L AL E U Q R TO RCH 2015 A M / Y R A U FEBR ISSUE 109
First among equals? Andy Bennetts’ Cayman GTS (the first in the country?)
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Chairman’s Chat Happy New Year. In terms of things to do with your Porsche, the 2015 events diary is already full with lots to do both locally and nationally. There are several national events that the club have a presence at and I will use this month’s column to highlight what is coming up over the next six months. Please take the time to read the regional pages in the magazine and on the website. You are welcome to attend any of the many regional activities or club nights, contact the relevant RO to register your interest.
TIPEC (0845 602 0052) www.tipec.net All Torque is published bi-monthly by TIPEC (The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts Club) Text & images are © their authors/photographers. Front cover image: Andy Bennetts’ Cayman GTS. All Torque is based entirely on submissions from TIPEC members. This is your magazine and we need your involvement! Submissions for issue 110 (April/May) must be in before Sunday 1st March 2015. Editor & designer: Tony Blow tony@typescape.com 6/2, 308 Old Rutherglen Road, Glasgow G5 0UN.
I will start with the AGM on 12th April at the HMC Gaydon. Whilst this an important meeting we quickly run through the formalities and have a good chat about the club and all things Porsche. Lunch will be provided, followed by complimentary entry into the museum. On a personal note, I have advised the Committee that I intend to stand down. Whilst I would prefer not do another year, I am happy to support whomever is appointed at the AGM. I have enjoyed my involvement with the club immensely and will continue to be active regionally. Although there are a few RO vacancies, the club is financially stable and has a strong viable platform to continue to build upon. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me over the last 10 years and I look forward to sharing my thoughts at the AGM.
Subeditor: Sara Thomas lirazelf@gmail.com Printed by: The Lavenham Press Ltd, Suffolk (01787 247 436) Advertising in All Torque is managed by: TIPEC club office, Walnut Tree Farm, Grain Road, Lower Stoke, Rochester ME3 9RE (0845 602 0052) Website: www.tipec.net Twitter: @Porsche_TIPEC Search for us on Facebook TIPEC Chairman: Sean Smallman (07500 332 790) sean.smallman@tipec.net Vice Chairman: Jim Hearnden (07930 353 232) tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk Treasurer: Paul Bird (01922 428 409) paulpsb928@yahoo.co.uk PR & Advertising Director: Andrew Smith (07974 256 694) marketing@tipec.net Internal Communications Director: Sue Simmons (07530 312 700) sue.simmons@tipec.net TIPEC Membership: Lavenham Group (01787 249 295) membership@tipec.lpl-uk.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.
Silverstone Classic and Donnington Historic Festival are both fabulous weekend events that I can thoroughly recommend especially if you have not been before. We receive BOGOF tickets for both events and infield parking, allowing us to park together close to the action. The racing is very competitive, with full grids and there are also plenty of trade stands as well as club displays to walk around. At Silverstone Classic there is also live music in the evening, with Status Quo headlining on Saturday. We have a Club Trackday on Saturday 23rd May at Blyton Park near Gainsborough. If you have not been on a trackday before, this is the best opportunity you will have to explore the abilities of your Porsche. You do not have to be fast to enjoy a trackday, go at your own pace and I assure you that there will be no hounding or bullying on the track. We are all precious about our cars, everyone will be given the utmost respect and room to manoeuvre safely. There is strictly no overtaking on corners, anyone breaking the rules will be black flagged and not allowed back on track. We have had two trackdays and several sprint days that have been lots of fun. Blyton is a great venue for novices, a wide track with plenty of run-off, no gravel traps and nothing to hit. Last but not least, we have Simply Porsche at Beaulieu on Sunday 7th June. Our annual bash, where we invite the rest of the Porsche community to join us for the day at this great Hampshire venue. If you turn up in a Porsche entry is discounted, costing £10 adult, £5 child. A saving of £11.50 on an adult ticket. Entry also includes access into the National Motor Museum, Gardens, The Abbey and Palace House home to the Montagu family for over 400 years. This is a great day out for all the family in its own right. The Porsche Only Parking Area is inside the grounds and there will be trade stands as well as a Show and Shine competition. We are expecting in excess of 700 Porsches which look great parked along the tree-lined avenues around the museum and estate. The New Forest and the South Coast are well worth a visit, several regions are coming down for the weekend. We will organise a drive and stop at local places of interest on Saturday 6th June, more about this is the next issue of AT. There are lots of hotels in the area, the Holiday and Premier Inns around Southampton are good value. Camping is also available, check out the forum to see where people are pitching up. Lavenham are doing a great job with the membership service, if you have any queries about your membership please contact them directly. See you soon.
All Torque 109 page 3
Club news Changes to important club membership details, stickers for the frontrunners amongst us, a tale of tax discs from times gone by, and a new classic car show for London to bring in the new year.
Donington Historic Festival May 2nd–4th (Saturday–Monday)
Membership management Contact details for any club membership queries. We now have a dedicated membership management agent. The contact details for and TIPEC membership renewals, changes of address, queries, etc. is now as below. Please make sure you mention that you are contacting them about TIPEC: Phone: Email:
01787 249 295 membership@tipec.lpl-uk.com
By post: TIPEC Membership Arbons House 47 Water Street Lavenham CO10 9RN Online: www.tipec.net membership renewals tab Password: tipecmember
All Torque needs you With close-fought racing every day, over 400 historic racing cars spanning seven decades, historic rally car and karting action and a ‘living motoring museum’ created by dozens of car clubs displays – plus a host of other attractions – exhilaration and entertainment is guaranteed, whether you buy a ticket for one, two or all three days! On each day of the Festival gates open at 07.30am and the circuit activity starts at 9.10am, finishing at around 6.30pm. The provisional timetable will be announced early in 2015. Members of car clubs registered to attend the event benefit from a two-for-one ticket offer on advance tickets when they quote their unique club code at time of booking (deadline Saturday, April 25th), and, at the time of booking, will be asked to request the number of infield passes they require, allowing them to join the other cars on display in their club's dedicated infield parking area, to create a fantastic exhibit for all spectators to enjoy. Children aged 15 and under (accompanied by an adult) get in for free.
The next submissions deadline is March 1st. Why not join in and have something published? All Torque is entirely made by us, the TIPEC members. It’s easy to get involved – you can write about a club event in your region, about your own Porsche(s), about a DIY project you’ve done lately … anything at all that your fellow Porsche enthusiasts might enjoy reading. You do not need to be a professional writer, just run it through a spellcheck and we’ll worry about the rest! You can email photos to accompany your writing, or pop them on a disc and send them in the post. If there’s anything you wish there was more of in the magazine –why not have a go at writing it yourself? Email:
Visit www.doningtonhistoric.com for more information and to book tickets. To claim your two-for-one tickets and infield passes as a TIPEC member, use the club code TIPECDHF15 online before Saturday 25th April.
tony@typescape.com
By post: All Torque 6/2 308 Old Rutherglen Road Glasgow G5 0UN
TIPEC AGM 2015 The AGM will be held at The Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon (at J12 M40, CV35 0BJ) on Sunday 12th April 2015 at 10:00am. Agenda: 1. Welcome and apologies 2. Previous minutes 3. Chairmans Report 4. Finance Report 5. Determination of Subs 6. Election of Committee Members 7. Amendments to R&R 8. A.O.B This is the opportunity to have your say on the direction the club takes over the ensuing year. We quickly rattle through the formalities and have a good chat about the Club, Porsche and the Regions. After the meeting we take lunch and you are then free to wander around the Heritage Motor Centre exhibits at your leisure. Please confirm your attendance to cluboffice@tipec.net by April 3rd. Also if you have a question that you would like to be raised in your absence then please send us an email.
TIPEC trackday at Blyton Park May 23rd (Saturday) Following the success of the 2013 event, we have booked Blyton Park for the day, with our friends from the Marcos Owners Club. Blyton is situated in rural Lincolnshire, just east of Gainsborough, and easily accessible from the North via the M180 and the South via the A1. Cost for the full day is £165 and we have limited the number of cars to maximise track time. The noise limit for the day will be 95dB ‘drive by’ at 20m. To book: www.mazdaontrack.co.uk click on ‘Track Days’ for our link.
All Torque 109 page 5
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Member’s cars We believe Andy Bennetts’ Cayman GTS may have been the first customer car delivered in the UK. It was also his first Porsche. Andy tells us how he came to order it and the little niggles with this otherwise excellent car.
I got my Cayman GTS in July, and joined TIPEC shortly after. I’ve never owned a Porsche before but having been given a good tradein on my Golf R by Porsche Edinburgh, I went for a Cayman GTS with PDK and a few other extras.
Seton to Gullane. A thrash across these roads certainly shows how the car can be accurately placed into the corners, and how the brakes, gears and throttle all come together to make this an absolutely superb driving machine.
This was very much a move up for me, as originally I was looking for a second hand 911 Carrera 4S, having owned several four wheel drive cars in the past. Graeme Shepherd, the Porsche Centre Edinburgh salesman, let me take out a two wheel drive 911 Carrera. The rain was hammering down that day, but the car was stable as a rock and so my thoughts turned to whether I really needed four wheel drive.
I love the fact that it’s really three cars in one: standard cruising mode is great but hit the sport button and things really wake up. There’s also the hooligan button — sport plus — giving amazing transformation and an exhaust note to die for.
Looking at how I was going to use the car, I didn’t really need a back seat either, and that decision led me to trying a Cayman S. The handling was even better than the 911, and I could feel that the weight was centred behind me in the wheelbase rather than out the back. For the money I was thinking of spending I could get a new Cayman so the decision was made, although I had a four month wait until the car was delivered.
“
The quality of fit and finish is superb, there’s a good amount of luggage and storage space, and the fuel economy is good. I averaged 34 mpg on a run to Aviemore, and I wasn’t hanging about. Overall it’s about 30 mpg. Is it all perfect then? Well no, and here’s why: there are several areas where the interface between driver and car could be improved, and the biggest of them is the operation of the audio system. Yes, I know, what am I doing listening to the audio system when the exhaust note is to die for? But I find it really awkward to operate without taking my eyes off the road. The buttons are too small and well out of the line of sight, and you have to reach around the gear lever to adjust the volume.
There’s also the hooligan button — sport plus — giving amazing transformation and an exhaust note to die for.
It’s by far the most expensive car I’ve ever owned, and while it’s towards the bottom of the Porsche range in terms of price, it can’t be faulted dynamically. It handles brilliantly and has all the performance I will ever need, yet is practical and has enough luggage space for my wife and I to go on holiday.
One of my favourite driving roads, where I can really get a feel for what the car is capable of doing, is Gifford to Duns via Longformacus and back via the B6355. There’s also a great stretch of road from Pitlochry to Blairgowrie on the A924, and on the coast road from Port
”
The solution would be multifunction buttons on the steering wheel. I had the choice when I ordered the car: the multi-function wheel, or the sports wheel with paddles only, which I chose. The latter is a trade off because while functions are available from the wheel for the audio, the buttons for the PDK are far from intuitive, and nowhere near as good as the polished aluminium sport wheel paddles with left to change down and right to change up.
“
There is no steering wheel for the Cayman that combines the paddle shift with multifunction buttons. You can get one for a Macan or a 918 but they won’t fit the Cayman and voice control cannot be retrofitted to the PCM 3.0 audio setup I have in the vehicle, unless I install PCM 3.1 with Sat Nav which I don’t need. Ideally, I’d have a retrofit steering wheel similar to the 918, which according to the 918 microsite is based on ‘a vital principle of motorsport: your hands must never leave the wheel’. Incidentally, exactly the same issue affects current model 911 cars.
Overall it’s a brilliant car, but it could be made even better with some relatively simple improvements.
The Cayman is a very driver focussed car, so it really surprises me that Porsche haven’t paid more attention to their own mantra. My suggestion to Porsche or any enterprising aftermarket manufacturer would be to develop a replacement multifunction steering wheel with audio, phone and the sport and sport plus buttons along with the paddle shift levers. Most of these are functions which at the moment I have to search around for while driving. It’s also a problem which only becomes apparent after owning and driving the car for a while. Other very minor gripes are the instruments. The analogue speedo is a waste of time, as the digital speedo is easily visible. And why not give all the instruments TFT displays? It’s no problem at night when they are all evenly illuminated but in daylight you can easily see the TFT multifunction display on the right, whereas the rev counter and analogue speedo are nowhere near as well illuminated. The red indicator light showing that the doors are locked is right in your vision; not a problem during the day, but it gets really annoying at night.
”
camera behind the VW badge which opened when the car was put into reverse and gave a constantly clear rear view, I’m sure Porsche could put the camera behind a similar folding panel.
The Mark 1 Cayman had the facility to fit roof bars, but nothing like that exists in the Mark 2. I daresay not many people need to carry a roof load, but omitting that facility seems to be a backwards step. Finally, rubber mats for driver and passenger were only available for LHD cars, so I’ve had to make something up. If this sounds like a litany of disappointment, it’s not, and I’m currently working on fixes for some of these items. Overall it’s a brilliant car — and most of the motoring magazines agree — but it could be made even better with some relatively simple improvements. If someone did bring out a replacement steering wheel as outlined, I for one would be at the head of the queue. Am I glad I bought it? You bet! I’ll be taking it along to some of the Scottish TIPEC events this year, so maybe I’ll see you there.
The coat hooks on the back of the seats are not long enough, so when you put a jacket on the hook then fold the seat back, it invariably falls off. The reversing camera gets dirty very easily, the Golf R had the Text & photography by Andy Bennetts All Torque 109 page 9
Member’s cars John Robinson remembers the impression made on him by a 911 40 years ago and has finally bought his first Porsche after years of other cars, including Morgans. He still owns a ’69 Morgan (though it is due a rebuild).
So why a Porsche? Well for me it started around 40 years ago (yes it’s taken that long to get one) when I used to go to see my girlfriend and later my wife and I used to pass a house where quite often a Porsche coupé, bronze paint I think, would rumble down the drive and set off down the long straight road like a bat out of hell. I always remember that engine sound and the way the car would squat down as it accelerated away. So from that time I vowed that one day I would own a Porsche. As I say, it’s taken a while! My search started a couple of years ago and at the time I was considering a 993. I looked at and drove a few but there always seemed to be something not quite right with them, either corrosion, problems with the windscreen, or they were just tired examples. I have to say I have also seen some stunning 993s more recently. Anyway at that time I got offered a mint condition Morgan which I bought pretty much on a whim to go with my ’69 Morgan. After about 18 months of ownership, and still seeing Porsches, I decided to sell the Morgan and start the hunt for a Porsche in earnest. But which model? I still liked the 993 coupé and went to have a look at a couple more and also a couple of 964s after a work colleague of mine showed me his mint example. I even had a hankering for a 968 and after speaking to a couple of TIPEC members at the Tatton Classic car show I was quite smitten with what, in my opinion, is a beautiful looking Porsche. Time moved on and I kept searching the Internet while still keeping an open mind on the type of Porsche I would want. I eventually saw a 968 coupé which was coming up for auction with only 27,000 miles and one owner. We went to see it and it was immaculate in all respects. I decided I would go to the auction to potentially bid. However, what happened next happened quickly. Two days before the auction I happened to see a 911 Carrera Sport Coupé for sale with what seemed to be an impeccable history. I was still thinking back to the 911 I used to see those 40 years ago. I rang the seller and arranged to view the car the next day, so after a five hour drive we were in the garage of the seller looking at a beautiful 911. It was certainly ticking all the right boxes: well cared for, full service history at a Porsche main dealer, a binder full of paperwork for all the work it has had done over the years and none of the rust problems which seem to affect this model. Text & photography by John Robinson
A test drive confirmed that this was a well cared for example with just a few small stone chips and some minor paint bubbling on the underside of the aluminium bumpers. The engine sound once again took me back to the Porsche of 40 years ago. The body colour of linen grey metallic with linen leather and blue upholstery looked stunning in my opinion. A deal was therefore struck and I became the owner of my first Porsche. We did go to the auction of the beautiful red 968 just out of curiosity but I didn’t bid, I had my Porsche now, but whoever bought the red 968 has a fantastic car. My first long drive of my newly acquired 911 was back up North on possibly the worst day to travel; a Friday afternoon in pouring rain. It took eight hours to cover the 260 miles and it was freezing in the car because I didn’t know how to operate the heating system, completely missing the dial between the seats; but that first proper drive was also great, the car being very comfortable for a long journey and nothing like a Morgan. It was nice to get a few thumbs up from other drivers on the way home. Since owning the car I have done some minor maintenance such as renewing the rear brake pads and sensors and removing the outer sills to clean all the crud out from behind. We have been on some great long drives out and the 911 has lived up to all my expectations. The only exception is the heavy steering at parking speeds but this is a minor quibble. Is the car a keeper? Yes, without a doubt. I still get a grin on my face when I wind up that flat-six engine and it takes me back to that bronze 911 which I fell in love with 40 years ago.
Bringing in the year at
Brooklands The largest New Year’s Day gathering in the South East We were blessed with the warmest New Year’s Day in 99 years for our annual pilgrimage to Brooklands Museum. All classic, modern classic, vintage, veteran and super cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles are welcomed for possibly the largest New Year’s Day gathering in the South East! The wind made it feel colder than it actually was, but the Sunbeam Café was a great place to get some hot food, drinks and warm shelter to chat with TIPEC colleagues. Once again the SE Region pre-booked car parking spaces in a specially reserved area, along with dozens of other car clubs. There were over 1,000 cars of all makes, models and eras parked around the Paddock, on the Finishing Straight and Members’ Banking. There were over 2,000 spectators wandering around, who also gained entry to explore the Brooklands Automotive, London Bus and Aviation Museum areas.
Derek Bell’s famous 924 Carrera GTS
Porsche were there in force with dozens of models displayed in all areas of the site from 928s, 924s and 944s to 911s of all eras, variants and colours. Derek Bell’s famous 924 Carrera GTS (Reg no. 924 GTS) was there. A rare RPM Technics CSR modified 997 was also spotted.
Four 928s entering in convoy
The Brooklands banking
The rare RPM Technics CSR modified 997
Text & photography by Derek Flanagan All Torque 109 page 11
Craftsmanship in the Cotswolds You can find some interesting things at the ends of lanes, but only if you know where to look. One man who does is Bristol region member Ted Walker, and it was thanks to him that a small group was allowed to visit Retro Track and Air in Gloucestershire, after the obligatory excellent breakfast at The Huntsman in Falfield of course! Retro has grown from the cottage industry operation of flyer and former racer Peter Watts into a business employing 28 people. It’s housed in a combination of purpose-built and older buildings, all set in an idyllic location. As the company name implies it straddles two fields, but the same quality-first approach is brought to both, as we soon saw when we entered the first workshop. In the mechanical department, to the gentle sounds of Radio 3, various Rolls Royce Merlin and Griffon engines were to be found in various stages of overhaul, as the company was looking after the 17 needed by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. When the Canadian Lancaster visited during 2014 and had a spot of engine trouble it was a Retro-built unit which saved the day. Its original engine is now being rectified for eventual exchange. These engines — 27 and 36 litres respectively — are certainly an impressive sight, whether in component or fully-built condition. The company is the smallest in the UK licensed to manufacture to both civilian and military specifications. Moving across the courtyard to the airframe department, we found a Gloster Gladiator biplane being returned to life following its recovery from a wartime crash site in Norway. A tremendous amount of remanufacturing has been done so far, right down to the manufacture from scratch of five cylinders for the Bristol Mercury engine. With only two other surviving planes of this type in existence, this effort will certainly be worthwhile. Also here, and reducing the amount of space normally given over to propeller manufacture, was
a Spitfire fuselage being rebuilt with as many original components as possible. It had been recovered from the River Severn 20 years ago. Other interesting sights included a jig for making wings, some Lancaster wheels, and the remanufacture of Lancaster oil tanks.
Making our way next door we entered a comprehensively equipped machine shop. As you can imagine, certain parts are now becoming scarce. The company has commissioned components such as Merlin cylinder heads which are then machined on site, all using original materials. Original works’ drawings are much in evidence, and the same machine used for making Merlin camshafts also makes cams for pre-war Rolls Royce and Bentley cars. The company acquired the tooling and patterns of Leonard Reece Precision Camshafts some years ago and so is able to supply and recondition many rare car and aircraft cams. The rest of the site is devoted to the historic racing car side of the business. We were able to see a number of complete and dismantled examples, including models from March and Lotus, but many being Brabhams such as an ex-Jochen Rindt BT23C and an ex-Dan Gurney BT7. A new frame was being made for the latter to replace its much-used original, which the owner was planning to mount on his wall! Having these kind of manufacturing facilities on hand means that the company can make just about anything from scratch if it cannot be obtained elsewhere, and so are able to offer services from straightforward preparation to a more comprehensive rebuild. With the aid of a large and fully-equipped transporter they are also able to offer UK and European race support, right down to the catering! All in all this was a truly fascinating visit and it was gratifying to see skilled people turning out high quality work, something which we once took for granted in Britain. Our thanks to Peter and Rachel for taking the time to guide us through the business and again to Ted for arranging our visit.
Text by Martin Broadribb & photography by Ted Walker All Torque 109 page 13
Middle of the road Dave Watson’s 914 restoration
Having attended several Le Mans Classic weekends over the past 10 years, the appeal of this biennial festival of historic racing remains as strong now as it did on my first visit. What I have found though, is that whilst the aura of the event does its best to mesmerise my senses during the first few trips, I’ve started taking in much more of the detail on subsequent visits. My interest in the Porsche 914 is a case in point. Whilst the main attractions for me have always been the 917s, 904s, 906s, and the 935s, I couldn’t help but notice that those funny looking VW Porsche things were running rings around some of the early 911s. The 914 sold in surprisingly high numbers — nearly 119,000 were made between 1969 and 1976 — with the vast majority ending up in the States and Canada. The car was developed from a concept by Gugelot Design during the autumn of 1966. Porsche was looking for a more affordable model to add to its range in replacement of the 912, but didn’t have the budget to engineer something from scratch. VW stepped in and the joint venture company VW-Porsche was eventually formed.
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2.0 litre flat six. Some 3,318 units of the 914/6 were made. This was subsequently phased out with the 2.0 four cylinder engine not giving much away to the Porsche units despite being notably cheaper. A dozen 916 cars were also produced as prototypes, six with 2.4 motors and six with 2.7 motors, built with fixed steel roofs. A further two 914/8s were built as specials for Ferdinand Piech and Ferry Porsche using the 908/3 eight cylinder engine from the 908 race car. They had 300 bhp and 260 bhp on tap respectively! The standard 914 sits 100mm lower on the road than equivalent 911s. It is both lighter and more aerodynamic than the 911 with over 20% less drag, hence the visible performance differential on track. In many ways they were ahead of their time, being one of the first cars with four wheel disc brakes, a mid-engined layout and a five-speed dog-leg box. The four cylinder 1.7 and 2.0 litre models ran with D-jet fuel injection systems and the later 1.8 litre model came with L-jet fuel injection in the States, and twin carbs in Europe.
… those funny looking VW Porsche things were running rings around some of the early 911s.
The intent was that four cylinder VW derived engines, the 411 and 412, would be used in VW models built by Karmann in Osnabruck, and that plain bodyshells would be sent to Zuffenhausen for assembly by Porsche with six cylinder motors. This all came about as part of a gentlemen’s agreement between Ferry Porsche and Heinz Nordoff of VW. Nordoff died quite suddenly and his replacement Kurt Lotz didn’t see things the same way, wanting Porsche to buy shells from VW inclusive of a proportion of the tooling costs. In the end the joint venture entity was formed in 1970 as a compromise agreement to continue manufacture of the 914. All four cylinder cars sold in Europe were badged as VW-Porsche without the Porsche lettering on the engine grill. All cars shipped to the States and Canada were sold through Audi-Porsche dealerships and badged as a Porsche. The cars I saw running at the Le Mans Classic were the 914/6 GTs produced specifically for racing. The factory produced three versions: a customer race car, a factory track car and a factory rally car, the version owned by Jay Kay. All had 2.0 litre engines based on the Carrera 6 race car with suspension and brakes similar to 911s of the era, though with certain components sourced from the 908 racer. The road versions at the time came in VW derived four cylinder 1.7 and 2.0 litre form, and for 1970 and 1971 were also available with the Porsche
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When I started the search for my 914, it became quite obvious that these cars suffer somewhat from a perceived lack of parentage. Even though it was commissioned by Porsche, it was neither completely a VW nor completely a Porsche, and seen by some as something of a mongrel. On paper though, you can’t argue with its appeal. With a mid-engined layout it offers surprisingly good handling, and its two huge boots — one up front and one at the rear behind the engine — make for excellent practicality, even allowing for storage of the targa top. The strong longitudinal structures along the sills and centre tunnel also gave the shell class-leading rigidity that was only further modified for strength in the race cars, and in the 914/8 and 916 specials. However, what became apparent very quickly was that most unrestored European cars would be a risky proposition. Rust proofing was available only as an option when new. Consequently, most are complete rustbuckets. It was with this thought in mind that I decided a California car would be the best option. In the end, I sourced my 1975 1.8 litre four cylinder car via a subsidiary of E-Type UK, a Jaguar specialist in Kent that happened to have a rust free 914 coming in from its Los Angeles showroom. It arrived in May 2013 having spent its life owned by an accountant in Santa Barbara. It looked quite tidy on the outside, but in need of some TLC on the inside …
All Torque 109 page 15
On closer inspection it wasn’t completely rust free, had a cracked windscreen, was missing a lot of trim and lacked a completely straight panel. On the plus side, it was honest! There was rust in the rear boot, and when I started stripping the interior out it became apparent that the rear window had been leaking. The rear floor area was held together by the bitumen sound insulation applied at the factory. The main achilles heel of the 914 is the area around and below the battery tray which is conveniently located immediately underneath the engine bay grill. Many cars ran without battery covers and rainwater made it past the drip tray onto the battery causing acid vapour to leak down onto the tray, corroding away the shelf, mounting, and in some cases, the whole console area below, which supports the suspension. In 914 circles it is known as the hell hole, with various horror stories available to see on google! If the hell hole area is badly corroded, the sills have had it too, which can be tested easily by removing the targa top and seeing if the doors open. My car still had two thirds of the battery tray intact, and the hell-hole area seemed ok. The brake calipers were rebuilt by Classic Car Automotive in Holmes Chapel, with new pistons and seals fitted prior to them replating the casings. The rear calipers are specific to the 914. Whilst similar to a 911, they also have a mechanism for the handbrake that uses the caliper to act against the disc. I did consider a five bolt conversion in order to fit Fuchs wheels but decided that the cost of locating early 911 hubs and 914/6 stub axles and replacing the rear calipers couldn’t be justified. I also didn’t like the idea of using four to five stud spacers. As an aside, I then learned how rare the Dan Gurney alloys on the car were — a US Dealer fit option — so decided to leave the wheels as they are.
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The shell was then shipped off to Unit 11 Porsche in Warrington where Danny did a wonderful job of restoring the floor pan, battery tray and jacking points using replacement panels sourced from Restoration Design in Canada. Danny’s welding was a work of art — better than factory! — and you would never know that the car had been restored in this area. I then undertook some of the preparations ahead of the rest of the car being bodily restored and repainted at Auto Bodycraft near Nantwich. Bodycraft did an excellent job in bringing my car back to life. Whilst not intended as a concours restoration, the finish achieved compared to its original state is a complete transformation. I then proceeded to reassemble the car with new targa, door and hood seals, new fuel and vacuum lines, engine bay seals and trims followed by a temporary revamp of the interior: new visors, carpets, second hand door cards, radio, speakers and mirrors, sufficient to ready the car for the trip to Le Mans. As an import, the car was required to go through the process of registration at the DVLA. As luck would have it, my car arrived in the UK just as the HMRC tax system for car imports was changing from old paper forms to new NOVA online system. What followed was nearly two months of arguing between the HMRC, DVLA and myself. It was finally agreed that new paperwork would have to be prepared and signed by the dealer who sold me the car to enable it to be processed on the NOVA system, and UK registered with the DVLA. I then discovered that the dealer had ceased trading and was now living in Los Angeles! Thankfully E-Type UK stepped in and sorted out the details.
The nicest thing about the car is the number of closet 914 enthusiasts that keep appearing for a chat.
What then followed was a race against time to get the car restored in order to travel in it to the Le Mans Classic in July 2014. I had a great deal of help from some Cheshire and Staffs members: the car was partially rewired and UK lights installed with extensive help from Barry Stenhouse; brakes rebuilt with reassembly help from Gary Ince; a new windscreen costing £250 from Porsche fitted and bonded in by Russ Cameron, and other mechanical recommissioning performed by myself.
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The moral here though is that if you find yourself importing a car, don’t leave it until the point of DVLA registration to validate that your tax paperwork is in order, as it can be processed straight away. Needless to say the car didn’t make it to Le Mans this past year, although this was a blessing in itself. Having taken the car on a few TIPEC Cheshire & Staffs road trips, it became apparent that the gearbox linkage was not in great shape. The saga that ensued made me grateful for the fact that I hadn’t gone to France in it.
The linkage bushes had disintegrated behind their boots, and a gearbox leak was traced to the mainshaft seal, which had been damaged as a result of a missing pilot or spigot bearing on the flywheel assembly. The box was attended to by Unit 11 along with new linkage bushes, new rear suspension bushes and replacement front tie rods. Unit 11 fitted 930 Turbo tie rods at the front — the whole front suspension / brake assembly can be directly swapped from a 911SC / 3.2 Carrera — and then they set up the suspension geometry to make sure the car handles well. Properly fettled, it is now a joy to drive. Paul Bird approached me in early October asking if I would display the car on the club’s stand at the NEC Classic Motorshow in November. This gave me a proper deadline to finish the car which resulted in the final parts of the dash assembly going back in place hours before the show, and a crack in the magnesium gearbox casing being welded just two days beforehand. The attention that the car gathered at the show surprised me. I am sure that this was partly due to the colour — Zambezi Green — and in part due to the growing interest in the model, now that values are on the rise.
Parts Sources and Specialists used during the restoration: Unit 11 Porsche Specialists, Warrington 01925 852000 Auto Bodycraft, Wrenbury 01270 780570 Classic Car Automotive www.classicbrake.co.uk, 01625 860910 Roger Bray Restorations 01404 822005 Patrik Hess, 914er-Teile www.914er-shop.de +49 06253 932903 914 Rubber www.914rubber.com MittelMotor www.mittelmotor.de Restoration Design www.restoration-design.com Automobile Atlanta www.autoatlanta.com Retro Automotive Products www.retroautomotiveproducts.com
Several people approached me over the weekend asking about the car’s story and for information on parts sources and dealers, so I have outlined a list of suppliers and specialists that I used below. I hope some of those whom I met at the NEC joined up! I have now put several hundred miles on the clock and am finally getting to enjoy the fruits of 18 months’ labour. It isn’t the fastest machine round the block, but it is a lot of fun. It also makes a pleasant change to be getting up to 35 mpg, so a 914 is also cheap to run. As with any project involving the restoration of a 40 year old car there is always more to sort out than might first be anticipated. The positives though are that whilst certain parts might not be especially cheap, there are very few things that I have been unable to source. Porsche Classic is to be commended for the range of obscure items I have managed to obtain from them in the course of renovations. The nicest thing about this car though is the number of closet 914 enthusiasts that keep appearing for a chat. I am sure that is down to our love of the underdog here in the UK. Whilst certainly different, perhaps the 914 is no longer the mongrel that it once was.
Text & photography by Dave Watson All Torque 109 page 17
NEC Classic Motor Show
2014 We have not one, but two reports from the 2014 NEC Classic Motor Show back in November. Here’s what Derek Flanagan & Brian Rowledge had to say ...
This year’s Classic Motor Show at the NEC was the biggest ever for Porsche, with a record four Porsche stands as well as other trade stands using Porsches to show off their products and services. There was the usual PCGB stand, plus a great stand from the 924 Owners’ Club, which included a very rare 924 Turbo Cabriolet with an equally unique personalised number plate CAB 924T. Apparently three were made, but only one’s existence can be confirmed! For the first time Porsche GB had a stand with a Turbocharged display of Turbos and Targas, as the model celebrates its 40th anniversary. Porsche holds its own restoration competition for their OPCs to revive the older classic models, and this year’s theme was Turbos and Targas. 15 entries were on display, including this year’s winner, a Leicester OPC with a 1986 3.2 Turbo bodied Targa SSE. The cars are judged on three criteria: mechanical restoration, body and paint restoration, and marketing and display activity. Entries can be either the OPC’s own car, or work with a customer getting a car restored. More information about the Porsche OPC restoration competition can be found on their website: http://restoration.porsche.co.uk Elsewhere, Steve McQueen’s stunning 917 in Gulf livery from his 1970s film Le Mans was also on a special display. The classic car bubble shows no sign of bursting, and there were a number of classic Porsches for sale including a stunning 1953 356 pre A Speedster ... if you had £150K to invest.
Dave Watson from TIPEC’s Cheshire Region had his latest acquisition on the TIPEC stand, a very nice green 914 which he imported from Los Angeles to restore, to go with the 911 Flatnose and 928 in his garage. You can read all about Dave’s restoration project elsewhere in this issue of All Torque.
really evolved. However, getting it ready for the show was a nightmare. Paul set it on fire three times — to my knowledge — and I had an incident with it setting fire to the long grass at Curborough on a track day! All of this resulted in the need for a new loom and a few ancillary components, together with new wheels and tyres.
And on the subject of TIPEC’s own stand, it was another great display from the Central Region (thanks go to them for their work), in a far better and more prominent location this year. Over to Brian Rowledge to tell us more about the club stand they put together:
We had the car back from repairs and wrapping two days before the show opened. The setup day was spent trying to get the car clean and tidy, something which is alien to Paul … As you can see the car has more sponsors, and another may come on board in 2015. Watch this space!
Well, it was that time of the year again. No sooner than one show is over, the next one begins. Which cars to show? Who will staff the stand? How do we keep everything fresh? Will new exhibitors enjoy the experience? What lighting shall we use, and will it compliment the cars and the carpeting? There’s a huge list of questions to consider, and that’s not to mention the question of finding the money to fund it.
What was special this year was the inclusion of Dave Watson’s 914, a very rare car which generated an enormous amount of interest. We also included a very well cared for 928 courtesy of Adrian Langford. The stand summed up very much the ethos of the club: all Porsches and all enthusiasts, with or without a Porsche, are welcome. As an example of this Philip set a new world record for spending time with an enthusiast. He spent a complete afternoon talking about 3.2s with just one guy, and not even the British Lions’ famous 99 rescue call could save him!
Now that it’s all done and dusted, we ask ourselves if it was worth it … well of course it was! And hopefully the 50 new members we signed up will think so too. This year, I managed to convince Paul that our track car should be on display, to give Porsche fans an insight into just how much fun you can have — and how little needs to be spent — on putting a track car together. As you can see from edition 107 of All Torque, the car has
Huge thanks go to Porscheshop for the loan of their car, and to everyone who helped out on the set up day and show days. Finally, thanks to the owners of the display cars, and especially for their unstinting enthusiasm for dealing with the hundreds of questions from fellow Porsche enthusiasts.
Text by Derek Flanagan & Brian Rowledge. Photography by Phillip J Andricuk, Derek Flanagan & Brian Rowledge All Torque 109 page 19
The Racing Factory
Members of TIPEC’s Cheshire & Staffs Region took a trip to Leeds for a tour of the Ginetta Cars factory to see how they build racecars and learn how they also hope to build racing drivers with long (and loyal) careers.
All Torque 109 page 21
In previous years, groups from Cheshire and Staffs have been lucky enough to visit both Morgan Cars and Bentley Motors, and these trips have generated a great deal of interest from members. So following some months of discussion, I was really pleased to have persuaded Ginetta Cars to offer us a tour. That said, I was still a little nervous as to whether we would get enough interest, so I extended the invitation to members of other TIPEC regions and to members of the online DDK forum. In the end I need not have worried. 39 people turned out at the Ginetta factory on the day. Some of us met bright and early at Birch Services on the M62 and then made a beeline for Ginetta’s modern office and factory complex in Garforth, near Leeds. In the reception area, two cars from Ginetta’s past were on display — a G4 and a G12 — both from a time when the business was run by its founders, the Walklett brothers. Ginetta was established in 1958 but became better known after the launch of the G4 for the club racer in 1961. Various models were developed over the years, most with a racing connection and some for the road, supported by a burgeoning kit car industry through the 1970s and 1980s. However, decreasing sales and the increasing cost of meeting manufacturing standards required by legislation resulted in the sale of the company to Lawrence Tomlinson in 2005.
Lawrence Tomlinson is a successful businessman with interests in the care home industry, construction and software services. He was also a successful racing driver, having run a TVR and a Panoz at Le Mans, winning the GT2 class in 2006. Ginetta now forms part of his LNT Group which shares space with the Ginetta Cars offices and factory in Garforth. Ginetta’s primary interest is in the manufacture of cars for the four one-make race series which it supports. Having had success in the UK, this has become an international operation, and produces between 250 and 300 cars annually. Ginetta recently purchased Juno Racing Cars, and are due to roll out their new LMP3 class Ginetta-Nissan race car in the next few months. This follows the announcement of a new, cheaper, Le Mans Series class, which has resulted in eight Ginetta chassis being sold before the new car has even turned a wheel! Our tour kicked off in the gentlemen’s club atmosphere of Ginetta’s board room. Mike Simpson, their Commercial Manager and a factory driver, explained the history behind the brand, their current business model and how they have successfully supported new talent in motorsport, from entry level through to professional. He took us to their delivery area, where G55 and GT3 race cars were on display alongside a bright orange Le Mans Series refugee, a previous LMS car that Tomlinson had driven alongside Greg and Nigel Mansell.
The engines used in Ginetta cars are either Ford or Nissan based. When we walked through to the component and engine shop it was clear to see that many of the parts used on their cars are custom made to race standards. We were then taken down to a mezzanine above the main production line, to see the factory race car preparation area. Off to one side is their carbon fibre shop, where a number of components are made for the tubs. The main shell is produced by an outside supplier. The racks of parts were impressive, stacked from floor to ceiling. Anything from the smallest component to a full clamshell is ready for dispatch in the event of a call from a race team. Three immaculately finished orange race trucks were parked in the main hall area along with all the hospitality fixtures and fittings required in the modern, highly commercial world of racing. Outside, LNT Group’s helicopter sat waiting. We were then taken round the chassis shop, the dyno testing rigs, and on to the main production lines where six cars were in various states of build. The attention to engineering detail was quite noticeable. Whilst several different series are supported, the basic chassis is the same for all variants: G40, G55, GT3 and GT4. The cost of production is a key factor generally, as is the affordability of individual parts for owners. It was interesting to see the application of intelligent design and the reuse of the same parts through the different ranges.
Moving on from the factory floor, we were taken up into their design office where we were treated to a demonstration of their CAD/CAM system. Their designer called up various models of their forthcoming LMP3 car onto the screen and demonstrated how they analyse aerodynamics and stress loads on different components as well as digital prototyping of the full car. This enables them to go from clean sheet to tarmac within a matter of months. The confidence that they have in delivering the first LMP3 chassis by March is quite remarkable, given that in late November the car did not physically exist. We finished up back in the boardroom where Mike Simpson explained the details of their starter race package — The Ginetta Racing Drivers’ Club — an all-inclusive package of G40 car, race training and licence, track days and four rounds of racing with hospitality for £30k plus VAT. The fact that the car comes road registered, and that you get to keep it, shows that this is almost a loss leader for them. It is hoped that the series will encourage new entrants into racing, and lead to those competitors then upgrading their cars for entry into subsequent classes. Mike Simpson then wrapped up, and we headed off to a local TIPEC haunt, The Arabian Horse, for lunch. Feedback from those who attended was extremely positive. Thank you all for making the effort to come along, and of course to our host Mike Simpson. Further to our visit, Ginetta have sent us a link to the LNT Foundation, a charitable organisation which they have set up to support the elderly and those recovering from motorsport injuries. Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so at www.lntfoundation.co.uk. Text & photography by Dave Watson All Torque 109 page 23
Hitting the heights!
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Adjusting ride height on the Porsche 928 I’ve got good news and bad news for Porsche 928 owners. The bad news is that the ride height of probably 90% of 928s is well below factory specification, the hard driving of a 1600kg sports car will inevitably take its toll on sagging springs. The 928’s styling refuses to date, so it’s easy to forget that the youngest cars are approaching twenty years old! The 928 is very low to the ground to begin with, so the most obvious symptom of a low ride height is the car hitting the road surface under extreme body movements, and scraping speed bumps at lower speeds. At best you’ll get away with scrapes to the front spoiler and undertrays. At worst — where undertrays are not fitted — you could cause serious damage to the alternator
and air conditioning compressor which sit very low in the engine bay. The compressor bracket may even be broken away along with a chunk of the engine block, requiring tricky and expensive welding to restore air conditioning to the car, if a repair is possible at all. A low height can also be the cause of a poor, crashy ride. The good news is that all 928 models from S2 onwards have fully height adjustable suspension front and rear, and earlier cars are adjustable for height at least at the rear. You only need a single tool to carry out height adjustment. Height adjustment at the front of early cars is possible by replacing springs or adding spacers, but this How-To will cover the simpler process applicable to the S2 model onwards where adjuster nuts and collars perform all round height adjustment.
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This is the tool you will need: a 2-4.75” / 50-120mm adjustable C-spanner or hook wrench. It’s a common tool used by bikers for adjusting drive chains, but for our purposes it allows a really firm and safe fit on the height adjuster nuts. You can find it at motorbike specialists, or just search online for ‘Laser Tools 4930’ and you will find them for around £20. There are dozens listed for sale on eBay. 3
Measure ride height at the rear The car needs to be on level ground — a garage floor is ideal — to take the initial height readings, and carrying a full or almost full load of fuel, which makes quite a difference. The suspension must be completely settled for an accurate height measurement, which means driving it for at least ten miles since the last time it was jacked up.
Buy or borrow an adjustable C-spanner
Let’s start with the easier rear end, where you can see the measurement point just by sticking your head under the car, and reach it by stretching. The measurement point is a small raised area machined onto the cross member on each side. You can also see the telescopic pick up tool that I’m using to find the height, by extending the tool till it touches the measurement point and then measuring the total length. A short steel ruler will also fit under there and let you take a measurement directly, or a telescopic antenna with a closed length below 120mm will cover all eventualities. The Maplin part L27AF closes to 109mm, and costs £9. Make a note of the height at that corner, then take the measurement on the other side. At the rear the factory spec is 173 +/- 10mm, allowing a range of 163-183mm, with a maximum 10mm difference between left and right side.
Locate the front measurement point Measuring height at the front is trickier, since the measurement point is not as easy to view. You will be working more by feel and won’t be able to view your measuring tool as you hold it between the ground and the measurement point. Here’s a wider view to enable you to get your bearings in that area. Do you see that silver, cast bracket in the top centre of the photo, with the bolt heads on each side? That’s the bearing over the rear of the lower control arm, and you can find it sitting just ahead of the rubber gaiters over the steering arms. The flexible brake hose visible here is another clue that we are inboard of the front hub, and in line with its centre. The front height measurement point is machined into this bearing, as you’ll see in the next photo.
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Close up of front measurement point
The rear height adjusters
Adjusting height at the rear
The height is measured from the ground to the round machined spot in the centre of the bracket.
The spring lengths are adjusted by turning the big notched nut on the threaded sleeve at the base of the shock.
You need a bit of arithmetic to calculate how many turns you need to move the height adjuster to get back to spec.
Once you know where it is, you can find it by touch, lying next to the car and reaching the measurement point from behind the front wheels.
Unless the springs have been fitted recently — and the adjuster parts greased, Optimoly TA works well here — the nut will be hard to turn. If they are newish parts then they will turn very smoothly with almost finger pressure on the spanner. You can make the job easier here by spraying the threaded adjuster sleeve and the area between the nut and the spring perch with a decent penetrant — but not WD40 which is not a penetrant! — to break down any corrosion sticking the parts together. Do this a day or so before trying to turn the adjuster, and repeat for a couple of days to give the penetrant time to work.
Earlier we saw that the factory spec was 163-183mm at the rear, and 170-190mm at the front. A good figure to aim for is 175mm all round. This gives a slightly nose down attitude to the car, and makes for a very fresh looking stance.
The factory spec for the front height is in the range of 170-190mm. As you can’t sight the measurement point directly, one way of measuring the height is to cut a series of short wooden sticks or even straws, starting at 160mm or shorter if the height is lower than this, and going up 2mm at a time to around 174mm. Find the length that just fits vertically under the measurement point, and take this as the initial height, repeating on the other side. You now have four height measurements for rear left, rear right, front left and front right. Pick the corner with the lowest height for the first adjustment, starting at the rear or front axle as appropriate. If the lowest corner was at the rear, then you would proceed in order shown here, otherwise skip to the front adjustment.
The rear of the car must be lifted and supported with axle stands to take the load off the suspension. Moving the adjuster would be almost impossible otherwise! Can you see a red mark I’ve made on the adjuster nut? That’s to help me count the number of turns needed to adjust from the measurement taken earlier to the factory spec.
The adjuster threads are 1.5mm, but the geometry of the suspension at the rear means that a single turn up or down doesn’t change the ride height by 1.5mm, but by 2.0mm. So if the target height is 175mm, and the actual measured height is 167mm, then we need to raise the height by 8mm, which corresponds to four complete turns of the adjuster. So just take the difference in millimetres between the target and actual height, divide by two, and this is the number of turns needed of the adjuster nut. Turn the nut to the right to raise the car, to the left to lower it. Lock the C-spanner into the notches of the nut as shown in the photo, and turn to the right as you look at the nut to raise the car, and to the left to lower it. It’s almost certain that you will need to raise the height. Using the mark you’ve made on the nut as a reference, count the complete turns needed to reach the target height. You will be able to turn the nut between a quarter and a half turn at a time. Wear thick gloves if the nut is stiff to avoid blisters on your palm! Once you reach the target height then repeat the procedure on the other side of the axle.
Text & photography by Adrian Langford All Torque 109 page 25
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The front height adjusters
Adjusting height at the front
The front adjuster is slightly different from the rear, insofar as the threaded ring is much shorter, and can be completely hidden by the adjuster nut. The adjuster is the big, notched nut near the base of the shock.
It’s arithmetic time again, but the front geometry is different. The adjuster thread is still 1.5mm, but this time one complete turn of the adjuster raises or lowers the car by 3mm. So if the target height is 175mm, and the actual measured height is say 163mm, then we need to raise the height by 12mm, which corresponds to 4 complete turns of the adjuster. So just take the difference in millimetres between the target and actual height, divide by three, and this is the number of turns needed of the adjuster nut. Turn the nut to the right to raise the car, to the left to lower it.
But the same principle applies at the rear of spraying the area where the nut meets the spring perch with penetrant, to help the nut turn without too much effort. The suspension must be unloaded, so the front wheels must be off the ground and supported safely on axle stands before trying to adjust the height. To get access to the adjuster nuts you get most room by removing the front wheels, failing that just turn them to full lock and see which lock direction gives you most room to adjust with the C-spanner.
Final adjustments
Lock the C-spanner into the notches of the nut as shown in the photo, and turn to the right as you look at the nut to raise the car, and to the left to lower it. Again, it’s almost certain that you will need to raise the height. Before adjusting, make a reference mark like the red one here, and count the complete turns needed to reach the target height. With the correct number of turns dialled in, repeat the procedure on the other side of the axle. Assuming you did the rear height first, then you’re almost done.
Changing the height of any corner of the corner will necessarily affect the opposite corner, but because of the point mentioned earlier about settling the suspension you can’t just drop the car onto the ground and check the heights immediately. Instead you have to replace wheels if you removed them at the front, lower the car, and then take it for at least a ten mile drive with a few hard brake applications thrown in before returning to base, and repeating all the measurements for ride height on flat ground. You are still looking for a figure of 175mm at each corner, or whatever your chosen height is so long as it is within factory spec of 170-190mm at the front, and 163-183mm at the rear with a maximum 10mm difference across any axle. If the repeated measurement is more than two or three millimetres out at any corner then you’ll have to repeat the height setting exercise at that corner and any others as required. If the measurements are all close to target then just enjoy the fact that your 928 is now looking better, rides better, and is safe from any damage to the underside and ancillary parts.
www.TIPEC.net You can use the TIPEC website to register or renew your club membership, advertise cars and parts for free, download old issues of All Torque, and keep upto-date with events in your region. If you look to the top-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!)
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Regional round up R2
Scotland
R8
Anglia & North Essex
R3
North East
R11
North London, Herts & South Essex
R4
Yorkshire
R12
South East London & North Kent
R5
North West
R13
Thames Valley
R18
Cheshire & Staffs
R9
South East
R6
South Yorkshire & North Notts
R21
Wessex
R19
East Midlands
R23
Southern
R7
Central
R22
Bristol, South West & South Wales
R20
South Central
R15
Cornwall & Devon
R2
R3
R4 R5 R18
R6 R19
R7 R22
R15
R8
R20 R12 R13
R23
R11 R9
R21
Scotland RO Neil Fraser 07946 616 782 (mobile) neil@fraser72.freeserve.co.uk ARO West Elaine Whitelaw elainewhitelaw6@msn.com ARO East James McLauchlan jjlin@blueyonder.co.uk Meetings are held first Wednesday of every month 8pm for an 8:30pm start in the 007 bar, upstairs at Bo’Ness Motor Museum, Bridgeness Road, Bo’Ness EH51 9JR. www.motor-museum.bo-ness.org.uk A Happy New Year to everyone and I hope Santa brought you everything you wished for (I am sure he would have). With the festive season now a distant memory I am sure we have all recovered from the Turkey and party nights thrown at us. It is that lull time of the year where a lot of the Porkers are under wraps and getting a wee bit of TLC with an odd winter project or two ... I know mine is but I will do a wee article on that later!
Barony Castle Hotel and Spa, the 2014 Christmas venue.
In the meantime it is thinking caps on for the season ahead . Suggestion forms and election forms for RO and ARO are out in circulation. This is a time for you, the members, to suggest a wee outing or venue – maybe a little something different altogether – for the coming 2015 season. It is your suggestions, along with our input from seasons gone by, which eventually make up the diary of events for the year ahead. I am sure a few old favourites such as the annual BBQ and trophy day will be hot on the list. As we speak the spring run is being drafted up, but again all suggestions are welcome on that front. The region had our annual Christmas bash at Barony Castle Hotel near Peebles, put together by ARO Elaine Whitelaw, and it was a superb night in great company. I do confess to having a wee sore head the next morning. My other half, Audrey, drank me under the table and made me sit opposite her the next morning with a full Scottish cooked breakfast ... which I could not face! Many thanks to everyone for the chat and dancing and to Brian Wood for the headache tablets the next morning – much needed I can tell you. Elaine, many thanks for the donkey work in putting this together. I know you are working on this year’s bash already so we will keep you posted on the 2015 venue.
As you are aware we are a very active region and Elaine, James and myself would not have it any other way. 2015 will follow in the footsteps of years gone by – action packed and something for everyone, I would like to think. Being the winter months the meets tend to be down in numbers so for the March meeting we are going to do something a wee bit different. Wait for it ... A Scalextric Porsche race night! Yes, you read it correctly. Get yourself along to the Bo’Ness Motor Museum on March the 4th and we will have a Porsche race night. If you have never raced a GT3 before then this will be your chance to do so. Something a wee bit different and a trophy for the winner. The January and February meetings will be spent deciding (from the SVVF book) which shows we will be attending, plus having a general chat on other outings etc. So it may be winter but still the cogs are turning and we hope to see you at Bo’Ness. Elaine, James and myself look forward to your suggestions and meeting up with you all in 2015. If you’d like more information on any of the Region’s activities, please do not hesitate to contact us, we are only too happy to help.
28 attended this years Christmas bash – a great turnout and great company.
North East RO wanted! ARO Andy Blythe 01642 809 031 andy44s70@gmail.com 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. In June and July we are meeting on the SECOND Sunday of the month. Welcome to 2015 I hope all your Christmas Porsche wishes came true. Personally I’m still waiting for that big lottery win to buy my 917 and RSR. I’d like to thank the members for their continued support and thank the guys for turning out for the Christmas curry. Meetings will continue to be on the first Sunday of the month at the Sporting Lodge – I hope to see you all there.
TIPEC NW members and Ninemeister Staff
Tony Levy. It was with great sadness that the region learned over the Christmas period that Tony lost his wife, Joyce to a long illness on the 26th of December. Joyce accompanied Tony on quite a few outings and events and made many friends within the North West. She was a very kind, genuine and warm hearted person and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tony and his family at this difficult time.
North West RO Andrew Lane 01772 740 625 07949 167 698 (mobile) caymanlane73@gmail.com ARO Simon Kendal 07540 525 841 (mobile) s.kendal@sky.com ARO Richard Sholl 07970 147 779 (mobile) rksholl@sky.com
Out for the North East Region’s Christmas curry
Yorkshire RO & ARO wanted Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:30pm at The Arabian Horse, Main Street, Aberford, LS25 3AA (Tel 0113 281 3312). Just off the A1/A64. RO and ARO required, to host monthly meetings and to attend/organise local events.
Gmund qs
30/6/08
16:49
Page 1
Meetings are held first Monday of every month from 8pm at The Boatyard Inn, Bolton Road, Riley Green, Houghton, Preston PR5 0SP (01254 209841). When this falls on a Bank Holiday, we meet on the second Monday instead. At the risk of sounding a bit predictable, I hope you all had a Great Christmas and New Year and that Santa was very kind to you all. Was anyone on the naughty list? As mentioned in the last edition of All Torque we have had a busy November and December of which you can find out about below. However first I would like you all to give thought to a one of our members,
Early November, the 8th to be exact, saw a good number of us gathering at Ninemeister in Warrington as proprieters, Colin Belton and Mark Clowes opened up their doors to commemorate moving to new premises. A number of us gathered at the nearby Harvester for some brekky before heading off on the short drive to Chesford Grange Business Park. We received a very warm welcome from the Ninemeister team and were immediately treated to an eyeful of brightly coloured Porsches as soon as we stepped into the workshop. Rubystone Red 964s, Speed Yellow 993s, bright green pre-impact bumper 911s (I’m not even going to pretend I know the official colour! Have a look at the picture and judge for yourselves) were a feast for the eyes. This green shell was being backdated to a 2.7 RS using original panels. The standard of work here was
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Freshly-painted bodyshell and a ‘Northern girl’.
second to none, you had to see it to believe it. However at £40,000 to get to this stage you would expect nothing less! In the showroom also, was the burnt orange 993 Speedster that I’m sure a lot of you have seen in recent Porsche publications. The paintwork alone accounted for 400 hours towards the build. An exceptional looking car. There were a few customer cars on the ramps, including our very own Richard Sholl, who had dropped off his 997 C2S for a Waxoil treatment. Richard commented on how thorough the chaps had been with his car. A service some of our other members were about to take advantage of with the guys. We were made very welcome by all the team and Colin and I spoke about holding one or two events at their premises in 2015 so keep a look out. A great Saturday morning was had by all. Towards the back end of November saw a group of North Westerners head out to The Tan Hill Inn for a good drive out. I was on a beach in Barbados (tough work I know) so I will hand you over to our Northern correspondent for enlightenment: “A fantastic winter turn-out of Porsche enthusiasts for our Tan Hill run. We had a 997 Turbo, a 997 Carrera S, a 996 Turbo, a 996 GT3, at least two 993 Carreras, a 911 3.2 Targa and a 928. We met for an early breakfast. We took a gentle drive through the Yorkshire Dales. We saw some sparks from the bottom of the 928. We visited a cheese factory. We had lunch in a pub and drove through a ford! Everyone appeared to have a good time, which is what it’s all about. Thanks to all who came along.” Late November (30th to be precise) saw us gathering at Mitton Hall for a Christmas Lunch. In the past we have had evening parties at Blackpool and St Annes but we thought we would give this a go as a lot of members know Mitton Hall from the Supercar Sundays they hold in the summertime. It has a very grand appearance to it both inside and out so we thought it would lend itself well to the meal. Pre-Lunch festivities were provided at Chez Sholl in the form of mulled wine and cider for the non-drivers and something softer for those who were in their Porkers. However unexpected drama was unfolding as people arrived at Richard & Diane’s in the form of water leaking into their living room from the bathroom up above. Teamwork kicked in with Pam McKee sorting out drinks whilst Richard sorted out his leaky ceiling! With temporary fixes in place we headed off to Mitton Hall for our Lunch. The team at the Hall had reserved the private dining room upstairs for us, which was just as well as we had
Display cars at Ninemeister.
an amazing turnout of 25 guests. We were treated very regally and the room itself had quite an air of pomp about it which really added to the occasion. Everyone enjoyed the lunch and commented on how the setting really added to the atmosphere, and with us having the room for the day everyone relaxed and chatted for ages before heading off home. Our thanks to the team at Mitton Hall. We may well return this year. December’s club night saw the return of our world famous quiz. This year the mantle of quizmaster was taken up by new member Malcolm Edwards. Malcolm is no stranger to this role as he organizes the pub quiz at his local. All I can say is the locals there must all belong to MENSA! Much head scratching was going on with the teams, but we all had a great night and a good laugh. Many thanks to Malcolm for organizing the quiz, and thanks to all the members who brought prizes along. Thanks to Kevin Hughes who cleaned up and donated some 930 & 964 pistons from his Classic Car Workshop as fancy paperweights. We also had some great prizes donated by Porsche Centre Bolton courtesy of our ever faithful contact there, Adam Calvert. This leads on to our final outing for 2014. Whilst at our December Club night Adam from Porsche Centre Bolton invited us to an open evening on the 10th of December to review the new 911 GTS as well as other interesting machinery on display. Not to mention the 924 Turbo that you saw in the last edition of AT, which really is a pretty car and lovely colour. Apparently they have had some very serious offers for it but it’s staying put for now. Also a customer had also allowed the dealership to display his brand new 918 Spyder, of which there are only eight in the country! This was a real treat for the eyes and quite something in the flesh. A few members were also lucky in the raffle. Another strong turnout of members which leads to me say, as we always do, thank you for supporting the events we plan.
NW region members out on the Tan Hill run.
March/April TBC Get your racing gloves dusted off as we are off Karting again! Venue TBC March/April TBC Club visit to Ninemeister. Proprietor Colin Belton is planning a wheel alignment display April 6th (Monday) Club Night May 11th (Monday) Club Night May TBC Tatton Park Classic Car Show May 23rd (Saturday) Club trackday at Blyton Park. Those who went last year said it was a cracking day out. See Richard Sholl’s update on our NW regional page at www.tipec.net May 30th–31st (Saturday–Sunday) Tatton Park Car Show. A firm favourite with TIPEC NW and Cheshire &Staffs regions June 1st (Monday) Club Night June TBC Cleveleys Car Show July 6th (Monday) Club Night July TBC Annual Concours, either the club night or a weekend August 3rd (Monday) Club Night
By the time we have gone to print we will have just had our first outing of 2015 to the Ribble Valley for a drive so more details in the next issue. Here is a summary of what to look forward to with the North West Region:
August 10th (Sunday) German Classic Car Show at Haigh Hall. Our main show event of the year with the event shelter, bacon sandwiches, wasps and all sorts of other attractions.
February 2nd (Monday) Club Night
August Bank Holiday Oulton Park Gold Cup. The club will have a display. Sign up for it and you can get in free of charge for the whole weekend (car + driver)
March 2nd (Monday) Club Night March 20th (Friday) Annual ‘RS and Porsche only’ track-day at Oulton Park. Meet for an early breakfast en-route and then spend a few hours at the circuit. Always a good selection of fine Porsche hardware being exercised as Stuttgart intended. Further details to follow.
September 7th (Monday) Club Night There will also be Chippy Teas and Friday Night Feasts to be arranged. We tend to do these on a meeting by meeting basis so keep your eyes peeled for emails, web page, forum and Facebook updates.
Cheshire & Staffs
March 20th (Friday) RS & Porsche Only Track Day, Oulton Park Race Circuit.
RO Dave Watson 07889 804 598 (mobile) watson_david@btinternet.com ARO Gareth Aldridge 07881 228 944 (mobile) gj.aldridge@yahoo.co.uk Cheshire & Staffs on Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/TIPEC.CS
March 21st (Saturday) Run to The National Brewery Centre, Burton-on-Trent. Lunch then 1:30pm tour. Meet at the Whipping Stocks @ 10am.
Meetings are held third Tuesday of every month 8pm at The Whipping Stocks, Stocks Lane, Over Peover, Knutsford, WA16 9EX.
April 25th (Saturday) Cholmondeley Arms Sports, Classic & Vintage Car Meet. Starts 10:30am. Meet at the Whipping Stocks, WA16 9EX @ 9:30am.
By the time you read this we will have welcomed in the New Year on our run out on 4th January through the Peak District down to Ashbourne and Uttoxeter. 2014 saw a number of familiar faces alongside several new folks participating in our events over the course of the year. I do hope that this will continue into 2015. If I look back at the past 12 months, the low point was around March when the interest from members seemed to have dropped off. However since then we have had two runs into North Wales, two runs into the Peak District, a run to Malton, Kirbymoorside and Scarborough, an open evening at JWA Racing, a trip to the Le Mans Classic, two shows at Tatton Park, The Oulton Park Gold Cup and a factory tour round Ginetta Cars. So aside from our monthly meetings, we actually crammed in quite a lot! It is also apparent that we now have a much more active region of members supported by our Facebook Group and the TIPEC forum. I would like to thank our Events Committee for their assistance in helping organise several of the above fixtures, and in particular Gary Ince and Barry Stenhouse who went above and beyond several times over the course of the year. I would also like to thank Steve Taylor for his service in past years as the Regional Officer for Cheshire & Staffs. Having stepped back from the club, Steve has not been in a position to contribute more recently. Consequently, following our December Club Night, I was asked to assume the Regional Officer (RO) role, and Gareth Aldridge, ably assisted by Stef Mahan were voted into the ARO roles. We will still keep an ‘Events Committee’ running which will help ensure that a varied list of activities can be catered for during 2015. The provisional list of events for the first half year is detailed below, though subject to discussion at the January Club Night. February 17th (Tuesday) Club Night at the Whipping Stocks, WA16 9EX, from 8pm. Provisional Guest Speaker (Paint & Bodywork Specialist). February 27th (Friday) Pub Grub Run to The Yew Tree Inn, Bunbury (Cheshire Life Pub of the Year 2014). Meet at the Whipping Stocks @ 7:15pm. March 17th (Tuesday) Club Night at the Whipping Stocks Pub, WA16 9EX, from 8pm. Provisional Guest Speaker (Carole Nash Insurance on valuing Classic Cars).
April 21st (Tuesday) Club Night at the Whipping Stocks Pub, WA16 9EX from 8pm.
Dean’s imported Targa with it’s expoy layer, before painting.
May 2nd–4th (Saturday–Monday) Donington Historic Festival. May 19th (Tuesday) Club Night at the Whipping Stocks Pub, WA16 9EX, from 8pm. May 23rd (Saturday) Weaver Wander.
Pickup day! The finished article.
May 23rd (Saturday) TIPEC / Marcos Club Trackday at Blyton Park.
it could have been September/October, what a great drive home with the car glistening in new paint! (It’s the same car I imported from California.)
May 23rd (Saturday) Porsches on the Prom, Llandudno.
Events at this time of year have slowed, just a few to report from the back end of 2014.
May 30th (Saturday) Aintree Trackday (Liverpool Motor Club)
November 23rd saw our Last Blast run to Tan Hill, the Highest Pub in Britain in the glorious Yorkshire Dales. What a fabulous day with four hardy couples making it for Sunday lunch and even a brief encounter with the TIPEC North West region coming from the opposite direction. It’s an event we are going to put in the calendar for next Summer as it’s a fantastic drive with superb scenery.
May 30th–31st (Saturday–Sunday) Tatton Park Classic Car Show, Knutsford. June 16th (Tuesday) Club Night at the Whipping Stocks Pub, WA16 9EX, from 8pm. June 26–30th (Friday–Tuesday) TIPEC Cheshire & Staffs WOTY (European Trip – Details to be confirmed).
South Yorkshire & North Notts. RO Dave Warren 07952 065 543 (mobile) dave.warren1401gmail.com 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 Happy New Year to old and new members of the TIPEC SYNN Region. 2014 is over and where did it go? Seems to flown by us all, probably with us being so busy, and it’s helped with the Summer/Autumn weather going on and on into December. I remember collecting my ’78 SC Targa from Knaresborough on the 20th of December and taking the longer scenic country road route in temperatures of about 13ºC with no grit about ...
December 7th’s Monthly Meeting featured Dave Warren’s hilarious slideshow which showed the best and worst of 2014, hope no one was offended! As no one come forward to take the reins of the SYNN region it was decided that Dave Warren, Dean Lancashire and Ray Waite would run the club as joint ROs for 2015 –hopefully with the help of our friends from the SYNN Region. December 13th Saw the usual group hit the Olde Bell for the Christmas Dinner and Disco, a good time was had by all again. Future Events for 2015 (some still in planning) Feburary 8th (Sunday) SYNN Region Dining Club (Drive out followed by lunch at Angel Inn, Misson, Doncaster.) February 28th (Saturday) Karting at Avago Karting, Swinton March 28–29th (Saturday–Sunday) Classic Restoration show at the NEC April 5th (Sunday) Yorkshire Big Breakfast, Malton
All Torque 109 page 33
April TBA Trip to National Memorial Aboretum
Central
February 9th (Monday) Club night at The Bull’s Head
May 3rd (Sunday) Possible revisit to Ripon Classic Car and Bike Show
tipeccentral@outlook.com Joint RO Lindsay Brown 07768 442 050 (mobile) Joint RO Steve Jones 07775 581 044 (mobile) Joint RO Stuart Wakeman 07912 620 181 (mobile)
February 20th–22nd (Friday–Sunday) Race Retro at Stoneleigh
May 4th (Bank Holiday Monday) Thorsby Classic (An old Favourite for SYNN region) May 8–10th (Friday–Sunday) Prescott Hill Climb and Cotswold Weekend away May 23rd (Saturday) TIPEC track day Blyton Park, £165 May 31st (Sunday) Porsches at the Spa, Bridlington June 6–8th (Saturday–Monday) TIPEC Simply Porsche weekend in the New Forest July 19th (Sunday) Porsche Festival at Lotherton Hall TBA Anglesey Track day with Javelin Trackdays and weekend away TBA 2015 WOTY (Will have to be good to beat the 2014 Anglesey weekend!) Thanks to all our members for your support in 2014. Please keep an eye our website as event dates will be updated as we go along: www.synd.org.uk
East Midlands New RO & ARO wanted urgently! Meetings are held third Tuesday of every month 7pm for food (meeting proper begins 8:00pm) at The Field Head Hotel, Markfield Lane, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9PS.
Meetings are held second Monday of every month 7:30pm onwards at The Bull’s Head, Birmingham Rd, Shenstone, Litchfield WS14 0JR. www.vintageinn.co.uk/thebullsheadshenstone Happy New Year, and hopefully this will be an exciting year for Central Region. Our regular club night will continue to be on the second Monday of every month at The Bull’s Head in Shenstone, as they continue to make us more than welcome. This year we are introducing a slight twist as we are opening our evening up to include all sports cars. If you know anyone will a sports car, Porsche or otherwise, please bring them along and they will be made more than welcome, in fact the more exotic or interesting the better. Thank you to all those that turned up to the Christmas meal, 27 enjoyed the festive fayre. Starting with February, we have our club night on the 9th followed by Race Retro at Stoneleigh over the week end of 20th–22nd, this is a must for motorsport fans and even has a rally stage featuring many classic rally cars driven at full chat. After having a year away from Transtar events we will be attending three shows: Weston Park in April, Ragley Hall in May and Trentham Gardens on Fathers day in June. Also at the end of May we will take a drive down to The Ace Café on Porsche night. It would be great to see you at some of these events, and if you haven’t been along to The Bull’s Head, why not pop along and say hello, you will be made very welcome.
South Central RO Matt Dawson 07743 791 815 (mobile) motorsportrugbystar@hotmail.com ARO Pete Garrett 07804 030 695 (mobile) garrett-peter@sky.com Meetings are held from 9:45 am on the first Sunday of every month at The Red Lion, Evenley, Nr Brackley, Northants NN13 5SH
Anglia & North Essex Region’s Christmas party
March 9th (Monday) Club night at The Bull’s Head April 6th (Monday) Weston Park, Transtar April 13th (Monday) Club night at The Bull’s Head.
Anglia & North Essex RO wanted ARO Colin Clarke 01284 706 247 colin.r.clarke@live.co.uk Meetings are held fourth Tuesday of each month from 7pm at The Bunbury Arms, Ixworth Road, Great Barton, Suffolk IP31 2NX. www.nextnorth.com/bunbury/findus.htm A happy New Year to everyone from the Anglia & North Essex Region members. We had an excellent Christmas meal on Sunday 7th December at The Shepherd and Dog restaurant, Forward Green, near Stowmarket. We were made very welcome, and the food and service was first class. A big “thank you” to Peter and Susan for arranging the afternoon for us. Nothing else to report this month. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 27th January in our regular haunt at the Bunbury Arms.
996 Turbo at the first Goat meeting of 2015.
The 928.UK meeting at the Merry Miller.
A very clean engine bay at The Goat.
of all types – including a supercharger upgrade which sounded awesome!
Supercharged ‘Lambo Orange’ beast at the Merry Miller.
North London, Herts & South Essex RO Vince Dallimore 07798 630 649 (mobile) NLHSE@tipec.net ARO Peter Musk 07734 769 953 (mobile) NLHSE@tipec.net Informal meetings are held twice monthly: First Sunday of every month from 10:30am at The Goat Inn, Vicarage Causeway, Hertford Heath, Herts SG13 7RT and last Monday of the month from 18:00pm at Ace Café London, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, Stonebridge, London NW10 7UD. On Sat 22nd November the annual 928.uk meeting at the Merry Miller, Cothill, Oxon was blessed with a dry day. 928 owners from our region and further afield (Roger Tyson from Texas and Simon Watson from Norfolk) gathered at London Colney M25 service station for 9am. Our departure was slightly delayed when one of the cars developed a fault, but there were plenty of hands and brains on hand to effect a start. The convoy then moved off for a country tour to the Merry Miller. A lesson learned was that trying to keep 10/12 cars in convoy is nigh on impossible, leading to lots of stops to re-gather. We finally arrived around 11:30 to find a good turnout of some 43 cars
On 24th November the meeting at the ACE Café was quiet, but the food was hearty as always! On 7th December the meeting at the Goat was also quiet with a handful of regular cars from the region. I missed the ACE Café on 29th December, being on holiday, but Peter Musk met with a 928 group from our region. The Goat meeting on 4th January saw a strong Porsche presence with 13 cars on the day; it was freezing cold and misty, but we had a good mix of cars including Matt and Ben in their 911 Turbos, both keen to join the club. The close of 2014 was relatively quiet, but we’re looking forward to the 2015 show season. Best wishes for the new year. Regular monthly meets continue on the first Sunday and last Monday of each month at the Goat at Hertford Heath and the ACE Café respectively. Our provisional event calendar for 2015 is below: May TBC The Spring classic car show at IWM Duxford; a joint TIPEC and 928.uk event June 7th (Sunday) Simply Porsche at Beaulieu motor museum July 24–26th (Friday–Sunday) Silverstone Classic August TBC Little Gransden Air show October TBC 928 meeting at the Barley Mow, Tilford November TBC NEC classic car show November TBC 928 meeting at the Merry Miller, Cothill
South East London & North Kent RO Jim Hearnden 01634 869 658 07930 353 232 (mobile) tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk ARO Paul Greer 07799 412 870 (mobile) prgreer@blueyonder.co.uk ARO Martin Jackson 07718 808 103 (mobile) martinjackson911@yahoo.co.uk Meetings are held first Friday of the month around 7:30pm at The Horseshoes, Dean Street, East Farleigh, Maidstone, ME15 0PR. 01622 741 683 www.thehorseshoeseastfarleigh.co.uk Firstly happy New Year to all, let’s hope all your dreams are Porsche shaped and come true this year! The new location is pretty easy to get to, it is about 15–20 minutes from J6 M20 and the easiest way to enter is via the Tovil area of Maidstone, using the Old Tovil Road, and continue down Dean Street. It has a massive car park as well as being large inside. The landlady has given us our own area both inside and in the car park. This one is a couple of miles closer to the motorway so even easier to get to. Partners are more than welcome and it is not all car chat. The venue does great, reasonably priced food so if you do not want to cook, you can have a meal before the meeting starts. More and more members are doing that now. We now have 74 people on the SELNK list and a lot of these Paul, Martin & I have never met. It would be great to see some of you in the forthcoming few months. There are a few members that I don’t have email addresses for. If you have an email address and do not see mails from me, then please send me a mail to tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk and I’ll add you to the
All Torque 109 page 35
SELNK Region’s Christmas party at Horseshoes
list. That also applies to people in adjacent areas who would like a copy of our calendar. Please also ensure that you update address, car and email details when you renew your membership. You should all have a copy of the 2015 calendar for our region in your inbox. December Club meeting Despite this being the evening before our Christmas dinner we had a good turnout. A few members are still venturing out with Porsches on these cold wet nights. Christmasmas dinner, the 9th for the SELNK group After a slow start for bookings for this event, which had been complicated by the Horseshoes wanting choices and deposits quite early in the year, we ended up with 31 people sitting down at 7:30 for this. We had taken over the restaurant area and were allocated our own personal waiter for the evening; Sam. The feedback was that everyone had a fantastic time. The alcohol consumption was huge, reflected in not only the bill but that we had drunk the pub dry of Merlot and other drinks! We eventually left at around 11:45 leaving the staff to clear up and go home. Thanks to everyone for supporting this it was a fantastic evening and an excellent example of what TIPEC , and especially the SELNK group, is about. Next year this group will have been going for 10 years so we need to do something special. January club meeting Despite being pretty cold and the day after New Year, we had a pretty good turnout. The pub was very quiet, everyone in recovery mode obviously. The highlight of the evening was the raffle draw. We had a very generous donation of a beautiful Porsche perpetual calendar from Aaron at OPC Tonbridge. I loved this and could have quite easily hung it on my wall at home! I decided that probably wasn’t Aaron’s intention when he donated it, so we made a decision to raffle it on behalf of Marie Curie Cancer charity. Sean offered a club brolly and two Meguiars car cleaning kits into the pot, and I had a Classic Porsche DVD & book so in all we had five prizes. From December club night to the January meet, including the Christmas dinner, we sold £260 worth of tickets at £1 each. Jess, one of the staff at The Horseshoes was asked to draw the tickets. The winning numbers are as follows: 5th (Meguiar’s kit) 4th (Meguiar’s kit) 3rd (TIPEC umbrella) 2nd (DVD) 1st (Calendar)
182 30 166 79 18
To be claimed Nick B Chris John Nick B
SE Region’s cars at Brooklands on New Year’s Day.
Thanks to everyone for supporting this. Nick was suitably embarrassed at winning two prizes but did win fair and square! February 6–7th (Friday–Saturday) After a brilliant Spa day earlier in the year Kim has organised another and has negotiated the same deal as 2014. The price is £150 for two people with one nights bed, breakfast, evening meal and entrance into the pool, spa etc. Beauty treatments and alcohol are all extras. To book folk will need to call and book direct quoting ‘The Jackson Group’ to get the deal. More info on www.londonbeach.com Please let Jim or Martin know if you’re booking. March 7th (Saturday) George & Gill’s Boat Trip Murder Mystery & three-course dinner, £25 (TBC) A trip on the Campions boat from Greenwich Pier from around 18:30–22:30. Names to Jim ASAP please. March 22nd (Sunday) The first of our Sunday breakfast meetings. These started last year from an idea from Sean and are quite popular. Dobbies Garden Centre, Gillingham ME8 0FB at 09:45. Next door to Tesco’s on Watling Street. Ad-hoc; just turn up, park towards the back near the car wash. May 29th (Friday) Comedy Club at Ashford International Hotel. £25 pp for two-course dinner, comedy and disco. This needs booking ASAP. Cheques please payable to Paul Greer, 7 Holder Close, Chatham, Kent. June 5–7th (Friday–Sunday) Drive out Saturday, Simply Porsche at Beaulieu on the Sunday. A few of us are booking the same hotel (Holiday Inn Express, Southampton West) as last year and making a long weekend of it.
Thames Valley Joint RO Jason Gibson 07958 459 725 (mobile) tipec@blueyonder.co.uk Joint RO Paul Mabley flyingpig71@hotmail.com Joint RO Nick Ramsay tipec1@witzendcs.co.uk Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:00pm at The Novello, Bath Rd, Littlewick Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3RX.
SE Members huddling together for warmth at Brooklands!
South East RO Derek Flanagan 01342 717 754 07767 254 820 (mobile) derek.flanagan@btconnect.com ARO James Garrard 07837 701 011 (mobile) jamesgarrard@hotmail.co.uk Meetings are held second Wednesday of every month 8pm at The Bolney Stage, London Road, Bolney RH17 5RL, just off the A23, 10 miles south of Crawley. For those of you who haven’t made it along to a monthly meet yet, we always welcome new 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 and make some new friends. 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 if your name is drawn out. David Henderson & Alex Willis’ track car is nearly ready for the track. It is fully stripped out and they have procured seats, harness and a roll cage that will be in by Spring and some 924 Turbo rims have been acquired that will have semi-slicks on (the standard rims will be kept for driving every day). Suspension mods next – lowering and stiffening – so they are in the market for some cheapish upgrades to the shocks etc. Keeps them busy most weekends doing something to the car! SE Region Christmas dinner 35 members and their spouses/partners enjoyed their annual celebration Christmas dinner at our December meeting at the Bolney Stage. Many thanks to everyone who donated prizes for the raffle including the Porsche for a weekend. Margaret Butler won the lotto draw.
Brooklands New Years Day gathering Once again there were dozens of car clubs there, over 1,000 cars and 2,000 people enjoying the warmest New Years Day for 99 years. Porsche were there in force with dozens of models displayed in all areas of the site with 928s, 924s and 944s as well as 911s of all eras, variants and colours. Derek Bell’s famous 924 Carrera GTS (Reg No. 924 GTS) was also present. TIPEC SE Region had a reserved parking area for members. SE Region Diary Dates The full 2015 calendar of events is listed on the SE Region page on the TIPEC website. February 11th (Wednesday) TIPEC SE Region Club Night at The Bolney Stage February 20th–22nd (Friday–Sunday) Race Retro Historic Motorsport Show, Stoneleigh Park March 11th (Wednesday) TIPEC SE Region Club Night at The Bolney Stage March 22nd (Sunday) 73rd members’ meeting at Goodwood March 28–29th (Saturday–Sunday) Restoration Show at NEC Birmingham
Wessex RO Pete Blackler 07779 203 278 (mobile) peter_blackler@sky.com Meetings are held third Thursday of every month from 8:15pm at The Bucks Head, Meonstoke, Hampshire SO32 3NA. www.thebuckshead.co.uk The Bucks Head is just off the A32. Meonstoke lies just North of Fareham, only 15 mins from the M3.
Southern RO WANTED! ARO Jim Tarrant 0120 260 1886 jim.tarrant@consequia.com Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month from 7:30pm at The Angel, 188 Ringwood Rd, Longham, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 9AP Please visit our website at www.tipec.net/region_southern.php as we are continuously updating our events page.
Cornwall & Devon RO Chrissie Jenkins 07851 698 879 (mobile) tipecdandc@outlook.com www.facebook.com/groups/1451387631773105/ Meetings are held the first Thursday of every month from 7pm at the Post Inn, Exeter Rd, Whiddon Down, Oakhampton, Devon EX20 2QT www.thepostinnwhiddon.co.uk
Bristol, South West & South Wales Region’s Christmas party at the Alveston House Hotel.
Bristol, South West & South Wales RO Sue Simmons 07530 312 700 (mobile) sue.simmons1@gmail.com ARO Mick Simmons 07793 905 918 (mobile) mjs019@gmail.com Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:45pm at The Plough, Pilning, Nr Bristol BS35 4JJ. www.theploughpilning.co.uk I am writing this article at the very start of January, and whilst thinking of events and outings for 2015 I can’t help but cast my mind back over 2014 and the things that were enjoyed. These included a weekend in Poole, a weekend in the New Forest and at our National Simply Porsche show at Beaulieu, the group that headed off to the Le Mans Classic, our BBQ, and another group to Flanders in October, as well as many rallies, days out and meetings. Many thanks to everyone that helped organise and made these events successful by their participation. 2014 ended with a wonderful Christmas Lunch at Alveston House Hotel which was enjoyed by 57 people. The day included our Grand Charity Christmas Raffle – thanks to all those that gave very generous prizes and to all the ticket buyers – we raised in the region of £550 for Great Western Air Ambulance. As we start 2015 I have a new pair of hands to help me and Mick run the largest region in the country as Debs has agreed to be an ARO. Debs & Dave have become a key part of the membership group since they joined in the summer of 2010, attending many of the outings alongside other longstanding members and many more recent enthusiasts that have joined us. It is the involvement and support of many of you that make the region what it is so as we move into 2015
please let me know if you have any ideas for trips or events or would like to help organise anything. As well as our regular meetings I am particularly looking forward to our big trip to the Isle of Man in May – 21 cars going over to spend time exploring the island famous for the TT races. I am also looking forward to planning some more ‘TIPEC Ladies’ events – for the lady members and wives/girlfriends/ partners of our merry band of men. Ideas include Afternoon Tea, a Spa Day, Evening at the Races in Chepstow (end of summer). Ladies if you have more ideas let me know! As I find out about events I will add them to the diary on our Region page on the TIPEC website at www.tipec.net/regions/bristolsouthwales/ Please let me know if you hear of anything interesting that is happening. February 3rd (Tuesday) Club night and quiz at The Plough March 3rd (Tuesday) Club night at The Plough April (TBC) TIPEC AGM April 7th (Tuesday) Club night at The Plough May 2nd–7th (Saturday–Thursday) TIPEC Bristol, SW & S Wales trip to The Isle of Man May 12th (Tuesday) Club night at The Plough (A week later than usual to accommodate the Isle of Man trip) June 7th (Sunday) Simply Porsche at Beaulieu June 14th (Sunday) Dursley Rotary Club Rally
All Torque 109 page 37
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