Psssttt… over right here. Ah sure, you in all probability can’t recognise me on this crafty disguise.
Usually I rock as much as a automobile present in some form of BMW. Those that’ve learn my articles previously will know that my alliances with the Bavarian titan are blood tight. Fidowicz with no BMW is like Christmas with no pine tree. However this time I’ve gone undercover. We’re going to infiltrate the Porsche crowd on the 2023 FlatSix occasion from the within, Trojan Horse type. However as a substitute of a horse, it’s a 20-year-old convertible, and as a substitute of a military of Greek troopers sitting inside, it’s simply me holding a digicam.
I’ve left my BMW at dwelling, and as a substitute managed to get my pesky palms on a distinct set of keys for the weekend. As a result of, what higher technique to get entangled with the Porsche group than rocking as much as one in every of their very own automobile reveals in a Porsche?!
My steed is a 2.7L mid-engined, guide Boxster with a mere 160,000 miles on the clock and its fair proportion of age-related dents and scrapes. However whereas my disguise may not be the flashiest within the crowd, beneath its look we have a nicely sorted sports activities automobile, fuelled and prepared for the dash down from London to Goodwood Motor Circuit.
Whereas the Greeks needed to endure a sweaty, cramped, wood journey to succeed in their goal, I bought to take pleasure in my journey on a few of South England’s most interesting B-roads, with wind in my hair and a raspy, induction-filled flat-six on the mercy of my proper foot. It’s an expertise that’s largely unparalleled within the motoring world, and one that gives a lot driving enjoyment that it’s solely persevering with to develop the Porsche model.
A lot in order that it’s not possible to go to any automobile occasion within the UK now with out it being dominated by Porsches, particularly the 911. You would go to the annual MGB House owners Membership UK gathering and someway MGBs will nonetheless be outnumbered by 911 homeowners. Head alongside to any Sunday Scramble occasion at Bicester Heritage and you’ll discover a common carpark that appears extra like a Porsche predominant seller car parking zone.
You simply can’t shake the issues. They’ve at all times been unimaginable automobiles, however not too long ago their presence at motoring occasions appears to have quadrupled.
I feel the latest inflow of used Porsche purchases may be largely attributed to the rise of social media creatives and so-called ‘influencers’ getting their palms on them to take pleasure in as objects of luxurious on high of simply being nice sports activities automobiles alone. A Porsche is the kind of object that matches a life-style the place your furnishings is from Scandinavia, the meals you eat is plant primarily based, you will have tennis classes on Tuesday, and also you’re married to somebody who works on Vogue journal.
Folks desire a slice of that life. Porsche themselves are conscious of this, and even fund their very own life-style journal to encourage the mystique.
So the large query is, how does this new-found Porsche vitality radiate once you lastly get your palms on a bit sports activities automobile to take to a Porsche occasion?
Bluntly talking, fairly nicely.
The FlatSix present is hosted by these additionally answerable for the UK’s present calendar spotlight, Gamers Basic. Because the title suggests, it’s finally a celebration of all the things Porsche.
The very first thing I realised is that just about each 911 right here appeared to have an thrilling spec. Positive, you had the classier, safer choices like darkish metallic colors too, but it surely’s clear that your common Porsche buyer pushes the boat out to get one thing fascinating and distinctive. This orange 911 might be the strongest instance of what I’m making an attempt to say. Try the contrasting purple inside!
This carries into the actual high-end choices from Porsche, and this 996 GT2 was undoubtedly a spotlight. The best way we see immediately’s GT3 RS as a ridiculously succesful automobile with the most important rear wing on the earth, this in all probability had the identical affect on of us again within the early 2000s.
Tamer, however not too far down the meals chain had been these two 996s. The wonderful roof down blast with the Boxster actually bought me fascinated about a 996 Cab, and a green-over-tan one ticks all of the bins for the right summer season sports activities automobile.
As is at all times the way in which with a Speedhunter, you shortly gravitate to the modified part. No quantities of social media affiliation with modern-day structure or finely minimize natural cotton can take away from the pure willpower of taking a automobile and making it sooner.
The primary set of paddocks hosted a line up of modified Porsches. All types too, from slammed G-bodys to Sultan Al-Qassimi’s 997 drift automobile.
However the actual gem from the present – and the one that actually made me perceive the love and keenness for Porsche – didn’t even come from a Porsche-badged automobile.
After I attended this present final yr, I got here throughout a Porsche RTurbo – a 996 Turbo that bought the RUF remedy at Pfaffenhausen in 2002. The chap who owns it’s referred to as Adam, and he introduced it alongside once more for this yr’s occasion. However that’s not all.
Alongside the RTurbo, Adam introduced one other automobile he owns, and this one is actually particular. An precise RUF RTurbo.
That’s proper, not a Porsche, however a RUF, with a RUF car identification quantity and all. Purchased new by his father, the automobile belonged to Adam’s mum who used it as her every day. Yup, Adam’s mum’s every day was a 1-of-25-ever-made, and solely right-hand drive RUF RTurbo on the earth.
Right now, Adam makes use of the automobile himself to ferry his children round, while his spouse drives the Porsche RTurbo. We’ve had some fairly cool line ups over time on Speedhunters, however this one will likely be engraved in my thoughts ceaselessly.
I completed my time on the FlatSix present and headed again to the plucky Boxster. My day cosplaying as a Porsche proprietor was full, and I drove dwelling fascinated about the RUF RTurbo. It left me feeling fairly rattling good about that indisputable fact that the steering wheel I used to be holding onto shared the identical DNA as a automobile that blew me away.
I’ll go away you with an prolonged picture gallery from Flatsix 2023 under, and a few closing ideas.
It’s not possible to check my love for BMW with what Porsche has to supply. It’s apples and pears on the finish of the day, however the Porsche group’s attraction is plain, thrilling and, most significantly, optimistic. I don’t suppose I’ve ever walked away from a automobile present feeling like that earlier than.
Michał Fidowicz
Instagram: candyshowroom
