: for a while now, I have been thinking about refreshing my car, and I want to complete at least two road trips: one in the UK and one on the continent.
I spent much of summer 2018 toying with the idea of repainting my wheels, and while I parked that idea, I wanted to share the research I completed. I started by Photoshopping a snap I took to darken the Turbo II wheels to Platinum grey, then went a step further to explore a Satin black finish. I thought both looked great, but my friends were less convinced. So I asked two Porsche sales specialists and one wheel refurb guru for their opinion: Greig at RPM Technik, Joji at 911 Virgin, and Chris at Excel Wheels. My question: How important is it to keep the wheels stock for resale?
On the whole they agreed: “Use a standard Porsche wheel colour and you can’t go far wrong. But change the wheels for a less desirable wheel and you may harm the value of the car. Don’t change centre-locks on a 997.2 GTS or Turbo S to a non-centre-lock design.”
Chris Weaver took a firmer stance and advised against losing the diamond cut spokes. “Those wheels are designed to be seen when moving. They are stunning on the move, don’t change a thing!” My problem has always been that I only see my car when parked. I am the only one to drive it and I almost never see another on the road – well, until I attended the Porsche Festival at Brands Hatch as a passenger in my pal Sunny Hoyle’s 997 C2S. We did a few laps alongside a stunning 997.2 Turbo in Atlas grey with a martini stripe. The Turbo II wheels looked stunning, and I instantly dropped my plans to change mine.
I really fancy the west coast of Scotland. and northern Spain is calling my name! Please message me @jcx911 on Instagram to share your favourite roads and suggest any trusted retrimmers of leather seats.