Being woken by rain hammering on your bedroom window is never a good sign. Being woken by rain hammering on your bedroom window knowing you're going to be driving someone else's treasured 911 SC in typically dog-eat-dog M25 traffic just adds to the sense of Monday morning dread.
Too nice for a daily? Don't be soft says owner Lio
The lead picture is from the first few miles of my drive this morning. Even if the cough-cough-BANG! start-up procedure of a carb-fed flat-six (sorry neighbours) hadn't woken me up squinting through the spray as per the lead picture certainly did. I'd like to say the view was improved framed by classic 911 wings in the rather delightful yellow paint but, frankly, I'd have much rather been in the SEAT I swapped it for at that moment.
I'd been very much enjoying this 911 all weekend, having picked it up from builders Autofarm on Saturday and met incredibly affable and laid back owner Lio Di Mascio. The full story will follow but in its previous incarnation as a 2.7 replica he used it to commute every day into central London and racked up 35,000 miles in his first period of ownership and another 20+ since buying it back in 2012 from the chap he sold it to. This interim custodian, clearly of a different mindset, put just 4,000 miles on it in nearly six years.
Clearly then Lio's not the kind of man to own a car like this and not enjoy every possible excuse to drive it. Bravo Lio! As well as the commuting he's done several Le Mans runs and roadtrips back to his native Scotland. And I was keen to follow his example over a mainly dry weekend with several 'errands' turning into rather more extensive drives than first envisaged.
Safely at PH Towers ... and breathe
Then this morning and suddenly the burden of considerable responsibility weighing on my shoulders was rather less welcome. Gifted a rather lovely 911 to razz around in I'm aware of exactly how much sympathy I deserve... And though the drive went fine, the 911 was never even remotely sketchy or truculent and 90 minutes of stop-start traffic means my technique for smoothly shifting a Porsche 915 gearbox is now nailed I was very, very glad to reach PH Towers with no dramas. Over the weekend the sight of this car stationary seemed accusatory and an incentive to go for a drive. In today's context it's a relief.
So respect to Lio, and those like him with such a pragmatic approach to running PHey cars many would say are too precious for daily use. I'd like to say I share such a pragmatic approach but the currently seized rear calipers on my Eunos (a common problem if you don't drive 'em enough) would suggest I'm talking the talk rather than walking the walk.