TIPEC All Torque 142

L AL E U Q R TO MBER 2020 E T P E S / T S U G ISSUE 142 AU

CLASSICS FOR CARERS Stef Mahan reports on the innovative ‘stay at home’ show.

THE COLOURS OF MONEY Martin Broadribb looks at the history of racing liveries.

SELF SERVICE Lee Hebditch gives his 997 a thorough overhaul.

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All Torque is published bi-monthly by TIPEC (The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts Club) Text & images are © their creators.

ALL TORQUE 142 AUG/SEP 2020

Front cover: Andrew Brown’s 997 Turbo at Auto Classica Storage, photographed by Nick Pauley.

All Torque is based entirely on submissions from TIPEC members. This is your magazine!

Submissions for issue 143 (October/November) must be in before Tuesday 1st September 2020.

Editor & designer: Tony Blow tony@typescape.com Flat 2, 2 Bowmont Terrace, Glasgow G12 9LP Printed by: The Lavenham Press Ltd, Suffolk (01787 247 436) Advertising in All Torque is managed by: Sean Smallman, Walnut Tree Farm, Grain Road, Lower Stoke, Rochester ME3 9RE (07500 332 790) Website: www.tipec.net Twitter: @Porsche_TIPEC Search for us on Facebook TIPEC Chairman: Sean Smallman (07500 332 790) sean.smallman@tipec.net Treasurer: Paul Bird (01922 428 409) paulpsb928@yahoo.co.uk Advertising & sponsorhip: Sean Smallman (07500 332 790) sean.smallman@tipec.net Media Director: Paul Ffelan (07391 510 054) paul.ffelan@tipec.net Membership Director: Sue Simmons (07530 312 700) sue.simmons@tipec.net TIPEC Membership: Lavenham Group (01787 249 295) membership@tipec.lpl-uk.com TIPEC Valuations: valuations@tipec.net

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.

CHAIRMAN’S CHAT AS LIFE RETURNS to a new kind of normal, the government has issued guidelines on what we can and can not do. I have always held the view that we are all adults and it is not the clubs responsibility to tell you what to do.

A couple of standout regions are Bristol and, not for the first time in this column, the North West. Our two largest regions by quite a way with the North West a few shy of two hundred and fifty members, amazing.

There is nothing saying that we can not drive the cars and as long as we stick to groups of six, socially distanced when outside, we will have complied with the guidelines. Club nights are probably a little more tricky as we would need to book tables and ensure that we do not mingle.

Hopefully this has all changed by the time you read this and the guidelines are less restrictive.

We will access the guidelines and if there is still a ban on large indoor gatherings we will hold a virtual AGM in October/November, I will communicate how this will work in the next issue.

With the majority of car shows being c ancelled, the abilit y to n e t wo r k w i th th e w id e r community has impacted our ability to sign up new members.

That said, membership remains relatively stable and the club is in very good health. Several regions have seen membership increase over the last few months, which is ver y impressive given the circumstances.

Tickets for Simply Porsche are all sold out, no surprise that the 500 tickets were snapped up within three days. To comply with social distancing the format will be slightly different to prior years.

There will be no trade stands and all cars will be parked in the meadow. All the attractions are open as usual and there will be outside catering as well as the cafe. If you have bought tickets but can not attend please let Beaulieu know as there is a waiting list.

Email events@beaulieu.co.uk Stay alert Sean

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CLUB SHOP ONLINE

MEMBERSHIP CONTACTS

ALL TORQUE SUBMISSIONS

CLUB WEBSITE WWW.TIPEC.NET

OUR OFFICIAL club regalia shop is run by Ewood Print Bar. Our dedicated club store web page is w w w.yourclubmerch.co.uk / product-category/clubs/tipec

THE CLUB HAS a professional membership management agent.

SUBMISSIONS FOR THE magazine are always very welcome – All Torque is your magazine and we rely on your articles, reports and photographs to keep it full of varied, interesting, Porscherelated stuff.

YOU CAN USE the club website to register or renew your TIPEC membership, advertise cars and parts for free, view old issues of All Torque, and keep up with local or national events.

They offer all the usual regalia produc ts, including T-shir ts, hoodies, jackets and polo shirts.

These will be offered with your region and your choice of 911, front-engined, or Boxster logo.

If there is anything that you would like that you cannot see on the club page, please give them a call.

The contact details for any TIPEC membership renewals, changes of address, queries, etc. are detailed below.

Please make sure you mention that you are contacting them about TIPEC, as they deal with multiple car clubs:

Email tony@typescape.com 01787 249 295 membership@tipec.lpl-uk.com TIPEC Membership Arbons House, 47 Water Street, Lavenham CO10 9RN www.tipec.net Go to the membership renewals tab. Password: tipecmember

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Anyone can contribute – we only ask that it is all your own work (both writing and photography).

Sometimes there simply isn’t room for everything, so please bear with us if your piece hasn’t been printed in this issue – we’ll hold some over for the quieter months when less events are on.

We really do appreciate the effort made by our club members and contributors, and value ever y individual submission.

At 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 with your fellow club members, up and down the UK (and worldwide!)

AUTHOR DEREK FLANAGAN PHOTOGRAPHY DEREK FLANAGAN

LITTLE HISTORIES I’m sure many of you have a model of your Porsche, maybe even a model of every car that you have owned. This is how model car collecting usually starts.

TODAY, MODEL CARS are big business, with a surprising number of manufacturers and suppliers making very accurate models in numerous scales from the most popular 1:43 and 1:18 scale (which are typically £50 to £100), to 1:12 and even 1:8 scale for the serious, wealthy collector. You need deep pockets as these can easily cost £300–2,000 each. The 1:18 scale are significantly more detailed than 1:43 scale, with opening doors, bonnet, boot and full interior and engine details.

These have traditionally been diecast models but nowadays most manufac turers have switched to resin. White metal models are still available which is a cheaper process than diecast as the models are made from a rubber moulding, like resin moulded models. The advantage of white metal and resin models is that the process is viable in smaller batch sizes with a faster production process.

There are more Porsche models produced than any other make of car. Models are available of

every production model from every era, rally cars, police cars, motorsport cars (especially 24hrs Le Mans, Nürburgring, Daytona, etc) and F1, F2 and Formula-E racing cars. Additionally, models are produced of special editions, prototypes and concept cars – like the 989 (fourdoor 911), Panamericana, Mission-E concept which became the Taycan, 918 Spyder and oneoff specials like Ferry Porsche’s 928 Estate (made for his 80th birthday). Models have also been made of cars modified by tuning companies such as RUF, TechArt, Gemballa, Singer, 9FF, and Magnus Walker’s famous 911 recreations.

There are even Porsche tractors, transporters and service vehicles for motorsport all with the Porsche livery.

T h e mos t p o p ul a r m a n uf a c ture r s a re Minichamps and Spark, who also supply Porsche themselves. Other brands include Solido, AutoArt, Best, Brumm, CMC, D’Agostini, Eagle, EBBRO, HPI, IXO, Jolly, Mattel, NEO, NZG, Quartz, Revell, Schuco, Trofeu, TSM, Vitesse … the list goes on. Many can be found on eBay, as

well as from trade stands at car shows, but by far the largest range are available from specialist online suppliers like Racingmodels.com, Grandprixmodels.co.uk, Diecastlegends.com, and specialist Porsche model suppliers Mini911.com, SelectionRS.de, and CK-modelcars.de.

I know of collectors who have several thousand Porsche models in their collection. Mine is rather more modest at around 800. I have models of around 300 production cars (including concepts and prototypes), 200+ racing cars (of which 160 are 24hrs Le Mans cars), 30+ rally cars, and 40ish Police cars and racing cars. Most desirable are my Martini liveried, Jagermeister liveried, and Coca-Cola liveried models.

Ex-Rothmans Porsche (and Lancia) rally driver Billy Karam has reputedly the world’s largest model car collection with several Guinness World Records (2013, 2015 and 2017) with 37,777 items (you can find his collection on YouTube).

The race for the most expensive diecast car fires the ambitions of the craziest creators and designers. Robert Gulpen Engineering crafted a 1:8 scale Lamborghini Aventador that is an exact replica of the real car, inside and out, using the most expensive materials. The body is made from carbon with an ultra thin thread of gold wrapping its fibres. The wheels are a mix of gold and platinum and the seats are bedecked with precious stones. The headlights are crafted from clear diamonds and the rear lights are coloured precious stones. It costs $6m – 12 times the cost of a real Aventador! Absolutely crazy.

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BLUE IS THE COLOUR Martin Mackay found himself with a classic motorbike that matched his 911 GT3RS and began to wonder whether he should redecorate his garage to match.

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AUTHOR MARTIN MACKAY PHOTOGRAPHY MARTIN MACKAY AF TER A TONGUE in c heek comment from Colin Hammerton (North West RO) a few weeks ago about my garage I have decided to share my experience with everyone. So where do I start with this? Probably best to go back to 2011 when I decided to build a garage extension and at the same time put an office upstairs so I could work from home in peace away from the TV and fridge!

Apart from making the garage bigger to hold my Porsche car at the time (a 1990 944 Turbo) and a pair of Ford Escort MK2 RS2000s, the main objective was to get more space upstairs to allow me to have an office. I didn’t really have any set plan for the garage and it was a mishmash of colours – a functional space for cars and gym equipment.

The garage has a toilet, wash basin and a shower downstairs which is handy if I’ve been working in the garage late at night as I can have a shower in there and not disturb the family. As it was to also be my workplace I made the decision to insulate all the existing walls with Kingspan insulating boards

fitted between 4x2" battens then plasterboarded on top to give a nicer finish.

The extension was insulated as it was being done from scratch and we also boarded and insulated the existing garage roof space with a larger loft hatch with dropdown stairs to allow for storage of car parts etc (that I had previously stashed away in any available space I could find).

To assist with the insulation and warmth of the garage Hormann 42mm sectional thermo electric garage doors were fitted along with four thermostatically controlled electric wall mounted heaters and an Ebac dehumidifier that keep the temperature up in the Winter and makes the garage nice and cool in the Summer.

Jump forward to 2019 and after a few cars have come and gone including a 944 Turbo S Silver Rose, a 964 30th Anniversary, a 944 Turbo Cup car, a 991.2 GT3 Touring and a Ferrari 488GTB, I have come back to owning just one car and one motorbike which both happen to be white with blue decals. The car is a 2010 Porsche 997.2 GT3RS that has done 6,800 miles from new and has a full and comprehensive Porsche

main dealer service history. The motorbike is a 1980 Yamaha RD350LC that is a matching numbers UK 4LO bike. It had a full nut and bolt restoration, including an engine rebuild, in 2012 by a specialist classic bike restorer for the previous owner. When I got the bike in October 2019 it had only done 30 miles since the restoration was completed!

Having my two matching vehicles got me thinking that maybe it was time to colour co-ordinate my garage to match its two occupants. I have made a conscious decision that these are both ‘keepers’ and will not be sold despite my wife and friends all laughing when I suggest such a silly idea, given my previous track record!

Once I had made the decision to go for my blue and white theme, the first job was to replace the per fec tly fine green and red floor tiles as they did not go with the plan. These were sold and replaced with nice and shiny new interlocking blue and grey tiles.

The process for fitting these is simple for anyone who is considering doing it. All that you need is a rubber mallet to click the tiles together, a good

tape measure and a jigs aw to cut the necessar y corners round any awkward pipes etc.

I did a few pattern ideas on paper first to make sure I was happy with how the colours were going to be laid out. All the work, including empt ying and the garage, doing all the cutting, and putting everything back in it, took about 14 hours over the weekend between Christmas and New Year, to do the complete job.

With the flooring in place and looking as I wanted it, now the red cupboards at the back of the garage looked out of place. A friend suggested that they should be blue to match my blue Snap On toolbox so I contacted another friend who owns a local bodyshop.

He took a colour sample of the toolbox, ordered the paint and set about spraying the doors in a matching blue colour.

At this point I was happy with the results and thought that was my spending over for a while. Then Covid-19 struck and I was home with little work to do and too much spare time … and an Internet connection that seemed to want me to spend money without justification or cause. I ordered an Automotech Scissor Lift with extended access

ramps due to the low clearance of the GT3RS and for tunately (or was it deliberately) the lift and ramps are blue and grey in colour. This had been on my wish list for a while and now seemed the perfect time to get it in the garage so I could get the wheels off the car and give the arches and underside a good clean and lubrication before summer.

The lift arrived by courier within 48 hours of ordering, but the fact it is nearly 400kg and I was on my own with no help due to Covid-19 made it a lengthy process to get it unpacked, moved into position and then set up ready for use! For safety I had already had fitted a 16a switched wall socket with an override circuit breaker from a previous smaller Automotech scissor lift and this was ready to go when the new lift was installed.

Then the Internet struck again, this time on Facebook when I saw a post on a Porsche Owners page for a fabrication company that was very quiet due to the lockdown. As a Porsche enthusiast, the owner had decided to make bespoke fire pits and shelves to keep himself busy and make some money.

I contac ted G r aham at G&C Fabrications and asked him if he

could do me the fire pit powder coated in Riviera Blue as a storage bin, along with a pair of matching wall shelves in the same colour with black brackets (RAL 5015 was the closest they could get to it and it is a very close match).

He was happy to oblige and two weeks later I had a delivery and set about putting the shelves up on the wall to display some large Porsche Lego models that until then were just sat on the work surface gathering dust.

Happy with the finished outcome (so far) I next intend to take down all the framed pictures, repaint all of the walls and organise the pictures better as they have all gone up over time and have been positioned wherever there was a space rather than in any logical order. I’m sure if I plan it properly I can squeeze some more in there.

I have also asked my brother in law to come and swap over all the existing fluorescent lights to new high efficiency cool white LED battens which will brighten up the garage massively.

I do have another addition coming to the garage soon. For now I will keep this hush hush but I can say that it is colour co-ordinated to tie in with the current theme …

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CLASSICS FOR CARERS A national car show that takes place on your own driveway, co-ordinated and shared through social media. A simple idea that got a lot of people together in spirit, if not in practice.

AUTHOR STEF MAHAN PHOTOGRAPHY STEF MAHAN & BOB STEPHENS

THE COVID-19 pandemic has so far halted all planned car show events for 2020. With everyone in lockdown it seems everyone’s beauties are getting shinier but sadly not going very far to get dirty again.

The disappointment of Donington Historic being cancelled was slightly made up for with the introduction of the ‘Classics for Carers’ stay at home show over the May bank holiday weekend. It was a fab way for everyone to show off their shiny classics as well as supporting the carers who are continually providing care to vulnerable people in their own homes.

As a proud NHS Community Specialist Nurse I have the pleasure of working with many fantastic members of the NHS family, but particularly the carers who look after vulnerable patients in their own homes. In soe cases during lockdown these fantastic carers and community NHS staff have been the only human contact and conversation these patients had, especially with their loved ones unable to visit.

Through my career I have nursed many people in their personal time of need. I see people of all ages and walks of life, and to be able to give a glimmer of hope or a little normality to these people is an amazing feeling. Nursing is not all about making people better and it can have a very sad and dark side to the job, though to be able to give someone joy, even for a short time, is a humbling thing to do. I pride myself on making people’s journeys as good as humanly possible.

As a Community Specialist Nurse my car is my office and I can’t deny that my cars do bring attention to themselves. My ‘office’ does have the Porsche badge on the bonnet (all our beauties have business insurance, so they can all come out to play and see patients when needed). There is not a patient (or their relatives) who hasn’t admired one of my beauties at some point.

Parking outside patients homes and hearing what they say about my ‘office’ puts a smile on my face as much as it does theirs. I have one particular patient who loves our Boxster (AKA Rosie) and admires her every time I visit. Sadly his health is significantly deteriorating but this

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Right: The ‘stay at home’ Classics for Carers event happened all over the UK. Bob Stephens of the Surrey & Sussex Region had his own ‘at home’ display.

Gareth and I wanted to support the Classics for Carers event not only because of the pandemic but also because I know what joy our classics bring to people’s days.

For this ‘stay at home show’ we displayed our cars on our driveway, with club banners, our region’s memory board and our usual plaques – our very own ‘Classics for Carers’ show at our humble abode.

I can’t deny it was a less stressful affair than normal, but was very much without the usual atmosphere of Cheshire and Staffs Region event.

Five Porsches and a VW definitely take much less organising than the 25+ Porsches we normally have to arrange on a show stand. The other added bonus was that we only had to move the cars from our driveway to the island opposite.

Sadly we didn’t have all our beauties at home, with Scarlett still on her axle stands awaiting parts and Rubi having some TLC – so we were minus a 924 and our early 928 S, as they were both at our workshop. Even so, we still had our 944 Turbo S, 928 S4, 986 Boxster S (x2), the

Cayenne and our VW Type 3 all ‘on display’. It was lovely to see everyone drive past and slow down to admire the display and show appreciation for everything all the key workers and carers are doing to protect society from Covid-19 as much as possible.

It was lovely to also see our local community carers and my District Nursing colleagues alike admiring our cars too, whilst travelling past to see patients on their home visits. We found this humbling as I work extremely closely with these professionals and patients.

Overall an enjoyable day was had by all. It lacked the atmosphere of a ‘normal’ club display, but it’s an event that we will definitely support again and one that my fellow NHS colleagues are still talking about.

Thank you to everyone who supported this event up and down the country (I know other club members took part!) and if you missed it please search ‘Classics for Carers’ on social media and you will see the highlights from the event along with future dates.

doesn’t stop him asking me how Rosie is and if I have brought her or not! I have to park so that he can see her through the window. He found it hilarious when I left the roof down in strong winds and had more leaves and branches inside the car than there were left on the trees!

Over the years both Gareth and I have taken all our cars to show many of my patients when they have asked. For many patients their days are simply brightened by conversation that is not about their health. The joy that our cars bring to patients is amazing and I am proud to be able to make them smile – especially in the last weeks or days of their lives. I have the privilege of nursing people with fantastic and varied backgrounds.

I have nursed people who have designed in the automotive trade, fascinating engineers and mechanics, and some who have raced both for pleasure and professionally. Most of my patients are shocked to learn that I am a lover of the Porsche transaxle range and especially when they learn that I am not only a nurse but I work on our pride and joys too. I have to admit this has prompted a few marriage proposals along the way, but never have I accepted!

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AUTHOR JONNY LYNE PHOTOGRAPHY ELOISE LYNE THERE IS NO escaping the impact Covid-19 has had and continues to have on the world but this is a Porsche enthusiast magazine so I will not dwell on the wider issues, but instead on how it has affected TIPEC and its members.

Jonny Lyne drives a 1976 Porsche 912E. These photographs are thanks to his 12-year old daughter Eloise.

Like all areas, our Yorkshire Region club meets were cancelled. Although very recently groups of six have been allowed to congregate (whilst being socially distanced of course) official club meets are still off at the time of writing. This has meant from March to the last few weeks we have only been able to drive our cars for essential journeys.

However, we are a positive bunch of enthusiasts and being trapped at home has enabled us to get around to those jobs we’d put off. Other articles in All Torque have covered this area already but personally I refreshed my heater boxes, which were stuck, added a JWest headlight relay, which should prevent a known fault of early impact bumper models leading to a fried light switch stalk. I also replaced my dash instrument bulbs with LEDs so that I can hopefully see them better.

This is not what I wanted to talk about though.

Always looking for a silver lining in any clouds, an upside of Covid-19 has been much quieter

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roads, and in particular quieter city centres.

Although I love a blast down a country lane as much as the next man, I have found that a huge increase in the healthy cyclist brigade has somewhat stifled this enjoyment. With this in mind, on Spring Bank Holiday Monday I decided to take a drive into Leeds, my nearest city, to enjoy the quiet urban roads. More importantly to fulfil a request by my daughter to take some photos for her Instagram account (I can’t lie – I enjoy it too!)

With no desire for a 5:30am dawn shoot, my daughter and I set off on the 16-mile journey into Leeds at 10:30am. I had not been into Leeds since the office where I normally work closed, so I had no idea what to expect. Coming in on the A63 link road we found virtually no cars, even as we joined the city loop. Undeterred we explored the city streets for those perfect Insta shots. Taking in an eerily quiet Leeds, it was like something from 28 Days Later. A perfect sunny bank holiday Monday, blue skies, 25 degrees, and yet we only saw two people (luckily not zombies) the entire time.

W hilst we are in no way professional photographers, some of the shots turned out reasonably well – but my objective was to combine my two passions of cars and spending time with my daughter. On that front it could not have been any better.

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IN FOR THE LONG HAUL When you start dribbling on about ‘my 911 this, my 911 that’ it’s difficult not to sound like a 911 fanboy.

Apologies but here I am, about to dribble on.

A 911 fanboy I have become.

AUTHOR RICHARD SHOLL PHOTOGRAPHY RICHARD SHOLL IN THE BEGINNING there was a rather splendid 986S Boxster, purchased in 2008 and then young enough to be an approved used car via Porsche Centre Bolton. Diane wanted a convertible, her husband wanted a Porsche: the car suited us fine for four years.

But it wasn’t a 911. Clichéd but true. As the miles rolled under the Boxster tyres, and I read too much of the Porsche popular press, the 911 call got louder – drawing us once again to the bright lights of Porsche Centre Bolton to say ‘farewell old friend’ to our 986 and ‘hello’ to our 997. A seven year old Carrera S in 2012, she came to us during January of that year and is still here. From 37,000 miles to 83,000 miles has been quite a road trip.

I’ll tell you about it.

Our 997 is Basalt Black, original paint as far as I can tell apart from the bonnet which had been refinished prior to our ownership; disappointing prep, but the paint application is okay. There’s no sunroof, which is good, but there was a rear wiper. There isn’t anymore, mind. A plug fills the hole left by the removal of the motor spindle. The original equipment Carrera S wheels, also known as ‘lobster claws’, are stacked neatly in a garden shed, and we’re now rolling on ‘gen 2’ Carrera S wheels, powder coated a fetching shade of ‘Subaru Gold’. Tyres have been old-school Bridgestone RE050A and new-school Falken FK453. Both have their pros and cons as do the current Michelin Pilot Supersport tyres: grippy and confidence inspiring, but the road noise they generate is comically bad. Lucky, then, that the PCM goes up to 11, I think.

Suspension wise, PASM was factory fitted. Eibach pro-kit springs brought the ride height down back in 2016, and Bilstein B4 dampers sharpened the handling during autumn last year (some of you may respond positively to a wobbly bottom; I don’t). The dampers had done their best work by 82,000 miles so along with a pair of standard engine mounts and a geometry setup at Unique Porsche Specialists we’re running tight and true once more.

Born in Stuttgart in 2005, this 911 is no longer young. She’s needed some work along the way and other than annual services (officially the service interval is every two years, but during our tenure that has been reduced

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Left: On track at Blyton Park during the Club’s first visit there.

Below: On the Nürburgring, in April 2019.

to every year), three radiators have been changed with air-conditioning condensers thrown in for good measure (and those condensers may be on their way to the recycling skip soon). The brake discs and pads have been changed twice all round. The water-pump failed at 60,000 miles and Porsche Centre Koblenz were the local fitters at the time. The tandem pump on the engine has been changed twice (we’re now on the third pump from new!)

Every coolant pipe was changed at 80,000 miles as a precautionary measure: corrosion is no friend of the pipework. Lots of nuts, bolts and clamps on the exhaust system have been replaced. All four suspension coffin arms have required replacement, as have the front strut top mounts. Anti-roll bar drop links were renewed when the aforementioned dampers went on. There’s a Hartech-supplied low temperature thermostat fitted which affects the displayed coolant temperature by not one degree, but the gauge indication is that the engine oil runs 10ºc lower across the car’s normal operating range – I consider this to be very useful, bearing in mind the gearbox …

Just when you were thinking it’s all too good to be true, it is time to consider the elephant in the room. Oh yeah trunky, it’s a Tiptronic. Haters will hate and all that, but an unplanned interaction with an illegal motorist back in 2004 left me short of a leg and struggling with a clutch pedal. Automatic is the automatic choice. Every Internet expert knows that the Tiptronic gearbox is ‘awful’ – but everyone who is prepared to put a modicum of effort into their torque converter conversion will tell you that the news isn’t all bad. Plan early, learn to work with the gearbox and how it reacts to steering wheel button changes allied to throttle position and speed of throttle application and the rewards will come. Returning to that lower operating temperature mentioned above, it is generally accepted that the 3.8 Carrera S with a Tiptronic gearbox is the combo most likely to suffer from scored cylinder bores – number six goes its own way first followed by five and four, or more. Lower coolant and oil temperatures are reported to be A Good Thing in the bore-score war, as is the forced selection of first gear within the automatic ’box when pulling away from standstill. Pedancy and self-discipline in this area has served us well thus far!

The highs of our 997 ownership are many and varied. This little black car has been quite the travelling companion during her tenure with us. She’s been into and around Scotland with fellow club members. She’s travelled to Cornwall and stayed with my parents there several times. Whilst in Wales she’s been parked with hundreds of her cousins on Llandudno’s

Below: Visiting Italy in September 2016.

Bottom: Visiting the Porsche Museum in 2013.

promenade and has also stretched her legs through the North Welsh countryside. She was our Porsche at Simply Porsche in Hampshire. The 997 has been used as a wedding car once and has provided ‘prom night’ transport twice over the years.

Venturing into Europe, a short jaunt to Bruges was acceptable but many trips to the Nürburgring have been more exciting. Going as far as Italy twice, via Swiss Alpine passes, could be considered to be 911 heaven. Racing to Reims for a pit lane pic was a French fantasy fulfilled. 50th birthday celebrations in Stuttgart in 2013 saw our car return to her birthplace for photos and factory visits.

Track time has been spent at Three Sisters doing Saturday morning trackattack sessions. Blyton Park has been a bit more serious on three track days and we’ve been to Oulton Park once. The Nürburgring of course is king, and I’ve lost count of the Nordschleife laps she’s completed.

This cute coupé is a car that, for me, still provides a sense of occasion every time she’s used. Small, but perfectly formed. In comparison to 991 and 992 types she has a slenderness that’s understated and an interior bordering on cosy. On the road, there’s a sense that teamwork is key to progress. The chatty steering wheel tells you what’s going on beneath, the stiff springs may not provide a magic carpet ride on rough roads, but they hold it all together when the pressure is on. There’s power to be found through the mid-range revs and higher – most easily accessed when, as previously discussed, the gearbox is used manually and with forethought. She’s old enough to struggle against an upstart Golf R, but young enough to provide solid entertainment.

On our increasingly speed-restricted and traffic-congested UK roads, chances to stretch a fast car’s legs without fear of punishment are becoming fewer and latterly I’ve found that this little 911 provides her best on minor roads. Huge speed is unnecessary but punchy midrange with direct steering and limpet-like grip combine to make cross-country progress both swift and highly rewarding. An entertainer she remains.

I think it’s fair to say that this car has gotten under mine and my wife’s skin.

She enjoys driving it as much as I do and neither of us see any reason to let go of our 997 anytime soon.

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AUTHOR ANDREW BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY NICK PAULEY

SAFE AND SOUND

When Andrew Brown moved to a house with no garage, rather than giving up his 911 he turned to a car storage specialist.

I’VE BEEN A fan of Porsche since I was a child with the introduction of the 959 propelling my interest as an early adult. The dream came true when I bought my first Porsche some ten years ago, a black 996 Turbo with the Tiptronic gearbox. On moving house I decided to sell the 996 whilst I built a garage to house a more modern car at a later date. I bought my current 997 Turbo once the garage was built and have enjoyed a great few years of weekend driving.

My 997 Turbo is a 2006 model with circa 80,000 miles but has been looked after by previous owners, and Paragon, very well and I have spent time and money to maintain the car to the best of my ability. The car has all the options: Sports mode and full leather, and a manual gearbox which gives a more traditional driving experience. It is in the GT Silver colour with black leather which looks amazing, especially at sunset when the car reflects the dark orange tints and looks almost two-tone metallic.

I have kept the car as original as possible. Instead of upgrading components, having them refurbished is more my style. I’ve recently sent the rear spoiler pistons off to Belgium to have them rebuilt and tested. I tend to use independent specialists who, I think, offer better services and broader experience than Porsche themselves and for older cars I think this approach works best. The only modern touch is that I’ve replaced the bonnet badge and wheel centres with black and silver versions, and replaced the exhaust tips with black ones, which allowed me to refurbish the original tips.

We recently decided to move house again and living in a Victorian district of Bedford with no garage forced me to find an alternative storage option.

On searching and looking at a couple of specialist firms, I went to visit Nick Pauley, owner of Auto Classica Storage. Their facilities are fantastic with security, CCTV and privacy ensuring my car (and many other more valuable cars) are secure and well looked after. The services Nick provides can be flexed to suit people’s budgets but the service I take ensures the car is checked periodically and run to temperature, which gives me enormous comfort. The car is kept in a clean environment under my car cover and plugged into a trickle charger.

Whenever I want to visit and drive the car, Nick is always available to get it ready and arranges for it to be cleaned afterwards, if I desire. Nick can also arrange for services or repairs for a small fee, using local companies.

On the important subject of insurance, Manning recognised the company and the main site and on a restricted miles policy I am fully covered for a very reasonable amount, less than £350.

The photos you see here were actually taken by Nick as proof of condition when I checked the car in for the first time. I think they show it off really well.

Auto Classica Storage have three secure indoor facilities just outside Milton Keynes, including a Porsche-only facility near Cranfield University. Owner Nick Pauley is a serial Porsche owner himself, and currently drives a 1982 911SC Targa. www.autoclassicastorage.co.uk 15

AUTHOR MARTIN BROADRIBB PHOTOGRAPHY TED WALKER ARCHIVE

THE COLOURS OF MONEY When Porsche first began racing few had thought of converting competition cars into mobile billboards.

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Left: Georg Loos used this eyecatching scheme on his 935s to advertise a succession of different products.

Below: The well-applied Rothmans colours on a 956, here leading two Lancias wearing a design previously used on the 936.

HOW ATTRACTIVE WE perceive racing cars to be can be greatly influenced by their colour schemes. In presponsorship times it was just a matter of applying paint (or in the case of the pre-war Mercedes GP cars, removing it to save weight!) but with the coming of advertising this changed forever.

Left: Jagermeister has become an iconic racing livery for Porsches such as this 935 but was also used on some other makes.

When Porsche began racing few had thought of converting competition cars into mobile billboards and racing cars were generally painted in conservative hues, often the same as those available on road models and especially so if that was what they were. It is difficult to pinpoint when advertising began to establish a foothold in the sport, but as trackside banners and signs had appeared very early on it is surprising that it took so long for anyone to realise that while a sign conveyed a message only to those at that point the same message on a car would be seen by all spectators.

Racing Porsches were painted silver from the outset and most private entrants were happy to follow suit. At an international level countries had been allocated national colours as early as 1900 and these persisted until advertising took hold, although right up to the present some companies – notably

Ferrari – have cleverly managed to integrate them with their sponsorship. Running a team of identical cars was rather confusing though and when Dr Porsche was responsible for the Austro-Daimler team in the 1922 Targa Florio each car wore a different playing card symbol, something which the JW-Gulf 908s revived for their 1970 appearance there. In the 1950s Porsche began painting the tops of the rear (!) wings of team cars in different colours, later doing the same to a large panel at the front to make each one stand out.

Motor racing sponsorship arrived a lot earlier in America than it did in Europe, not only in the liveries that the cars carried but even in their names: Witness examples such as the Blue Crown Spark Plug Special or the Burd Piston Ring Special running at Indianapolis. Having changed from silver to white as their base colour in the 1960s Porsche began applying small stickers – initially only in black – from component suppliers, although unlike some other makes they often made sure that the cars carried their own name prominently.

For Porsche the big step into the world of on-car advertising took place when they handed over the running of the factory team to John Willment Automotive Engineering for the 1970 17

season. Like JW’s previous Fords and Mirages they were sponsored by Gulf but the application of their colours to the 917 and 908/3 is the one that sticks in the memory even today, although there were many other great advertising liveries applied to the former. Perhaps one of the most striking was the Martini colour scheme, its blue/red stripes on a silver or white base having much more impact than the previous colourful but still rather low-key design used on the Martini International team of 908s.

Below: This Canon scheme was better known on Porsche sports cars but worked equally well on their 924.

Like Gulf, the Martini colours were used on a number of other makes and they have also been appropriated by countless private individuals on road and track. The stripes were applied in many variations to suit the model in question but were always instantly recognisable, being equally effective on a 911 on the Safari Rally or a 935 at Le Mans. In 1976 they briefly tried using a black base on the new 936, but this was soon abandoned as it did not photograph as well as the lighter colours in those days of predominantly monochrome publications. Incidentally, while Martini reverted to using a coloured area to differentiate between team cars the Gulf livery was applied differently to each one, something taken a stage further with the Essex-sponsored 936s which used

a reversal of the red and blue portions of their colours of their two cars.

Sometimes what was happening in the art world had some influence on racing cars and via French auctioneer and sometime Porsche racer Hervé Poulain competition BMWs appeared in some striking liveries by major contemporary artists in the 1970s, while on Porsches Shell gave us a highimpact psychedelic interpretation of their colours on the 1970 Tour de France Auto 911S/T. One of the most attentiongrabbing 917s was not even trying to sell anything though, the unique 1970 Le Mans 917/10 being finished by the factory in pink and divided as cuts of pork, surely a lost opportunity for butchery sponsorship! Another 917LH in the same race appeared in a wildly swirling green and purple and instantly became known as ‘the hippy car’ but this was so powerful that it probably detracted from its Martini logos.

By virtue of its popularity the 935 carried a great number of eye-catching colour schemes, perhaps the orange of Jagermeister first seen on the 934 being one of the best. In the late 1970s and early 1980s sports racing car grids contained so many 935s vying for our attention that a well-designed livery was a big advantage, the multiple GELO red and yellow entries being simple but very effective. In the States the fledgling Apple Computers applied an excellent multicolour design to the model and to conceal their illegally-sourced financial backing for their successful racing exploits the Whittington brothers invented sponsors!

With the coming of the 956/962 these cars presented a perfect blank canvas for advertising, with their large and flat areas of bodywork. Given the costs involved at this level of competition sponsorship had long been a necessity and these models carried some of the most effective advertising ever seen on the circuits. The Rothmans-sponsored works team may be the ones that spring instantly to mind but equally memorable are the red/white of Canon, the yellow/black of New Man, the gold/white of Miller and the turquoise of Leyton House, not to mention those already familiar such as B F Goodrich and Marlboro.

Considering the advertising applied to these models raises the question of how effective some of it was when not all markets where the cars raced supported the product. Did Skoal Bandit sales increase in Britain due to their sponsorship

Above: The Gulf colours are used on this 908/3 with an additional carspecific coloured intake surround.

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Right: Two 804s pass a trackside hoarding years before anyone thought of advertising the product on a car.

Below: This Marlboro 962 does not even need the sponsors name to get the message across.

Bottom: This arrangement of the striking New Man colours suited the 956 and 962 very well. Most teams racing these models used a different colour sunstrip for car identification, as here.

of John Fitzpatrick Racing’s 956s, indeed did most people even know what it was (a chewing tobacco). There was also the problem of advertising products that were not allowed exposure in certain countries, particularly tobacco. Rothmans and Marlboro were able to work around this very effectively, the former using the word Racing in the same style as Rothmans and the latter just employing a series of black bars that mimicked the word Marlboro. Both alternatives were subconsciously seen as the real word by anyone familiar with the usual layout and the colour schemes were so well established as to be able to stand alone if necessary.

If any proof were needed as to how iconic some colour schemes can become we need only look at the Porsche’s modern take on the 935 (see All Torque 137), where a number of liveries from the heyday of the model (plus some other famous racing Porsches) were reworked to suit the new car.

Even without their advertisers these immediately shouted Martini, Vaillant, JPS etc, to anyone familiar with the originals, so we can see that not only does advertising on racing cars really work but it can also be as strong an identifier as the car itself.

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STILL GOT IT

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Simon Chatten dreamed of a 911 his whole life. So what’s it like being a few years into ownership?

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“I suppose the best accolade is the fact that I’ve still got it.

I normally change my cars every couple of years, but I’ve never thought about swapping the 996.”

AUTHOR SIMON CHATTEN PHOTOGRAPHY SIMON CHATTEN I CAN’T BELIEVE it’s been three and a half years since I finally took the plunge and bought my 2002 Porsche 996 C2. Ever since I was a lad the Porsche 911 has always been my dream car.

Sure, there were thoughts of Testarossas and Diablos but while these came and went the 911 was a constant at the top of my list.

I’d always had a ‘Porsche fund’ right from starting work but sadly each time I managed to get a decent amount together my hopes would be dashed as I had to dip into my hard earned savings for mortgage deposits, house repairs … and when the kids came along I realised I wouldn’t have any spare cash for a long time! To make matters worse it seemed like the market was also working against me as every time I’d start looking seriously again the prices for air cooled cars would have seemingly doubled overnight. It soon became apparent that the days of £10k SCs were long gone and I almost gave up hope.

Thankfully all wasn’t lost though as a few years ago there was a time when every car magazine was running lead articles on the 996. The scoop for them all was explaining how this previously unloved underdog was about to have its day and to buy immediately for under £10k before

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prices rose sharply. So with the thrill of the chase restored I started looking again. I read pretty much all the articles out there and they all agreed that the 996 was a better car than previous models. I’d always naively thought that it was all about air cooled but with these blinkers off I started to look at the options.

I preferred the look of the coupés, I favoured rear wheel drive as oppose to four, and of course it had to a manual. I also preferred the revised styling of the facelifted model and wanted Seal Grey paint with a grey interior. I soon realised though that £10k didn’t quite stretch and there were not that many cars to choose from. I did find one though, in London, advertised on a popular Internet auction site with a couple of days to go. It was due to finish the night we were hosting a Christmas party and knowing that after a few sherries I’d probably forget the end time, I put in a snipe bid. It wasn't until the next morning that I checked my emails through blurry eyes to find that I’d bought myself a Porsche 996!

I booked my train ticket and travelled the 200 miles from Sheffield down to London to collect the car. I was quite apprehensive on the way down as it dawned on me that I’d broken pretty much all the used car buying rules in the book. I hadn’t viewed the car or asked any questions, I hadn’t viewed or driven any others

to compare, it was even raining when picked I it up. All this combined with the fact that I was spending almost double what I’d spent on a car before meant that I think I was justified to feel apprehensive. Thankfully everything was fine though, the car was as described and the test drive and journey home were fantastic. I was realistic at the same time – I knew that jumping on the lowest rung of the ladder wasn’t going to get me a mint low miler from a private collection – but thankfully I had the car fully inspected by Revolution Porsche who confirmed it as a good solid car with no major issues. (Any sensible person would obviously have a car inspected before they hand over their hard earned!)

Since getting the car the whole experience has been amazing. The thrill of the acceleration combined with the sublime handling is so addictive and the magic hasn’t waned for a second. It’s been used for pretty much everything from my daily commute to trackdays along with club runs and plenty of fun blasts around the Peak District in between. It’s such a rewarding drive and I do smile each time I get in it.

I enjoy working on my cars too. I wanted a car that I could maintain and improve over the years and I’ve done just that. It needed some cosmetic work and this was one of the first things I tackled.

I had the front bumper repainted, a couple of trolley dings sorted and then a machine polish.

I also had the wheels refurbished and a new set of Michelin Pilot Sports. The car polishes up pretty well now.

Mechanically it just needed a new battery and water pump, probably as it had been stood for a while before I bought it, but after that it’s been trouble free. Once I’d got the car up to a good general standard I thought about some subtle modifications. The suspension was getting tired and I knew from experience that there’s little point in replacing odd bits so I set about a full rebuild. I fancied the look of a lower stance so as well as new coffin and control arms I also fitted the Eibach Pro Kit and new Bilstein shocks.

I then fitted a new Top Gear exhaust, opting for the Sports version for a bit more of a throaty sound. This did however lead to another big job as I noticed a slight weep from the rear main seal. To cut a long story short it now has a new RMS and IMS fitted.

I suppose the best accolade is the fact that I’ve still got it. I normally change my cars every couple of years as I get bored or just fancy a change but I’ve never thought about swapping the 996. Prices haven’t exactly rocketed since I bought it as some articles suggested but it’s certainly appreciated over the years and will probably continue to do so. If anyone is procrastinating over taking the plunge I’d say do it, after all you’re only middle aged once!

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PORSCHE BEGINNINGS Ferdinand Porsche founded the company, but it was his son Ferry who decided to build his own car …

Right: Ferry Porsche at 45, stood in front of newly-built 356s in 1954.

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Left: A portrait of Ferdinand Porsche, photographed in 1950.

Andy Harris looks at the history of Porsche, from its roots in wartime with Ferdinand Porsche.

AUTHOR ANDY HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY PORSCHE PRESS ARCHIVE THE PORSCHE BRAND is undeniably iconic.

Founded in 1931, Ferdinand Porsche and his company, Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche GmbH, embarked on something that was to change the way that the world saw motor vehicles.

Situating his offices in the centre of Stuttgart and of fering development work rather than building cars under his own name, the Government requisitioned Ferdinand Porsche to design a car for the people, in German a ‘Volker Auto’ or peoples car. From this the Volkswagen Beetle was born – one of the most successful cars ever to be built.

Volkswagen, as a company, was established by the German Labour Front in 1936, however it was four years earlier that Adolf Hitler became involved in motor vehicle production and had ordered the manufacture of a basic vehicle capable of transporting two adults and three children. Hitler wanted a ‘people’s car’ that would be available financially to all citizens of the Third Reich, at the cost of the price of a small motorcycle via a savings plan. It became evident that private industry could not manufacture the vehicle and make it financially viable so, and he decided to sponsor a state owned factory using Ferdinand Porsche’s design. During 1939, development of the Porsche 64 commenced using many parts from the now successful Volkswagen Beetle.

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Below: Ferry Porsche and his wife Dorothea in the second Volkswagen prototype (v2), circa 1935

1939 also saw the outbreak of the Second World War. Due to this, Ferdinand was asked to develop vehicles for the German war machine, starting with a militar y version of the Volkswagen Beetle, the Kubelwagen of which 52,000 were built, along with over 15,000 Schwimmwagen.

Ferdinand had also laid the initial designs for several tanks during the war, however he lost out to a rival company. Henschel & Son built the Tiger I and Tiger II tanks. This was not a total loss for Ferdinand as the chassis he had designed led to the production of the Elefant tank destroyer.

The war finally came to an end in 1945 and the Volkswagen factory was now in British hands.

By this time Ferdinand had lost his position as Chairman of the Board of Management at Volkswagen. Now in charge of the factory was a British Major, Ivan Hirst, who was dubbed to be ‘the British Major who saved Volkswagen’!

Sadly, on the December of the same year Ferdinand was arrested for war crimes. He was never tried, but he did serve a 20-month prison sentence. Whilst serving this sentence, Ferdinand’s son, Ferry Porsche, decided to build his own car due to the fact that he couldn’t find a car that he liked enough to buy! His first model of what was to become the iconic 356 was developed in Gmund, a small town in Austria. The year now being 1947, Ferdinand had been released from prison, the prototype car had been shown to German car dealers, and once pre-orders had reached the designated number set, the car then went into production.

Below: Plant 2 in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, in the mid 1950s showing a mix of Beetles and 356s outside.

Below: Building the engine into a Porsche 356 B at the factory in 1960.

Bottom: The first car to bear the Porsche name. An aluminium roadster with a centrallyplaced engine.

Many people feel that the 356 was the first Porsche because it was the first model to be sold from the then new company Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH founded by Ferry, only then to be taken over by his Father Ferdinand’s company in Stuttgart during 1950. Reutter Karosserie was a company based in Zuffenhausen which had assisted with the development of the Volkswagen Beetle prototype; they were now to produce the steel bodies for the 356. During 1952 Ferdinand constructed a building across the road from Reutter Karosserie and cemented the Porsche name forever!

After the war, parts were in short supply. Due to this the 356 was made up from parts and components from the Volkswagen Beetle, including its engine, gearbox and suspension.

The 356 however did go through three different periods of build and gradually the parts made by Volkswagen were becoming parts Porsche were making for themselves. The beginning of 1954 saw the 356 model benefitting from specifically designed engine cases with bodywork design being carried out by Erwin Komenda, who had also helped with the design of the Beetle.

10 years later and the 356 was requiring a redesign, so in 1964, after many years of success in motor racing, the 911 was introduced to the market. Designed by Ferry Porsche’s eldest Son, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, this new 911 was another rear engine, air-cooled sports car, with a more powerful six cylinder boxer engine.

There was a lot of controversy regarding the new car’s designated name, 901 (which was its internal project number). 82 cars were built using this number before Peugeot objected on the grounds that within France it owned the rights to all numbers with a zero in the middle.

Porsche revised the name to 911, and the rest is history.

The air-cooled era of the 911 ran from 1963 until 1997 when, due to noise and emission regulations, the water-cooled engine of the 911 996 emerged onto the market with a completely new look, designed by Pinky Lai and for which he won many awards. The water-cooled 911s continued through the 997 model and up to today’s 992 series. Will it one day come to an end and be replaced by an all-electric 911, following the Taycan? We will just have to wait and see.

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SELF SERVICE Lee Hebditch used his time on lockdown to work through a major service on his 997 Cabriolet.

AUTHOR LEE HEBDITCH PHOTOGRAPHY LEE HEBDITCH I LIKE TO carry out as much work on my car as I can myself, to give me greater insight and u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f Po r s c h e engineering. Obviously the financial benefits of carrying out the work myself keep ownership a viable proposition for me.

Knowing that Boris advised “no soc ialising” for the coming months, doing the work myself gives me the oppor tunity to remove and clean up various parts on the car that a mechanic wouldn’t have time to viably do.

I am relatively new to Porsche ownership, having had my 2006 Porsche 997 3.6 C4 Cabriolet for approximately two and a half years. I would say that my purchase has had a fairly ‘used’ life up to now, but it is now my weekend car. What I will also point out is my Porsche isn’t so expensive that I am frightened to touch it! Maintaining it has definitely become my hobby.

I have read up on all the online scaremongering with regards to heating problems causing bore scoring. I’m not overly concerned but feel a sensible approach is called for, so I decided that I would carry out my major annual service to include a lower temperature 71-degree thermostat and a new water pump, just to aid cooling and reduce any risk as the parts are not really that expensive .

I bought a whole raft of parts mainly from Europarts in Strood and Autodoc in Germany:

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1: The fruits of online shopping.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Beru Coil Packs Bosch Spark Plugs Ancillary Belt Mobile 1 Engine Oil Fram Oil Filter Sump Plug Washer Water Pump SKF & Gasket 71-deg Thermostat & Gasket Red Antifreeze De-Ironised Water Copperslip WD-40 Exhaust Gasket Heater Hose Stainless Steel Bolts M8 Hose Clips Bosch Coil Pack Connector

Bearing in mind that the rear bumper, exhaust and engine mounting plate must come off to gain access to the water pump and thermostat housing, I decided that this would also make it easier to replace the spark plugs and coil packs at the same time.

I started by removing the rear lights fastened with a couple of T25 torx screws located in the engine side drain gulley (Care must be taken with the rear lights not to damage the corners as they are very fragile).

The rear bumper is simple to remove, undoing the T25 torx screws along the engine bay hood closer panel and at the underside of the bumper and wheel arch. I removed heat shields, again fastened with T25 tor x drive screws, and the impact bar held on by two bolts.

The two sports exhaust silencers were next. The problem is they are held on to the exhaust bracket with two 8mm bolts (140mm and

2: Exhaust bracket with new stainless steel bolts.

75mm) Porsche must assemble them at the factory off the car so that they hit the bodywork and therefore cannot be removed in situ, making it impossible to remove the exhaust silencers this way.

I therefore had to attack the silencer removal complete with exhaust bracket from behind, targeting the three mounting bracket nuts on the inside of the wheel arch. As you can imagine from the heating and cooling effect of the exhaust they were rusted and would not budge. One nut and bolt sheared off. These brackets are about £165 per side on eBay and I thought “here we go”. I started to think this couldn’t be achieved …

So, how I overcame this was by sawing off the heads of the 70mm and 140mm bolts and extracting the silencers on their own. With the brackets still in position I drilled the bolts out and the bracket was finally able to be removed.

This actually worked out well – I drilled and tapped the brackets out and fitted new stainless steel bolts back, which should make it a breeze to remove the silencers next time with a smidgeon of Copperslip anti-seize compound.

Then I had to remove the catalytic c o n v e r te r s . A g a i n , w h a t a challenge the nuts and bolts were!

I had to drill out every nut and bolt clamping or holding them on. It took forever, and countless drill bits! Again, I ordered all new stainless steel bolts for refitting to make future life easier as I intend to keep the car.

3: With the rear exposed, you start to see what Porsche is all about and where its heritage is derived from.

4: Endoscope looking into the plug thread.

5: The engine bay.

All parts went back together very easily.

Once the Catalytic Converters were off, and sensors unplugged from inside the engine bay, I needed to remove the engine mounting plate to gain access to the thermostat housing on the water pump.

braking system. The reason being the steel cap is susceptable to corrosion and pitting and if it leaks can dump oil on the road and can be terminal to the engine if the oil pressure suddenly drops. (This is a worthwhile check!)

I used a trolley jack and a block of wood to spread the load under the engine sump and take the weight of the engine while the two large engine mounting nuts located on the uppermost extremities of the plate were undone and removed. I also removed the other mounting nuts located on the face of the plate and the plate was removed.

Now for the spark plug and coil pack removal and refitting! Firstly the heat shields either side have to be removed unfastening the two securing torx bolts. The heat shields can get rusty and holes appear in them, but I replaced mine when I first got my car so I knew they were in good condition.

I just cleaned them up

I now removed the ancillar y belt that drives the water pump using a 24mm spanner, rotating the spring tensioner pulley anticlockwise (the hexagon nut with a thread in it) and simply pulled the belt off the pulleys. I took pictures to aid the correct refitment.

Lee’s top tip: If you go to Morrisons or Asda they sell home brand furniture polish for a less than 50p a can. I buy loads of the stuff and use it under my wheel arches in the engine bay and backs of the wheels. It cuts through oil and dirt, grease and grime really well. Cheap as chips! Keep the expensive polishes and waxes for where it matters.

I drained the coolant water and removed the thermostat and water pump hoses too, then untightened the fixing bolts. It’s ver y important that the bolts positions are recorded as some of them are different lengths.

I obviously replaced the thermostat and water pump complete with new gaskets a n d to r q ue d t h e m to t h e manufacturers recommended torque settings.

During my research on the Internet I came across people advising that It is prudent to clean of f and paint the dual pump unit that supplies oil to the engine and brake vacuum for the

I unclipped the Bosch electrical connec tor and removed the coil packs by undoing the two torx bolts holding each to the c ylinder head using a ¼ inch drive ratchet and extension. As previously stated this is the first time I’ve worked on a Porsche 911 and oh my word, I didn’t realise how awkward this job would be, especially on cylinder numbers one and four. I have short dumpy fingers and this tried my patience, but the more I tried, I must say that I started to get the knack, but alas I broke a retaining clip on the Bosch connector, for which I have a new one on order. Incidentally, the

part number for this is 192840311 which also fits BMW, MINI and Scania would you believe!

Also, I will check the IMS bearing too. Again, not hard whilst the gearbox is out of the car.

Eventually, I had removed them all and fitted the new items. The new coil packs have been updated and the body is bulkier for which Beru supply new replacing torx bolts and they fit under the heat shields with no dramas. I can’t stress enough how awkward I initially found this job though! I can see why they charge so much for this job at the dealerships.

Like a lot of Porsche owners I have carried out extensive research on IMS bearing failures and in particular on my 2006 3.6 model.

There is a well-respected company in America called FVD Brombacher who produce their own ceramic IMS replacement bearing kit.

Another bonus to working my own car is whilst the spark plugs were out, it gave me a chance to use my endoscope and check for bore scoring. I’m please to confirm that mine was fine, backed up by the evidence that it uses very little oil and doesn’t smoke either on start up or driving along, as I’ve been informed by my friends following me on trips out in the past.

I decided not to change the air filter this time as I changed it last year and the car hasn’t done many miles. The brake fluid and pads I am changing, as I intend to paint the brake callipers red later on.

During my work on the Porsche I observed a black greasy/oily residue between the engine and the transmission. A telltale sign, I’m informed, of a RMS rear main seal leak. Therefore I have delayed changing the engine oil and filter, as for my next project I will be removing the gearbox to replace the rear main seal. A £15 part so not expensive, just labour intensive. This will also give me the opportunity to inspect the clutch and possibly change it.

Brombacher state that “Engines replaced or vehicles purchased in or after 2006 should have the revised, larger single-row IMS bearing, identifiable by a larger M12mm nut in the center of the IMS hub flange. It is not necessary to replace those bearings.”

I believe my car falls in to this category so it will be interesting to check this out. Again, not a massively expensive part if you’re changing it yourself.

All parts went back together very easily with new nuts and bolts with the addition of little anti-seize compound.

It’s important to note that refilling with antifreeze and de-ionised water 50/50 mix can result in airlocks. I’ve not encountered any problems with this.

I fill my Porsche up to the max level and drive it ¼ mile to where we have a really steep hill. I leave the engine running for five minutes with the air bleed device open and the nose of the car pointing down the hill, to get rid of any trapped air (It works for me). Otherwise you can buy online a vacuum kit that sucks the air out of the system.

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REGIONAL ROUND UP R2

Scotland

R20

South Central

R3

North East

R8

Anglia & North Essex

R5

North West

R11

North London, Herts & South Essex

R4

Yorkshire

R13

Thames Valley

R18

Cheshire & Staffs

R12

Kent & South East London

R6

South Yorkshire & North Notts

R9

Surrey & Sussex

R26

Shropshire & Mid Wales

R21

Hampshire

R7

Central

R22

Bristol, South West & South Wales

R19

East Midlands

R23

Southern

R24

Peterborough

R2

R3 R4 R5

R18

R26 R7

R22 R23

R2

R6 R24

R19

R20 R13

R11

R21

R9

R12

SCOTLAND

scotland@tipec.net RO David Clelland • 07794 600 808 ARO (West) Neil Baird ARO (East) Tim Price Facebook: TIPEC Scotland Meetings are held first Wednesday of every month 7:30pm for an 8pm start in the 007 bar, upstairs at Bo’Ness Motor Museum, Bridgeness Road, Bo’Ness EH51 9JR. www.motor-museum.bo-ness.org.uk Regional sponsors: McLean and Stewart, Solicitors & ClipperTrek Motorhome Hire

Out for a drive pre-coronavirus

I hope that everyone is still well and coping during these strange times.

As I write this (end of June), we are still in partial lockdown, although restrictions are being gradually lifted. I’m still hopeful that the situation will have improved by the time you receive this edition of All Torque.

Yesterday’s news said that if matters continue to improve Scotland could be Covid-19 free by AT 142

R8

the end of the summer. While this will be too late for most of the organised events we might still manage a meeting and even a run before we lose the good weather and the nights start to draw in.

To date, the only event that I’m reasonably sure will go ahead is our Christmas dinner and party night at the beginning of December. As soon as we are given the go ahead the management team will try to organise a gathering of some sort that will allow us all to catch up with what’s been going on these last few months.

In the meantime, I notice that there has been a lot of activity on the various Facebook pages. There have been lots of requests and help given on technical matters and plenty of pictures posted showing improvements members have been making to their cars. To be honest I don’t know what we all would have done without the Internet over these last few months.

I hope you will forgive this shorter than usual report and I’m sure that you will understand that it is difficult to report on things that have recently happened and things that are planned for the future when nothing has happened and nothing can be planned! As I said above, hopefully things will have changed by the time you read this.

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NORTH EAST

RO Derek Ellison • 07862 794 149 derekdse123@aol.com ARO John Tomlinson • 07595 166 187 Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month from 7pm at The Old Farmhouse, Darlington DL2 1JZ.

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NORTH WEST

RO Colin Hammerton • 07500 908 091 col.hamm@hotmail.co.uk ARO Richard Sholl • 07970 147 779 n22rks@googlemail.com ARO Dave Gort • 07800 825 241 davegort@icloud.com ARO Joe Turner • 07599 100 151 joe@joesshineshop.uk ARO Cumbria Dean Mason • 07599 015 694 deanthediver@gmail.com Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month from 7pm (with club business dealt with at 8pm) at The Bowling Green, Preston Road, Charnock Richard PR7 5LA.

A socially distanced car park meet

It’s been a strange few months to say the least! May was a complete write off for club life. Activities have been on hold for most of the lockdown period, that is until restrictions were eased a little by the Government at the beginning of June.

Thursday 4th of June saw the slight easing of restrictions and the rule that six people from

different families could now meet up, as long as they observed social distancing rules! A Facebook post asking members if they would be happy to test the rules, saw myself and five other Club members take our first tentative steps towards returning to something like normal club life. We met up at 7:30 am for a spirited drive out to the Ribblehead Viaduct, Hawes, Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale.

We observed social distancing at all times whilst out of our cars and had a socially distanced breakfast stop at Dick Turpin’s on the A59. The day was a great success enjoyed by us all, and it prompted me to organise another morning run!

Sunday 7th June, after the success of Thursdays run, a Facebook post saw myself and five different Club members meet up at 7:30am for what was quite a wet drive around the Yorkshire Dales. We took a different route to Thursdays run still taking in the Ribblehead Viaduct and some of North Yorkshire’s best driving roads. We finally ended up at Dick Turpin’s again for a socially distanced butty and a brew at around 10:30am before making our way home.

Friday 12th June, a last minute post by ARO Richard Sholl saw 13 club cars and their owners enjoy a very wet trackday at Blyton Park. We had six 45 minute track sessions between Superlight races. There was quite a few spins over the day, but no cars were damaged! We had a great mix of Porsches from 944 to GT3RS and Unique Porsche’s fully race prepared Boxster. Social distancing rules were observed throughout the day by all involved.

Sunday 21st was our annual longest day run, which for the past few months we were sure couldn’t happen. It actually went ahead albeit at a much reduced capacity due to the ongoing restrictions.

Eight NW cars in two groups had a run from Preston up to Porsche Centre Kendal where we were met by ARO Dean Mason. From Kendal the nine cars had a run to Tebay, Appleby, Penrith and on to Hartside Cafe for a butty and a brew.

From there we had a traffic free run through Alston down to Kirkby Lonsdale on some of the best driving roads in Britain. The weather was a little mixed, with sunshine and showers, but the day was a great success and social distancing rules were observed at all times whilst out of our cars.

We have a big NW BBQ planned for when restrictions are lifted sufficiently and Jasmine Porshalink have generously offered the use of their premises so that we have room to continue to observe social distancing both indoors and outdoors.

August 10th (Monday) Club night at The Bowling Green, PR7 5LA from 7pm August 23rd (Sunday) Club run, details TBC September 5th (Saturday) Lakeland Motor Museum Drive in Day, details TBC September 6th (Sunday) Jasmine Porschalink open morning 9–11am plus a run. TBC September 14th (Monday) Club night at The Bowling Green, PR7 5LA from 7pm September 20th (Sunday) North West annual concours / pride of ownership BBQ, details TBC October 12th (Monday) Club night at The Bowling Green, PR7 5LA from 7pm October 25th (Sunday) Breakfast run, venue TBC

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YORKSHIRE

yorkshire@tipec.net RO Laurence Parkin ARO Tony Hartley • 07714 822 808 Facebook: The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts Club Yorkshire Meetings are held third Monday of every month 7:30pm at The Red Lion, Main St, Burley in Wharfedale, Ilkley LS29 7BT.

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CHESHIRE & STAFFS

RO Chris Hulme • 07775 794 291 chris@claytonhulme.co.uk ARO Stefanie Mahan • 07776 132 389 ARO Gareth Aldridge • 07881 228 944 gj.aldridge@yahoo.co.uk ARO Ian Highfield ianhighfield@talktalk.net facebook.com/groups/TIPEC.CS Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 8pm at The Kilton Inn, Warrington Rd, Knutsford, WA16 0PZ.

Though this hasn’t stopped the Porsche spirits going – many of our beautiful Porsches have received some TLC, it has enabled jobs to get done (home as well as four wheeled) as well as changing how we ‘get together’ for our monthly club nights.

Virtual meetings are a fab way to see how everyone is doing and continue to chat about all things Porsche as well as our postponed trip to Le Mans Classic (Barry has emailed those who were/are going). Even at a virtual club night we still manage to be chatting at midnight – though at least we are already home and it not that far up those wooden hills to Bedfordshire!

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the 24 hour classic racing at Le Mans has being postponed until 2021, though live streaming of previous events went ahead on the classic weekend in July. Not the same as the real thing, but none the less enjoyable and making everyone realise what we have to look forward to next year.

With government restrictions changing regularly, we are hoping to hit the open roads soon and see everyone in person – though please note that there will be some changes (who knows how long for) in the way we do things. Please keep your eyes peeled for emails, etc. from our RO Chris on things moving forward.

As you are reading this we will have hopefully had our first ‘proper’ club night for some months with the Zoom meetings zooming away and the new ‘normality’ resuming … Look forward to seeing many of you at our monthly club meets.

With majority of our fixtures postponed so far we are looking at ensuring some of these are rescheduled and not fully missed. Sadly the shows will have to wait until 2021 now, though we are hoping the Oulton Gold Cup goes ahead and we should have a club stand as usual. Please let us know (Stefanie or Gareth) if you are wishing to attend, as places are limited.

Summer is still here (we haven’t fully missed that yet) and our concours club night is fast approaching – with the current situation we are looking at alternative places to hold this event, to enable us to have everyone’s beauties admired while maintaining social distancing. Please watch this space for details of location, time, etc.

Events are building up again, just waiting for dates to be applied to them when we can. It will take some time to plan things for the new normal so please bear with us! We do now have some things in the diary for you.

You can keep up to date with what’s going on via our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/groups/ TIPEC.NW) and NW web page (www.tipec.net/ regions/north-west).

August 2nd (Sunday) Breakfast meet, venue TBC

Unless you are a key worker or unable to work from home the last few months have continued to see everyone ‘confined’ to their homes and staying safe from the pandemic.

Carry on staying safe everyone and see you all soon.

Heading to Le Mans Classic in 2016

August 6th (Thursday) Anglesey trackday, now fully booked 33

August 15th (Saturday) Bomber County run out (with 924 Owners Club) August 18th (Tuesday) Club night and our annual Concours event, full details and location TBC

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S OUTH YORKSHIRE & NORTH NOTTS.

As you all know I had a disaster with my Boxster early in June. I bought a nice looking BMW One Series that had a turbo go, then I put the wrong fuel in a nice looking A4 convertible that has been written off and I have bought back. I have made the decision to work towards another 996 as I believe I can buy and sell a few cars until we can afford one. There are lots of nice cars around at sensible prices. So WE HAVE A PLAN.

RO & ARO wanted urgently

Auugst 29th (Saturday) Oulton Park Gold Cup

Meetings are held first Sunday of every month at 7pm for 7:30pm start at Ye Olde Bell Hotel, Barnby Moor, Retford, Notts, DN22 8QS

September 7th (Monday) Anglesey trackday – we only have 15 places so let me know quickly if you’d like to join us!

September 15th (Tuesday) Club night at the Kilton, hopefully with greater numbers/availability Regional events being organised by the club for future dates: • WeissachUK (Byley, Middlewich) for breakfast and workshop tour and chat.

• Classic and Sports (Warrington) for club night meeting.

Keep up to date at www.synn.org.uk or look for us on Facebook as ‘Porsche Enthusiasts Club - South Yorkshire & North Notts (TIPEC)’ R26

S HROPSHIRE & MID WALES

We really need to get this region working better so need some help. Any ideas and volunteers welcomed.

August 2nd (Sunday) TBC Run into Wales, organised by Neil Thomas August 4th (Tuesday) Club night at the Fox and Hounds, Shawbury, 8:00pm

RO Richard Simmons • 07972 811 221 richardjjs@yahoo.co.uk ARO Mick Duckworth • 01952 411 697 mickduckworth156@hotmail.com ARO North Wales Vinny Jones vinnyckjones@hotmail.com

September 1st (Sunday) Club night at the Fox and Hounds, Shawbury, 8:00pm

Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month from 8pm at the Fox and Hounds, Wytheford Road, Shawbury, Shrewsbury SY4 4JG.

October 6th (Tuesday) Club night at the Fox and Hounds, Shawbury, 8:00pm

September 20th (Sunday) Run or meeting, ideas please

• Anglesey Transport Museum (Tacla Taid).

• Autobrite (Stoke on Trent) for a general meet and presentation on cleaning and detailing.

• Cosford Air Museum, where we are usually able to arrange a photoshoot with all the cars lined up under the wings of the planes.

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tipeccentral@outlook.com RO Lindsay Brown • 07768 442 050 ARO Steve Jones • 07775 581 044 ARO Neil Smith • 07899 961 429

• Frost Restoration (Glazebury, Warrington) for a meet up and chat on restoration!

• Portmeirion, a little Italian village in Wales to be part of an overnight trip.

• Sleap Airfield (near Shrewesbury) to enjoy a hearty breakfast on a Sunday ahead of the day’s drive.

Looking forward to seeing you and your Porsche out and about very soon!

Gmund qs

30/6/08

16:49

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CENTRAL

Nothing to do with TIPEC, but a lovely sunset …

Our next meeting will be at Fox and Hounds, 8:00pm on Tuesday 4th August. We have a run out into Wales planned for either the 26th July or 2nd August, organised by Neil Thomas.

Meetings are held second Monday of every month 7:30pm onwards at The Bull’s Head, Birmingham Road, Shenstone WS14 0JR. www.vintageinn.co.uk/thebullsheadshenstone After three months of lockdown I for one have got itchy Porsche keys, and I admit to going out for a couple of ‘essential’ shopping trips, obviously as Supertramp said ‘Taking the long way home’ and I’m sure I’m not the only one to have done so.

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AT 142

Like many, I have being doing one or two little jobs on the car that I’ve been putting off. Reading Keith Jackson’s cooling fan refurb in the last edition of All Torque saw me taking mine off and giving it a freshen up amongst other little bits of fettling. I can’t wait to see all the jobs that you have been doing to your cars.

As you are probably aware the Resto Show which had been rescheduled to August 7–9th has again been rescheduled, this time until 2021.

I have been in contact with The Bull’s Head and at the time writing this they were not allowing parties of more than six people to meet either inside or in the car park. I’m hoping that August’s club night will go ahead but unfortunately as it’s not confirmed yet I will have to cancel the Show and Shine for this year. I will confirm our club night as soon as I can. I have also been in contact with one of our favourite events at The Pershore Plum Festival and again this has been cancelled until next year. Looks like next year is going to be a busy one with all these rescheduled events.

One such event for next year is the Laon Classic in May. I have booked to go on this for the first time and there were only a few hotel rooms left, so if you are interested I would book up quickly.

I’m keeping my eye on the local garden centres to see when their cafés are open again as I, for one, am missing our breakfast meetings and my other half is looking forward to a catch up with the other ladies in the region for a good natter.

As we are now able to travel more than five miles from home, I hope you’ve remembered to tax your cars and the batteries have been on conditioners so that they are ready to go. Here’s hoping that we have a club night in August and we can have a catch up, otherwise we will see you at some of the events listed below. Some are still to be confirmed and I’m sure you’ll understand why. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.

August 10th (Monday) Club night at The Bull’s Head, still TBC August 23rd (Sunday) Breakfast meet, TBC September 14th (Monday) Club night at The Bull’s Head, TBC September 26th (Saturday) Really Retro Show, Stafford September 27th (Sunday) Simply Porsche, Beaulieu September 27th (Sunday) Breakfast meet, TBC October 12th (Monday) Club night at The Bull’s Head, TBC October 17th (Saturday) Curry night, TBC October 25th (Sunday) Breakfast meet, TBC

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EAST MIDLANDS

east.mids@tipec.net RO Jim Stevens • 07879 885 260 ARO Mark Frearson Meetings are held first Wednesday of every month 7pm at The Packe Arms, Rempstone Road, Hoton, Loughborough LE12 5SJ. Phew, we’re starting to emerge from lockdown!

Well, those Leicester-based members are currently not so lucky, but at least we’ve managed to get some events on the horizon …

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PETERBOROUGH

peterborough@tipec.net RO Stuart Wand • 07725 328 183 ARO Sunny Hoyle • 07976 931 621 ARO Neil Kenefec • 07709 932 627 facebook.com/groups/PeterboroughTipec Monthly meetings are held second Wednesday of every month from 7pm at The Haycock Hotel, London Road, Wansford PE6 8JA.

It’s obviously been a very quiet few months for all of us with a lot of polishing, a bit of fettling, and not much driving on the cards for most of us.

Sadly, we haven’t had a monthly meet since March, but we’re hopeful that we can get a meetup going in July. We have tentatively booked the 15th, subject to the pub confirming that they’re okay with it. I’ll be sending an update by email/Facebook as soon as I’ve got some certainty.

We have our shared trackday with the NW Region coming up on July 3rd at Blyton Park, which will be the first opportunity for many of us to give our cars a proper run.

We have arranged to join an East Mids classic car meet on August 10th, and have set up a run to join our easterly members in Lincoln on August 22nd.

As soon as I’ve got some more certainty from our usual venue, I’ll get a date for the August meet in the diary. Although we aim for the first Wednesday in the month, the meets for the next few months are likely to be a bit later until we get some normality back.

Mablethorpe run out

With the easing of lockdown Peterborough Region decided it was time for a little club drive out. The East Midlands hasn’t got the reputation of having any of the UKs best driving roads however with the extensive use of Google Maps and Street View a good route was found.

We had a couple of meeting points as drivers were joining us from different areas of our region which worked well even after having to guide in one lost driver. We won’t name names, eh Nick?

We headed out from Rutland and up towards the Lincolnshire Wolds and originally a little visit to Cadwell Park was planned, however very stringent lockdown rules put an end to that.

As ever, keep an eye out for emails and Facebook updates and if you’ve got any ideas for other events or activities for 2020 please give me a shout.

Undeterred we managed to have a real blast through some stunning countr yside and splendid roads. A wide variety of cars joined us driven by new and old club members.

July 15th (Wednesday) Club meeting at The Packe Arms (provisional until confirmed by venue)

After a good three hours of entertaining driving we headed off to Mablethorpe for a pit stop at an award-winning fish and chip shop … then a casual walk to the beach followed. Alas paddling wasn’t to be this time as the temperature had plummeted the closer we got to the coast.

August 10th (Monday) Classics meet with BBQ at The George & Dragon, Colaville. Meet at the venue for 5:30pm August TBC Club meeting at The Packe Arms (provisional until confirmed by venue) August 22nd (Saturday) Run out to Lincolnshire. Meet at the Packe Arms at 10:30 to join the Lincolnshire gang at 12:15 for lunch. Final venue is The Woodcocks, Burton Lane, Lincoln, LN1 2BE Due to the current coronavirus situation, all dates/venues may have to change at short notice. Keep an eye on emails/Facebook for final information.

Tummies filled to the brim we had a leisurely drive back to the car park at The Tulip Queen Hotel where our convoy was a huge hit with the local young petrolheads hanging out there.

If all the cheery smiles and laughter were anything to go by then the drive out can be deemed a great success.

As soon as we can we will be heading further afield, but for now it was a great way to get back into the swing of things.

It’s hopefully all systems go for the trip to the Circuit des Remparts d’Angoulême in September.

This is an annual classic car race which sees classic cars hurtling around the ancient, twisting roads of the pretty hilltop town of Angoulême. The Circuit des Remparts is a highlight in any historic racing enthusiast’s diary. This now coincides with the rescheduled Le Mans, so we’ve decided to split the journey north of Le Mans to soak up some of the atmosphere travelling down.

We’re looking into a temporary club venue as the Haycock has been taken over and is in the midst of a major refurbishment. It won’t open till October at the earliest. This leaves us with problem finding a venue in far from certain times. I hope for some informal arrangement soon. As always, any change of venue will be communicated to all members. Keep safe.

Club meets By arrangement, contact RO or AROs September 17th–22nd (Thursday–Tuesday) Club trip to Circuit des Remparts d’Angoulême

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of one of our favourite places, The Super Sausage Café, and then enjoy a great sounding drive taking in the Cotswolds and Chedder Gorge.

night business. There will, no doubt, be some compromises and restrictions in place for some time yet.

Much more of this in the next issue and hopefully some plans for post-lockdown.

All the regional and national events are on hold or cancelled, including our Wales trip, which will be rearranged either later this year or in 2021.

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A NGLIA & NORTH ESSEX

RO Ian Jones • izzy.spyder@sky.com ARO Adam Jiggins • adamjiggins69@gmail.com Treasurer Yvonne King • yvonneking@hotmail.com facebook.com/groups/618348854957396 Meetings are held fourth Tuesday of each month from 7pm at The Beagle, Hadleigh Road, Sproughton, Ipswich IP8 3AR. www.vintageinn.co.uk/restaurants/ east/thebeagleipswich 01473 730607.

south.central@tipec.net RO Nick Papé • 07801 881 170 ARO Gary Howard • 07856 723 196 Instagram: @tipecsouthcentral Facebook.com/groups/southcentraltipec Sunshine for our first club drive in a while

With lockdown starting to ease a little, hopefully by the time you are reading this some sort of normality will have resumed, and club nights too (fingers crossed). With all those car jobs completed during lockdown it will be time to enjoy what’s left of the year!

A few of our members have been out and about for a socially distanced drive in small numbers, which seems to be working well.

A small socially distanced meet and run

Although we’ve only been able to have a couple of small socially distanced meets, the region has shown great enthusiasm to stay in touch via both Facebook and WhatsApp. A few of us met at sunny Cornwalls Meadow in Buckingham, and after a brief chat, at a safe distance, took the infamous A421 towards Aylesbury. After Whitchurch we cut across country to via Cublington to Mentmore (home of Mentmore Towers) and then stopped at Bridego Bridge which is where the Great Train Robbery took place, just a mile from Cheddington Station.

From there we headed off via Ivinghoe Aston to Ivinghoe Beacon on Asheridge Common for an ice cream and then finally through the common and Albury Village (location of hundreds of films/ dramas) before going our separate ways.

We’ve had a great response to our forthcoming drive out July 4th. We’ll celebrate the reopening AT 142

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N ORTH LONDON, HERTS & SOUTH ESSEX

NLHSE@tipec.net RO Vince Dallimore • 07798 630 649 ARO Peter Musk • 07734 769 953 facebook.com/groups/1217447545000223 Three informal monthly meetings: First Sunday 10:30am (open marque) at The Goat Inn, Vicarage Causeway, Hertford Heath, SG13 7RT. Second Saturday 7:45am at South Mimms services car park (near the exit to fuel), for a drive to White Elm Garden Centre for breakfast and an optional country drive out. Please confirm attendance in advance, we will leave sharp at 8am. Last Monday 6pm (Porsches only) at The Ace Café, Ace Corner, off the A406, Stonebridge, London NW10 7UD.

SOUTH CENTRAL

Meetings are held first Thursday of the month from 7:30pm at The Green Man, Lavendon MK46 4HA.

Paid up members are on the rise, along with our Facebook members who are all welcome to join in with the mayhem. Best wishes and stay safe.

We have a new meeting venue. The Beagle in Sproughton, near Ipswich, is the proposed replacement for both the Alma and the Woolpack, as this is closest point to the epicentre of the area for our attending members. The Beagle has easy access, parking and good food. Of course this is still subject to lockdown regulations and its own survival after lockdown! Hopefully resolved by the time you’re reading this update. The Woolpack and the Alma haven’t been notified of the changes yet, just in case.

Our virtual meetings have carried on as a replacement and overall have worked well, if a little chaotic at the start, but will be ending with the reopening of the pubs.

We got the ball rolling with our first group drive out last weekend (end of June) from Braintree to Aldeburgh for our virtual meeting attendees, which was a great change from going out solo.

Still very strange due to everything still closed.

I’m sure it will not be as simple as opening the pubs and getting back to our normal club

As everyone is aware, the Covid-19 crisis is finally easing and our meeting activity looks likely to recommence in August. Our North London Facebook group provides an easy way to keep in touch in the meantime.

New members continue to join our region since the lockdown began, I surmise that with time on hands, people are looking for ways to stay in touch. We could convene a club night chat using Zoom, I’d be interested to hear members thoughts?

Our North London, Herts & South Essex Facebook group now has 65 members registered; future events are posted here for your convenience, as well as being noted in All Torque, where events will be posted to aid communication with you all. Find and ask to join the Facebook group for our region at: www.facebook.com/ groups/1217447545000223 Peter and I can be contacted via our club email address on NLHSE@tipec.net but due to the lack of feedback from members over the years, email is no longer used by us for general communication.

Laura at the Goat has indicated that she will be able to offer catering and beverage services from the 2nd August Classics at the Goat meeting, having determined the 5th July Sunday is too soon for her after lockdown.

Venues like the Goat will be in desperate need of support to aid recovery from the business interruption, so we hope you'll pencil in to join us in August.

The Facebook group ‘Classics at the Goat’ remains active, and some interesting videos and reminiscences have been posted recently.

we will have our club gazebo with one or two of us on hand throughout the day to help with any membership queries you may have.

I’m waiting to get confirmation for the next Pistonheads breakfast meeting, which I assume will be either 11th July or 8th August, reliant on the Garden Centre opening their cafe with scope for the group numbers.

Simply Porsche is a full day out for all the family. If you fancy a break from looking at Porsches, you can visit the Cistercian Abbey ruins, dating back to King John. It was destroyed by King Henry VIII in 1538 and owes much to the Montagu family.

The Abbey has been beautifully conserved, walking through and around the ruins you get a feeling of what Monastic life might have been like. From the Abbey ruins you can stroll down to the Palace House and Gardens, once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey, of which has been in the Montagu family since 1538. It overlooks the picturesque Beaulieu River millpond and was considerately redesigned and extended during the 1800s. This is now a stunning example of a Victorian country house and is one of the ‘Treasure Houses’ of England, a collection of 10 stately homes, palaces and castles open to the public. You will find inside a property bustling with character, portraits and treasures, well worthy of a visit. Don’t forget to take a ride on the mile-long monorail; this is the oldest in the country and will take you for a relaxing ride around the grounds before passing through the Motor Museum. It has a North and South station; the rides are free and unlimited and run frequently throughout the day. The only thing we can’t guarantee is the weather, but we have been lucky in previous years so … fingers crossed.

The Ace Café are keeping in touch with customers via their Facebook group, take a look if you’ve any time on your hands. Their events diary indicates a return of Porsche Night on Monday 27th July; I’ll check and confirm via our Facebook events listing.

September 27th (Sunday) Simply Porsche at Beaulieu Ticket numbers are limited to just 500, so hopefully you’ve got yours by the time you read this.

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Thames Valley on Zoom

Our virtual Zoom meetings in May and June were another big success with a dozen or so of you joining in for an evening of laughs and giggles.

Thank you Jason for once again putting these together and keeping the Thames Valley dream alive.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic we have been unable to hold meetings and enjoy our Sunday morning breakfast drives out, however by the time you are reading this the restrictions should have been lifted and we will have hopefully had our July gathering at the Bell & Bottle. We also might have had one or two drives out!

THAMES VALLEY

thames.valley@tipec.net RO Andrew Harris • 07812 146 999 ARO Graham Driver • 07799 625 279 ARO Jason Gibson • 07958 459 725 Meetings are held second Tuesday of every month 7:00pm at The Bell & Bottle, Bath Rd, Littlewick Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3RX.

The BIG news is that, all being well, Simply Porsche is back on the calendar for Sunday 27th September. There will be some onsite catering with tea, coffee and burger vendors.

The amenities and attractions will be open and

JOIN THE CLUB at www.tipec.net TIPEC membership is £40 for one year or £60 for two years * £45 per year in Europe and £50 per year Rest of World

37

August 11th (Tuesday) Club night at the Bell & Bottle

in the centre for 2020. Hopefully we will be back there for events early in 2021.

August 22nd–23rd (Saturday–Sunday) Boxengasse www.boxengasse.com/oilcooled20

August 3rd (Monday) Club night at The Moody Mare, ME18 5QY, from 7:30pm

September 8th (Tuesday) Club night at the Bell & Bottle

August 16th (Sunday) Drive out and breakfast club

September 27th (Sunday) Simply Porsche at Beaulieu

September 5th (Saturday) Marden Car Show

October 13th (Tuesday) Club night at the Bell & Bottle

September 7th (Monday) Club night at The Moody Mare, ME18 5QY, from 7:30pm

Please keep an eye on our diary page of the website at: www.tipec.net/regions/thames-valley We have lots of events coming up and it would be great to see you. Don’t forget about our Facebook page too: Thames Valley Region – Porsche Enthusiasts Club.

If you are unable to attend any of the events, please feel free to pop along to our monthly meeting at the Bell & Bottle, it is always an enjoyable evening with lots of friendly people, the food is good too!

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K ENT & SOUTH EAST LONDON

kent.sel@tipec.net RO Paul Greer • 07799 412 870 ARO Stuart Watson Meetings are held first Monday of the month from 7:30pm at The Moody Mare, 501 Seven Mile Lane, Maidstone, Kent ME18 5QY (On the B2016 road near Mereworth)

September 27th (Sunday) Simply Porsche, Beaulieu October 5th (Monday) Club night at The Moody Mare, ME18 5QY, from 7:30pm October 18th (Sunday) Drive out and breakfast club

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SURREY & SUSSEX

surrey.sussex@tipec.net RO urgently wanted ARO Michael Bowden • 07724 016 592 ARO Chris Cook • 07840 984 196 facebook.com/groups/ tipecsurreyandsussex Meetings are held second Wednesday of every month from 7:00pm at The Bolney Stage, London Road, Bolney RH17 5RL, 10 miles south of Crawley off the A23.

over £300. A quick look online and a replacement fob was purchased for £13.99, including postage.

Then a look through YouTube for a video of how to do the swap – and hey presto a new key! Well worth it.

August 9th (Sunday) CANCELLED Cranleigh Classic Car, Bike Show and Autojumble August 12th (Wednesday) Club night at The Bolney Stage (under review) August 15th (Saturday) CANCELLED Capel Classic and Auto Jumble August 31st (Sunday) CANCELLED Bexhill 100 Classic & Custom Car Show September 5th (Saturday) Brighton Speed Trails, Madeira Drive, Brighton September 9th (Wednesday) Club night at The Bolney Stage September 11–13th (Friday–Sunday) CANCELLED Goodwood Revival Meeting September 27th (Sunday) Simply Porsche at Beaulieu October 14th (Wednesday) Club night at The Bolney Stage October TBC Goodwood Porsche Charity Day R21

HAMPSHIRE

hampshire@tipec.net RO Members collective ARO Andrew Morle • 07450 435 347 Facebook.com/groups/361024217594761

Replacement fob Breakfast Zoom meeting

I hope you are all keeping well. We have embraced Zoom here in Kent (thanks to Kevin for allowing us to use his account). We held a virtual breakfast meet on a Sunday morning in May followed by our June club night. We had an interesting quiz ‘guess the members first car’ … some very interesting and surprising first cars, we seem to like Minis in our region!

As I write this we are looking at organising a drive out shortly, with a socially distanced gathering at the final destination! I was in contact with our local Porsche Centre at Tonbridge and they have informed me that they are cancelling all events AT 142

Along with all other regions we have been respecting the current lockdown and all events listed below are subject to change or cancellation.

Hope to see everyone out and about as soon as it is safe to do so.

We are in touch with The Bolney Stage about a return to our club night venue and will make announcements as soon as we can establish a socially responsible meeting. We could start off with our ‘Car Swap’ night, without the swapping!

The wonders of eBay (other sites are available).

The plastic fob on the spare key on Chris’ Cayman fell apart and the quote from Porsche for a replacement key head plus programming was

Meetings are held first Wednesday of every month from 7pm at The Hinton Arms, Petersfield Road, Hinton Ampner, Alresford, Hampshire SO24 0NH. We hope you are all well and we are so looking forward to seeing you and welcoming you back to TIPEC Hampshire.

We have a couple of events lined up which we hope will have you out there polishing and revving up the Porsche, getting out on the road and joining us. There is so much catching up to do. We are mindful that things out there have changed and this is reflected in how we can attend Club nights.

The Hinton Arms are only serving meals 6–8pm so we have changed our meeting up time to 6pm onwards. Taking into account the weather we would like to arrange for us all to be able to sit inside. Having spoken with Karen at the

pub she is very happy and looking forward to having us back but with a few changes. Please telephone ahead and book, saying you are with the Porsche Club. Karen will then try to keep us all together in one part of the pub with required social distancing. If we don’t do this then there is no guarantee of a table or of being together.

August 5th (Wednesday) Club night at The Hinton Arms September 27th (Sunday) Simply Porsche at Beaulieu Tickets are now on sale online from www.beaulieu.co.uk Let’s hope the sun has got his hat on We are hoping to put on more events but waiting to see how the easing of lockdown unfolds. Take care, stay safe.

Updates can be viewed online through our region’s page on the club website at www.tipec.net/regions/Hampshire

R22

B RISTOL, SOUTH WEST & SOUTH WALES

RO Sue Simmons • 07530 312 700 sue.simmons1@gmail.com ARO Debs Bradshaw • 07423 436 503 debbradshaw@sytner.co.uk ARO Sarah Hughes (South Wales) ARO Ian Marsh (new meeting area) Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month from 6:30pm at The Plough, Pilning, Nr Bristol BS35 4JJ. www.theploughpilning.co.uk And second Wednesday of every month from 6:30pm at The Keepers Cottage Inn, Cullompton EX15 2EB.

hope to bump into some of our gang at our normal meeting place on our normal July night, as we have been allocated a field to park in at The Plough. We will be remaining outside so are slightly at the mercy of the weather.

The guidance becomes more and more confusing and contradictory and therefore I hope that by the time you read this we will be able to take responsibility for our own actions and use our common sense. The virus will not be going away any time soon so everyone needs to be very mindful of who they see and will want to see a few days later, and give time in between to check they are okay.

Although most of our 2020 events are cancelled ’til 2021 some smaller groups and events may be allowed to happen subject to local R rates – one such is a small Beaulieu gathering at the end of September. Fingers crossed for those of you that will be attending. It is by limited ticket only with details taken for the Track & Trace system which the government is attempting to use.

I also see that Formula One kicks off this weekend so again - it’s great to see sport back on TV even if we can’t be there in person.

The first main event I will be organising is still our December weekend so if anyone else wants to be added to the list let me know – we will be paying deposits very soon. Stay safe, get those cars polished and I hope to see you all soon.

R23

We are now just a couple of days away from pubs opening their doors, loos and cellars and so we

August 23rd (Sunday) – TBC Southern Region BBQ, Anderwood, New Forest August 28–30th (Friday–Sunday) Chris Evans’ CarFest South www.carfest.org/welcome/welcome-to-carfest-south August 29th (Saturday) Canford Classics Porsche Pull-In September 1st (Tuesday) Club Night at The Old Thatch, Wimborne September 13–15th (Friday–Sunday) Goodwood Revival September 22nd (Sunday) Classic Sports Car Club race meeting, Thruxton October 6th (Tuesday) Club Night at The Old Thatch, Wimborne Please visit our region’s part of the website at www.tipec.net/regions/southern as we are always updating our events page. Members will also receive email notifications of upcoming items.

RO urgently wanted ARO Jim Tarrant • 0120 260 1886 jim.tarrant@consequia.com Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month from 7:30pm at The Old Thatch, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7NW.

I miss driving my car!

When groups of six were allowed to meet outdoors we were able to see a few members at a local services – mindful of social distancing and other rules of course! We even had two Welsh escapees on their bikes!

August 16th (Sunday) Hampshire Classic Motor Show, Breamore House www.classicmotorshows.co.uk/breamore-house

SOUTHERN

Keeping our distance at a local services

We may have been in lockdown for most of the time but the two months since I last wrote for All Torque has flown by. I hope that everyone has stayed well.

August 4th (Tuesday) CANCELLED Club Night at The Old Thatch, Wimborne

Things appear to be easing slightly - let’s hope we can get together soon! The BBQ is looking doubtful though as Forestry England are not currently taking bookings for the site.

If anyone has any words and/or pictures of what what they've been up to with their cars, please do email them to me for publication.

August 8–9th (Saturday–Sunday) CANCELLED Beaulieu Supercar Weekend

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