Cars

It had to happen. As October brings the autumnal mists, temperatures fall and the asphalt is garnished with raindrops rather than sunrays. And, every bit as consistent as the seasons, Porsche has released a new version of its all-wheel-drive 911 as a remedy. Since its 1988 entrance to the 964-era 911 roster, the Carrera 4 has been a staple to the range – and now it’s resurfaced again in the latest 991-generation, available in coupé and convertible forms.

And your Editor was behind the wheel of one of them, achieving a lifelong aim to drive at the famous 'Ring.

The occasion? One of the British company’s by-invitation-only days at the famous ‘Green Hell’: the daunting Nordschleife circuit at the Nürburgring.

Today we see the Italian racing cars, especially those of the pre- and immediately post-War period, as style icons and works of art. But in their day they had only one purpose: first place on the race track. “Cars are beautiful when they win,” as Enzo Ferrari once said. As long ago as 1929, Scuderia Ferrari was racing against the Maserati brothers of Bologna, but with Alfa Romeos, rather than Ferrari-badged cars. After the war, Ferrari began producing his own race car and achieved ever-greater successes on track.

Video: Tamir Moscovici / Mos Media





 

The personalisation of Porsche models actually began on the first day of production, back in 1948, because even then individual customer requirements were considered. That was before Porsche moved back to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen in the early 1950s, and from then on special requests continued to be met in ever-growing numbers. Until the late 1970s, most of the requested changes were aimed at increased performance for competition purposes. The famous RS and RSR-types were developed and manufactured in the 1950s exactly for that.

The late 1980s saw a veritable arms race, as one manufacturer after another tried to outdo its rivals in a bid for technological supremacy. All-wheel steering, four-wheel drive, modern electronics and complex turbocharged engines: all featured in carmakers’ catalogues of the time.

The disc jockeys for this year’s event were Dieter Landenberger, head of the Porsche historical archives, and German motoring journalist and TV commentator Walter Zipser. “Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we have something for your ears…” And on 13 October the sell-out audience (more than 1,000) enjoyed every second of it.

Sales (and acquisitions) of classic cars are a relatively new development for the company founded by Wayne Kelham and Simon Thornley, who had already been working together for over 10 years.

Thornley Kelham Ltd offers “… a 21st Century car restoration service combined with traditional values”. In other words, they will always be straight with customers over costs and delivery dates, and now offer a service to source – or sell – customers’ classic cars.

Sometimes, even cars of such monstrous pace can cause the critics to come over all ultra-objective, as though refusing to be swayed by anything so, well, unprofessional as being thrilled. 

And then there was the matter of the Ferrari 458 arch-rival. Ferraris thrill, of course, because that's what Ferraris do. But the same assumption cannot be made of a McLaren. The MP4-12C could not tiptoe into contention; it had to stamp its feet. Hard.

Referring to the car as ‘model 113’, Aston has a clear strategy for naming (and clearly separating) its range: the new Vanquish is the ultimate in performance and price; a Vantage is a pure ‘sports’ car; Rapide is luxury writ large.

And DB9? Well, a DB9 should embody the timeless appeal of the famous British brand; that of understated style and effortless ground-covering ability, made possible by a powerful, big-capacity V12.