L AL E U Q R TO EBRUA ISSUE 74 F
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RY 2009
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TIPEC (0845 602 0052) www.tipec.net All Torque is published bi-monthly by The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts Club (TIPEC). All text & images are © their authors & photographers. Front cover image: Lindsay Dobson’s 986 Boxster with Zeintec hardtop. Photo by Lindsay herself.
Chairman’s Chat
All Torque is based entirely on submissions from TIPEC members. This is your magazine and we need your involvement! Send in running reports, Porsche-related stories, how-to articles … anything you think might interest other TIPEC members. Please send text and images via email, or on CD/DVD (or paper!) to the address below. Submissions for issue 75 (April) must be in before Friday 6th March 2009. All Torque editor & designer Tony Blow tony@typescape.com Flat 1/1, 47 Greendyke Street, Glasgow G1 5PX Printed by The Lavenham Press Ltd, Suffolk (01787 247 436) Advertising in All Torque is managed by TIPEC club office 10 Whitecroft Gdns, Woodford Halse NN11 3PY (0845 602 0052) TIPEC Chairman Sean Smallman (07500 332 790) sean.smallman@tipec.net Vice Chairman Jim Hearnden (07930 353 232) tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk Treasurer Brian Rowledge mymerak@aol.com Advertising & Club Liason Clive Gosling (07791 480 999) clive.gosling@tipec.net Membership Secretary Dave Doherty (01423 501 988) membership@tipec.net TIPEC Membership, Alexa House 26 Ripon Road, Harrogate HG1 2JJ Gruppe North Director John Oakes (01132 827 512) john.oakes3@btinternet.com Gruppe Central Director Eric Finley (07971 594 211) eric.finley@tipec.net Gruppe South Director Derek Flanagan (07767 254 820) derek.flanagan@varian.com All Torque & TIPEC are entirely independent of Dr. Ing. H.c.F. Porsche AG, Porsche Cars GB Ltd and its dealers. All registered Trade Marks owned by Dr. Ing. H.c.F. Porsche AG, including the word ‘Porsche’, the Porsche Crest and Porsche Script are acknowledged as such and are their property. Whilst all due care is taken in the production of All Torque; neither TIPEC, its officers or the editor can accept responsibility for the advice, information or opinions expressed herein. Opinions contained in any article published herein are of the author or editor and do not reflect the official position of TIPEC, its management or membership, unless clearly stated by a club official.
I’ll start this month’s column by thanking all the guys from Central Region who put together a wonderful display at the Classic Motor Show back in November. The stand generated a lot of interest with something on there for everyone. PCGB were across the aisle which allowed members from both clubs to mingle with each other and talk Porsche. A very warm welcome to all those that joined over the weekend, please check out your regions and find out how you can get involved. Joining in and getting involved is the way to get the most out of your club. This is the time of year when regions are putting together their events calendar for 2009. Having already seen a few, this year is looking like it is going to be the best yet. Fingers crossed that the weather plays its part and all the events can go ahead as planned. Please note you can attend any regional event—if something takes your fancy contact the RO and book yourself a place. A few local events are becoming more multi-regional like the Prescott Hill Climb in May, which will be attended by at least five different regions. The regional pages contain all the shows and events that are taking place throughout 2009. As I mentioned last issue this years National Event will be held at the Heritage Motor Centre Gaydon on Sunday 31st May. Plans are now underway to make the most of this wonderful venue. We have booked the track, as that proved to be very popular last year. Last year we were joined by the Speedster and Spyder Club, we have been approached by the Karman Ghia Club and DDK (classic Pre ’73 Porsches) who also want to display. More on the event will be communicated in the next issue of All Torque and on the website. I am pleased to announce that Brian Rowledge has taken up the post of Treasurer and welcome him to the committee. Brian is ARO for the Central Region and has a wealth of experience of club administration. We have closed 2008 with the finances in great shape despite the current climate and we can discuss how to re-invest some of the surplus at the AGM in April. Happy 2009 and I look forward to seeing you in the coming year.
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Goodwood Festival of Speed 3rd–5th July ‘True Grit—Epic Feats of Endurance’ Goodwood has announced its theme for the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed as ‘True Grit —Epic Feats of Endurance’. The South East Region will hopefully have a stand at the event again in 2009 subject to Club Office approving the finances, signing up enough volunteers and display cars for the stand. This is such a popular event that I doubt that there will be any shortage of volunteers. The 2009 theme celebrates the drive and determination of motor racing’s heroes, who overcame huge physical, mental and mechanical barriers in their quest for glory. From Jackie Stewart winning the 1968 German Grand Prix in dense fog with a broken wrist, to Mick Doohan’s return to motorcycle racing with unhealed broken bones, there are countless tales of performances far beyond what one might think possible of any human being. When most would have accepted defeat, these few pursued their goals against all odds. The 2009 Festival of Speed will celebrate their unrelenting true grit and the epic stories they produced.
The TIPEC stand at 2008’s Festival of Speed, set up by the South East Region The selection of machinery at the 2009 Festival of Speed is expected to feature a sensational gathering of the world’s finest competition cars and motorcycles, each present to help tell the epic story of their master’s spellbinding performance. In action, on two wheels and four, will be everything from early Grand Prix and endurance machines, to off-road legends and the most popular contemporary racers—and of course a good selection of racing Porsches. I’m sure Porsche GB will have their 4x4 off road course for the Cayennes. Also featuring will be the centenaries of Bugatti, Audi and Morgan, 50 years of both the Mini and the Daytona Speedway, 40 years since Jackie Stewart and Matra’s dominance in Formula One, plus 60 continuous years of both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Motorcycle World Championship. Goodwood will celebrate the huge and lasting influence of these marques, circuits and championships.
The ‘Angel of the South’ sculpture at 2008’s FoS, commemorating Land Rover’s anniversary Writing & photography by Derek Flanagan
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Tickets and roaming grandstand seats for the 2009 Festival of Speed are now available. For further details, you can register online at My Goodwood on www.goodwood.co.uk, or telephone 01243 755 055.
TIPEC AGM ’09 The club’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday 19th April in Gaydon The AGM will be held at The Heritage Museum at Gaydon, refreshments will be available from 10:00am with the meeting starting at 10.30am. A buffet lunch will be served after the meeting closes. Please confirm your attendance by the 7th April. Any nominations for Committee Roles must be received two weeks prior to the meeting. If you have a question you wish to raise but will not be there on the day please forward it to club office and we will add it to the agenda. The Heritage Museum is located two miles from Junction 12 M40: • Leave the M40 at Junction 12 • Turn left towards Gaydon following the brown museum signs • Turn right at the roundabout • Turn left into the Heritage Centre • Drive down to the front of the museum and follow the road round to your left which will take you to the back of the museum and the conference centre • There will be information inside pointing you to our syndicate room Agenda for the meeting will be: 1. Those present and apologies for absence 2. Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting 3. Report by the Chairman 4. Report and presentation of accounts by the Treasurer 5. Determination of subscriptions for the ensuing year 6. Election of Officers of the Club and of Members of the Management Committee 7. Amendments to Rules and Constitution 8. Any Other Business: This Meeting will take any competent business as Open Forum
Survivor The Unrestored Collector Car Kris Palmer, Parker House Publishing, $30.00, ISBN 978-0-9817270-1-1. Available discounted to £9.66 from www.bookdepository.co.uk including UK postage. There’s a very simple premise behind Kris Palmer’s short-but sweet book. Whilst restoration of classic cars is a fine and noble pursuit, there’s something much more precious about about keeping a car as original as possible—letting it wear it’s age gracefully rather than hiding it beneath cosmetic surgery. Survivor is not a tirade against perfectionism, it bears no ill will toward the fascination with rescuing old bangers and turning them into show-stoppers. Rather it reads as a love letter to hard-earned patina, cracked paint, worn leather and dashboard stains with a story behind them. Think along these lines: If somebody finally manages to find the Porsche 550 Spyder that James Dean crashed and died in, should they set about restoring the car to it’s original showroom condition? With modern paint finishing and hardened steel parts? Or would it have more worth kept exactly as it is found, as a historical monument? Once a car is taken apart and rebuilt with freshly-made components it is easy to argue that it’s not the same car, that history has been erased. It’s an argument that Kris Palmer puts forward very convincingly in the first half of this book, then backs up with twelve case studies; heartwarming tales of car lovers who have gone beyond the everyday in their quest to keep driving a special vehicle that others may have torn apart and used as blank canvasses for more revisionist restoration projects. There’s a broad range of classics covered, and though they are all from an American perspective, Palmer’s easygoing writing style and obvious love for the subject matter make it an entertaining, if short, read. The standout for me is naturally Porsche related: The tale of two Porsche 356s, one coupe and one convertible, that have been in the same family from new—passed on to two daughters on the day each reached legal driving age. Imagine being handed the keys to an original 356 on your sixteenth birthday! No wonder the girls never plan to sell. Survivor is a very sweet little book, beautifully bound and presented, and to be honest the first ‘car book’ I’ve thoroughly enjoyed from cover to cover. For less than a tenner, I can’t recommend it enough.
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New Year’s Day at Brooklands The annual ‘cars and hangovers’ meetup grows in popularity every year. Derek Flanagan was there for 2009’s first auto event.
A record number of 16 TIPEC cars attended the annual New Year’s Day pilgrimage of car clubs to Brooklands Motorsport and Aviation Museum at Weybridge. TIPEC members from South East, SE London & North Kent and Thames Valley regions attended. It was great to chat to so many members and other interesting petrolheads from other clubs and wander around the amazing variety of cars of all eras in the car park—a living museum in its own right with too many makes and models to mention in this write up. The Porsche model line up covered the vintage model 356 1600 Super right up to the latest 997 Turbo. Clive and Anita Lusted turned up with their 928 and it was great to get up to date with Clive as his work schedule has affected his Porsche leisure time recently. After a year of abstinence from concours events Clive hopes to get back into the concours arena in 2009—the car still looks amazing and doesn’t
show its 180K mileage. It will no doubt pick up some more silverware in the future. New member Lindsay Dobson brought her unique 2.7 Boxster with the recently fitted new hard top (imported from South Africa) and one of only four in the country. It certainly got a lot of interest with many people initially thinking it was a Cayman, but personally I think it actually looks better! Brooklands now has the first production Concorde built in Britain where you can take a virtual flight taking you up to twice the speed of sound. Brooklands made a vital contribution to Concorde since design work began in the late 1950s and the site’s unique historical association with the type was the prime reason for the Museum’s ambition to acquire an example for its aviation collection. The aft cabin of the Concorde tells the Concorde story from the 1950s to the present day.
The eighth Rally of the Tests
The ‘best yet’ Rally of the Tests ran from Bournemouth to Llandudno on 20th–23rd November 2008 with 82 classic rally cars entered, including plenty of Porsches.
Srossing Dogditch Brook, near Ludlow, on the ‘Clee Hills’ regularity section
‘Cattle Fodder’ test at Wkye Farm, near Wincanton, on day two
Starting from Bournemouth and finishing three and half days later in Llandudno, the Rally of the Tests is reckoned to be ‘the’ event in Historic rallying to do. Organised by the Classic Rallying Association, and for the second year running being a round of the FIA Historic Regularity Rally Championship, the event attracted over 80 entries, eight of them from Porsche drivers. With a prologue on the Thursday evening, and night stops in Taunton and Stoke, the event took in many varied venues for ‘tests’ and lovely backwater roads for Regularity sections, aiming to recreate the RAC Rally of the Fifties. Howard Warren & Brian Goff finished first in class in Howard’s 1965 Motorshow 911 to be first Porsche home, followed by Dutch crew Jan Ebus & Joost de Jong, eighth overall in a 356.
Early evening on the first day, at Winkleigh Bus Museum grounds Writing & photography by Tony Large (www.tonylarge.net)
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Driving round
the Benz The 2nd of August seems a long time ago now but that was the date of the TIPEC ’08 pre show ‘Back to School’ Dinner Dance. During the evening we had a raffle in aid of the Sporting Bears charity and first prize was won by Paul Mabley from the Thames Valley region.
Paul (the taller chap) collecting his prize at the TIPEC 15th birthday ‘Back to School’ party
Paul’s choice of prize was a £150 voucher for an AMG driving experience kindly supplied by Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey.
The spectacular skid ring at Mercedez-Benz World, blinding in the low Winter sun
Paul mastering the wet ring Being a busy man, Paul had to wait until just before Christmas to use his voucher but apparently it was well worth the wait. The booking was made for 11am so Paul, along with wife Kerry and two sons, arrived an hour early to allow a look around the museum before the drive. There were two cars being used, the SL63 and the CLS63, the SL63 had already been allocated so Paul had the impressive seven speed, 514 bhp CLS as his toy for the hour. For those of you that haven’t been up close to any of the new V8 AMG’s, they make an amazing sound. With the loud pedal fully depressed it sounds like a Spitfire (and I don’t mean the car). It’s a credit to Mercedes that for once you can buy a car that sounds as it should without having to buy a ‘Sports Exhaust Package’.
Grinnig like a child as he reluctantly gets out of the car
Anyway, back to the driving part, the one hour experience took place on the purpose built circuit at the front of the Mercedes-Benz World Museum. The circuit consists of a tight and twisty handling track, high speed wet and dry braking areas and the challenging wet skid ring. We were also lucky enough to see a display by the Silver Arrows display team, with some very impressive three car manoeuvres around the skid ring. A thoroughly enjoyable morning was had by all, it’s just a shame there weren’t two tickets!
The Mini-Mableys with the Silver Arrows drivers Writing by & photography by Jason Gibson
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Lindsay Dobson’s 986 Boxster I used to think I would never get used to owning a Porsche. The quirks, the hardness of the ride, the fear of leaving it in a public place, never to see it again … gradually though, the outstanding engineering, the gorgeous lines and sheer fun overrode all else to the point where I decided my gorgeous 986 Boxster deserved a special treat.
We all know that Porsche cabriolet tops are the best in the business, but I felt both the car and I would benefit from a little extra protection over the winter months. Whilst Porsche’s hard top is well made and functional, I find it lacking in the all important ‘wow’ factor, and made no moves to purchase one. Then, in June 2008 I attended a Boxster gathering and noted what I presumed to be a Cayman. On meeting the owner I was intrigued to learn that the car was indeed a 986, but had been kitted out with the most beautiful hard top imaginable, transforming an already lovely car into something quite different and rather elegant. Cue one of life’s ‘I must have one’ moments. The top in question is designed and manufactured by a company called Zeintec, who are based in Cape Town. Their products gained popularity on the racing circuit, where an aerodynamic hard top will have obvious advantages, but is very much marketed
towards design conscious individuals who will appreciate the seasonal option of a Coupe. Unable to resist, my Zeintop was delivered around 12 weeks later. Each item is hand made to order in South Africa, spray matched to your vehicle, fully assembled, and despatched complete with glass and all necessary components. There is no modification to your Boxster, since the top fits on and off in the standard manner. The only prerequisite is that the OEM spinlock inserts are fitted to your car. These are around £52 and take about 45 minutes to install on the 986. If you’ve had a hard top before, these will be in situ already. Incidentally, the top is also now available for the 987. Initially Zeintec transported all orders via sea freight which involved the customer arranging their own collection from the docks and the administration of Customs fees and Duties. Whilst some will prefer that, I needed a little more help so a full turnkey solution was put together for me; all duties and fees were collected at the supplier’s end and my crate was transported by air to Heathrow, with a door to door transfer to my chosen delivery address. I can’t describe how excited I was, waiting for the call from the workshop to announce its arrival!
The top comprises of two sections, the roof and the hatchback, which is very similar to that on the Porsche Cayman. As such, fitting does take longer than the standard OEM lid, and requires some tweaking to get everything perfect. Although it can be fitted in around four hours, it’s not uncommon for some further adjustment to be necessary, so I’d advise setting a day aside for the first fitment. Subsequent refits are much less time-consuming since the adjustments remain with the top once it’s removed. In brief, fitting comprises of firstly removing the original boot-lid and soft-top clamshell; fitting the wiring loom for the new high mounted brake light; lowering the Zeintop’s spinlocks into the inserts and locking them into position (adjusting where necessary); and finally fitting the hatchback to the main roof.
This does not have to be a specialist job if you’re handy with a set of tools and confident enough to take on the project (with a reliable assistant), but since this is a valuable piece of equipment I enlisted the help of Lawrence Hodgkins at the Accident Repair Centre in Storrington. Lawrence is a bodywork expert specialising in the repair and restoration of performance cars, and has particular experience with Porsches. Lawrence and his assistant Ben did a fantastic job and my car was handed back to me, gleaming, at the end of the day. Despite the job being quite fiddly, the end result is breathtaking and wherever I go I receive a great many admiring looks and favourable comments. The extra visibility is a real bonus, too. As you can imagine, the top is somewhat more expensive than Porsche’s offering. At the time of ordering Zeintec were offering summer promotions bringing their price to 2,650 euro for the top plus 881 euro for air freight and all necessary duties/fees. It’s a tidy sum, but I really do have ‘two cars in one’ and the satisfaction of belonging to a small group of owners who possess something truly unique. Writing by Lindsay Dobson & photography ©www.lindsaydobsonphotography.com
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The Ace of Clubs As Alan Morgan emerged from his reverie, his hands clutching a cup of steaming tea on a winter’s night at London’s Ace Café, he caught the eyes of an attractive young woman looking at him from another table—a chance meeting of glances, but as always it was polite to look away. Anyway, he thought fleetingly, it wouldn’t do for her to think that a middle aged man like him was taking an interest in her. She was young enough to have been his daughter, perhaps in her mid to late twenties. It was ‘Classic Car’ night, and he’d driven his ancient Porsche 911 from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire to meet with kindred spirits. He enjoyed the chat and cameraderie; at the last Ace meeting he’d met Taffy Andrews, now in his seventies, who’d chatted about his motorcycling days of long ago at the famous café. A few early arrivals sat about the Ace’s spacious dining tables, and as Alan glanced up again, he caught her eyes still on him. In that second or so, he got an impression of brown eyes, long, slightly tousled blonde hair, perhaps bleached and parted in the middle, light make-up, and a biker’s black jacket. Her elbows rested on the table, hands with chipped nail varnish resting on top of a silver crash helmet with a black ace of clubs painted on the back. Again feeling awkward he turned away, getting up to look at the menu on the bar, thinking perhaps it would be a good idea to eat before more people arrived and wanting an excuse to avoid the stare of the young woman. As he walked towards the bar, he noted out of the corner of his eye that she’d gone. After a good traditional bacon and eggs fry-up, Alan wrapped his scarf around his neck, tucked the ends into his leather jacket, zipped it up, pulled his woollen hat and gloves on and strolled out into the
A Winter’s ghost story from Eric Kwiatowski
car parking area at the front of the café, its huge glass frontage flooding the parked exotica with light. They were all there, the icons of bygone days: Mark Two Jaguars, a 1940s Lagonda, a 1950s Rolls-Royce, two Austin Healey 3000s and a couple of other Porsches. A few motorcyclists had also arrived. As he strolled past the line of machines, he noticed an old Triumph with an ace of clubs painted on the sides of its rear mudguard, parked slightly away from the others. It probably belonged to the partner of the young woman he’d seen, or in these days of equality and emancipation, perhaps it was hers, he reflected. Of its owner, there was no sign. Alan strolled back to the cars, and was soon talking about Porsches to his fellow enthusiasts, their breath rising in clouds in the chill night air. A puddle of water began to appear under a 924S, and a quick-fix session by several owners immediately began—the problem turning out to be nothing more than a carelessly tightened water hose. As new arrivals drove onto the forecourt, all eyes were on the latest car; some owners opening bonnets to reveal engines that glittered under the café lights, attracting an admiring audience. Each car’s owner had a tale to tell, of how it was bought, sometimes in a near-scrap condition, and then enthusiastically maintained and used. Yet, all too soon it seemed, people began to drift away as the evening wore on. Yes, it had been an enjoyable evening, but the night had turned bitterly cold and it was going to be a long drive home. He turned the ignition key; a faint whine and the familiar explosion of sound as the engine burst into life, quickly settling into the clattering rhythm of the old air-cooled engine.
The windscreen soon demisted as did the rear window, and Alan was on his way. Gradually the shops and suburbs of North London gave way to the A1, lit by cat’s eyes shining like jewels from the roadside. The engine’s note gave way to a turbinelike whine as lorries and slower cars were rapidly despatched, and before long the road across Rutland to Melton Mowbray was signposted. He pulled off on the narrow sliproad, turned left around a short, sharp bend, and began his journey across the rural roads of the ancient county. A flicker of light in his mirrors caught his attention; probably a motorbike, he thought. The light drew closer, the rider remained behind briefly but then suddenly accelerated alongside the car, and to Alan’s intense annoyance pulled ever closer but would not overtake. Glancing sideways, he noticed with surprise the ace of clubs on the machine’s rear mudguard, inches from his door. Distracted, he failed to notice how close to the road’s edge he was driving until his car abruptly swerved to the left, hurling clods into the air as the 911 headed down towards a yawning ditch. In that moment, as he fought for control, the motorcycle roared off as his Porsche shuddered to a halt at a drunken angle, its nose dipping towards the ditch, the passenger side low to the ground. A split second later, a deafening roar shattered the night, approaching headlights on full beam seared his eyes, and a cacophony of blaring horns accompanied two cars hurtling side by side around the bend he’d been about to drive into. In that instant, as the cars tore into the distance behind him towards the A1 and the din faded, the sickening realisation hit him that the motorcyclist must have been hit by these insane drivers, and that he owed his own life to the rider.
He clambered feverishly out of his car, wrenching a torch from the glove compartment, anticipating with horror and a mounting feeling of nausea what he might find around the bend. Alan ran as he’d never run before, raking the road before him with torchlight. Astonished, he found nothing. Relief and disbelief flooded his mind. But how could the motorcyclist possibly have escaped? No tyre tracks, skid marks, nothing. He trembled, panting in a cold sweat in the frosty air, the stars his only companions. At the next Ace Café meeting a month later, he began to talk to old Taffy Andrews again. Taffy had brought along a box full of photographs of the old days. There they were, the motorcycles of half a century ago; Nortons, Enfields, BSAs, Triumphs and Velocettes. Then came the photograph that made Alan’s hair stand on end, and a chill freeze over his body. There, leaning against the motorcycle he’d seen outside a month ago was the same blonde woman, the ace of clubs painted on her machine. His mind racing, Alan sought an explanation—he’d seen her daughter, perhaps? “Who’s this?” he asked Taffy, the words barely coming out. Taffy paused. With the sadness of years, he said “That was my Pamela. We were to be married, then a lorry suddenly pulled out sideways when we were overtaking on the bike. I had to swerve to the right, we crossed the road and into a ditch on the other side. She was catapulted off the back, and hit a tree. Killed instantly. There’s never been another for me.”
Writing by Eric Kwiatowski
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NEC Classic 2008 14–16th November ‘The Classic’ is a great show. Insulated from the weather by virtue of being entirely indoors it’s a great mix of classic cars, automotive products, auto jumble, car clubs and petrolheads in four halls of the NEC.
First contact with the NEC to arrange our stand location was way back in February and plans quietly gathered pace as we moved through the year. To ease the burden of car selection we formed a ‘steering group’ and agreed that to show your car at the NEC would require the following: 1. The car must be in very good condition 2. The owner must be willing to be with the vehicle all three days
Our display was enhanced with the use of a laptop to show pictures from various club events and the now traditional TV/DVD running various ‘Porsche interest’ DVDs over the course of the show. Thanks at this point to Duke Video (www.dukevideo.com) for their kind permission in allowing us to show reviews of Le Mans from 1982 and 1983 all weekend.
The second of these always proves to be the most difficult. Lots of people are keen to show their car but work and holiday commitments mean that getting folk to agree to a three-day show is always hard. If you’re reading this and think you and your car might fit the bill please get in touch with me and register your interest for 2009.
The three days passed in a flash and we were delighted to welcome lots of new members to TIPEC over the weekend. If you are one of those who joined at the show, please get involved with your local region and make the most of your membership.
After much deliberation we agreed on a suitable mix of cars to represent the marque and the club effectively but even this was changed later due to the mindless vandalism of one car and the sale of another. Depsite the enforced changes we ended up with a classic mix for the display.
On Sunday we raffled off a remote controlled car (donated by Chris & Carole Hood) for a local hospice and, with the aid of John Brookes letting kids sit in the racecar to boost ticket sales, managed to raise £100 for St Giles. A worthy cause and the beaming smile of the young lad that won made it all worthwhile.
A 993 Turbo and 993 Targa flanked Club Autosport’s radical looking racecar. The line up was completed with a 944S and a Supersport Cabriolet to represent our classic owners, together with a Boxster and 996 Carrera to represent the more modern cars. The stand layout was kept largely unchanged from the previous year, as it had worked so well. Space between the cars allowed people to flow through and around the stand without barriers, ropes or chains and we had plenty of members on the stand to meet and greet all weekend.
With weary legs and very aching feet we packed up on Sunday evening after the show closed to the public and made our way home. Thanks to all that helped out in any way before, during and after the show to make it run so smoothly. See you there in 2009! Writing & photography by Paul Bird
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TIPEC member discounts Sorry for the empty pages, but we can’t share our member discounts online. Join the club at www.tipec.net and get your own printed copy of All Torque every two months!
THE INDEPENDENT CLUB FOR ALL PORSCHE OWNERS WWW.TIPEC.NET 0845 602 0052
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TIPEC regalia We have a new regalia supplier, who are able to produce individual items to order. This is going to make ordering much easier for individual club members. T-shirt (£13) Available in black or white Sizes (inches): 36, 38, 40, 42/44, 46, 48, 50/52 Gents polo shirt (£16) Available in black or white Sizes (inches): 36, 38, 40, 42/44, 46, 48, 50/52, 54 Ladies polo shirt (£16) Available in black, pink or blue Sizes (inches): 36, 38, 40, 42/44, 46, 48, 50/52, 54
To order any TIPEC branded regalia from the list, please contact Dave Doherty, TIPEC Membership Secretary, either by phone with your credit card details or by post with a cheque made payable to TIPEC.
Sweatshirt (£20) Black only Sizes (inches): 36, 38, 40, 42/44, 46, 48, 50/52, 54
Dave Doherty (01423 501 988) TIPEC Regalia, Alexa House, 26 Ripon Road, Harrogate HG1 2JJ
Fleece (£25) Black only Sizes (inches): 36, 38, 40, 42/44, 46, 48, 50/52, 54
Prices includes delivery to your home address.
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Gruppe North Cheshire & Staffs RO Steve Taylor 07774 912 069 (mobile) stephen_taylor@datascope.com ARO Dave Watson 07901 928 356 (mobile) watson_david@btinternet.com Meetings are held third Tuesday of every month 8pm at The Whipping Stocks, Stocks Lane, Over Peover, Knutsford, WA16 9EX. I’d like to start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and I hope you all received what you asked for from Santa! This next twelve months is going to be as eventful as the last with the addition of some more shows to attend as a club. This year I’ve booked for the all types VW show at Bodelwyddan Castle and we are jointly supporting Central Region at Trentham Gardens. Both are excellent shows, so please come along. As always we will be attending Gawsworth Hall, The Tatton Park Shows and Cholmondley Castle Pageant of Power. I also have a list of other events and activities that we are going to fit in over the next twelve months, one of which is a trip over to Germany to the Porsche Factory and Museum, currently planned for the Spring.
We have had interest from 12 members. The plan will be to fly over to Stuttgart midweek visiting the Factory and Museum, staying in a Hotel close by. If time permits and we can arrange it we may well visit the Mercedes-Benz Factory and Museum at the same time, the cost currently is looking around £230 per person plus spends. If anyone is interested, please let me know very quickly as we are going to be booking up flights and accommodation very soon.
I decided to surprise everyone at the December Club night with a quiz and a raffle, and had the landlord put out plates of mince pies for everyone.
Later in the year a visit to Morgan Cars in Malvern is planed, although Porsche and Morgan have got a lot to live up to. In December 30 members turned out to visit Bentley Motors in Crewe. We split into three groups of 10 and enjoyed a guided tour through possibly one of the world’s best motor car manufacturers. Unfortunately due to very strict rules and regulations no photography was allowed inside the premises, anyone caught with a camera or recording device would have to leave with the whole tour stopped, so no risks where taken. You can not begin to describe the attention to detail and craftsmanship that goes into building a car like a Bentley. For example the cross stitching on one seat takes approximately 37 hours of labour alone! At the end of the tour every single one of us was lost for words, it was an experience never to be forgotten and most definitely one that is going to be hard to beat. Bentley do not charge for factory tours but they do collect for a charity, we all willingly put our hands in our pockets and donated £100 to St Luke’s Hospice.
Thanks again to everyone who has given their support to the region over the last year, Dave Watson and myself look forward to seeing you all again in 2009.
We usually have a Christmas meal but unfortunately the pub’s Chairman had decided that the chain of pubs where not going to do the traditional Christmas Menus. We will be planning a meal out in the next couple of months instead.
Yorkshire RO John Oakes 01132 827 512 john.oakes3@btinternet.com ARO Dave Doherty TIPEC Membership office 01423 501 988 (12noon–9pm) enquires@alexa-house.co.uk Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:00–7:30pm at The Windmill, Hull Road, Dunnington, York, YO19 5LP. December’s meeting was a bit on the quiet side, not helped by the bad weather. Even Dave left home had to turn back because of the snow and ice, but many thanks to the members who did turn up. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year, and I hope things improve on the job front for many people. The club has now given each region money to help run and pay for events or items for that region. Not sure what we will do with the money but will sort something out soon. If you have any ideas what we could do, please let me know.
TIPEC Cheshire & Staffs members outside the Bentley factory
Welcome to two new members, Jim Dixon from Cottingham and Ben Rodrigues from Mirfield, we hope to see you both at a club night soon. For members who have haven’t made it along to a meeting, please come along and join us at any event. Remember that this is YOUR club.
Scotland
The jet boat on a calm section of water Jet Boat, date TBA We are going to organise a day at Jet Sprint UK (www.jetsprintuk.com). The world’s most exciting boat ride, 450 horsepower V8 engines and 0–100Kph in four seconds! Having just returned from New Zealand and tried it there, I can highly recommend it. Like a rally stage on water. April 19th Sunday TIPEC AGM May 30th Saturday TIPEC party night May 31st Sunday TIPEC National Day at Gaydon June 14th Sunday Harewood House Regional Show, PCGB July 24–26th, Friday–Sunday Silverstone Classic event (overnight stay?)
North East RO Simon Poole 07759 694 059 audisi@btinternet.com ARO Andy Blythe 01642 809 031 ac.blythe@mbro.ac.uk Meetings are held first Sunday of every month 7:30pm at The Sporting Lodge, Low Lane, Stainton Village, Cleveland, TS17 9LW, just off the A19. Happy New Year everyone! Since the last issue we have embraced the festive season and indulged ourselves with a fabulous Christmas Meal at our local Indian Restaurant. Everyone seemed to enjoy the night so I plan to add another curry night to this years event list. Sadly, I forgot to take my camera so no photos, embarrassing or otherwise! Andy is busy preparing his 924 Turbo race car and a few of us went along to see it put through its paces on the new rolling
Andy’s 924 Turbo on the rolling road road at Middlesbrough College along with Mike Williams’ BMW. An additional 25 BHP was found on the Beemer by adjusting the throttle linkage. Roll on next season! Our Region seems to be going from strength to strength and even the January meeting had a good turn out, something which has not always happened in the past with only the RO and ARO sitting in the pub! I hope that we can make this year even more successful than last. Don’t forget this is your region and I am always keen to listen to any suggestions for events or places to visit. Here are a few dates for your diary to be going on with, more will be added throughout the year, including the smaller local events which Andy and I had a look at last summer in the evenings and at weekends. April 10–12th Specialist Cars at Malton Open Weekend (TBC, but this usually takes place at Easter) April 19th TIPEC AGM May 31st TIPEC ’09 at Gaydon Heritage Motor Centre July 24–26th Silverstone Classic
Lincolnshire ARO Mike Daniels 07770 968 159 (mobile) mike@jwhartonagriculture.co.uk Meetings are held second Wednesday of every month 7:30–8pm at The King’s Head Inn, Kingsway, Tealby, LN8 3YA. RO required, to host monthly meetings at a local pub/hotel with support from the members and attend/organise local events with the assistance of the ARO.
RO Stewart Gordon 01698 841 692 (evenings) 07974 808 342 (mobile) flashgordon944@blueyonder.co.uk ARO Alan Neilson 01324 871 543 07793 234 096 (mobile) alz1933@alanneilson.fsnet.co.uk ARO Neil Fraser 0131 660 0143 07946 616 782 (mobile) neil@fraser72.freeserve.co.uk Meetings are held first Wednesday of every month 8pm at Bo’Ness Motor Museum, Bridgeness Road, Bo’Ness EH51 9JR. www.motor-museum.bo-ness.org.uk Looking back over the past year, what really stands out is how busy it has been. We have had a great variety of events. Hopefully you have all had a great time at whatever events you might have come along to, feedback has all been positive and most, if not all, the events we covered were ideas that had come from members who attend the monthly meetings. It is now coming round to that time again to start putting the 2009 calendar of events together. We will be finalising the calendar at the February meeting, so get your thinking caps on. We sent out a suggestion form by email in November, we have had a few replies but not many. We will be re-sending the form before the end of January. This is a members’ club and the more input we have from the all members the better it will be for everyone. We hope we have covered most of the suggestions from last year, but if you feel we are missing something that you fancy doing in 2009 then let us know. The membership in the region has enjoyed had a slight increase from last year. It was good to see Stuart Paterson and Iain Morton rejoining the club, welcome back guys and with two lovely cars to boot. Now where’s Derek Haddow? Extra Winter meeting, Sunday run & lunch 23rd November, Castle Venlaw, Peebles This was one of many suggestions that was made in the early part of the year in order to try and accommodate members who are not able to come along to the normal monthly meetings. It has been agreed that we will hold three of these Sunday lunchtime meetings over the Winter in three different locations.
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Our next Sunday meeting will be on the 25th January at Brunston Castle, Ayrshire. If you haven’t already put your name down, do it as soon as you read this. February will be the next and last for this winter, somewhere in Perthshire (location not decided yet). We will advise you by email. Club members at Castle Venlaw This was the first one and it turned to be very popular. The thing that struck us most was the number of partners who came along. Very encouraging, we’ve never seen so many of the girls before. Yes, they come along to BBQs and on weekends away, but not usually for regular club meetings. We held this one at the Castle Venlaw Hotel in Peebles, in the Scottish borders. Our host there was Pierre Alban-Guy and his family, who as well as being a member, also owns this venue and its sister hotel, the Auchen Castle in Moffat. We were very well looked after with a meeting room laid on and a special menu. The food was excellent as was the hospitality, thanks to you Pierre and to your staff and family.
In the meantime, see the group picture with Castle Venlaw in the background. A lovely and picturesque place to visit for a romantic weekend or just a drive and bar meal. Scottish Region Xmas Party Night December 6–7th Having all made our way up to Aviemore through some of the most gorgeous scenery on a brilliant sunny day (even had some snow at the sides of the road through Drummochter pass), we all met up in
Dennis & Christine midway through the party
the hotel lounge in the evening for introductions and the all-important pre-dinner drinks. All 25 of us were in party mood and the party poppers, balloons and streamers were flying everywhere. The four course meal was excellent, the drinks were flowing freely and all were having a great time, with plenty of dancing. There were however two notable points in the night that cannot go without a mention. Firstly, Dennis & Christine pictured having a great time, then shortly after … well the picture tells the story. I put it down to all the effort earlier in the day washing and polishing their 968, it was sparkling! Well done you two, the car really did look a treat.
… and nearing the end of the night!
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Martin Whitelaw’s 993 atop Cairngorm in the snow Secondly, our resident author of many an All Torque article, and also our regional off-road rally driver, Martin Whitelaw. Martin laid on his own entertainment by missing his seat and doing a full 180 degree roll backwards … or was it a flip? Anyway it was very impressive, though what was just as funny was he couldn’t get up for a few minutes for laughing. Next he will be trying a barrel roll, not in the car we hope. Another picture here shows our same rally driver attempting what looks like a handbrake turn in the snow at the top of Cairngorm in minus 10 Degrees. Is there no end to what this daring author will try to do? The brilliant night carried on into the small hours, though I was safely tucked up in bed just after 12. After a hearty breakfast (seems on these outings we have adopted the habit of constantly eating), we met up in the car park and grouped the cars together for a photoshoot. After that it was time to wish everyone all the very best for Christmas and 2009, and set off on our way home.
Lining up the cars for a Scottish region photo opportunity
North West RO John Pye 01706 712 491 07957 818 636 (mobile) tipecnw@sky.com ARO Brenda Marginson 0125 483 1766 brenda.marginson944@virgin.net Meetings are held first Monday of every month 8pm at The Thatch & Thistle, Chorley Road, Blackrod BL6 5LA. When this falls on a Bank Holiday, we meet on the second Monday instead. Hello and a belated Happy New Year to everyone! Once again we all had a fantastic night on our regional Christmas do at the Viking Hotel in Blackpool. Many thanks once again to Brenda for organising an excellent night. 2009 appears to be getting off to quite a busy start with a few events to keep us
entertained until Gawsworth Hall marks the beginning of the official show season on Bank Holiday Monday 4th May. Our regional meetings continue on the first Monday of each month (except on a Bank Holiday when we meet on the second Monday) at The Thatch and Thistle Pub, Chorley Road, Blackrod, Bolton. The next meeting will be on the 2nd February and all are welcome to assist in the planning for the forthcoming years activities. Our first outing will be a ten pin bowling night on Thursday 26th February where we will meet for food at The Paper Mill pub which is just off Junction three of the M66 and this will be followed by a couple of games of bowling across the road and I’m sure it will be as competitive as ever. Prices will be advised via email and payment will be required in full before the event. The meeting night on Monday 2nd March will be another competitive evening with us hosting a Scalextric extravaganza followed by a hot pot supper (at a cost of £5 per head). Our first trip out with the cars is planned for Sunday 15th March when we will be undertaking a drive with a twist, which will undoubtedly incorporate lunch at a very nice pub! We are anticipating a repeat of the clay pigeon shoot, which proved very popular last year, but this date has yet to be confirmed.
The TIPEC North West crew on their Christmas night out in Blackpool
We are open to suggestions for other activities for meeting nights and also any other shows which may be of interest, so please feel free to attend a meeting with your suggestions.
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Gruppe Central East Midlands RO Graham Waller graham.waller@polypipe.com ARO Alan Fuller susancarolfuller@googlemail.com Meetings are held third Tuesday of every month 7pm for food (meeting proper begins 7:30pm) at The Field Head Hotel, Markfield Lane, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9PS. A dozen or so of us turned out for the Christmas Party. We had a fantastic time, with most people donning their party hats for the occasion. The meal was, as ever, first class and I think everyone got what they ordered (thanks Chris for reminding us all!) Following the meal, we went in to the main bar area where a ’60s tribute band were playing ancient hits that only Eric can remember. The ladies decided to have a bit of a dance too. We discussed a number of events to run next year, too many to complete in fact, so we will have to pick the cream. Your RO will be putting a calendar together over Christmas and circulating it when finalised … although I use the word ‘finalised’, that does not mean it won’t be flexible. Not the Boxing Day Drive This took place on Saturday 27th December, with six Porsches (three Boxsters, two 944 Cabbies and a 964) meeting up at the Red Lion, Costock.
Five were available for convertibility, but alas the weather was too cold for all but Chris and Kathy who wrapped up well and dropped their roof anyway!
I would personally like to thank all those who helped and turned up making the day the success it turned out to be. Hopefully, this will be an annual event!
The route was planned by Kathy Belfield and Shirley Osborne, to whom we owe our gratitude, and consisted of a 60 mile trip around the rolling hills of Leicestershire (yes it does have them), to the Vale of Belvoir, then back around and in to Loughborough to the RO’s home. Pre-printed route cards were excellent as I took the lead (under duress), and took a wrong turn at the first available corner. Not my fault! John and Shirley took over just so as we could get back before nightfall. We stopped approximately midway at The Peacock Inn in Redmile, a very nice hostelry, and after a quick glass of shandy, we set off again down the quiet, winding country roads. Now, I’m not saying we enjoyed our drive back, but given the lack of traffic, driving a Porsche, on a quiet holiday weekend … it was rather exciting. We got back to Cotes, where I took the lead for the last two miles back to our house, and I didn’t get lost or lose anyone this time. At ours, the neighbours enjoyed the sight of six Porsches attempting to park up, but I’m not sure the BMW who had to wait was equally impressed. Carol put on a wonderful spread so everyone was fed and watered (or wined and dined for non-drivers), and after a couple of hours chinwag and reflection, all made their way home.
Setting out on ‘Not the Boxing Day Drive’—spot the diehard top-down motorists in the cold!
Proposals for the calendar, with volunteer organisers: February OPC/Graypaul, Nottingham (Chris Belfield) March National Arboretum (Chris Belfield) Visit to Rockingham Classics (Alan Fuller) April Transtar event—also May, June & July (Graham Waller) May Prescott Hill Climb (Chris Belfield) June Autokarna, Wollaton Hall (Karen Finlay) Others include Canal Boat trip (summer), Brewery Visit (Eric Finlay), Donington Motor Museum (Kathy Belfield), Nottingham Bowling, Halewood Classic (with SYNN), Autobahn Open day, Top Gear filming, Highways Agency, Police/RAC visit, Shuttleworth Collection. Also previously mentioned David Sutton Rally Museum (Daventry), Alan’s Rutland Water run (April, but with new route), indoor go-karting at Wymeswold and a night out at the races at Southall.
The usual East Midlands Region suspects
Steve runs through the controls of the 737 with Rob
South Central RO Geoff Cox 01235 815 880 07740 452 586 (mobile) geoff.b.cox@btinternet.com ARO Mark Saving 07976 749 344 (mobile) mark@msaving.freeserve.co.uk Meetings are held fourth Monday of every month at The Chequers Inn at Weston on The Green, which is just off the A34, south of Junction 9 of the M40. Our Christmas meal at The Chequers had the usual mix of good food and banter. I remembered to take my camera but forget to actually take any photos, sorry folks! Shortly after Christmas we had a good turnout for the day at Oxford Airport to play with their multi-million pound flight simulators. Our thanks go to Brian and Steve who both work at the airport and who gave up their spare time (a busman’s holiday?) to teach us novices how to land a 737. We were joined by members from the South East Region, known only by their flight names of Goose, Maverick and Icewoman, all of whom enjoyed buzzing the tower at Gatwick and crash landing immediately afterwards. We have put together most of the events for 2009, which will be posted out to all our members soon, plus added to the TIPEC forum. We do have a number of last minute opportunities, which we promote via email. if you are not receiving these emails from me, then please forward me an email and I will add you to the circulation list. Saturday 28th March Trip to Meguiars in Daventry for a morning demonstration on car detailing. This is mainly
done indoors so no need to worry about the weather. Meet at 9:30am for a 10am start at Meguiars, 3 Lamport Court, Heartlands, Daventry, NN11 8UF. Once we have finished at Meguiars we will head off for a pub lunch. Saturday 4th April Trip to BS Motorsport, who race prepare some of the most exotic Porsches on the planet: Kremer Porsches, RSRs, etc. We visited them a couple of years ago and this proved to be an extremely enjoyable trip. Their address is 421 Gasoline Alley, Westcott Venture Park, Westcott, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0XB. Once again we will meet at 9:30am for a 10am start, and after we have finished at BS Motorsport we will head off for a pub lunch.
Well, the end of 2008 saw us visit the Official Porsche Centre at Cribbs Causeway for their fifth birthday. Around 15 of us met up in Morrisons for brekkie first, then dawdled down to the OPC together. Well, most of us … the sensible partners went shopping in the Cribbs Mall! We were warmly met as we walked in the door by Duncan Manning, who is the Parts Manager there. Duncan made us very welcome, and gave us a tour of the setup to kick off with, looking in the workshop, engine shop, parts dept and showroom. This wasn’t on offer for everyone, so we were lucky! On top of that, the Service Manager invited anyone interested to bring their cars in, stick them on the ramps, and have an underbody inspection! Several took him up on the offer and I’m pretty sure that that was the most ‘old’ cars that they’ve ever had in the shop simultaneously! In fact, Pete Mack observed that the OPC technician who was looking under his car wasn’t even born when it first hit the road. After that, it was off to the showroom to do a bit of drooling. On show were all the latest models, Dick Lovett’s very own 959, a Porsche Cup car, and Nicky Grist (Colin McRae’s navigator) was on hand to discuss the intricacies of rallying. On top of that, nibbly things, sandwiches and drinks. What a great way to spend a Saturday morning! A very genuine goodbye from Duncan as we left completed the visit. They really did seem pleased to see a bunch of ‘classic’ owners! One thing for those who couldn’t make it: it’s worth trying the OPC for a price before you buy from an aftermarket supplier, as they can be very competitive.
10th May Trip to Prescott Hill Climb 17th May Golf Day at Silverstone Golf Course 28th June Supercar Sunday at Gaydon
Bristol RO Paul Harrison 07884 116 971 (mobile) paul@harrison167.freeserve.co.uk Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 8pm at The Fox, Easter Compton, B35 5RA, one mile West of M5 J17 (Cribbs Causeway). First of all, let me wish all of you a happy New Year. If you are one of those members that never gets any emails from me, it’s because I don’t have your email address … Please drop me a line if you would like to get emails because most of the regional news goes out that way! Anyway, what news?
This was followed a week later by the region Christmas Lunch. Sadly, some last minute cancellations for personal and illness reasons depleted numbers—yes, guys, we did miss you! Yet again, the Bowl in Almondsbury served some top fare, everyone leaving with their belts a couple of notches looser! Looking to the future, the calendar for the next year is firming up nicely and will be published shortly. Highlights already include the Classic Hill Climb at Prescott, a trackday, and (we hope) a trip to Le Circuit Des Remparts! Another highlight is the news that we now have 38 members in our region. Following the Committee decision, this has led to us receiving £114 from the Club to spend as we see fit. I am now seeking suggestions for what we should spend it on—a final decision will be made at the March montly meeting so, if you have a view, let me know and make sure you turn up in March. I hope to catch with each and every one of you during the coming year. All the best, Paul.
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Central RO Paul Bird 01922 428 409 07831 877 983 (mobile) paulpsb928@yahoo.co.uk ARO Brian Rowledge MyMerak@aol.com Meetings are held second Monday of every month 7:30pm onwards at The Red Lion, Lady Lane, Earlswood, B94 6AQ. I’ll start this year’s write up with an apology. The last Central write up included a thank you to all that helped out at the NEC Classic in November and I missed a name from the list! Paul Webster helped us out on the stand all three days and managed to sign up a few new members as well, so belated thanks to Paul for giving up his time for the club. Also belatedly, as the trophy was late arriving, we announced at January club night our Central Region Member of the Year for 2008. There were several contenders but in the end Brian and I decided on the winner. Lindsay Brown has been active on the forum, helping folk and giving advice and Brian and I struggled to remember an event or club night in 2008 that he didn’t attend. Well done Lindsay, the award is totally deserved!
Lindsay Brown, Central Member of the Year Hopefully by the time you are reading this you should already be in possession of an events list for 2009. If you received your copy by normal post and you possess an email address please send me an email to paulpsb928@yahoo.co.uk so I can add you to my email circulars in future. It’s the easiest way to keep you updated of late changes and upcoming events. Also, we often arrange a meetup point for driving in convoy to events. These meetups are arranged by email and/or forum thread, so that’s another reason to stay in touch via email or to check the club forum. Again we have tried to balance out the events so there is something in the calendar for everyone both in terms of event type
and, taking into account the current economic climate, cost. Some of the events will cost as little as £2 for a day out and club nights are free so hopefully everybody can join us at some point in the year. If you have never attended an event and are a little unsure what to expect don’t worry. Just let either of us know you’re coming along and we’ll make a point of welcoming you to the group. We have tried to arrange and/or link up events with other regions to stimulate the national status of the club and so we can all meet up with members that speak with funny accents! The trackday, Prescott Hill Climb, Silverstone, and Trentham Gardens all fall into this category. Make sure you attend one or more of these events and meet the ‘foreigners’—it’s always good to enjoy some cross-border banter. Sunday 22nd February Visit to RAF Cosford Sunday 15th March Race Retro at Stoneleigh Park March TBC Visit to OPC Solihull
Friday 22nd May Poole Quay event including convoy drive down to the South coast. With Southern Region. To book your place please email the organiser Nick at nick@911uk.co.uk We will be staying at the Thistle Hotel Poole which is situated on Poole Quay. Ring 0871 376 9032 to make your room booking. It’s £140 per room per night including breakfast. This event and hotel will fill quickly so best to reserve early to avoid missing out. Sunday 31st May National Event at Gaydon Sunday 14th June Harewood House (with Yorkshire region) Sunday 21st June Trentham Transport Festival. Classic show at Trentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent. See instructions for Weston Park above. Just email Paul and confirm attendance to aid planning. Joint event with East Midlands and Cheshire/Staffs Sat–Sun 4–5th July Cars in the Park, Lichfield. Great Classic show with Paul Keeling playing host to a club stand for 20 cars on both days. Contact Paul Keeling for details on 01543 271 116
Sunday 12th April Midlands Festival of Transport at Weston Park, Weston under Lizard, Salop. If you have attended any Transtar event in the past you will receive an entry form in the post. Just fill in and return to Transtar with your payment. Make sure you tick the boxes for Trentham and Arbury Hall as well (see below). Mark your entry “TIPEC”.Just email Paul and confirm attendance to aid planning. If you need an entry form see Paul on a club night.
Sunday 26th July Silverstone Classic
Sunday 19th April TIPEC AGM at Gaydon. See club website.
September TBC Sprint day at Curborough
Sunday 26th April Trip to MIRA. Very limited numbers, first come first served. Email Brian on mymerak@aol.com to confirm your place.
Sunday 20th September Atherstone Car Show
Sunday 10th May Prescott Hill Climb. Details and booking form can be downloaded from www.cleevevale.org.uk/classiccar/index.htm Just download and complete the entry form for either the Orchard static display or Paddock entry and send off as instructed. Just post Paul an email to confirm your booking.
August TBC Yeatsall Farm Charity Fun Day Sunday 23rd August Arbury Hall Classic car show. See instructions for Weston Park above. Sunday 6th September Tour of the Peak District
Fri–Sun 2nd–4th October Weekend of the Year (WotY), details TBC. Fri–Sun 13–15th November Classic Show at the NEC Saturday 28th November Curry Night Monday 14th December Christmas dinner at the Red Lion
South Yorkshire & North Notts. ARO Dean Lancashire 07860 198 627 (mobile) dean@tachart.com Meetings are held first Sunday of every month 5–5:30pm (meeting proper begins 7pm) at Ye Olde Bell Hotel, Barnby Moor, Retford, Notts, DN22 8QS. Events slowed down before the mad rush of Christmas and New Year. At the beginning of November eight of us met up for a Mini Grand Prix at Avago karting (Would have been nine of us but Jat turned up just as we’d finished, having followed his satnav on a tour of South Yorkshire). Ray didn’t haven any luck this time as he broke down in three separate karts, but at least he didn’t manage to park his 993 in someone’s front lounge like on a previous visit. After a hard fought battle to the final, third place went to new member Jules, second to Ben and first place to me with Michael (Jeff’s’ grandson) taking fastest lap of the day. Jules and Karen then suprised us all with a fabulous picnic of fried fish done in a secret coating with dips, which went down a treat after a hard evening’s racing. (One problem Jules & Karen: this will now be expected at future events!) A visit to the local pub followed to top up those valuable lost fluids. Our next event was the Classic Car and MPH show at Birmingham’s NEC. Good show with TIPEC putting a great stand together. We were all stunned by the 993 turbo which is kept in remarkable pristine
condition. This years Top Gear Live proved a bit boring compared to previous visits, I think the guys have just run out of ideas. Our final event of the year was the SYNN Christmas meal and disco which was attended by nineteen members and around another 100 other people. After a bit of a palaver getting us all seated, we were served a fantastic three course Christmas feast washed down with numerous pints. After the meal and a few more pints it was time to get our disco shoes on. Dave Warren showed us a few moves, and as you can see from the photographs we were all mesmerised. Thanks go out to all involved at Ye Olde Bell for organising a great evening with a great bunch of folk. The first meeting of 2009 was a surprise with a good turnout of 17 members on a cold night in January, including two new members. Welcome to Courtney with his White 944 Cab and Rick with his 996 Turbo. It was also nice to eventually see Adam Jackson with his fully restored 924 Martini (previously seen in a earlier All Torque article). Well done to Mike & Sue Marot who won the evening quiz. By the time this is published we will have visited the Pistonheads Show and had a tour around Ginetta Cars in Leeds, so I’ll let you all know how we get on.
Dave ‘Disco’ Warren at the Christmas bash
Thanks to all regular attending members for the help and support organising events throughout a difficult 2008 without our RO Paul and his wife Judy. Best wishes to all members and a Happy New Year. Let’s hope to see you all in 2009! Future Events 1st February Hodsock Priory & woodland walk (five acres of Snow drop Fields) with meal & monthly meeting afterwards. 26th April Foxton Lock tour & drive. Once again organised by Alan F. Details to follow 4th May Gawsforth Hall Classic Car Show 30th–31st May Wonderland 2009. Classic & Sports car show (Joint show with the Mansfield & Notts Capri Club at Southwell Racecourse.)
North London & Herts RO Gary Adams 07849 222 511 (mobile) garyadams_1980@hotmail.com ARO Neil Pargiter 01920 872 365 07515 337 073 (mobile) ncp.944@hotmail.co.uk Meetings are held third Thursday of every month 7:30pm at The Three Horseshoes, Hooks Cross, Watton-at-Stone (near Stevenage), Hertfordshire SG14 3RY.
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Gruppe South South East RO Derek Flanagan 01342 717 754 07767 254 820 (mobile) derek.flanagan@varian.com Meetings are held second Wednesday of every month 8pm at The Shipley Bridge Inn, Antlands Lane, Burstow, RH6 9TE, on the B2037, off the A23, one mile North of Crawley M23 J10. For those of you who haven’t made it along to a monthly meet yet, we always welcome new members and prospective members. Come and see if you like us, we’re a friendly bunch no matter what model of Porker you own or desire and you will be guaranteed to receive a hearty welcome. You also have the opportunity of winning our own regional lotto with all SE Region members going into the hat each month, but you have to be at the meeting to win. Our events calendar continues to expand and our Regional monthly meetings are becoming a real buzz of activity with details of our numerous regional and national events, general Porsche news and members stories. I would like to thank all SE Region members for their support in 2008 with regular attendances over 30 and a record 44 people at the June meeting. It is also appropriate to thank Porsche Centre Mid Sussex guys Peter Rowe, Tony Tedesci and ‘Bumper’ Brown for attending our monthly meetings, handing out goodies and bringing along demo cars for us to ogle and have drives out. Having surprisingly sold his 928, Peter Rowe has recently purchased another project car—this time a 924 to keep him busy. Lindsay-Anne Dobson has recently fitted a rare Zeintop hardtop onto her Boxster which now fools some people into thinking it is a Cayman. Go Karting at Bayford Meadows There were 14 Porsche drivers at this individual endurance karting challenge organised by the Impact Bumper boys at this North Kent Circuit on 6th December, where they have an 1,100 metre outdoor circuit with twin engine karts. The SE Region karters were Graham Hart, Peter Pringle, his son Rob and yours truly. The track was a real challenge as it was still damp and very slippery on some 180 degree corners.
Once it started to dry out, these twin engine karts handled superbly with four wheel drifting around the many bends and plently of overtaking opportunities. First place went to Max Broughton, followed by Andrew Bradshaw and Rob Pringle in third place. The SE Region performed well with myself just missing out on the trophies and finishing a credible fourth. Graham Hart was sixth and peter Pringle eighth. Christmas Dinner Party We held our Christmas dinner party at our club night on Wednesday 10th December for the subsidized cost of only £16.25 per person. Those who chose the steak option seem to have really enjoyed it and there was definitely enough food on the plate with the turkey meals. I never expect pub meals, especially for large groups, to be compared to fine dining experiences, but everyone enjoyed their Chrstmas turkey, salmon or steak and it was good value for money at £18.25 (TIPEC subsidised by £2.25 to £16.00) per person. The most enjoyable part is always the friendship and discussions of like minded enthusiasts. We certainly filled the area to capacity with 30 of us sitting down to dinner. I believe that we should find a larger venue for the 2009 Christmas dinner so that we have more space to mingle and socialise both before and after dinner and maybe a dance or disco to finish the evening. I was amazed at the number of raffle prizes, 20 totalling over £250 in value—special thanks to everyone who donated prizes. We made a profit of £50 for the Regional funds. Member of the Year 2008 The award for MotY went to Peter Rowe. Brooklands Motor Museum visit We had a full 2008 programme and will endevour to match this again in 2009. The new year started with the annual pilgrimage to Brooklands Motor Museum on New Year’s Day. Attendance was good with a fantastic collection of car clubs and their members’ cars for us to wander around. Sunday 5th April Gruppe South Inter-Regional Go Karting challenge at Filching Manor. Two hour endurance race for teams of four. £160 per team (£40pp). Contact Derek Flanagan.
Wessex RO Pete Blackler 07779 203 278 (mobile) peter@blackler7827.fsnet.co.uk Meetings are held fourth Tuesday of every month 8pm at The Wheatsheaf Inn, Braishfield Road, Braishfield, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 0QE. Club nights continue to be well attended despite the cold winter, although very few Porsches venture out … including my own, which is in the dog house again with an oil leak that appears to be coming from around the oil tank level sender. Oh well, another job for the list. The Christmas meal went very well and the 30 TR Drivers Club, TIPEC members and spouses who attended enjoyed the evening, topped off by a really difficult Christmas-based quiz set by one of the TR Drivers Club members. This looks like being a regular feature so we may need to swot up a bit next time. My answers were abysmal, although it was one of the TIPEC tables that took the honours—well done to them, although I think next time a little less drink on our table may help! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year, hopefully 2009 will have a good summer that we can all enjoy. I will be looking for ideas for events for the forthcoming year at the next couple of meetings so get your thinking caps on and let me know what you may like to do. We will then put an events list together for the year.
The Wessex Region Christmas cake!
Anglia RO Mark Flintham 01473 735 497 mark.flintham@tecnisis.co.uk ARO Keith Strudwick 07803 462 522 keith@hitcham.info Meetings for February and March will be held fourth Sunday of each month 1pm at The Flying Fortress, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, IP31 2QU. www.theflyingfortress.co.uk We shall revert to our usual fourth Tuesday evenings from April 2009. By the time you read this, Christmas celebrations will be just a distant memory and the decorations will be packed away again for yet another year. But, as I write this on Boxing Day (how sad is that?), memories of our region’s Christmas gettogether at The Fortress are still fresh (even if no-one remembered to take any photographs!) It was a great pleasure for Mark and I to welcome so many wives and partners to our first Christmas lunch, and although we did not fill our usual clubroom, a very pleasant and friendly time seemed to pass very quickly. A good omen for our meetings for the first months of this year? I reckon so! Already quite a few people have confirmed that they intend to make it for our lunchtime meeting on Sunday 25th January (more about that in the April issue of All Torque). If you are not one of them, don’t forget the following lunchtime meetings will be on Sundays 22nd of February and March. You will be very welcome and that includes any friends and members of your family. I’ve just looked in my 2009 diary and notice that Sunday 22nd March is Mothering Sunday. Come on guys, here’s your chance to treat SWMBO to a pleasant treat, and don’t forget the rest of the family! It would be best if you can let me know numbers beforehand, so that I can make any arrangements with Keith and Rosemary (the owners). Mark’s Google Calendar is up and running on our region’s webpage. Please let either of us know of any events in the coming year which you feel would be of interest to members in this region, and we promise the necessary additions will be made.
This is the second edition of All Torque this Winter, and we’ve probably not used our cars as much as we should or could have done in the last few months … but the next edition in April will herald the onset of Spring. Our first Spring under our new regional set-up. Over the next couple of months, we’ll be preparing and planning for a very busy and successful TIPEC region in 2009. Make sure you’re part of the team! Mark joins me in wishing all TIPEC members a 2009 that’s a real cracker!
SE London & North Kent RO Jim Hearnden 01634 308 062 07930 353 232 (mobile) tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk ARO Paul Greer 07799 412 870 (mobile) prgreer@blueyonder.co.uk From November, meetings are held first Friday of every month 8:00pm at The Crown Point Inn, Sevenoaks Road, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 0HB.
from the Microsoft website. Please advise if you are interested in any events so Paul and I can advise the venues of numbers. There are two or three members that I don’t have email addresses for. If you have an email address and don’t regularly see mails from me, then please send me a mail to tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk and I’ll add you to the list. That also applies to people in adjacent areas who would like a copy of our calendar. Please also ensure that you update details when you renew your membership. December A good club meet, with a Quiz by Jennie, ably assisted by Adam. Some real puzzlers with no one scoring top points, even the Porsche questions were very hard. Christmas dinner Having moved venues it was decided to book our Christmas dinner at the new venue as well. Seventeen of us sat down around eight o’clock and had a great meal. It was a very extensive menu and the breadth of choice made a change from variations on turkey. The general comment was it was the best SELNK Christmas Dinner yet.
The new venue at the Crown Point Inn at Seal is obviously the right move. We are now seeing turnouts in double figures. The January meeting was well attended despite being one day after New Years Day and bitterly cold. In addition as a region we are now up to 30+ members—now all we have to do is get more of them along to meetings!
January As every year, New Years Day was the Club Day at Brooklands. A great turn out of Porsches with a peak of around 12–15 cars from both TIPEC SE and SELNK at peak periods. This is a fantastic day and the array of machinery is fantastic, dating from 1930 to today—and that is just the car park. The exhibits are fantastic, covering cars, motorbikes and aeroplanes.
If you have not been along to a meeting please come along. Wives are more than welcome and it is not all car chat! The venue does good, reasonably priced food so if you do not want to cook, you can have a meal before the meeting starts.
We enjoyed a good turnout for the Brooklands meeting, considering it was just a day after New Years Day. It was incredibly cold and on the way to the meet the 944 was quite skittish on the cold roads … it was impossible to get any tyre temperature.
The latest calendar will be out shortly for all of those with a valid email address. It is in Excel format, I know some have a problem viewing that—you can download a viewer
April 18th Saturday, 10:30am Open Day at OPC Tonbridge. Bring your driving licence if you want a test drive!
The SELNK Christmas party
The SELNK Christmas party
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Thames Valley RO Nick Ramsay 07973 183 220 (mobile) tipec@witzendcs.co.uk ARO Jason Gibson 07958 459 725 (mobile) jasongibson@blueyonder.co.uk Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:00pm at The Novello, Bath Rd, Littlewick Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3RX. Cornwall & Devon TIPEC members’ cars
Cornwall & Devon RO Steve Switzer 01208 816 397 07867 556 869 (mobile) steve_switzer@mac.com Meetings are held third Sunday of every month 12:00–2:30pm at The Winds of Change, South Petherwin, Near Launceston, Cornwall, PL15 7LP. Please contact Steve in advance so that he can advise the pub of probable attendee numbers. Christmas lunch was held on the 3rd Sunday of December at our normal meeting place, The Winds of Change. Val did us proud and although half a dozen of our regulars were unable to be with us the remainder had a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and an excellent time was had by all. Although the weather was clear, with neither snow or rain, the strong wind and low temperatures kept the outside ‘tyre kicking and chatting about things vehicular’ to a minimum.
Southern RO Gordon Collins 07835 798 734 (mobile) gtsc.dkm@virgin.net ARO Jim Tarrant 01202 601 886 jim.tarrant@hotblack944.fsnet.co.uk Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:30pm at The True Lovers Knot Pub, Tarrant Keyneston, Nr Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 9JG. Thirteen of us sat down for our Christmas Dinner (unlucky, I know!): Laszlo, Toby, Alan, Roland, Brett, Lorraine, Mark, Ben, Nick, Karey, Steve, Jim and Denise. I’m glad to report that we all made it through unscathed, except for our waistlines. Diary date Friday 22nd May Poole Quay 2009, 6–9:00pm. Help us top the 98 cars there in 2008!
I know you will be reading this in February but as I am typing this up in the first few days of 2009, I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! Let’s hope that this year brings us a bit more sunshine (make that a LOT more sunshine), allowing you all to get out and enjoy your cars and use up all of your insurance company’s quoted limited mileage. Sadly I am starting this year Porscheless but I will still be at the meetings, probably with Kylie my little Fiat Spider. We hope to have a couple of trips organised very soon, each will start with a couple of hours’ spirited drive around the Home Counties and most likely end up at a nice country pub for some lunch. One of the events coming up is the Prescott Hill Climb and Classic Car run on May 9th– 10th. This is a two day event. The Saturday is a Classic Car run around the Cotswolds and the Sunday is at the famous Prescott Hill Climb Circuit. I did the Classic Car run last year and I can thoroughly recommend it, especially if the sun shines like last year. Sadly due to my rear suspension mounts coming away on my Fiat (yes, it was due
So now we all look forward to a good New Year and being able to build on a growing membership base so that we are able to go forward and start arranging other social events, meetings and visits. A happy New Year, blue skies and camera free motoring to one and all from all in the South West. Come and look us up if you’re ever down our way.
The Cornwall & Devon Christmas party
Southern Region Christmas party at the True Lovers Knot
Thames Valley Region’s Christmas dinner at the Calcott Hotel to Italian Tin Worm) I didn’t make the Hill Climb on the Sunday, however Nick assures me my spot was used well in his GT3. Bookings are being taken now, more details can be found on the TIPEC forum at http:// forums.tipec.net in the events section. By the time you read this, assuming you don’t just look at the pictures, five members of the Thames Valley region will have returned from a ski trip to Les Arcs along with a few other Porsche owners from somewhere North of Watford. Hopefully we will all return in one piece and will be at February’s meeting on Tuesday 3rd.
Jason Gibson’s kilt!
Christmas party Due to the dates clashing with other parties and some people selfishly deciding that two weeks in the sun would be better than a night in Reading, there were only six of us at this years Christmas bash. However this wasn’t going to stop us enjoying ourselves. We had booked to join a Christmas Dinner Disco night at the Calcott Hotel in Reading. Even though there were only six of us we still kept our tradition of having a Secret Santa, it still amazes me how three people
got the gifts that were intended for them even though I performed a random(ish) draw. Paul spent the night drinking his Guinness out of his PiG mug, while Mike impressed the local ladies with his flashing Santa tie. I think Mike J. is still in shock at seeing me in my kilt, while everybody else at the party is in shock at having seen Mike’s dancing skill (John Sergeant eat your heart out). Many thanks to all who did turn up for making it such a fun night.
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www.pro-9.co.uk All Torque 74 page 29
www.TIPEC.net The TIPEC website is now one year old! You can use it to register or renew your club membership, advertise cars and parts for free, download old issues of All Torque, and keep up-to-date with events in your region. If you look to the bottom-left of the homepage, you will find a link to TIPEC’s online discussion forum. This is the place to trade banter with fellow club members on a day-to-day basis, ask questions and share knowledge, up and down the UK (and worldwide!) Here’s some recent examples. Forum: Discussion Area Topic: Snow + Porsche 964russ: Since the recent cold snap I havent used my car. Slippy roads + 911 = oops! Does anyone else use their Porsche in the snow and ice? Am I being soft? tr7v8: The Jag is scary enough in this weather. I went to a TIPEC club night on Friday in the 944 and it was slippery then. Added to that, the fact that you couldn’t get any tyre temp it made it even more scary. Weather is even worse now! One of my members normally drives there and then after a few beers gets his wife to drive home. He was on the wagon on Friday as he thought it best for him to drive home!
Drjohnnycatbiscuit: I don’t have a cabrio, but I drive mine with the windows open, wearing only my underpants … demonfish: Pah! You wear underpants? You wanna try it naked! J.J.: Left mine at home this morning. Sheet ice everywhere. Fat tyres are pretty skittish in the cold anyway, but this morning would have been tempting fate. Back on the train for me now until Easter. oh.feck: Use mine as a daily driver—35 miles each way! Go out at 5am … need quick reactions! Daz85lux: Drive my 944 in any weather. When it snows you just have to get used to looking out of the side windows instead of the front screen.
J.J.: Snow doesn’t worry me. You can see it. Black ice is something else. Usually you don’t get a second chance. Don’t you have public transport in your part of the world? My train fare saves me £15 a week in fuel. PaulPSB: Use the 944 every day, 100 mile round trip. Loads of fun over the last couple of weeks chucking the rear end around on quiet roads. Tabman: I use the 944 cab as a daily driver (Sorry—roof up at the moment!) Just take it a bit easier when it’s below four degrees (ie. November to March). It can be very good fun when there is no frost or rain and some winter sunshine.
David924S: As my daily driver I have no option, rain hail or snow but to drive my S2. It is scary in the snow however, with wide tyres and rear wheel drive + HP. Does improve your reactions though!
Drjohnnycatbiscuit: I’m using mine daily to go back and forth to work along the dark twisties, but it’s only 10 miles each way. At the times I leave and come home it’s always frosty and frozen, and my wipers are CRAP! I end up looking out of the drivers window to see where I’m going, Ace Ventura style …
Li Moo Bai: Same with mine. But using it daily meant that the 10 mile journey to work was killing the economy. You could easily get 32mpg motorway if you were light-footed.
AndyG: With the recent weather (leaving it running while I scrape the ice off) and short runs means I have seen as little as 16mpg. The best I’ve got out of my Lux is 26mpg.
lindsayhbrown: depends on the right foot to smile ratio, but my S gets about 30 on a run, down to 20-ish if you drive it hard.
David924S: 944S2, I get 27mpg over a full tank and that’s mainly short trips to work and local running around town. VanHireBoys: My Turbo does over 30mpg on a run but it’s way down to about 18mpg in town. On a classic car run out with the Minors, Rileys, and Hunters I have seen 35+!
Sean Smallman: My cabby does around 25 locally, 30 on a run.
J.J.: 35 on motorway. 22-ish on short runs. They’re a killer especially in cold weather. Runs very rich on cold start and takes too long to warm up, you can really smell it. I’m hoping to lean out the cold start a bit when it’s remapped. I use the train when working locally.
tr7v8: My Lux when it was my daily driver used to do 33mpg. Short runs really screw it up, can be as low as 22mpg.
RH944: Mine gets about 27mpg when driving regularly but 30 plus on a motorway trip.
Sean Smallman: I drove the cabby for a full winter, very gently most of the time. tr7v8: With the hood down I hope Sean?
Forum: 924, 944, 968 Topic: How economical is yours? Ben944: I tend to do a lot of mixed motoring so I am getting around 21mpg out of my ’89 S2. This seems consistent with the information supplied in the car handbook. Unfortunately, I keep ruining my economy runs with over use of the loud pedal. (Not that I got the car to granny it all the time though.) I was just interested to know what sort of mpg figures members of the forum are getting out of their 944s?
Drjohnnycatbiscuit: I get about 24mpg on mine, which is mainly 11 mile journeys through the twisties to work and back. Not too bad considering the age and engine size, I think!
TIPEC Classifieds Porsche 944 Lux, manual Immaculate condition throughout full black cloth Porsche logo trim (very rare and desirable, no tears) with cream carpets, elec windows, elec mirrors, elec/removable sunroof, elec boot release, power steering, original fuch alloys with good tyres all round, reconditioned gear box and all link rods (so no whine or excess play), recent new cam and balancer shaft belts (water pump changed at this service).
This vehicle has been owned and maintained regardless to cost using genuine Porsche parts throughout my ownership over the last six years; it was until last summer my everyday car but change in job and company forces sale. The dashboard has no visible cracks as this is a common fault and the drive and reliability is faultless, this car has so many good features compared to the average 944 of this year which is why I have reflected this on the asking price. If you just want to own a Porsche and are not fussed about the heritage the I suggest this car is not for you, however if you desire a beautiful unmolested genuine example which would be proud to be driven and shown then this car is for you. Price £3,250. Only genuine interest please. Contact Russell Harding on 07906 712 425
Wanted: 928 owner’s manual
3601 - All Torque_Artwork:Layout 1
5/9/07
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Original owner’s manual for Porsche 928, model ’81, in English (either UK or USA version, but must be the right year). Contact Tim Barker on 01624 620 362 or timbarker@manx.net
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