Living the Legend

Our contributing enthusiasts from around the world share their real-life experiences with their Porsche 911s

Real-world reports from our global collective of 911 owners

Nick Jeffery

Surrey, UK @npjeffery @npjeffery Model 997 CARRERA 4 GTS Year 2012 Acquired OCT 2018 Model 997.1 GT3 Year 2007 Acquired NOVEMBER 2019

At the time of writing this column, we have been in lockdown for several weeks so all the planned events and trips have either been postponed or cancelled, including a road trip around France and my first PCGB track day at the Anglesey Circuit in North Wales, not to mention the inaugural Das Feuer meet and Goodwood Members Meeting!

I know many fellow enthusiasts have elected to SORN their Porsches, but I decided not to as I am a firm believer in keeping my cars rolling; in my experience, they do not respond well to sitting idle.

Given lockdown restricts any car journeys to those that are deemed to be essential, I decided to keep to a strict rotation, logging when each vehicle was last used. Having already been forced to replace the GT3 battery, I have no desire to repeat this on the other cars…

My first observation has been around how much we historically have taken for granted, and correspondingly how grateful I have felt and how much I have enjoyed those essential journeys. This usually involves delivering supplies to both sets of aging parents, one of which is a ten-mile round trip, the other around 60 miles.

Both therefore represent an excellent opportunity to thoroughly warm up each car to normal operating temperature and get a heat cycle through all the main components, including suspension and bushes. I have witnessed neighbours sitting on their driveways letting the engine tick over for 45 minutes but, to my mind, that can’t be doing the vehicle any good.

It has also served to remind me just how much I love driving the GT3 and GTS, even at low speeds and, despite the fact they are both 997-generation cars, how different they are in reality…

The GTS is the consummate allrounder. You could argue it is all the

911 you will ever need. A much-lauded sweet spot both in terms of the 997.2 generation and the resultant greatness from the sum of its parts. It is a great car to be in, comfortable and well appointed, and equally at home on a mundane trip or blasting along a winding road. I have owned the car since October 2018 and it has proved to be very reliable and relatively low maintenance, only requiring rear lower wishbones so far. It feels heavier than the two-wheel-drive GT3 but there is no shortage of grip and feedback from the steering, and while you have to work it a little harder than the GT3, the rewards are most certainly there when doing so. One observation I would make since owning a later Pdk-equipped car (a 2015 981

Cayman S) is while the gearbox must be the same, the software that controls the shift speeds is markedly different, leading me to ponder whether it is possible to get this upgraded?

The GT3 is a different animal altogether. It sounds positively angry on start up, with a lower, much more menacing tone from the central twin exhaust pipes, and has that uneven race car idle you usually hear in a paddock or pit lane. There is a palpable sense of drama or theatre about it from the off. Uncompromising in its delivery, it just feels more alive at all times and spine tingling as you stretch its legs and start approaching that 8,400rpm redline. It’s more twitchy on the road and you can really feel the rear end pushing down into the tarmac under hard acceleration and the lighter front end bobbing around. The only caveat is the lower ride height and being mindful of speed humps or driveways with an incline, as front axle lift was not available as a factory option on first-generation cars and is a costly non-oem retrofit option. I have already established during lockdown I cannot get it on/off my parents’ drive!

I have no real preference over the interior in each car, although I do prefer the thinner, more basic steering wheel in the GT3 – a real example, perhaps, that less is more…

Tony Mcguiness

San Diego, USA @tonymcguinessgt3rs

Model 997.2 GT3 RS Year 2011 Acquired FEB 2011 Model 991.1 GT3 Year 2015 Acquired DEC 2014

In my Living the Legend column last month I shared my good friend Vic recently purchased a 2019 GT2 RS in GT Silver complete with the Weissach Package.

Vic’s new GT2 RS is fitted with a 3.8-litre engine that puts out a massive 700hp and 553lb-ft of torque. According to Porsche, with its PDK seven-speed transmission (the only transmission the GT2 RS comes in), it will catapult the rear-wheel-drive car from 0-62mph in 2.6 seconds. Remember, Porsche has a solid reputation as being conservative when releasing those 0-60 times. I’d expect it to be definitely under 2.6 seconds on a 0-62mph run.

Vic had been suggesting I drive his GT2 RS for quite a few weeks. However, to be honest, I was a bit hesitant. One of the reasons I didn’t want to drive it was, “What if something happened to it?” I wasn’t worried about me doing anything to it, but I certainly was worried about taking it out on the roads in San Diego and some nutter hitting me.

One Sunday morning back in late March, four of us, including Vic’s sumptuous GT2 RS, two 991.2 GT3S and my 991.1 GT3 met in North San Diego County for another one of our fun drives through the hills and back along the Pacific Coast Highway.

When I arrived in my GT3, Vic was waiting for me and insisted I take his GT2 RS out for a drive around the area. As it was just before 7:00am, I relented. It actually didn’t take too much to talk me into it. If I didn’t drive one now, I never would.

After Vic handed over the key, I paused and stood and gazed at this special Rennsport. This 911 is beautiful yet it has a vicious look to it. Peering to the right, one can’t miss that massive wing that unapologetically has ‘Porsche’ spelled out on top of the beautiful carbon fibre.

You instantly know that wing serves a very important purpose. It makes the wings on the 991 GT3S look rather quaint in comparison. Standing at the driver’s door of the GT2 RS, I again pause and glare over to the left at that gorgeous black carbon-fibre bonnet with those NACA ducts.

This Neunelfer, without me getting in and firing it up, lets me know it means business. I am fully aware this is a race car with a legendary record on the Nürburgring and it just happens to have a California licence plate. Well not quite yet, but it will.

As I enter the RS, I am immediately aware of the beautiful interior. I find my left leg shaking a bit as I buckle myself into the most comfortable bucket seats I have ever sat in. At this point, with the shaky leg, I am thanking a higher power it doesn’t have a third pedal! On top of the head rest, you can’t help but notice the words ‘Weissach Package’ with the track stitched in beautiful white gold metallic.

Everything in this Rennsport Ltd Edition Weissach Package is beautiful and the finest quality. Inside it doesn’t differ too much in many ways to my 991 GT3, which is also very luxurious. However, that is where the similarities end between the GT3 and the GT2 RS.

By now, the GT2 RS, Vic and my friends are urging me to get the thing started and take it out. Once the leg stops shaking

I fire up the ignition. It roars on fire up, sending shivers down my spine. It is truly one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. Then a habit I’ve been doing for almost ten years takes place. I automatically press the front axle lift button, raising the front end to avoid scraping the front lip.

Backing the RS out of the parking space, I notice compared to the wing on my 997.2 GT3 RS I can see out the rear window, which is very nice. I continue backing out and can’t seem to wipe the silly grin off my face as my friends take video and photos.

I kept the windows down to hear that glorious engine. That engine is a statement of intent without doubt. Making my way out of the car park to the street, it strikes me just how big this GT2 RS is compared to my 997.2 GT3 RS.

The steering on the GT2 RS is phenomenal. Moving through the car park to the exits, I can feel this bloody thing would rather be at the ‘Ring’ instead of the shopping mall car park. I carefully exit the car park and begin to open the throttle. I feel the power and I am barely moving. Turning right onto a main street, the steering is smooth and precise.

Applying power with the PDK in manual, the car is astonishing. Shifting gears with the flappy paddles is much better of an experience than my 991.1 GT3. I then move the PDK into auto with Sport mode. It simply is staggering as the sheer raw power shoves you back into the seat and snaps off those gears at lightning speeds. The car is telling me it can easily do over 200mph, which is when I immediately let it know, “No thanks!”

Bringing this car back into the car park with the lads and the other GT3S, one word comes to my mind… “Ferocious!”

I’ve never driven anything like it. Nor am I sure I ever will again. Porsche did an incredible job with the GT2 RS and Vic got himself the fastest street 911 ever made. A massive thanks to my friend Vic Murray for allowing me to test drive his beautiful GT2 RS.

Ron Lang

Ashland, Oregon @ronlangsport Model 2.4S Year 1972 Acquired 2018 Model 930 3.3 Year 1982 Acquired 2019 Model 964 CARRERA 2 REIMAGINED BY SINGER Year 1991 Acquired 2018 Model 964 C4 SAFARI Year 1991 Acquired 2018 Model 993 TURBO Year 1997 Acquired 2015 Model 997.1 TURBO Year 2007 Acquired 2020 Model 997.2 GT3RS 3.8 Year 2011 Acquired 2016 Model 991.2 CARRERA 4S Year 2017 Acquired 2017

We all know that what most defines the 911 is the driving experience. That elusive combination of steering feel, engine response, and that seat-of-the-pants sense of what the car is doing as one approaches the limits. The experience driving near the limit of grip, and how the car and driver interact as that limit approaches, is what largely defines our joy of sports cars. Those experiences caused me to recently sell the 2018 991.2 GT3 manual and the 2018 991.2 Turbo S. Both fabulous cars, perhaps too fabulous.

Both solid weapons on the track and if I was doing 20+ track days a year, perhaps justified. But on the road, they are both so composed, so grippy, with such superb suspension and drivetrain configurations that they both became a bit… dull. By that I mean I could drive pretty much as fast and as hard as I wanted and they started to feel too much like a video game. No consequences to minor errors on the road, perfectly composed on any road surface, just too plain good to get anywhere close to exploring those grip limits, to feel the car move around and require corrective action by the driver.

To me, the 992 continues the theme. Bigger still, massive power and grip, and hardly any opportunity to do much more than point-and-shoot, down the straight and through each apex. So, in addition to having little interest in the 992, both 991.2s have gone on to new homes.

In their place, I recently acquired a 2007 997 Turbo six-speed. This Turbo, a lovely Slate grey over natural leather interior, is just right for me. Gads of power, the joy of the three-pedal interaction, the provenance of that Mezger engine providing plenty of thrust. But most importantly, the driving experience. Yes, it is very composed. But, having just completed a lovely 180-mile drive on our local narrow mountain roads, the feel is back. The car moves around, requires some planning when attacking corners, and some correction when things go a bit awry. In other words, driving bliss as expected from a 911.

The car had 52,000 miles on the odometer when I got it, but paint/body/ interior are in wonderful condition. The ceramic brakes provide all the stopping power one could ask for. The navi system is mostly rubbish, and there’s no Apple Carplay or any of the modern infotainment features. But that’s okay, because it is just more fun to drive than either of the 911.2s.

That said, I still have the 2017 991.2 Carrera 4S that I specced and purchased new. Still a wonderful car that has now been largely relegated to winter usage.

The 997 Turbo is in stock form, with an unmodified drivetrain. At purchase, I did have H&R lowering springs installed with fresh alignment. I like the stance and the road feel is great. Oh, and I put Michelin Sport Cup 2s on it, those are such terrific tyres. Time to hit the road!

Peter Wilson

Adelaide, Australia @peterwilson_oz Model 930 3.3 Year 1980 Acquired 2011

We have been incredibly lucky with respect to the impacts of COVID-19 ‘Down Under’, both in terms of our social freedom and the number of cases. Put it down to our relatively sparse population or swift and decisive action by our government, but the biggest impacts here have been to jobs and the economy.

But while we have not been strictly housebound and able to go to work, exercise or shops, it has certainly not been the environment for long, relaxing Porsche drives in the countryside. The mind turns to maintenance tasks and fixing long-term niggling problems that have been put off for months or years. One of these with my car has been finding a final solution to my steering wheel saga. When

I purchased the car it had a Momo Monte Carlo wheel which was lovely, with subtle lumps and bumps in all the right places to provide great grip and several comfortable hand positions. Being of the car’s era, it also looked ‘right’, much as a Prototipo is perfectly at home in a 1960s 911 cockpit. The only problem was that the thick rim and smaller diameter of 350mm compared with the standard 380mm completely obscured the most important part of the speedo face. For a while I solved this by rotating the speedo so that the needle pointed downwards at rest. It certainly improved my vision of the instrument but really irked me that I had disturbed the feng shui of the iconic five-dial dash.

I started looking for alternate wheels, and if the Monte Carlo had been available in a 380mm diameter it would have been the perfect solution. Unfortunately, while Momo make a 380mm variant of the Prototipo, they have never done so with the Monte Carlo. I even thought about chopping up my old wheel, rejigging the frame to make it larger and recovering it, but concerns about strength, safety and appearance deterred me from that path.

Eventually I found a 380mm sports wheel made by OMP called the Velocita. It has a plain rim style with a yellow top centre marking and bolts to the Momo hub adaptor. A few weeks later an OMP was

obtained and installed – it looked great and let me see the speedo up to about 110kph. But out on the road I was dismayed!

Firstly I missed all of the contours that made the Momo so tactile, but the biggest shock was that the extra diameter had reduced the 911 feedback fizz, slowed the steering noticeably and made the entire car feel ponderous on twisty roads. I finally understood the importance of a small sports wheel and the reduced wheel effort when parking was no compensation for losing the responsiveness.

Back to the drawing board, and after some Googling I found that in addition to being 380mm in diameter, the original 930 wheel was also offset about 12mm upwards to provide extra thigh clearance. Go and watch the wheel-twirling in ‘Faszination on the Nürburgring’ on Youtube and you will see that the wheel is quite eccentric.

More Googling and I discover that

Momo manufacture an eccentric hub spacer that moves the wheel 12mm upwards and 10mm rearwards. The spacer has just arrived and rather than using it with the OMP which would have replicated the OEM wheel in every dimension, I have installed it with the beloved Monte Carlo. This provides an acceptable view of the speedo and should restore the steering feedback and agility. Now I just need to get out there and drive!

Lee Sibley

Poole, UK

@lee_sibs

That Nine Eleven Guy Road to Redline Model 996.1 CARRERA Year 1998 Acquired JAN 2019

Last issue I mentioned I’d purchased a set of genuine Fuchs wheels for my 996. They’re the same 8- and 10x18-inch size as the factory BBS split rims that came on the 911, thereby fitting seamlessly onto my 996 once wrapped in my Continental Contactsport 2 tyres.

I ordered the Fuchs from Paragon, an official UK Fuchs dealer, and was amazed at how quickly the wheels arrived – five days in all, despite the fact we were in full lockdown at the time. The wheels themselves came with black petals (you can choose between black or silver faces), though it’s always been my plan to paint the centres to make a proper match for my car. What colour those centres will be going, I’m yet to decide… bronze or green are the current options.

As you can see, I’m in no rush to make a decision as yet, which is why I had the wheels bolted to my 996. I really wasn’t sure how they’d look, if I’m honest – Fuchs wheels look at home on a classic 911, without a doubt, but newer stuff… I’m not so sure. I felt the 996’s softer, more sculpted appearance might just work with the delicacy of the Fuchs design, which is why I decided to take the plunge. It was a risk, but one I feel paid off handsomely. I think the iconic Fuchs look works well with my retro-inspired green paint.

Bolting the Fuchs wheels on has presented me with three new entries on my 996 ‘to do’ list. The first is to get those KW coilovers fitted: for some reason, having aftermarket wheels fitted to the 996 shows just how badly it needs a drop in ride height. I mentioned the Fuchs are the same specs as the split-rim BBS, but now that gap (chasm?) between tyre and wheel arch is more pronounced. Needless to say, as soon as it’s safe to visit a specialist, those coilovers will be getting fitted, as they’ve been sitting in my shed for months now.

Second, I need new wheel bolts. The current bolts are badly corroded, and their rusted heads look pretty bleak against the immaculate wheel faces. I’ll also need slightly longer bolts too, as the rear wheels need spacing out a little to nail the car’s stance. I think a set of 5-7mm spacers should do the trick here, and I’ll report how I get on next month.

Max Newman

Aylesbury, UK @maxripcor Model 997.1 CARRERA Year 2004 Acquired APRIL 2012

Private number plates are quite a divisive thing. I don’t like strategically spaced characters that try and say something. However, the threeletter, three-number pre-a arrangement is very neat and appeals to my OCD. I like the idea of having my initials, certainly rather than MAX. Something with 911 is appealing for obvious reasons, although not quite symmetrical, but they also tend to be expensive.

Anything ending with MN seems off limits for me unless I move to and register my car on the Isle of Man.

Instead I spotted MNZ – Max Newman’s if you will – and bought MNZ 959 direct from the DVLA. My inspiration was the excitement of seeing Paul Pressland’s 959 at the January Sunday Scramble meet at Bicester Heritage. To see the legendary

959 in the wild on a wet and windy day was something quite special. I doubt I’ll ever own one, so I’ve put it on my BMW family wagon where the symmetry and nod to Porsche pleases me immensely.

With a bit of wind in my sails I set out to find MNZ 956 and MNZ 962, but instead found MNZ 997. My 997 still carries the private plate it had when I bought it eight years ago – C2 PGS – the initials of the

previous owner. I may end up with another 911 in the future though, a 991, or maybe even a 993, so I didn’t really fancy that one long term. MNZ 911 on the other hand could be for life, so when I found it on Carreg I couldn’t resist.

I was chatting with my friend Graeme about a 911 he’s interested in – a 997 Turbo – and talking him through the nuances of that model. During our conversation he commented that I probably wouldn’t like it because it’s a Cabriolet, and I’m a purist. I don’t know if I am a purist. The 911 I bought certainly conforms to the purist ideals – it doesn’t even have a rear wiper, although on numerous occasions I’d have found one extremely useful.

I certainly aspire to own ‘purist 911s’, but I also regularly find myself looking at 991 Cabriolets (S model with PDK,

Sport Chrono, PSE) and thinking what a wonderful car it would be to own, and crucially use and enjoy – a lot. My friend Graeme was right that I don’t like the 997 Cab, but that’s because of the ugly hood design, not because I’m a purist.

The 991 on the other hand is the bestlooking 911 Cabriolet ever to my mind, and a good-looking Cabriolet full stop. Particularly so in narrow-body Carrera and Carrera S, which I think is more elegant, and therefore better looking than the 992 Cab despite sharing the same hood design.

The design of the hood was a great leap forward from 997 to 991, the lines echoing the Coupe more faithfully despite still losing the c-pillar curve so characteristic of Porsche’s design vernacular. Even with the hood down it looks good, more pert than previous generations.

The 981 Boxster is maybe better looking still – hood down – but that’s for a different magazine! I don’t think rigidity is an issue on these cars either, even in Buckinghamshire where the roads are like a motocross track.

If I am a purist then this must be my 911 guilty pleasure – what’s yours?

Chris Wallbank

Leeds, UK @chris_wallbank @chrisjwallbank Model 997.1 CARRERA S Year 2005 Acquired NOV 2012

With UK lockdown rules stating we can’t travel anywhere by car unless absolutely essential, I’m guessing most readers’ cars haven’t moved from their garage, like mine! So I thought I would take this opportunity to give my leather interior a thorough detailing and share one of my top tips for getting your leather back to that brand-new showroom look.

Now I don’t know about you, but one of my pet hates in life is shiny leather! For me it’s an instant telltale of a very used or high-mileage car, but in reality a car’s leather interior can start looking worse for wear and very shiny after just 20,000 miles or so. The places that show it most are areas that have most bodily contact like the steering wheel, gear knob, handbrake lever and driver’s seat bolster.

Some people may think it would take hours of expensive professional detailing to get their leather back to its original lustre, but all you need is some general household washing-up liquid mixed with hot water in a bowl, a clean microfibre cloth, and a ‘magic eraser’ type sponge – I tend to use the ‘Flash’ brand which can be bought from Amazon for around £1 each. The process is simple and I’ve chosen to use my steering wheel and seat bolster as an example.

Step one is to soak the magic sponge in a soapy bowl of water, then rinse out the excess liquid before starting to gently rub the leather with the sponge, I find it is best to work the leather back and forth in one direction rather than a circular motion. You should start seeing the dirt on the white magic eraser sponge straight away!

After doing a full pass of the steering wheel, I use a clean microfibre to wipe off any excess soapy water before letting it dry naturally, and that really is all there is to it. You should see an immediate difference. Some people do say because you’re potentially removing some of the leather’s natural oils after a deep clean it’s beneficial to feed the leather with something like a Autoglym Leather Care Balm, but my personal opinion is this is only really necessary on much older leather that is showing signs of light cracking.

I hope this tip has been of use, and feel free to send me some of your results via my Instagram (@chris_wallbank) or email chris@chriswallbank.co.uk as I’d love to see them!

Phil Farrell

Cheshire, UK @mllx8pjf Model 996.2 C4 Year 2002 Acquired JULY 2019

Where to start when the 996 has travelled a sum total of 20 miles in the last month? In the absence of not being able to drive anywhere of note, and with everything spic-and-span and not having plucked up the courage yet to remove the roof liner to investigate the rattle around the rear window, there wasn’t much else to do than to look elsewhere for some car-related thrills. And as luck would have it, more or less the same day I was contemplating that challenge, Porsche Club GB dropped an email through to say that some members were spinning-up an iracing event. For those that don’t know, iracing is an online driving simulation ‘game’ used by everyone right up to F1 drivers to hone their skills and complete with others from around the world. To call it a game would be to do it a disservice. It’s genuinely more a simulator.

Alas, after thorough investigation and some guidance from the helpful chaps from the Club it turned out I didn’t have a PC with enough horsepower to drive iracing.

So while I decide whether to invest in a PC that I may or may not use once lockdown is lifted and I can get back to burning actual rather than virtual fuel, I dusted off the old Playstation and booted up Gran Turismo for the first time in years. I remember some of the earlier iterations but this current version (known as GT Sport) is a different thing.

With a few online races behind me I must say I’m hooked. It’s great fun. All I’d say is, while learning make sure you drive cleanly as it gets you out of the races where others don’t appear to brake for bends, so as you’re just setting yourself up on your line you suddenly get shunted by some idiot in a Nissan GT-R who knocks you into the gravel and effectively ends your race. And frustratingly the geniuses behind the game neglected to include a virtual hand gesture button so you can let said GT-R driver know what you think!

But once you’re in with other like-minded racers, it really is superb. I can understand why it’s said to be advisable to get a racing wheel rather than a controller though. I’ll be making that purchase over the next month and probably before I make the step into

iracing now.

I was lucky enough to be awarded a 996 GT3 as a prize car a week or so ago. I took it for a spin around Brands Hatch and I must say if an actual GT3 of that generation drives like it did online it’s a car everyone should have a go with. The sound was very Porsche, it revved out as only a GT car can, and the interior was a faithful reproduction of the real thing.

In between races I did start to think whether the game would let me take my new GT3 on one of the rally stages so that I could, via a tenuous back-door, tick off the ‘take your 911 rallying’ item on the 2020 bucket list. It did, and it was lots of fun sliding around and launching the car over the rally stage. Luckily the game doesn’t appear to feature actual damage so it remains as immaculate as the day it was awarded. Had it been reality I don’t think my car would now be a car that Hexagon Classics would be queuing up to retail anytime soon. But then, we don’t have cars just to look after for the next owner, do we? We have them to drive, and until I can get back into the real world I’m going to enjoy my new virtual motors with all the gusto I enjoy my actual cars with when I can.

Michael Meldrum

Houston, Texas @p911r Model 911 Year 1964 Acquired 2016 Model 911T TARGA Year 1972 Acquired 2013 Model 911E Year 1972 Acquired 2014 Model 930 TURBO 3.0 X2 Year 1977 Acquired 2014 Model CARRERA 3.0 Year 1977 Acquired 2016 Model 911S Year 1977 Acquired 2017 Model 911 Year 1977 Acquired 2017 Model 911SC BACKDATE Year 1978 Acquired 2017 Model 911SC Year 1981 Acquired 2015 Model IROC TRIBUTE Year 1988 Acquired 2018 Model 964 RS AMERICA X2 Year 1993 Acquired 2016 Model 964 C4 WTL Year 1994 Acquired 2016 Model 993 C4S Year 1996 Acquired 2016 Model 997.1 GT3 Year 2007 Acquired 2017 Model 991.1 GT3 RS Year 2016 Acquired 2018

How does one adapt their Porsche lifestyle to the COVID-19 world? As soon as I heard the quarantine was imminent, I decided to shuffle the locations of my Porsche clan. My cars are in three locations: I keep four at the house, the balance of operational cars at Eurocarwerk in Houston and the restorations and custom projects (in progress) at Rs-werks in Pennsylvania.

I decided to keep three of my collection at the house (saving a spot for the Taycan), the 993, 964 and my ’78 RSR Outlaw, Pebbles. Why? Fun driving time will be limited, so if I were able to escape and go out on an errand, having something more civilised and able to fit the whole family would be best, hence the 993 and 964. If I need something rawer and more visceral, Pebbles would be on hand for a ‘therapeutic’ drive.

Now more than ever, an engaging pastime is valuable. There are many sides of the Porsche obsession, including driving, DIY, polishing, photography, social gatherings, racing etc. Some are a good fit for a stay-at-home lockdown (like DIY and polishing), while other aspects are a bit more challenging.

First on my agenda, I finished all my (small) DIY projects, and now everything in my garage is 99.9 per cent sorted, (fortunately the list was short). I have never been fanatical about a shiny clean car, so this was a non-starter for me.

Running errands around town in the aircooled cars is nice but no substitute for a spirited country drive. It’s nice to get out in the 993 and 964 with the family, but I enjoy the solitude of an aimless drive through the countryside, letting my mind empty of everything except the driving experience. Basically it’s my favoured system of therapy/medication.

I find that the ‘in person’ social aspect is the most challenging part of lockdown.

Social media is a poor facsimile of inperson social contact, but it helps. We have been using Google Hangouts for our virtual Coffee and Cars meetings on Saturday mornings from our garages. It has been good to see some familiar faces and to get ‘a nosey’ at their garages. Having a chat about car stuff, even in this virtual format, has been a huge help for me, I’d recommend it.

In the meantime, I seem to be spending much of my time investigating new Porsche purchases. If anyone knows of a Signal yellow 1967 911S or a higher mileage Carrera GT, send me a message!

James Mcgrath

Minneapolis, USA @auto.amateur Auto Amateur autoamateur. buzzsprout.com Model 991.1 CARRERA Year 2013 Acquired 2019

I’m rapidly reaching the end of the wishlist of mods and jobs I created for my 991. I can’t believe it has been almost a year since I purchased the car in California last summer. From wheel spacers to wrapping the formerly Agate grey car in a colour almost identical to Mexico blue, to developing a nasty (expensive) carbon-fibre trim habit, it has been a really fun year finetuning this 2013 911 C2 to my own personal taste. But here I am, with just one or two jobs left to do, and I’m already thinking about what’s next for my Porsche journey.

When I got to this stage with my Jet black 2006 997.1 C2, it wasn’t much longer than a month before I was saying goodbye to it and welcoming my current 991. Two years prior to that, the same thing happened as I transitioned from my 996 (my first Porsche) into said Jet black 997. Something is different this time. As much as I’m looking for a new 911 challenge,

I’m not ready to say goodbye to my 991. I’m still in the honeymoon period with it – the PDK, the sound of the naturally aspirated engine that is amplified by the Soul Performance valved exhaust systems and of course, the air-cooled seats. It’s too soon; I’m not ready to move away from the 991, but I need another Porsche project… Given my so-called ‘daily driver’ (my 2011 Cayenne) gets less mileage and attention than my 991, I decided to sell it and get myself a project car. Welcome to #Project996.

‘Project 996’ is a joint venture between myself and two friends who have, let’s say, an unquenchable thirst for wrenching on our cars. Through the new Project 996 forum on my website, Instagram and my Youtube channel, our plan is to locate a

996 that has seen better days and between us, we are going to give it a new lease of life. I couldn’t be more excited. Not only will the sale of my Cayenne help fund some of the parts we’re going to need, it’s also going to give up its bay in my garage to give us a place to work on it. If watching a group of rank amateurs take a 911’s engine apart, retrofitting an IMS or installing a new exhaust system tickles your fancy, please follow along and join in the fun!

I can’t wait to find out just how much I don’t know about these cars and how much there is still to learn. Plus I find it fitting that I’m going back to where it all began for me, with a 996. It’s a model that is overlooked and underappreciated. We’re going to give the one we find the love and attention it deserves. Wish us luck!

Joe Williams

Sandbanks, UK @joewilliamsuk Road to Redline Model 912 Year 1967 Acquired APR 2017

So with the current advice being to ‘stay alert’ and socially distancing with one other person being permitted, it seemed a great excuse to give the 912 some vitamin D and see the light of day! It’s become my weekly shopping vehicle too, which makes the supermarket experience marginally bearable.

The 912 met up with its cousin in the shape of the Ashgood Porsche splitty! Rocking a 2.2-litre Porsche flat six, the irony is the bus had two more cylinders than my little four banger. With its patina and old-school look, the bus has actually been well fettled with all-new running gear, fully sorted chassis, polished Fuchs and a new interior. Not to mention that great rumble in the rear, it shifted along to our little picture stop quite well.

As with all older cars, they like to expel the odd part here and there or leave their mark in some way, just to remind you they need looking after. This month the 912 popped out a headlight! It was happily secure one minute and ejected the next… for anyone that’s taken apart an early headlight, Stuttgart decided the best way to put them together was with a domino link of wire pins and then just one screw in for good measure (or good luck?).

When one of the pins becomes dislodged or rattles loose, it then fires off the rest of them, leaving the headlight to fend for itself. A quick rebuild later, all was well again and the candle was back in the gun barrel.

My test fit with the new, wider Fuchs rims went well and I’m hoping to work out the tyre sizes shortly. There still might be some inner arch clearance issues to allow for, but it’s looking promising. I’m also curious to see how the handling changes going from 6-inch all round to 7 and 8-inch. I think the next plan needs to be winding it down towards the ground a bit maybe, with some rake in it to get the stance right.

Harold Gan

Perth and Sydney, Australia @drivenbytaste

Model 993 C4S Year 1995 Acquired JAN 2000 Model 993 C2S Year 1997 Acquired JUL 2018 Model 993 C2 Year 1994 Acquired MAY 2018 Model 964 C2 FACTORY TURBO-LOOK CABRIOLET Year 1993 Acquired JUL 2018 Model 996.1 GT3 Year 2000 Acquired APRIL 2019

We often take things for granted. And this global pandemic has got me locked down and stuck thousands of miles away from the Porsches. While I live in Australia, I spend a significant amount of time as well in Singapore currently. Unfortunately this time round though,

I got stuck in Singapore just before the pandemic took a significant turn for the worse and locked me out of Australia for the short term.

Sitting here wondering what to write about, I was brought back to a time not too long ago when just going out for a drive and to hang out with some friends over a coffee now seems like an unattainable luxury.

With that said, I have never been one to go to large coffee meet-ups but rather call up a small group of like-minded friends for a short cruise or drive through our favourite roads and for some photos, but always ending with a good coffee. The ability to link together a set of corners in your car with your friends is absolute gold. But I have always found that such drives are best with close friends that know each others’ driving habits, and more importantly have a level head on their shoulders. No bravado, and no need for showing off to each other, the best drives are with friends who are only really interested in enjoying the vehicle with responsibility.

And this takes me back to one of the last drives that I went on with a close group of friends through the eastern suburbs just on the outskirts of Perth in Western Australia. Starting the morning early as all coffee drives should be, a small group of cars met at a petrol station with a coffee outlet early on a Sunday morning. Being the eager beaver that I am, I was the first to arrive in PIB, my slightly modified 993 Carrera. Joining me on this day would be two modified G-series cars belonging to good buddies and a TVR.

And therein lies the beauty of cars. We truly don’t care what brand or model of car one drives; if they are a true enthusiast, friendships will always be formed over these four-wheel obsessions. Seeing as the initial route was chosen by me, I led the group out of the station to a stretch of road that links nothing more than farms together. Perfect morning weather and a lack of cyclists at the time made for wonderful driving, though I am always mindful of the fact that the roads are shared and as a result we never push into crazy speeds or levels, rather always staying well within speed limits and ensuring that the sensibility of age always reigns supreme. Crazy driving for us nowadays is limited to the track.

After completing the approximately 20km of tight twists and turns, we were led out by my friend Richard onto another stretch near the hills where we could stop for some photos before heading for coffee. At the photo location, we were greeted by a number of cyclists that were very, very impressed by the TVR with our poor little old bugs being all but ignored. But that was able to give me some more time to take some shots of the 911s while the TVR drew the crowd.

The drive finished with a great coffee and as expected a long conversation of trying to convince our dear Tvr-driving friend to get a car that could actually move around corners a bit better.

But coffee sessions don’t always involve a lot of driving, with photos sometimes being the priority. Another meet-up that I remember just before the pandemic was a short drive to Fremantle with another group of like-minded Porsche nuts. During that early-morning coffee I had found a quaint spot to take photos of our cars alongside an old vessel with a gorgeous sunrise behind. The only problem is that we would need to start out from our homes at around 5am, something which I must say most were a little weary about. But we all made it and we managed to take some photos before having a great coffee in the heart of Fremantle.

Ah how I miss these simple freedoms, but as I write this I hope that all the readers are keeping safe and well. This will come to pass, but I feel for all those caught deep in the suffering and can only say that with a concerted effort to stay home and be safe, we will get through this. Let’s keep remembering the good times but also remember that the confinement is a small price to pay for the healing of society as soon as possible.