Tell me about your most memorable drive in a Porsche
Discussion
Mine would have to be my first ever drive in one in 1993. I wanted a Porsche for as long as I can remember and collected brochures, magazines etc and was saving hard for one. A colleague bought a 1979 SC Targa, Silver with Cork Pinstripe and I went with him to look at the car in NW London after work. We agreed a deal for £6600, paid the gent and drove back in the car. I got to drive it in the dark, freezing cold with the roof off from Wembley to Southall. Having dreamt of that moment for years, it was a wonderful feeling and less than a year after a similar Targa was in my drive, the first in a long line of Stuttgart's finest.
nudgerwilliams said:
At the 'Ring in a (very generous) friend's 996 GT3RS. My first time there, my first time on track in a Porsche, and my first time on track in anything more pokey than a 100hp Caterham. Event was a GRRC organised track day, so after the drive out, there was a nice dinner with one Derek Bell as guest of honour, and he joined our table for the meal. I had more to drink than was sensible, and by the end of the meal was lecturing Derek on the best lines to take at Goodwood in a 7.
The following day was the track day, so I started to get some familiarity with the car and the circuit. Derek was giving pax rides in a 997, after which the passengers were generally emerging with wide-eyed tales of massive slides, so he was clearly trying. By early afternoon I was starting to feel a bit more comfortable, and was in the car on my own when a bit of rain started to fall. Derek came by on the way down to Adenau, so I thought I would try to follow for a couple of corners, thinking an RS should easily keep up with a regular 997. You can probably guess what happened next. I span at the right-hander at Ex-Muhle. Thank God the thing stayed out of the barriers somehow.
It sparked my desire to get back out doing some trackdays, though, and directly led to me buying the only RS Porsche I could afford (a 964RS - back in the day when they were affordable), and several years of track days, great weekends away with mates, and more recently to my GT4.
David
At least we kept up with Derek at the dinner the night before....heady days indeed !The following day was the track day, so I started to get some familiarity with the car and the circuit. Derek was giving pax rides in a 997, after which the passengers were generally emerging with wide-eyed tales of massive slides, so he was clearly trying. By early afternoon I was starting to feel a bit more comfortable, and was in the car on my own when a bit of rain started to fall. Derek came by on the way down to Adenau, so I thought I would try to follow for a couple of corners, thinking an RS should easily keep up with a regular 997. You can probably guess what happened next. I span at the right-hander at Ex-Muhle. Thank God the thing stayed out of the barriers somehow.
It sparked my desire to get back out doing some trackdays, though, and directly led to me buying the only RS Porsche I could afford (a 964RS - back in the day when they were affordable), and several years of track days, great weekends away with mates, and more recently to my GT4.
David
jcosh said:
Nice one Steve. My memory actually involves you, indirectly.
Back in 2005 when we used to regularly track our 996 GT3RS's we did two consecutive days at Spa. It was my first time at Spa and you had given me a passenger ride in your car on the first morning to show me the lines. The rest of the day was epic as I began to learn what has become my favourite track. Day two was great, but the stand out memory was my last two sessions.
Most people had gone home and the track was pretty much empty, dry and the sun low in the sky. I'd put new tyres on earlier that day and the car felt superb. My second to last session was just me and another RS owner (can't remember who) on track and we lapped together for about 5/6 laps. We then came in to cool down and I thought that was enough, but I couldn't resist one last session, knowing there was enough time for another few laps. As I exited the pits I knew I had the place to myself. I managed 5 glorious laps, didn't see another car and carried on to the chequered flag. No driving heroics, just tidy lapping enjoying a superb circuit all to myself. Priceless!
Bumped into Andy B from my 996 days a few weeks back and recalled this story to him and he confirmed that it was John Heath that I was lapping with on the second to last session. Two names that I'm sure Steve R will know. Happy memories of great times and a great bunch of chaps. Back in 2005 when we used to regularly track our 996 GT3RS's we did two consecutive days at Spa. It was my first time at Spa and you had given me a passenger ride in your car on the first morning to show me the lines. The rest of the day was epic as I began to learn what has become my favourite track. Day two was great, but the stand out memory was my last two sessions.
Most people had gone home and the track was pretty much empty, dry and the sun low in the sky. I'd put new tyres on earlier that day and the car felt superb. My second to last session was just me and another RS owner (can't remember who) on track and we lapped together for about 5/6 laps. We then came in to cool down and I thought that was enough, but I couldn't resist one last session, knowing there was enough time for another few laps. As I exited the pits I knew I had the place to myself. I managed 5 glorious laps, didn't see another car and carried on to the chequered flag. No driving heroics, just tidy lapping enjoying a superb circuit all to myself. Priceless!
Robbo66 said:
You’d have loved it R...bucket list stuff
Right - simple - I need to win the lottery (actually I may as well win the Euro Millions I suppose) so I can retire , then I’ll finally have some proper free time so I can come on the next one - off to buy a ticket - should all fall into place by the time I wake up tomorrow morning - I’ll confirm it’s all sorted asap 
RSVP911 said:
Right - simple - I need to win the lottery (actually I may as well win the Euro Millions I suppose) so I can retire , then I’ll finally have some proper free time so I can come on the next one - off to buy a ticket - should all fall into place by the time I wake up tomorrow morning - I’ll confirm it’s all sorted asap
I must admit..i admire your indefatigable blind optimism...! I have a slightly different outlook on life and always have a 'glass half full' mentality ........................................................................................................trouble is its half full of sh
t.. Until next time - details & pics of mine here - GT4 to Spain
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
After 25+ years of wanting a 911 the drive home in my 996 wasn't all that great as my daughter had Swine Flu & was really suffering in the back of the car 
It took a good few weeks & an early sunday morning blast for me to really gel with the car, you know when you get to the end of a particular stretch of road slightly scared & in complete admiration of the car you're driving?
Numerous good drives since, several with fellow PHers but that 1st one is the one that will always stick in my memory.
It took a good few weeks & an early sunday morning blast for me to really gel with the car, you know when you get to the end of a particular stretch of road slightly scared & in complete admiration of the car you're driving?
Numerous good drives since, several with fellow PHers but that 1st one is the one that will always stick in my memory.
LordHaveMurci said:
It took a good few weeks & an early sunday morning blast for me to really gel with the car, you know when you get to the end of a particular stretch of road slightly scared & in complete admiration of the car you're driving?
You weren't on the old (not now) A30 (going West from Exeter), were you? Was really on it during a recent blast and went into a never-ending corner at a pretty optimistic speed. You've just described the exact feeling (and memory) I have of it.EGTE said:
You weren't on the old (not now) A30 (going West from Exeter), were you? Was really on it during a recent blast and went into a never-ending corner at a pretty optimistic speed. You've just described the exact feeling (and memory) I have of it.
Nope, not much of that road left to enjoy now anyway Loving these memorable drives so thought I'd chip in. I spent this Summer living in France and a few weeks of that in Chamonix (I work remotely so figured it'd be a nice place to work for the summer and have a fun road trip with my Cayman). After finishing work one day I took a drive up to a village above Chamonix and spent a couple of hours hiking up one of the valleys. I took this photo on my return to an empty car park:
It was a typically twisty road that had been full of traffic on the way up but on the way down was deserted so I put the window down, the sports exhaust on and had the most exhilarating drive on multiple hairpin bends, gunning it on the straights and listening to that flat 6 howl echoing off the mountains around me with not a single car around (I also discovered the sports exhaust is a lot louder from outside than I'd realised). It was the sort of drive I dreamed about as a kid in a sports car and was exactly the reason I took my car with me for my Summer trip. To top it all the only other car I saw was coming the other way at the end of the twistiest section and it was a 991 911 doing exactly the same thing!
I try to remind myself of that drive whenever I'm stuck in traffic now.
It was a typically twisty road that had been full of traffic on the way up but on the way down was deserted so I put the window down, the sports exhaust on and had the most exhilarating drive on multiple hairpin bends, gunning it on the straights and listening to that flat 6 howl echoing off the mountains around me with not a single car around (I also discovered the sports exhaust is a lot louder from outside than I'd realised). It was the sort of drive I dreamed about as a kid in a sports car and was exactly the reason I took my car with me for my Summer trip. To top it all the only other car I saw was coming the other way at the end of the twistiest section and it was a 991 911 doing exactly the same thing!
I try to remind myself of that drive whenever I'm stuck in traffic now.
1988,Mallory Park to Cricieth North Wales via shrewsbury barmouth etc one early May sunny summers evening then back to Cheshire
Light traffic of course back then, no speed cameras and a 2.2S recently out of an Autofarm rebuild. The calico ripping howl,the predictable slide and the powerful brakes in a light car with steering that held a conversation with you
My 996 TT is fine but nothing like a real sports car if I'm totally honest
Track driving is one thing,keeping a high but safe average on challenging roads you are unfamiliar with in a drivers car is very different
Light traffic of course back then, no speed cameras and a 2.2S recently out of an Autofarm rebuild. The calico ripping howl,the predictable slide and the powerful brakes in a light car with steering that held a conversation with you
My 996 TT is fine but nothing like a real sports car if I'm totally honest
Track driving is one thing,keeping a high but safe average on challenging roads you are unfamiliar with in a drivers car is very different
What a great thread. So many drives stick in the mind but two stand out above all the others.
The first one was in my old 993 summer 2004. We had just finished a PCGB track day at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit - Steve Rance I think it may well have been the same day that you referred to in your opening post on this thread. I remember the yellow Carrera GT per the pictures below.
We finished up at the trackday and about 4 p.m. and my wife and 2 young kids were flying out to Geneva the following morning for a two week break in Chamonix. My task was to get to Chamonix in the Alps set the chalet up and make it back to Geneva by 11 the following morning to pick them up.
I remember the most wonderful drive through endless tree lined empty marble smooth roads cutting across France from North West to South East France -iirc there was no obvious motorway so i threaded through on D roads. That year the 993 was in a real sweet spot it begged to be revved, refreshed perhaps from the trackday's exercise, i'd just had a motorsport intake system put in. It just made the worst wonderful sound the roads are completely empty, I drove through the night ending up in Auxerre at about 2 a.m. Checked in to a B&B for 4 hours sleep.
Up early the next day and drove past Geneva straight to Chamonix to set the chalet up. And then drove back the hour to Geneva airport and made it in time to pick them up. That night hitting the sack I thought of the last 2 days of driving I just remember this perma smile thinking that was about as good as it gets - & a mental note to do this euro trip at least once a year! Here are some pics. I'll post the second trip separately.
The first one was in my old 993 summer 2004. We had just finished a PCGB track day at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit - Steve Rance I think it may well have been the same day that you referred to in your opening post on this thread. I remember the yellow Carrera GT per the pictures below.
We finished up at the trackday and about 4 p.m. and my wife and 2 young kids were flying out to Geneva the following morning for a two week break in Chamonix. My task was to get to Chamonix in the Alps set the chalet up and make it back to Geneva by 11 the following morning to pick them up.
I remember the most wonderful drive through endless tree lined empty marble smooth roads cutting across France from North West to South East France -iirc there was no obvious motorway so i threaded through on D roads. That year the 993 was in a real sweet spot it begged to be revved, refreshed perhaps from the trackday's exercise, i'd just had a motorsport intake system put in. It just made the worst wonderful sound the roads are completely empty, I drove through the night ending up in Auxerre at about 2 a.m. Checked in to a B&B for 4 hours sleep.
Up early the next day and drove past Geneva straight to Chamonix to set the chalet up. And then drove back the hour to Geneva airport and made it in time to pick them up. That night hitting the sack I thought of the last 2 days of driving I just remember this perma smile thinking that was about as good as it gets - & a mental note to do this euro trip at least once a year! Here are some pics. I'll post the second trip separately.
Edited by Singh911 on Tuesday 14th November 18:42
The mental note I made back in 2004 stuck ie the need to make one of these European road trips every year. Another great memorable drive was two years ago in the GT3 threading through the Black Forest on to the alpine passes and then down to Monaco and a blast backup through France via the D996 up to Calais over about 10 days.
Throughout those 10 days we somehow had perfect weather. Highlights of that trip were through the Black Forest there were a trio of motorbikes around we chased each other for around 60 miles of twisting smoothforest roads with stunning scenery - there was this rustic woody smell in the air that just hung can't forget it - like fresh burnt wood. Wasn't at breakneck dangerous speed but it was fast enough to really enjoy flicking the car one way in the other remember those motorbikes would accelerate away on the straights and I'd catch right up through the some of those really lovely long bends braking later going much quicker through the bends.
When we got to the alpine passes I remember a couple of older gentlemen from Holland who were in their 964. Got chatting to them at one of the little restaurants at the top of the passes they were lifelong friends who just loved air cooled Porsches and were fortunate enough to have the time and inclination to still come out and enjoy the cars. Amen to that.
Throughout those 10 days we somehow had perfect weather. Highlights of that trip were through the Black Forest there were a trio of motorbikes around we chased each other for around 60 miles of twisting smoothforest roads with stunning scenery - there was this rustic woody smell in the air that just hung can't forget it - like fresh burnt wood. Wasn't at breakneck dangerous speed but it was fast enough to really enjoy flicking the car one way in the other remember those motorbikes would accelerate away on the straights and I'd catch right up through the some of those really lovely long bends braking later going much quicker through the bends.
When we got to the alpine passes I remember a couple of older gentlemen from Holland who were in their 964. Got chatting to them at one of the little restaurants at the top of the passes they were lifelong friends who just loved air cooled Porsches and were fortunate enough to have the time and inclination to still come out and enjoy the cars. Amen to that.
Edited by Singh911 on Tuesday 14th November 16:37
Edited by Singh911 on Tuesday 14th November 16:52
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