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Psssttt… over right here. Ah sure, you most likely can’t recognise me on this crafty disguise.
Usually I rock as much as a automobile present in some type of BMW. Those that’ve learn my articles up to now will know that my alliances with the Bavarian titan are blood tight. Fidowicz with no BMW is like Christmas with no pine tree. However this time I’ve gone undercover. We’re going to infiltrate the Porsche crowd on the 2023 FlatSix occasion from the within, Trojan Horse fashion. However as an alternative of a horse, it’s a 20-year-old convertible, and as an alternative of a military of Greek troopers sitting inside, it’s simply me holding a digicam.
I’ve left my BMW at dwelling, and as an alternative managed to get my pesky fingers on a unique set of keys for the weekend. As a result of, what higher strategy to become involved with the Porsche group than rocking as much as considered one of their very own automobile exhibits in a Porsche?!
My steed is a 2.7L mid-engined, handbook Boxster with a mere 160,000 miles on the clock and its fair proportion of age-related dents and scrapes. However whereas my disguise may not be the flashiest within the crowd, beneath its look we have a effectively taken care of sports activities automobile, fuelled and prepared for the dash down from London to Goodwood Motor Circuit.
Whereas the Greeks needed to endure a sweaty, cramped, picket journey to succeed in their goal, I received to get pleasure from my journey on a few of South England’s most interesting B-roads, with wind in my hair and a raspy, induction-filled flat-six on the mercy of my proper foot. It’s an expertise that’s largely unparalleled within the motoring world, and one that gives a lot driving enjoyment that it’s solely persevering with to develop the Porsche model.
A lot in order that it’s unimaginable to go to any automobile occasion within the UK now with out it being dominated by Porsches, particularly the 911. You could possibly go to the annual MGB Homeowners Membership UK gathering and someway MGBs will nonetheless be outnumbered by 911 homeowners. Head alongside to any Sunday Scramble occasion at Bicester Heritage and you’ll discover a normal carpark that appears extra like a Porsche foremost seller parking zone.
You simply can’t shake the issues. They’ve at all times been unimaginable automobiles, however just lately their presence at motoring occasions appears to have quadrupled.
I believe the current inflow of used Porsche purchases may be largely attributed to the rise of social media creatives and so-called ‘influencers’ getting their fingers on them to get pleasure from as objects of luxurious on high of simply being nice sports activities automobiles alone. A Porsche is the kind of object that matches a way of life the place your furnishings is from Scandinavia, the meals you eat is plant primarily based, you have got tennis classes on Tuesday, and also you’re married to somebody who works on Vogue journal.
Individuals desire a slice of that life. Porsche themselves are conscious of this, and even fund their very own way of life journal to encourage the mystique.
So the large query is, how does this new-found Porsche power radiate once you lastly get your fingers on a bit of sports activities automobile to take to a Porsche occasion?
Bluntly talking, fairly effectively.
The FlatSix present is hosted by these additionally liable for the UK’s present calendar spotlight, Gamers Basic. Because the identify suggests, it’s in the end a celebration of the whole lot Porsche.
The very first thing I realised is that almost each 911 right here appeared to have an thrilling spec. Positive, you had the classier, safer choices like darkish metallic colors too, but it surely’s clear that your common Porsche buyer pushes the boat out to get one thing attention-grabbing and distinctive. This orange 911 might be the strongest instance of what I’m making an attempt to say. Take a look at the contrasting purple inside!
This carries into the true high-end choices from Porsche, and this 996 GT2 was positively a spotlight. The way in which we see right now’s GT3 RS as a ridiculously succesful automobile with the largest rear wing on this planet, this most likely had the identical affect on of us again within the early 2000s.
Tamer, however not too far down the meals chain had been these two 996s. The wonderful roof down blast with the Boxster actually received me enthusiastic about a 996 Cab, and a green-over-tan one ticks all of the packing containers for the proper summer time sports activities automobile.
As is at all times the way in which with a Speedhunter, you shortly gravitate to the modified part. No quantities of social media affiliation with modern-day structure or finely lower natural cotton can take away from the pure dedication of taking a automobile and making it sooner.
The primary set of paddocks hosted a line up of modified Porsches. All types too, from slammed G-bodys to Sultan Al-Qassimi’s 997 drift automobile.
However the true gem from the present – and the one that basically made me perceive the love and keenness for Porsche – didn’t even come from a Porsche-badged automobile.
Once I attended this present final yr, I got here throughout a Porsche RTurbo – a 996 Turbo that received the RUF therapy at Pfaffenhausen in 2002. The chap who owns it’s referred to as Adam, and he introduced it alongside once more for this yr’s occasion. However that’s not all.
Alongside the RTurbo, Adam introduced one other automobile he owns, and this one is actually particular. An precise RUF RTurbo.
That’s proper, not a Porsche, however a RUF, with a RUF car identification quantity and all. Purchased new by his father, the automobile belonged to Adam’s mum who used it as her each day. Yup, Adam’s mum’s each day was a 1-of-25-ever-made, and solely right-hand drive RUF RTurbo on this planet.
Immediately, Adam makes use of the automobile himself to ferry his youngsters round, while his spouse drives the Porsche RTurbo. We’ve had some fairly cool line ups through the years on Speedhunters, however this one might be engraved in my thoughts without end.
I completed my time on the FlatSix present and headed again to the plucky Boxster. My day cosplaying as a Porsche proprietor was full, and I drove dwelling enthusiastic about the RUF RTurbo. It left me feeling fairly rattling good about that undeniable fact that the steering wheel I used to be holding onto shared the identical DNA as a automobile that blew me away.
I’ll depart you with an prolonged picture gallery from Flatsix 2023 under, and a few closing ideas.
It’s unimaginable to check my love for BMW with what Porsche has to supply. It’s apples and pears on the finish of the day, however the Porsche group’s allure is plain, thrilling and, most significantly, optimistic. I don’t assume I’ve ever walked away from a automobile present feeling like that earlier than.
Michał Fidowicz
Instagram: candyshowroom
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