993 GT2 Clubsport in Blood Orange - Ou la la!

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=25728

Uncanny...

...I had a bite to eat in hyde park today and saw a classic 911 (impact bumper), a 964, a 993, a 996 and a 997 - all in the time it took me to eat my salt beef sandwich! Uncanny. I think it's a sign - hmm. Disappointed that a 991 didn't show up.

Spotted...

...Newport, Rhode Island, USA. 997 Turbo alloys look pretty good on a 993 Carrera. That said, prefer the originals.

Going Once, Going Twice: An Unreal Lot of Turbocharged Porsches

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/03/a-turbocharged-porsche-museum-goes-on-the-block

I've walked past The Classic Car Club on Old Street many a time but today I finally decided to pop my head in and say hello, to the cars of course! There was a nice 911 3.0 Carrera up on the entrance ramp and general manager Mike was happy to show me around. After a quick scan of the fleet I soon spotted the two other Porsches, namely a 930 Turbo and a 944 S2. Both superb examples. Sadly no 993s. I won't be signing up just yet but I must admit I've always liked the idea of it - an exclusive private members car club. Very posh. 

www.classiccarclub.co.uk

The law of attraction

If you've read The Secret you'll know all about the 'law of attraction' and the benefits of a visual board of everything you desire. Most cut pictures out of magazines and pin them to one of those framed cork boards. I've taken a slightly more tangible approach and have a dinky black 993 Turbo on my window seal. It was kindly given to me by a friend and fellow Porsche enthusiast, Mr Fraser D'Arcy, who by the way has had more cars than hot dinners. Just another one of those daily visual reminders to focus my thoughts on what I want. I hope that 'the law of attraction' isn't too literal as I'm trying to ignore the fact it's got a flamenco red interior!!! [grimace]

993 Turbo at JZM

At £54,900 it's big money but what do you expect for a pretty mint '98 Turbo with 56k miles on the clock and more factory fitted options than you can shake a stick at? Sadly it's out of my league at the moment but even if I could afford it I'm not entirely sure I could live with the 'chestnut' interior? An acquired taste I'm sure. One thing for certain though, there will always be something very special and seductive about a Turbo. Just the thought of it is enough to make any hot-blooded boy racer go weak at the knees. If I had to compare this car to a women, not sure why I would but I will anyway, I would say she's certainly a peach to look at, great curves, but sadly not very nice on the inside so it wouldn't last. Next!

The life of Ferry Porsche

Interesting facts and great archive photography and films on the extraordinary life of Ferdinand Anton Ernst "Ferry" Porsche (1909-1998). 

http://stuttcars.com/about-porsche/ferry-porsche/


And here's Ferry toasting the Millionth Porsche produced, which happened to be a 993, 'liveried-up' and given to the police of Stuttgart on July 15th 1996. 

Well, it's kind of a 993...

Porsche's Facebook page gets all nostalgic with albums from Le Mans in the Early Years, 70s, 80s and 90s. Obviously I gravitated towards the 911 GT1 (1996) photo as it's a 993, albeit on steroids, and some. Well, it's kind of a 993, in fact I just read that it shared the frontal chassis with the 993 but in spite of its name the car actually had very little in common with the 911 of the time, so for homologation purposes a street legal version had to be created, known as the 911 GT1 Straßenversion (Street version) - literally a road-going racing car! How much fun?

All I want for Christmas...

...is 'The Complete Book of Porsche 911 - Every Model Since 1964'. Thanks Matt and Jo for feeding my habit. 

Passo Tourismo - The Roadtrip of a Lifetime

Have you ever dreamt of a road trip at the wheel of an iconic sports car? Er, yes. Then take a peek at Passo Tourismo - The Roadtrip of a Lifetime. Air-cooled Porsche 911s included. I'd love to do this one day. www.passo-tourismo.com

Thanks Kim and will do

Just before Christmas I handed in my notice at work and here's the short and sweet e-mail I received from my now former boss. Thanks Kim and will do.  

Hi David

Have a good Christmas and thanks again for all your hard work over the years.

Kimx

P.S. Promise me you'll take me for a spin in that Porsche when you get it. 

New Year. New Blog.

It's New Year's Day 2012 and this is my first post on my new blog, type993. I liked the idea of keeping a personal record of all things 993, experiences, events, observations etc, so here it is. 

Like most little boys owning a Porsche was a childhood dream (I've got the Athena posters and 1:18 diecast models to prove it) and over the past few years I’ve become more and more obsessed with the legendary 911 and in particular the model type 993 (1993 - 1998). The 993s were the last of the air-cooled, built to last, arguably the best looking 911s ever (Styled by Englishman Tony Hatter), described by some as the ‘King of Porsche’ and rightfully lauded as one of the best cars to come out of Zuffenhausen. 

I spotted one in Marlborough high street a couple of years ago and fell in love. This stunning 993 Turbo soon became my desktop wallpaper and a daily reminder to save my pennies so that one day I may have my very own…

…and that’s what I’ve been doing, working hard, carefully looking after my pennies, letting the pounds look after themselves, and steadily watching my ‘Porsche Fund’ grow. Friends often ask "...how's the Porsche Fund doing?" and I'll respond with "...it's getting there!", which it is, slowly but surely. And now that the fund is in pretty good shape, and it's been a long time coming, I've started to properly look at cars (and not just obsessively trawling through the PistonHeads Classifieds) knowing that if the right one comes along I might actually do the deed [grin]. 

So I've recently been in touch with the guys at the highly reputable '911virgin' (based in Uxbridge) and there's talk of an exceptional Artic Silver 993 CS coming into stock. I've seen some photos and on paper it really does look good - '1997 model, 67,000 miles, full service history, working air conditioning, 18" Turbo alloys with colour crested wheel centres, recent suspension overhaul, factory fitted turbo spoilers and front splitter, hard-backed sports seats, sunroof, high level brake light, oval chrome sports tailpipes, showroom condition throughout'. Nice. In fact Tom, their buying and selling big cheese, used to own this very car which is testament to how good it really is. And since decent 993s are becoming increasingly hard to come by I'll be seriously considering this one. 

I'm also a sucker for the wide body variants (much-admired for their rear looks) but the dilemma for me is - do I go for a naturally-aspirated S or hold out for a forced induction Turbo? 285bhp vs 408 bhp? But the 993 Turbo costs an awful lot more (to buy and maintain) so I would have to consider selling my right arm if I wanted one any time soon, and for some the more agile rear-wheel-drive Carrera S is the most sought after variant. Anyhow, Tom will let me know when the car arrives in stock, hopefully next week, and has kindly offered me 1st refusal on it, so let's see what happens. Exciting times. I'll keep you posted. 

d'_'b 

Ps. I'll take the first post opportunity to dedicate this blog to my good friend Jamie who introduced me to all things Porsche and reminded me how much I love my cars - thanks bud. And to my good lady who has been very supportive over the years coping well with a partner suffering from what can only be described as severe and possibly incurable 'Porsche Fever' - and for that I'm very grateful.