Porsche Winter Road Trip Guide
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Car
Porsche 356
The Porsche 356 is an old sports car made by Porsche, and it was one of the first cars they ever built. People talk about it because it's famous for its cool looks and is important in the history of cars.
Term
Porsche 997
The Porsche 997 is a version of the Porsche 911 made between 2004 and 2012. It has a nicer design and better technology than older models.
Car
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that has been around for a long time, starting in 1964. It's known for being fast and fun to drive, and many people admire it for how it looks and performs.
Car
Porsche Macan GTS
The Porsche Macan GTS is a sporty version of a small SUV made by Porsche. It has a powerful engine and is designed for people who want a fun driving experience in a more practical vehicle.
Term
ICE
ICE means Internal Combustion Engine, which is a type of engine that runs on gasoline or diesel. It's the traditional engine found in most cars before the rise of electric vehicles.
Car
Porsche 718 GT4 PDK
The Porsche 718 GT4 is a sporty car designed for performance, and PDK is a type of automatic transmission that shifts gears quickly.
Term
PDK transmission
PDK is a type of automatic transmission used in Porsche cars that helps change gears very quickly, making driving smoother and faster.
Car
Porsche Carrera S
The Porsche Carrera S is a faster and more powerful version of the 911 sports car. It has special features that make it handle better and go faster than the regular models.
Company
Heritage Parts
Heritage Parts is a company that sells parts for older cars, especially Porsches. They've been around for 40 years, which shows they know a lot about these cars.
Company
RPM Technica
RPM Technica is a company that makes performance parts for sports cars, especially Porsches. They've been in business for 25 years, which means they are well-known in the car community.
Term
flat-six engine
A flat-six engine is a type of engine that has six cylinders lying flat, which helps the car handle better on the road.
Term
manual transmission
A manual transmission is a system in a car that lets you change gears yourself, making driving feel more connected and fun.
Term
salt on the road
Salt is spread on roads in winter to help cars grip better on ice. But it can also rust cars if not washed off after driving.
Term
under trays
Under trays are panels that cover the bottom of a car to protect it from dirt and water. They help keep the car safe from damage.
Term
daily driver
A daily driver is a car you use every day for things like going to work or running errands. It's usually a reliable car that you can count on.
Term
oil topped up
Topping up oil means adding more oil to your car's engine so it runs smoothly. It's important to check the oil level regularly.
Term
tyres
Tyres are the round rubber parts on your car that touch the road. Keeping them inflated properly is important for safe driving.
Term
garage
A garage is a place where you keep your car when you're not using it. It protects the car from bad weather and can be used for repairs.
Term
two wheel drive
Two wheel drive means that only two wheels of the car get power from the engine. This is common in many cars and usually helps save fuel.
Term
four wheel drive
Four wheel drive means that power goes to all four wheels of the car, helping it grip the road better, especially in bad weather or off-road.
Term
Cup 2s
Cup 2s are a type of tire made by Michelin that are great for racing and high-performance driving. They help cars grip the road better, especially in dry conditions.
Term
PS2
PS2 is another type of tire from Michelin that is designed for high performance. It helps cars handle well and provides good traction on the road.
Term
headlights
Headlights are the lights at the front of a car that help you see when it's dark. They are important for safety when driving at night.
Car
Porsche 930
The Porsche 930 is a special version of the 911 sports car that has a turbocharged engine. It's famous for its speed and unique look.
Brand
Pirelli
Pirelli makes tires for cars, especially those that go fast. They are popular in racing and for high-performance vehicles.
Brand
Michelin
Michelin is another tire company that makes tires for many types of vehicles. They are known for their quality and performance.
Car
Porsche Boxster
The Porsche Boxster is a sporty car that you can drive with the top down, making it great for enjoying nice weather. It's known for being fun to drive and is often talked about because it offers a lot of performance for the price.
Term
22 to the gallon
This means the car can drive 22 miles for every gallon of fuel it uses. It's a way to measure how much fuel the car consumes, and 22 miles per gallon is considered low.
Car
Porsche GTS
This is a type of Porsche that is designed to be sporty and powerful while still being comfortable to drive. It's a good choice for someone who wants performance without sacrificing daily usability.
Car
Porsche Carrera T
The Porsche Carrera GT is a really fast sports car made by Porsche, and it's famous for its powerful engine and amazing handling. People talk about it because it's rare and considered one of the best cars ever made.
Car
Proton Gen2
The Proton Gen-2 is a small, affordable car from Malaysia, designed for people who need a reliable vehicle for daily use. It's often mentioned because it's budget-friendly and has some nice features.
Car
Porsche 981 GT4
The Porsche 981 GT4 is a sporty version of the Cayman car, built for people who love driving fast and handling well on the track. It has a powerful engine and is designed to be fun to drive.
Car
Oldsmobile Intrigue
The Oldsmobile Intrigue is a comfortable car that was made in the late 1990s and early 2000s. People talk about it because it has a unique look and is remembered fondly by those who drove it.
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We are recording. We are recording. Excellent stuff. Welcome everybody to 9x Radio. Welcome
to a new year of Porsche podcasting. The first of the series, the first of 2026 with 9x Radio,
with myself Lee Sibley and Andy Brooks. How are you doing mates? Good day. Happy new year to you
and happy new year to everybody listening. All that good stuff. Andy, you and I are not alone
in this virtual conversation today. We've got four exquisite gentlemen from the Driven Not Hidden
Collective. Maybe you'd like to introduce? Absolutely. So we've got the gents that what was
it called? Coats to December, which was December. I'm trying to be French in my accent. So the five
of you did a wonderful road trip in December. We've got Mark Anderson, Paul Presland, Ben Bailey
and Sackie Bramday joining us today. Hello. Good to see you all. Hello everybody. Very,
very, very grateful for your time. We're going to discuss not just a or share a few anecdotes from
the trip to France before Christmas, but I think we all came away from that. I mean what a great
set up for Christmas, by the way, but we all came away realising doing a winter road trip
really is such a special thing to do. So kind of hopefully the enthusiasm that we'll have on this
podcast for doing that will encourage others to do it and to not just keep between the bookends,
if you like, of the driving season in the northern hemisphere, which tends to be March and September.
There's plenty to be getting on with and plenty of roads to explore beyond that. So we shall
definitely be doing that a little bit later on. We're going to mix things up a little bit
this year, Andy, on the podcast, aren't we? I think it's just worth mentioning that straight
off the bat. We are, we are, yeah. Yeah, so hopefully... You've got a plan. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So we basically just hope to get a few more panellists involved and share the stories everybody
likes hearing and the stories of others. So we just want to get a few more people in the mix,
few more voices known aside from you and I as well. So hopefully it should make the podcast
it'll be more interesting and give us a wider range of stories and topics thrown into the mix.
We are, of course, still supported by Heritage Parts Centre. We're really grateful for that and
we're going to speak with Andy from Heritage a little bit later on in the podcast, so that's good.
We'll start off with a bit of news, first of all, came out of Duffenhausen last week. It was really
in terms of production numbers and deliveries at Porsche last year. So perhaps we could kick
off with a bit of a quiz question for the panel. Here we go. I don't like these, I don't like these.
It's, yeah, we'll see if we can get nearest guests, but how many Porsche 911s do you think
are made a day at Duffenhausen going off the 2025 statistics? So throw a number out there,
Gents. How many Porsche 911s made a day at Duffenhausen? 250. 250 from Ben, higher or lower
or anybody? I'm going to go lower, I think. 100. 100. Fill in the gaps, Gents. 50.
50.
This kid's gone 50.
Is this working days or full days?
That's what I was trying to work out.
125. Mark looking pensive? I think
250. 250. Ooh, okay. It said 911s there, right?
911s, 911s only, yeah. There's obviously no full data for 718s, even that's on the same
production line because that ceased in October, as is well documented. This, by the way, is
quantum-owned calculations, which is probably wrong anyway. So we'll, yeah, big disclaimer in
there from the start, but it's really interesting that Porsche, amongst the many statistics that
were given there, said that 51,583 deliveries made worldwide of the 9-11 last year, which
apparently set a new benchmark. And I thought, well, yeah, that's the question. So how many
roll out of Duffenhausen per day there? And off that same production line that's been there since
1963. So accounting for the fact that there's the factory shut down in August and the production
line in Duffenhausen is also closed over the weekend, so you can just take the five the weekdays.
According to my calculations, it's 215 Porsche 9-11s a day. Wow. It feels like a big number to
me. It's a big, big number, but obviously there's well documented, lots of price hikes in the US
over the last, well, 18 months, really. The price of the cars have gone up several times,
but it just hasn't slowed down the thirst among enthusiasts for that car because
the states, most of them ended up going to the states, by the way. It's the biggest
biggest territory or region in which the cars end up going to. So I just thought a little
bit interesting, a little bit of a game to start. So do you think the 992 will be the
model with the most 911s then of all of the generations? Do you think 992 is going to be
the big one? It could well be. Since 1993, really, it's, for every generation, it's got bigger and
bigger and bigger. Or yeah, the numbers associated are bigger. My trouble is, you know what you
guys think, I just don't see 992.2s on the road. I can honestly count a handful of times I've seen
them in the wild. So the number kind of staggered me a little bit. And that's a really interesting
point because if you think about, I mean, what Paul said was volumes were up 1%, right? It was a new
record. But if you think about China being down, if you think about the geopolitical
disturbances last year with, you know, significant tariffs into the US, the fact that they still,
you know, set a new volume record on 911s with the price hikes that they've had,
just, you know, what really struck me when I read the press release was around
the resilience of the typical buyer, right? And, you know, their sort of commitment to continuing
to purchase these cars. Now, I guess it must be part of their strategy to maximize unit values,
right? Because their margins are big on 911s. They know that, you know, they've got challenges with
other product lines. And so actually, in terms of making money, they need to drive 911 volume.
What was really interesting for me was I recently made an inquiry about the
McCann, the petrol McCann GTS, because apparently it's still being made. And so I was talking to my
local OPC and they said that it's going to finally stop in June. So now sort of being January, I
said, okay, well, you know, what's the likelihood of getting a slot? And the response was, well,
actually, they've really ramped up production. So lots of cars are available. So I think this
must be part of a strategy under the new sort of commercial leadership of Porsche to drive volume,
you know, on product lines that they can, to sort of build themselves a bit of time and resilience
while they're addressing hybridization and electrification issues. Yeah, it's interesting
you mentioned the McCann circuit because of the 280,000 total production last year or deliveries
for Porsche in 2025, in 2025, a third of them were McCanns. So it kind of goes off the back
when we did our podcast and with Andy and PP at the end of last year, and we were talking
about the car of the year and the McCann really kind of helping to pull the company through the
I think the results there kind of adds meat to the bones really on it. So it's
yeah, interesting, interesting stuff. It has to be said, interesting stuff.
Lots to look forward to this year as well, I guess you've obviously said with the McCann
book is still open the order book. Hopefully we can get an update from somebody somewhere on
where the 718 is in terms of its recalibration away from a fully EV vehicle into something
that's incorporating ICE again. I have asked the team at Porsche GB for like an update on that.
I don't have any, I don't know if anybody's read anything anywhere else, Mark, you're usually
pretty well resourced for this. No, it's a bit greater assailants. Yeah, okay, well can I just
throw something else into the mix about that production? I think we've all seen the number
of actual cars that are at dealers now, people being able to walk in and buy a 911T that was the
one at Guildford, which somebody's friend, I believe in the DNHC bought. And there are at least two
that at Bournemouth, if not more. So if you then multiply that across the number of dealerships
around the world, you may be producing 51,000, but are 10% of those sat at dealers?
It was definitely a lot of stock at dealers. I was down at Portsmouth last week,
and the showroom is full, the parking lot is full, used cars, new cars, you can have your pick.
So yeah, I think it's a good point, Paul, that they're ramping up production,
and there's lots of cars sitting at dealers available for people to buy with discounts as well.
So it's definitely an interesting time, and I suspect 2026 is going to be more of 2025, right?
There's no reason to believe that the economic context is going to foundationally change this
year versus what we saw in 2025. So you assume that buyers are still going to be constrained
financially. There's no real inflection for people to be all of a sudden much wealthier
in the short term. But also on that, dealers are asked to spec certain cars for stock,
which has been going on, but also they are receiving cars from Porsche that have been
specced by Porsche, whereas 911s were always built to order.
Yeah, not quite the case anymore, it would seem. If 2025 or 2026 is anything like 2025,
it should be predictable then. That was the big takeaway when speaking to some of the experts
working in the Nine Works marketplace when we did our Nine Works TV video on the car
to buy for 2026, which is welcome for all consumers. On that note, there are some
congratulations to a couple of driven or hidden collective members who have been busy strapping
on the buying boots in the off season. I'd like to have big congratulations to Jeremy,
picking up his 997.2 Carrera from Paragon. Bristol Pete for his 718 GT4 PDK. Inspired,
I might add, from Steve Sentiments on a previous podcast talking about the nuances of manual versus
PDK transmissions, because Pete's going out of a manual GT4, so that's really cool.
Max, of course, with his 997.2, the ex James May 997, we're going to bring you the full story on
that a little bit later in the series as well. Max has already indulged Andy and I on that,
so we'll look forward to sharing that. A couple of anniversaries for this year, 2026 is going to
really important considering the value of that car in relation to the ST and just general feeling
around that car in the market currently. 60 years of the 911 S, which sort of is still present with
the Carrera S today, although Carrera S is a rare beast. Our friends at Heritage Parts are
celebrating 40 years and RPM Technica celebrating 25 years of business as well, so lots going on,
right? Lots going on. Some big anniversaries. We're going to dive into the meat and bones of
the episode very shortly, but I just want to say a big thanks to the Driven Not Hitting
Collective members that jumped down to our annual curtain raiser at Heritage Parts Centre. It was
a really nice way to start the year for NineWorks at the warehouse. They've had a little bit of a
change around in the warehouse this time, so it kind of changed our setup slightly, but we still
managed to cram some lovely Porsches among the aisles of the 20 odd thousand Porsche parts that
sit on them. At the end of the cars and coffee and PP, it was lovely to catch up with you there.
At the end of that, I did have a quick chat with Andy Gregory from Heritage Parts, so here's what
you had to say. Andy, thanks for giving us a little bit of your time here at Heritage Parts.
That's right, no problem. Very, very kind. Again, this is always such a lovely way to start the year,
so thank you to you and the Heritage team for letting us rock up for another NineWorks and Heritage
cars at the warehouse. What is it? Fourth of January or something? Christmas was a week ago,
but we kick-started the year. No point in dilly-dallying about. We're just sort of straight
into it. Let's get the cars back out and start doing it again. Yeah, it's always very nice.
I think regular attendees or people that were seeing the video equivalent online may notice
that there's more racking going on in this warehouse now, and it's like a sprawling metropolis of
portion VW and Land Rover car parts, but you're adding to your line.
Yeah, we've added additional racking, and there's now an additional mezzanine floor
kind of over, I'm pointing over there, no one can see it, but yeah, Milo have extended their
sort of first floor space, which means we've got additional racking underneath it, but meant we
had to move the whole goods out operation over, which moved goods in over, and then some additional
racking as well. Primarily we were a warehouse, so we had to forfeit some of the car park in
space for the day job, but yeah, we still got what, eight, nine cars inside? Yeah, yeah, yeah,
and yeah, it's a sound business decision for the rest of the year, for the other 364 days,
but so look, where there's more space being taken up for parts in, so does that mean
you're selling more parts in terms of regularity, or you're selling a wider breadth of parts?
More, they're both to be honest, yeah, so yeah, the portion Land Rover are the sort of the newer
marks to the range, and both of them are doing really well, which is great news.
Yeah, obviously thanks in part to Nineworks really, obviously we've been supporting you and
you guys are very kind to sort of blow the trumpet for us, etc. Very, very pleased to do so.
So yeah, that and also, yeah, we're working hard to kind of build that range out, as we've been
saying since the beginning, it's been a little bit of a slower burn than we'd have liked, but
sort of practicalities getting the way of that, we had, yeah, obviously Covid kind of slowed
things down, where for some companies, they really made, hey, we had a few sort of more
problematic years, and we're, but yeah, I think we're kind of back on track.
Great, okay, we'll be two minutes, two minutes, thank you, thank you very much, yeah.
So yeah, it's a bit of both, it's growing the range of both, yeah, with more products,
but it's also us getting more, like a bulk in setting more quantity of stuff.
Yeah, okay, it's well known again, and everyone listening to this podcast will be well versed
in it now, where like the bookends, if you like, in terms of timeline of Porsche cars that you cater
for is 356 to 997, included in that being transactional cars and the mid-engine stuff as well.
Obviously, under the March of Time, like Porsche, for example, it kind of redefines
what it deems a classic as the years go on. Is that something you guys look to do,
or again, are those bookends everything in that popular enough?
I think, yeah, for the time being, especially obviously with the Land Rover plate spinning
and the Volkswagen plate spinning, I think we'll stick with what we've got and just do
more of it, if you like, and do it better, you can get, you can get kind of caught up with sort
of chasing what you think's going to be there. I suppose, if the market dictates, if everyone goes
mad for KNs, then it would be sort of silly not to consider that sort of stuff, but yeah,
for the time being at least, I think, yeah, the real sort of enthusiasts are there for the sports
cars, and I think the 991, the 992 are too new for the average DIY mechanic, they're not really
rusting, and they've got so many computerized things that most people, if you've got one of
those, you're taking it to a specialist. We're obviously, yeah, we're helping specialists out
there, so we do supply kind of the trade, but equally, we're kind of helping the individual
who's working in their garage or on the driveway doing the sort of the more routine stuff, the
servicing, like maybe the brakes, and that's, I think we'll remain there, that's kind of what,
where we're at, the more sort of grass level stuff. Yeah, yeah. I mean, obviously, we usually
record a podcast in the room next door to where you and I are chatting now. Obviously, we've not
been able to do that today because we're without an Andy and we're without a car in which to put
all of the gear in, so there's been a logistical issue there. We'd love for Barney, perhaps, in a
couple of weeks to join us on the podcast, if at all possible. It'd be lovely to get some insight,
because on the podcast, we talk a lot about buying cars and whatnot and putting on buying boots,
but you guys get a really good look into the other side of the market, and that is the ownership
experience. So it'd be nice to dive into a little bit of, are people modifying or are people just
maintaining which models are looking like most popular in terms of the last year for you,
you left, I'm sure, some really good intel on that. So it'd just be nice to get a bit of a
handle from what's going on out there. Yeah, I'm sure he'll be up for kind of having a chat,
and yeah, we'll get some numbers for him sort of ahead of that. So another bit more in-depth
dive into what's sort of hot and what's not. But yeah, it is interesting. There's a lot of focus on,
especially with the kind of the Porsche thing, you've got the aesthetic, the kind of the driving it
and the ownership experience, but yeah, you do need the parts to kind of keep these cars on the
road. Yeah. And yeah, even if it is just an oil change, you're not thinking of sort of modifying,
but yeah, you do still need to do those things. And if you're that way inclined, you can do that
yourself. Yeah. So yeah, it's kind of a, it's a bit of a push to encourage people to sort of pick
up this balance. Don't be scared of tools. You can, you can do that sort of stuff if you want to
put your mind to it, take your time. Yeah, don't go beyond your comfort zone. But yeah, you can
give it a go without messing it up. Definitely, definitely. And particularly a year ago, we did
the, how much does it cost to run your Porsche for a year? And I think we discovered that if you do
things yourself can save quite a lot of money anyway. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Quality. All right,
Andy, well, thanks very much. Yeah, we look forward to catch up with Barney in due course.
Yeah. Thanks for all your support on the podcast and, and yeah, for what is the fourth rendition
of Nineworks at the warehouse here at Heritage Parts. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Thank you once again for
coming down and sun's out, wasn't it? For those who weren't here, the sun was out. It might have
been a little bit cold, but we're going to have to usher people off the premises. Yeah, we are.
Yeah. Yeah. Let's go and give people a push out the warehouse and we'll crack on. So yeah, Andy,
thanks very much. No way. Cheers, mate. Amazing. Right. Winter road trips. Let's dive into that.
Let's dive into that. So jealous of you all. What a time you had. Amazing. Who would like to
start? Where, where did we go and, and, and when did we do it? Mark and I met, I think the Friday
morning at 9am. So I had quite a, quite a lie in on that Friday, whereas Mark had had an early start.
We met Newcastle and then had a good old trek. Sorry, it was a Thursday, wasn't it? Had a good
old trek from there to the tunnel, made the tunnel about half three, but I think pretty an eventful
mark from recollection, right? Yeah. And then the highlight, the highlight for us at that point was,
was bumping into Secured, who was at the front of the queue to get onto the, on the tunnel.
I'm still upset that I was denied a Burger King, by the way, because of their, their, their, their,
their haste to get through the tunnel. And I'm glad that you enjoyed one on the way back without
me, but I'm sure we'll get to that some point. We did manage, we did manage a McDonald's though,
Secured, didn't you? Yes, that's true. Well, I left the wheel.
I think Lee and I had an interesting trip down, didn't we? Biblical reign and standing water on
the M25, at which point little Irish's windscreen wiped the cave up. Oh, God, yes.
Yeah, yeah, I wish, I wish that was the only problem that I had on that trip. It was,
it was pretty mad. But yeah, we, we went down to the south of France, didn't we, at the start of
December to explore a couple of routes for what will become a driven or hidden collective road
trip. And I mean, I guess like Mark, let's kind of pick on you if you like, because you drove the
furthest, you know, what, what on earth possessed you to think I'm going to drive from Glasgow
down to the south of France two weeks or three weeks before Christmas, as it were?
Actually, I think really came from last year, the 24 to 25. I put my cars in the garage and I
closed the door and I didn't drive them for, you know, basically November through March.
And I was miserable. And I thought, I can't do that again this year. I need to get the cars out,
I need to use them. So you've cured my foma of road salt. I curse gritters every day. I say,
why can't we all just use winter tires and not have to spread road salt all over the shop?
So that's all cured now from this trip. And it was really, that was the thing about it. It was
just, I'm not a person that does ad hoc things. I'm a planner. I don't do no hotel, you know, all of
that. I need, I need a plan. And this trip was so ad hoc, so on the spur of the moment, where we
just said, we'll just meet on the road somewhere and we'll figure the rest out. And it was so cool,
because that's literally what happened on the very first day. I'm driving down the road towards
Newcastle. I pick up this itinerant guy in Newcastle. The next thing, I'm with Ben, and we're
driving down the rest of the country. We get to the channel tunnel, then we pick up Sakeep.
The three of us are going down. And the next minute, we're driving, you know, along the northern
French roads, and we pick up you two. And it's literally, we're all in the same road at the
same time. No prior planning, no idea that that was going to happen. It just happened. And then
from that moment on, we just made it up as we went along. And that was, for me, the absolute highlight
of it all was no agenda, no plan, just out with mates, driving roads at a time of the year,
I never get to drive, doing something that is sorely missed in that time of the year, which was
awesome. Yeah, I think it's that, I think it's that sense of exploration and adventure, which is
really exciting, right? Because Lee, when you sort of, you know, throughout the idea on one of the
WhatsApp chats saying, you know, let's go explore. You know, I think, you know, you go on trips where
there's a set itinerary where you've got certain, certain roads that you know, you're going to drive.
But what really appealed to me about this trip was, you know, apart from the comment Mark is
making about actually driving your car rather than sort of storing it away for winter, was a sense
that we're just going to go and explore. We're going to go find the best roads. And, and, you
know, if we, you know, if we really like some of them, we'll drive them twice. And we don't know
whether we're going to turn left or turn right. And we'll see where we get to. And so it felt like
a bunch of men being boys who were off to the playground for a couple of days, right? And,
you know, we were just going to play and have, and have fun and see what happened. Now,
no, clearly we had booked the first night in, as my French colleagues keep telling me is how to
pronounce it. And, and we had, you know, second night, because we knew we needed to get further
south. And, and so we'd booked in what was affectionately called Digny, but Dean Le Bon. And,
but, you know, beyond that, it was sort of a, let's see where we get to, and let's see what
happens. And, and so, you know, that sense of child, childish adventure was, was really fun and,
and, and, and really cool and, and a particular highlight for me.
Yeah, yeah. It'd be interesting to, yeah, just to, to kind of add to Sir Cib and Mark's sentiments,
Paul, there wasn't a kind of extra sprinkling of specialty about the trip for you because your
car that you took was days old before you decided to head for the south coast of a different country.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I pictured up on 29th November. And then I'd done a few miles and I hadn't actually
finished running it in until we were part of the way down. And I think by the time I got back,
it was near on 4000 miles on the, on the clock. And so, yeah, it was, and it was a wonderful,
wonderful way of getting to know a car. And particularly one where, because we had some
really lovely weather, we had some very inclement weather, but when we had some lovely weather,
we had to push a button, put the roof down and enjoy the echoes of the flat sixes reverberating
off the mountain passes. This was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Yeah, it was, it was great.
I mean, I think it's worth pointing out to people that we had 718 GTS 4-liter there, a 997 GTS,
a 992 C4 GTS, a 996 C4 S and a 996 C2. Obviously it was a variance to the layouts and body styles
and whatnot, but five manual cars as well, which was quite nice.
You know, the manual, I think on the 718 GTS that Paul has is absolutely fantastic. But
the, the, the real manual surprise for me was Mark's 992 GTS, which was a manual and, and actually
as a C4 GTS manual, a really rare thing, you know, I haven't seen another one. And so actually
that was a, that was a real surprise to me that, that car was in a manual and, and you know,
Mark very kindly let me drive it for a little bit. And it was a, it was a real, it was a real eye
opener actually. And I've certainly been, you know, looking at those GTSes with a new light since,
you know, absolutely fantastic car paired with that, with that manual gearbox.
Yeah, on that manual front, I mean, how fantastic to have all four cars there with people really
pedaling. And we did have to pedal at times. And I agree. I mean, I will confess to searching on
the internet for manual GTS 992.1s. And just that package of the car and following, following that
car mark was, was, was amazing. And if you look at it as a package, it's a really interesting
combo. And actually, compared with what you can't buy a new one in a manual, but
I think there were about 107 was the lowest price when I saw something like that, which I
thought was fantastic. Yeah, I have a Southcon at the moment, which doesn't include a GTS manual.
So there's a surprise. Oh,
when is Mark's new car coming?
We said the 31st of March, didn't we? So we've got a little bit of, a little bit of time.
Can we just go back to the bit where Mark said, he's obviously got over his OCD about
not planning being having any planned trips. But he also mentioned that he wasn't so worried
about the salt. Well, the reason he's not worried about it is because he's not going to keep the
car long enough for it to rust. It's not his problem anymore. Exactly. It will be 10, 15 years
time, somebody be going, I don't know what's wrong with this car. And you look back, oh, Mark,
that's different. 2025. Why are all these bolts crusty?
Yeah. Well, salt is an interesting topic, actually, as we talk about winter road trips,
because I marched my car straight to Paragon shortly after we got back and put in a Mayday call
because of all the salt that was on it. And actually, they did a great job stripping off
all of the under trays and the wheel arch liners and took off the front bumper and really spent
a good day sort of jetting it and scrubbing it and treating it. But I think there is something
to be said about recognizing the reality that there will be salt on the road. But there's a
lot that you can do to sort of not only prep yourself for it, but also take care of it shortly
afterwards. So I think I'm a little bit with what Mark is saying in terms of having an allergic
reaction to locking up my car for winter. My first couple of 911s were always my only car.
They were my daily driver. I did drive them all year round. Now, admittedly, we lived in London
and so they weren't driven particularly far. But I've really struggled over the last few years
with the concept of getting the tyres inflated and the oil topped up and brimming the tank and
then washing it and putting it in the garage and saying, see you at Easter. I think there's really
something to be said for enjoying the car. But finding a sort of responsible way of doing it
that sort of doesn't wreck it, but does it in a controlled way that actually doesn't have to
cause damage to the car? I've made peace for myself that it's just a car at the end of the day and
it should be used. And jokes aside about whether it stays or it goes is one thing or the other. But
I do believe that when you've got a car, you're custodian of the thing for that expression as
well. You want to make sure it's good when you leave it as well as when you found it.
But you realize the longer you spend time with Porsche product is that they are
pretty good cars. They're well-built things. As cars go there, they're pretty robust and
they can handle quite a lot. And this road trip really showed that because we had all the mixes
of driving, all the weather you could possibly think of, and the cars, all of them were bar one,
all of them in the end were exemplary. But I think we could forgive the other one for its time
just as we'll develop that story later. But the thing is, think about the driving we did.
We did long times in the seats. That journey down on the Thursday, I think we were in the
seat maybe 12, 13 hours that day. Fine at the end of it. We were all good. We could still walk.
We could still go to the pub. The next day, we did all that driving again to get some of
really beautiful driving through the 996 and quite sporty driving.
But being respectful of the area, but sporty. We did some motorway stints. We did all of that
at the same time. And then when we were actually in the Alps, we were doing some fairly heavy work
in the cars. And they were all just a great place to be. We all were comfortable. We all
could do the hours in the cars. And the cars were brilliant companions for what we were trying to do.
Despite them all being different generations, different drive layouts. Some of us were four
wheel drives. Some of us were two. Some of the roads we were on were icy. They were sketchy.
But with the right tyres, they were perfect. They were grand. And you think about that and you
think about how people use most of their cars these days. We did. What some people do in a year,
we did in a weekend. And they were brilliant. No oil, none of it. Just perfect.
And speaking of tyres, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think any of us were running
winters, right? I mean, I don't know. No one was on Cup 2s, but we were on standard 4S or PS2 type
tyres. Paul, remind me, you weren't so happy with your prayerlies, I think. But I think generally
speaking, we were all on the standard sort of standard spec type tyres. And at some points,
it was well below freezing. But actually, there wasn't a need to really worry too much. I put
out a few comments about, well, should we put winter tyres on or not? But actually, the roads were
generally well suited to what we were doing. And I think that there's sort of a window of
opportunity early December, where, certainly in that part of the world, where the tourists have
gone, the caravans have gone, but the skiers haven't arrived, the school holidays haven't broken up.
And actually, the roads were pretty empty. There were long stretches where we didn't see other
cars coming. But actually, one other thing I'd sort of throw into the mix is headlights.
You know, I think, you know, to come and wax lyrical again about your car mark, you know,
following your car, and you know, I think at one point you were leading, Ben was second,
then I was sat behind Ben, struggling to keep up. But the way your headlights were illuminating
the road was quite extraordinary. And I think if you think about a summer road trip versus a
winter road trip, in winter, you're going to be spending a lot more time potentially driving
at, you know, off the dock. And I think that that is something to consider, particularly if you're
in an older car, like a 996, where you've got, you know, candles for headlights. You know, I think
that is something to consider, you know, as part of equipping yourself to be ready to go on that
trip. I mean, Mark's headlights were absolutely phenomenal. There was points where Mark was behind
me. And I did have my 996 candles for headlights, but I was kind of getting Mark's lights coming
top of my car and illuminating the kind of the road. It was, it was fantastic. So
to either to be behind or to have that car behind, just like a, like a, like a guiding,
a guiding style was phenomenal. Yeah. The forest was haloed.
Yeah. It's a very, very valid point about the headlights. And
my eyesight is not as strong as it used to be. It's just, as we mature and
luckily, headlight technology has gone with my decline, as it were. But Andy, we touched on
the last podcast, did the modification on the 930, the lights makes a massive difference. And
yeah, I think it's really important that it's actually really worth noting if you are doing
trips because it is dark at four o'clock. And if you want to, if you want an early start,
it's going to be dark until off seven in the morning. Going back to your question,
I was on Pirelli's, which I was very skeptical about. Actually, when pushed hard and they're warm,
they're great, but they take a lot longer to get up to 10p and up to speed for want of a better
word than Michelin's. But if you remember when we went, we went to the top where the snow,
that the snow line, we're very, very twisty, got up to the top and we stopped up there.
That was pretty sketchy.
Colder Terini, I think that one was, wasn't it?
If you say so, Lee. It's a cold Terini.
That's when I got snowballed by you lot.
Oh, yes. Well, you opened yourself up for that, mate.
But the contrast in the seasons there was incredible though, right? Because one man was
sitting on the coast in Monaco in short sleeves drinking coffee outside. And then what seemed
like 10 minutes later, we're at the top of the mountain and it was covered in snow. It was just
incredible, wasn't it? That's probably a better experience than doing it in the summertime,
isn't it? Because you've got that difference doing over the elevation. You've got such a
different scenarios going on where in the summer you would be hot both at the bottom and at the
top. So it really elevates that experience. Yeah, when you look back at the photographs and you
think about that area, how diverse it is from a topography perspective. You know, some of its
hills, some of its high plains, some of its valleys, some of its really craggy mountains,
some of its kind of clinging to the side of the mountain going through these little
bridges almost, you know, where they kind of carve it right through the mountain.
It's got everything that was at that area. You have so much variety in road, the texture of
the road and width of the road and the scenery. It feels like you're going from three countries,
four countries in a day, just the differences between the different parts of that area. So
when you look at it over the weekend, I look at photographs and it looks like you're
somewhere in Italy. The next minute you look like you're somewhere in a really high alt,
somewhere you're down on the coast and it's just Mediterranean. It's incredibly diverse that area.
Yeah, it's absolutely beautiful. And yeah, as you say, to wake up one morning and having your
croissant and cappie au lait looking out over the ocean. And I think just one sort of highlight,
some of the sort of advantages of doing a trip out of season. Actually, your crossings are cheaper.
So actually getting to your destination is cheaper. The hotels aren't full and they're cheaper.
I think we paid 140 euros for a night in Antibes. That's probably four or 500 euros a night peak
season in August, not that you would go there in August, but for a trip. But also, there's
highlighted the roads. Yeah, that was a bit of traffic, but there wasn't that much.
And I mean, we had stretches where we were the only cars on the road.
I think we met a couple of people coming down the Red Rock Pass a few places. But also, it's
good time to do the popular routes because if you take, not just talking about the South of France,
but if you looked at the North Coast 500 or routes in the UK, July, August time or peak times,
you're not going to want to go anywhere near them because other people are enjoying those roads
with their caravans, with the families, with the cyclists, etc. So you're actually able to do routes
that you may not do at other times of the year because it doesn't offer you what you want. And
I'm sure Wales is the same. Also, from a personal point of view, you're not particularly eating
into family time. If you have that window, if you've got children, then they're at school.
You're not eating into Christmas, you're not eating into summer holidays,
and you're taking, extracting out a few days in what is a fallow time.
What you're probably all doing is scarving off work a bit and besides that. And that also
adds to it because it feels a bit sort of, oh, it's a school day and we're driving through the Alps
and there's a lot to be said for that. Because modern technology allows you to,
if you stop at lunchtime, you can pick up your emails. And actually, with the modern
infertile systems, if you've got to take calls, you can take calls. So to keep you even not on
this trip, but in others, you have had to do a Zoom call or whatever you're doing by the side of
the road and sort of six flat sixes go past as fast as they can just to interrupt your call.
Yeah, I have to say the prospecting call that I did when we were in Norway
has actually resulted in me winning some of that business. So that did work out. But on this trip,
and actually on this trip, as you know, on the way back, I went to Paris for work for a couple
of days and the call was laden with all sorts of marketing stuff that I needed to take to Paris.
But I think the other thing that I would add, and maybe then we could come back to talk a little
bit more about the route that we did and the structure of that. But I think my other reflection
about a winter road trip is actually the need to be a little bit more prepared in terms of
if something goes wrong. And I believe perhaps we'll talk about it, perhaps we won't. But you know,
actually, it did sort of make me think when we went to Norway in the summer, I had my
center lock survival kit and it was all there and sat in the boot and it was there when we
went to the south of France in December. But actually, it sort of had me thinking that
warm clothes, water, a torch, because it's getting dark early, because you're up in the mountains
and it's cold. I hadn't really thought about it, sadly, until I think Lee, your car broke down.
All of a sudden, we realized that it got dark very early. Getting dark on a mountain means
it's cold, it's dark, you can't see what you're doing. And I think my advice to anyone going on a
road trip either in the coming weeks or next season is just think about preparing for if
something goes wrong in terms of making sure you've got water, making sure you can stay warm,
making sure you've got a source of light. You mentioned, I think, Lee in one of the earlier
recordings you did, your only source of light was the headlights of the car. I mean, if you can't
get, if you can't start the car or whatever, for some reason, there's an electrical issue and
you're totally flat, what are you going to do? So I think these things need a little bit more
consideration than in the summer when it's warm, it's light until 10 p.m. and I think there's a
little bit more risk if something goes wrong that you need to consider and make sure you're
prepared for. It's very well said. It's a bit like if you go boating, you've got a life jacket,
you don't need it until you do need it. And you're absolutely right, chuck in some warm clothes,
an LED torch, and a few bits and pieces is pretty essential.
Yeah, definitely. Obviously, I've learned that the hard way, but that's, I think it's a really
good point that you make as a kid because, you know, travelling or in the aftermath of it,
reflecting on the journey, obviously, for myself personally and my car, well, the car,
it didn't end well, but reflecting in the weeks afterwards and I thought that trip was just
spectacular and I really enjoyed sharing that experience with you. It was such a pleasure
and a privilege to be there and I kept reflecting thinking, you know, why was it special? It should
have been one of the worst weekends in automotive for me, really. We're obviously with the car,
not making it back, but even despite that, it was such a memorable road trip and that's just
what got me thinking. Why is that? And there's certain things that have already been covered
already, but just I think the act of going in the off season, I think Sikib and Paul,
you've mentioned and Mark as well, the roads are empty. It wasn't just a case of driving along a
road. I almost felt like the road was hours for a little bit, you know, just in terms of being able
to enjoy it holistically without it being peppered by other traffic or caravans or cyclists. We did
come across a little bit, but that was special, but just the timing of it and don't get me wrong,
we really lucked out with the weather. That can't be guaranteed every year and a couple of locals
were spoken to, particularly on the last day, said if you were here a week ago, you wouldn't be
able to see the road for snow. But just the fact driving, I think it was the Saturday and thinking,
you know, my wife's at home and I know for a fact she's in town doing the Christmas shopping,
which I was delighted to miss and there we were on a sun drenched mountain pass,
sounds of the various flat sixes bouncing off the rock faces and I thought this is so incredible.
It didn't feel remotely like it was two weeks before Christmas. And I think that was the big
thing for me. And I actually think doing that sort of journey would be, you know, fun on your own.
But again, for the reasons that you've just mentioned there, I think it's better to just go
over a small group of people and have that shared experience for the safety numbers when it does go
wrong. But it's such a wonderful thing to do. And I really hope this episode just helps inspire
others to think, you know, okay, well, all right, the clocks in the UK might go
go backwards at the end of October and that you tends to be when the cars are garrished,
but it doesn't doesn't have to be, Mark, as you said, you know.
And there's a people thing, you know, a road trip with people is always, it always brings
another dimension, you know, because you've, you've got the opportunity to try each other's cars,
you've got the opportunity to have, you know, the different related experiences at the end
of the night, you know, when we're all sitting with a beer and we're just talking about things,
we're talking about our families, we're talking about our lives, we're talking about
our wants and wishes for the future, we're talking about the experience of the day, you know,
all of it's there. And, you know, for guy, I don't want to get too heavy, but for guys,
this is important, you know, for us to talk about stuff and just get get that sense of
there's a just a moment carved out for you and for, for, for the conversation.
And that was also something that was very special because it wasn't an overwhelmingly huge group
where it's difficult. Sometimes it's a small group, we were all there together, we were all
experiencing something at the same time that shared experience brought a commonality,
which created a bond, which allowed us to open up and have conversations, you know, and
about all kinds of things. And that as well was special about it. It was the time, it was the
place, it was also the people. Absolutely, I completely agree with you. And so finding your,
your tribe and having that opportunity to, to talk. And yeah, I think that's a really,
really bad point. And a very good reason to spend time with people on a trip like that,
you have that shared experience, but out of that shared experience comes camaraderie.
Yeah, yeah, without without doubt. And again, it's, we hope our experience has encouraged
others to at least think about it and to go off. I mean, again, for a variety of reasons that have
already been said, quieter roads, towns, cheaper accommodation and travel, but it does come with
a few caveats that are worth considering. You know, you can't just jump in your car and go
having that quite literally a safety blanket, being a better prepared with being stuck up
a mountain pass in freezing temperatures is definitely worthwhile, preparing for the fact
that more of your driving is going to be done after dark than going in the summer. A big thing for
me, I know to keep you touched on the tires scenario, but I think for me, there's a better
respect for the ground beneath you in the summer, you know, even, even later at night, the temperatures
of the tarmac can still be quite warm. And you know, you can always push quite hard on a
nice dry, sun drenched road, but many different kind of surfaces and temperatures that we encounter,
didn't we over those days? And sometimes there's a little bit of frost kicking around other times
there wasn't. But again, just with the fluctuation in temperatures, you just, you can't drive like
it's the middle of July. So you're absolutely right. And actually, I wrote to my, on my notes
that the road surface was less predictable. And, and actually that that sort of put a little bit
more sort of jeopardy, but also sort of, sort of excitement into into it. And I remember when I was
going up the Calder Terini, you know, we just climbed out of
Monaco, we sort of skirted up the hills past Menton and Sospol. And as we were going up the Calder
Terini, there were corners that were in the shade, which were wet, there was water coming down the
mountain. And there were a couple of corners where the car had a decent slide, which I hadn't quite,
you know, I hadn't quite sort of baked it in because I hadn't expected the road to be wet in that bit
in the car. You know, sort of enjoyed the process where, whereas you then went on to the next corner
and it was in the sunshine and it was dry. And, and the sort of the car was very, you know, you know,
sort of balanced and sort of glued to glued to the tarmac. And you're actually spot only that,
you know, that is another factor to think about because you can't, you know, there's a bit more
unpredictability in the tarmac and the, and the road conditions.
But that actually made it quite fun because you were going up there and you were having to think
and look at the corner, look at what was it in the shade, was there water on that surface?
And I found it that really enjoyable, a bit scary, but very enjoyable. Definitely had to be
respectful, didn't we, of the road surface and what it would throw at us. But yeah, it was just
something so magical about, because if we had been there, even in late autumn, that, you know,
they would have just gone up the cul-de-ture, you wouldn't see another car, right? And it's just
something so magical about having those wonderful, wonderful roads just to ourselves was just a
special, special thing, right? And the light as well, when, you know, we got the benefit of
sunrises and sunsets all in the same driving moment, you know, as well, which was, which was
beautiful. I'm also thinking as well that, I mean, you were in an unproven car, Paul, because it was
a brand new car that you were just running in. And Ben, you were in an unproven engine because
you were just running, you had just finished running in your rebuilt engine, weren't you,
as well? So, you know, how did that go for you, Ben?
Yeah, I mean, I'd just to fill people in if I hadn't hadn't known, so my 996 had just come back
from a Hartec engine rebuild. And I told Hartec, you know, that when it was in for rebuild, that
there was plan to go to south of France in December, and they were very keen that the running in
service was done before I left. So I had a mad panic to kind of get 1500 miles done before we
kind of, before we left. And I did and I went back to Hartec and it was all kind of tickety boo.
But yeah, I feel like, I feel like the car was was kind of ready for it, you know, it was a real
nice way to introduce it back to the world after it was kind of reborn again. But yeah, no, I think
it was, it was gone, it was gone really, really well. It was going really, really well. We all know
that, Ben. We're on your shirt tails, mate. Well, the benefit of four-wheel drive, though, right,
and the frosty damp roads is always helpful. Yeah, yeah, yeah. At one point, Ben, you,
we sort of talked quite a bit about standard rebuild versus oversized rebuild. It sort of
seems to be an ongoing conversation in the collective. It's very topical, I believe.
We'll come back to you, Lee. How do you feel, Ben, about going standard versus
points where you were sort of insinuating that maybe you should have done an oversized,
but you didn't really look like you needed the extra power?
Is that human nature, though, right? So at the moment that I decided it was going to hard
tech, I was so confident that I wasn't going to increase its capacity, that it was just going
to stay completely standard. Because the car, as it was, was enjoyable enough for me, you know,
I wasn't chasing more power, I wasn't chasing more torque, right? But then it goes in and the
work starts, and you start to second-guess yourself and start to have kind of doubt in your
mindset. So you do start to entertain the idea, but then, you know, no, I'm sticking to the path,
this is what I want to do. But then the minute you get it back, and you're kind of like, oh,
what I wouldn't give for a bit more torque right now. But then, yeah, I think that is probably
human nature, you know, the grass is always greener on the other side, right? But I think given,
I'm pretty happy with the direction that I went. I think it's a cost thing, though, as well, right?
It's probably another 10% on top of the cost of the engine rebuild to increase the capacity. So
you're thinking, well, when you're spending that much money anyway, you might as well spend the
extra money. And it's probably those thoughts that are kind of running through your mind. But I
think given the time, given the time to have that opportunity to push it around the South of
France, I feel like I made the right decision. Yeah. That's a great conviction in your decision there,
Ben. And again, just hopefully the others might take inspiration from it is, as we pointed out
earlier, yes, there were five manual cars there, but, you know, they were an all-four-wheel drive.
And I think it kind of highlights the dexterity of Porsche engineering, really. I mean, Sakir,
you know, your rear-wheel drive manual coupe, handled everything with a plumb, you know, in the
same way, Ben's and Mark's all-wheel drive cars did. So it's, you know, we've spoken about the
destination and the road, but it's also important that we consider the cars as well. And I think
we're all quite lucky in worshipping the automotive brand we do, that they tend to knock out some
fairly decent sports cars regardless of denomination and whatnot. So that's another thing to perhaps
not put somebody off. I completely agree. If you were in an early Boxster, you'd have had
absolutely as much fun as we had on those roads. And yes, you might not be able to push it to
beyond certain limits, but the balance of the car and the capability is so beyond so many
other cars on the road. Yeah, I'd absolutely happy to in an early 986. I think it would be an amazing
trip. It's interesting, I would have preferred not having a four-wheel drive car on that trip.
Yeah, I can take back, I feel it, yeah. I feel like my car would wash in Pogo a little bit,
you know, with the way that it managed to drive off the corner. Whereas I did see that happening in
Secube's car, you know, it flowed better and it turned in and had a bit more agility in its nose
versus the four-wheel drive cars, even though it's got rear-wheel steer, it still felt like it was,
you were trying to manage the throttle all the time and stopping it from washing wide on the nose.
So I do think that, you know, the tire choice is probably more important than the
the drivetrain in that situation. The manual aspect, however, was great. You know, I'm sure
you could have just as much fun as we did with the PDK, no doubt about it, but just the fact that
we were on these hairpins all the time and just blipping and going down and coming back up the
gear and going down the gear, it was just brilliant and it opened up a new dimension for me with the
992 that I never thought could be possible because I've always felt the 992 to be a car that on
normal road speeds, it doesn't wake up, whereas on these roads as a manual, it was really quite
exciting, you know, apart from just trying to manage the nose a little bit more with it trying to
wash wide on the four-wheel drive. Did you use the auto blip function? Sometimes, but mine's got
a glitch where sometimes it didn't work. My car's very characterful. I had a bunch of little
electronic glitches over the course of the weekend where I decided it didn't have a PCM screen for
a while and then it decided that it, which was hard when I was trying to use Waze and figured
out, you know, where the charm down were. And then the other aspect of it was the, yeah, that
from time to time when you move from normal to sport or sport to wet and coming back to,
it would turn the auto blip on and off as you go through the modes, but sometimes when you're in
sport, it wouldn't turn it back on again. So you, I just figured out, I just do it myself
after a while. And it's actually very easy. It's a very easy pedal placement on that car to
blip to throttle and to get it right. You know, so after a few hours, I was on, I was down on the
heel and toe with it, but, you know, glitches are as a 992 world. One thing I'd take away,
people have talked about the gearing on the 7184 liters. The first and second gear are very long,
but I can tell you on those hairpins, they were marvelous because you're putting out on first
gear and absolutely tanking it forward and then second and then you combine it with the auto
blip. It was like, wow, marvelous. Fantastic. So speaking of the Gendarm, I think I've
sussed why Ben has got a 996. You know, he said it was because he wants to chase his friends
in Northumberland through winter who drive GR Yarrises. But we had a point where I think it was
between, I think it was between... Try not to be too specific, Saki, just in case of a correlation.
It was sort of between the cold of Terini and I think when we were heading to
Red Rock, somewhere around there, we sort of came through one of the valleys and the Gendarm had
set up a road block. And Waze was telling us that there were police, so, you know, okay, fine,
well good, we slowed down. There was a road, there was a... They'd blocked the road and Ben was ahead
of me, pulls up first and they wave him through and I'm thinking, okay, good, good, we're good here.
And then I get pulled over, which I really took issue with because the only sort of reason I
could deduce that Ben didn't get pulled over was because they couldn't believe that he could
possibly be going that past in a 996. So it had to be the 997 behind it.
Well, it was not when finding me, right, because if I can only afford a 996, then I haven't got
any money in the bank account to pay a fuck. They're looking for a target rich environment.
That's on the copy of your hard tech.
Yeah, yeah, means to pay. Is there any other funnies or just general anecdotes that people
would like to share from our specific trip? Well, you know, Mealy, I do like to do the
DNHC sort of alternatives. So I come away from this. So the D is just do it. Just do the road trip.
The N, you've got nothing to lose. Well, you hope. H is happy times and memories.
And the C is camaraderie. Spot on. Spot on.
Well done. That's lovely. Yeah, great synopsis of our trip.
Could I ask a question? What was everybody's favorite road of the weekend? Has anybody got a
particular favorite? Can I just sake, I think that whatever you came up with on that last
that last morning, whatever that was, so that was amazing.
Yeah, that last bit was one of the highlights for sure.
I would also say Red Rock Pass. Red Rock Pass. Yeah, the Red Rock Road. Yeah.
That was spectacular. Do you remember when we were, I think it was on this Saturday or,
yeah, I think it was the Saturday where we all stopped underneath that big mountain and
we realized all the rocks were falling off the mountain.
We're in the middle of a rock avalanche. We're all standing there looking at the car,
trying to take photographs of the cars. Meanwhile, we're about to get pounded.
At least rocks coming off the mountain. Did anybody else get a couple scarred from that?
I've got a couple of bits of missing paint on the 996 from rocks falling on. Did anybody else get hit?
No, no, that was my time. I think all the roads were fabulous. The valley road that took us from
Calder Terini, when we descended the other side of Calder Terini and hit the Red Rock Road,
that was pretty magical, right? We're following the river through and there was really low clouds
there and it was just absolutely stunning. Thought it was fabulous.
Yeah, that was a great road. To be fair, thanks for pointing out, Lee,
that we were going round Monaco the wrong way. Actually, climbing out of Monaco was also quite
fun on those hills. We all got a bit lost and managed to reconvene, but that was a fun bit of
gear change and hill climbing. I think on the last day, the route was very good,
but I think there was also an element of this was a bit of a cheeky add-on alternative to
sitting on an auto route. But the bit on that route that I really enjoyed was the
I think it was the D1091 from, I don't know how to pronounce it, but Brianson over towards Vizil,
which turns out is about a 100 kilometer road. At the high point was just over 2,000 meters
where we stopped and took a photo. I really enjoyed that road partly because I'm a big
skier and I really enjoyed being in that sort of environment in a sports car, but just the scenery
was really stunning. Then we had that excellent coffee stop just over the other side. New York
as well. They just opened for us. That was a fantastic road. The other one that I wrote down
that I really enjoyed was the D952 from Verdun over to Castilan. Do you know when we recorded
that segment over the bridge and then we had, were there geese or I don't know, what were those
animals who were trying to kill us? They took it this late to my car for sure. They really didn't
like the 9-11s being around. But then we sort of turned back and followed that D952 over to
Castilan. That was a cracking road. I think that's when we stopped for lunch at that little
baguette shop in the square. But Ben, as you said, there wasn't a bad road. It was just every
single bit of tarmac was fantastic. Amazing.
From a high softness, it keeps ability to snuff out a baguette.
He was looking for a Burger King.
All right then. We'll put that main part of the pod to bed then if you guys are cool with that.
Really, it's nice to share some anecdotes, but hopefully, as we said, it just inspires some
other people listening to this to keep the cars going into those fallow months here in the northern
hemisphere, at least over the Christmas period. Or if you're down under, then in the middle of the
year, there's still so many lovely experiences still to be had. Just with a little bit more thought,
perhaps, to make it ultimately worthwhile and enjoyable, please do it. Live up to the time
on the mantra of being driven, not hidden. I appreciate everyone's got time and places to be.
Just a couple of things to do before we finish this episode. We've got a new feature that we'd
like to share with you, if you don't mind. It's a bit of a working title, but it's the Nineworks
Carnundrum. What we'd like to do, and we're very pleased that Guy Geese has submitted this week's
first carnundrum. For any DNHC is going forward, if you're in a similar scenario where you've got
a dilemma or with your current garage or perhaps next purchase or you're thinking of sticking or
twisting, get in contact with us. Let us know. Either drop us a note via WhatsApp or even better
an audio recording as Guy has done. Who knows? On the vague hope that there's an expert among us,
we might be able to offer some sage advice. If you're happy to listen to what Guy said,
I'll just pop his piece up to the microphone. Hello, fellow Nineworkers. Ask Geese here.
I'm just reflecting on my two years ownership experience of the 991 RS. It's obviously a
dream car, which is why I bought it in the first place. I aspire to owner Rensvall,
having moved from the 997 Gen 2 GT3. It is a fantastic car. 500 horsepower thereabouts
on Cup 2 tyres and it's a real experience to even sit in it, let alone drive it.
But living in Essex, sort of northeast London, reality is you can't use that power and
narrow roads. It's not really a road tripping car. It's horrendous on fuel, something like 22 to the
gallon. So you're not about to go to Norway in it. It's an experience. But it's been said on the pod
before that you should maybe think about buying the car that suits your use case. And the way I use
my car, which is basically turn up at the opening of an envelope all year round in all weathers,
on reflection, you'd probably say it's not the right car for me.
An RS really is a track car with number plates. So yes, it's good on the road,
leading a road trip to Italy and Matt's car. You know, they're quite compliant,
but there are better cars for less money that will cost less to run, such as a GTS,
a Carrera T, maybe even a Turbo. But in all honesty, I am totally undecided because there are too
many good cars out there. And I could go from a 964 or a 993 to a 996 to a 997, which is probably my
preference, but suffice to say anything from 50 to 80,000 pounds brings in a huge choice of fantastic
cars. So who knows what's next? Perhaps you guys can advise me. So I just want to say a massive
thank you to Guy, the original Geese for submitting that. It's quite a conundrum really. So love that
991 GT3 RS for a couple of years now, perhaps realise it's not quite syncing with his lifestyle.
Stick or twist? And if so, into what? Any advice among the collective?
I think being comfortable in your car, right? I think is something that's so, so underlooked that,
you know, so overlooked there, to actually have a car that you don't mind sticking a
shed load of miles on, you know, that you can just jump in and go and drive it and enjoy it.
I think there's something so, so, so positive to be said about that. And I feel like,
you know, Guy in his last car must have been the highest mileage 997.2 GT3 in the country or
certainly close to it, you know, he was everywhere in that car. Whereas I think his new car is
something so special to him that he just doesn't maybe want to stick all those miles on. So maybe
isn't getting the experience outside. Honestly, in which direction he goes, I don't know, but to
have a car that he's not so precious of that he can just turn that ignition on and just go and drive.
I think is the key, right? I completely agree. And
Nangese, he looks after his cars, you know, their service, you know, they're validated.
I think that I think it's validated every time he drops it back to the storage facility.
And therefore, if he's going to use a car, and the financial aspects are important. So
if it's used but looked after, and as the cars get older, it becomes more about who was the owner,
what's the history of the car? Who's done the servicing on that car? You know,
if he's done a road trip in the winter, has he taken it through and got all the salt off it?
Has the servicing been done? So I'm very pulled for these two either a 997 turbo,
probably dot one manual, but the Tiptronics are fabulous cars.
A 997 GTS, there may be one becoming available soon.
And but also perhaps a 991 GTS, if you can find a manual, fantastic, but a PDK.
But actually, because of the sort of rarity and desirability of those cars,
which is only going to get more, you can put the miles on. And if you look after it,
it will look after you in the bank account, so that when you come to change, again,
it's not had any depreciation or very little depreciation. And I just feel that that era of
GTS 997, GTS 991 or a 997 turbo will give the comfort. But when you want to put the beans,
put, if you're on a road trip, you've got the ability to be there. Any of those cars, well,
we have one on the road trip, but any of those cars will be a fabulous car to do that road trip in
and also to turn up to your cars and coffee. Right, great advice. Great advice. Mark?
I think for Gays, though, I do see that he's a he's a bit of a photographer. He likes to take
photographs of the car. He likes, you know, a lot of Instagram with it. And of course,
his car and the color and, you know, all of that around it at the moment lends that very well.
And unfortunately, the cars that people talk about often are in the kind of grays, the darker
colors, right? They're not necessarily in, you know, particularly Instagram friendly kind of
specs and layouts. So you might struggle to get that sort of individualism that he looks for so
that you can do what he likes to do on the social media side with it, but also have that car that
he can go and drive and use for, you know, these different use cases. So maybe maybe what he's
looking for people is one of those unicorns of one of those cars, but in a louder color,
a more a more interesting color that might be out there. So I would say that that would be
quite a hard one to find though. Very, very, very point, Mark. You're absolutely right.
So if you could find the other one, of course, there's a 991.2 T.
But you're right. It's finding that color as he did with his RS. And of course, with his GT3,
it was fully logoed up. But but those cars we've mentioned are not cars you want to put graphics
over. Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I was going to say we had a new collected member joined, didn't we,
who's got a spider now, but did have 997 GTS in Amethyst Metallic, right, which is a special car,
really special car. But then you buy a car like that, and he's still going to be a bit of a slave
to it, right? Because it is always going to be a special car that's going to live on a pedestal.
So you still maybe can't do the miles that you want to do and kind of enjoy.
I think that if you as they get older, I don't think the miles matter as much.
So I've got a slightly maybe maybe I'll give you my take. And yes, the 997 GTS is
will be back at Paragon in three weeks. So, you know, if he is interested, it's coming on the
market. But actually, having had a 997 Gen2 GT3, I'm not sure that's necessarily going to give
enough excitement or be enough be different enough. I think the sort of same is true of
a 991 variant. I think, you know, he said he said in his recording that he quite fancies a 997.
But I suppose if you take the sort of Instagram type conversation, maybe this is the opportunity
for the Instagram content to shift from photos of the car to photos of the scenery,
the activities that, you know, when I first met him, he was somebody that was absolutely everywhere,
you know, would never miss an event, miss an opportunity. And maybe the next chapter is road
trips, foreign adventures, and Instagram content that's driving documenting that rather than,
you know, the color of my car or the fact that it's a rent sport or etc. etc. So maybe if his
next chapter is Norway, Ireland, you know, coming to the south of France next December,
then, you know, I struggled to think of maybe something like a 718 GTS 4-liter
being hard to beat, you know, he's had 996, he's had 997, he's now had 991.
He speaks very fondly of the 986 platform that his daughter is now in. Maybe a mid-engine car
like that, 4-liter, 400 horsepower, the performance is off, is there, he talks very fondly of his
time on the 996. You know, a 718 is at a price point, you can do absolutely everything with it,
I think it'll be engaging for him to drive wherever he wants to take it. Maybe there's an
opportunity to find one in a nice color, but maybe the next chapter of his ownership journey is
is less about the car and more about where he takes it and how he documents that.
So my vote would maybe be something like a 718 GTS 4-liter.
I think that's a fantastic idea, Saki. Absolutely in with that. That's the answer for me.
Yeah, okay. But also, particularly if you had a manual one, I think you could put a lot of miles on
it and the impact is not going to be huge because obviously we started as by saying,
we didn't know what was happening with the 718, but rather the Boxster came in platform going
forward, but it's less likely there'll be manual cars. I think we can probably go on that.
Yeah, 100%. My thing I'd said to Guy chatting about it on WhatsApp prior to the episode was
I think you should try a 981 GT 4. I know there's a lot of visual appeal to that,
which kind of follows on as a big key point of his 991 RS. As you said, Saki, lots of pictures
on Instagram of it. I think there's lots of visual intrigue and appeal with that car.
And I think coming out of the RS, you can jump into the 981 GT 4. He's got a whole chunk of
changed spare if he chooses in which to stick some miles on. As Rob Langley said on our recent
Ninewax TV cars to buy the year, they're probably at the bottom of their curve.
So I kind of feel like it's a pretty innocent purchase to have for a year or so and see if
you like it. Carrera S engine, not as juicy on fuel as his RS that he's coming out of.
But equally, there's a lot to be said to Kib for what you're saying now. That really
challenge for me to be fair, the 718 GTS 4-litre. But yeah, if you want something that's still
kind of GT, if you like, which I know guys had a couple of those cars now, yeah, maybe a 981 GT 4.
But yeah, lots of opinions, lots of choice in the mix guy. I think that's kind of what the
panel, what we're saying today is lots of choice. It's quite a fun and exciting thing, hopefully
that you can explore in the coming months ready for summer season, I guess. So thank you for that.
And again, any DNHC's that wish to submit some material for our NineWorks car nundrum, please,
yeah, just message Andy or I via WhatsApp, that would be golden. We'll just finish up with a
portion of the week from the NineWorks marketplace, which is, we're recording on a Wednesday. It's
our Wednesday want full article of it on the NineWorks.co.uk website. Beautiful Arctic Silver
997.1 turbo at Harbour Cars. It is tiptronic. Paul, as you mentioned earlier on in the episode,
fantastic pairing with the Metzger engine, the 997.1 being the last Metzger engine turbo, as many
enthusiasts will know. Some really nice upgrades in there. Nine on one generation wheel, which I
think is a really nice tactile and ergonomic improvement over the 997 PCC and plus in there,
bringing modern connectivity into your classic sports car. And the turbos, usually quiet soundtrack,
elevated with an aftermarket exhaust. It's at Harbour Cars, 76,000 miles.
I believe Heather from the Collective is going to look at it as we speak. I'm not sure what the
outcomes there, but if it's not for Heather, it's a great car to go and have a look further on the
NineWorks marketplace. So that's our portion of the week. Fantastic. All right, guys, we'll do an
official sign off from NineWorks radio. So thank you so much to our panellists, Mark, Ben, Sikib
and Paul for joining Andy and I on the first episode of 2026. We'd love to have you back later in
the series and beyond. And yeah, thanks for joining us. This episode is brought to you by
the Driven Not Hidden Collective. If you'd like to join the DNHC and unlock unique new experiences
with your Porsche, visit NineWorks.co.uk forward slash join. You can also support us by leaving a
five star review on your favorite podcast app and Google reviews.
About this episode
Exploring the joys of winter road trips, this episode features a lively discussion with members of the Driven Not Hidden Collective who recently completed a memorable journey through France. The hosts, Lee Sibley and Andy Brooks, emphasize the thrill of driving beyond the typical season and share anecdotes from their trip. They also delve into Porsche's impressive production stats, including record deliveries of the 911, and discuss the current market dynamics affecting availability and pricing. With insights from various guests, the episode highlights the community's passion for Porsche and the excitement of upcoming anniversaries.
Original notes
Is there really an "off-season" for Porsche owners? We don’t think so.
In this episode of 9WERKS Radio, Lee and Andy are joined by a powerhouse panel from the Driven Not Hidden Collective (DNHC) —Ben, Paul, Saquib, and Mark — to recount their recent winter adventure. We dive into the grit, the salt, and the pure joy of tackling a winter road trip when most Porsches are tucked away under covers.
We also bring you the highlights from our first event of 2026: 9WERKS at the Warehouse. Despite freezing temperatures, the DNHC descended on Heritage Parts Centre for a morning of coffee, Porsche chat, and indoor Wiggle Car racing.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The Winter Road Trip: Why an "off-season" tour offers a unique (and quieter) driving experience.
- Winter Prep: How the panel readies their air-cooled and water-cooled 911s for the cold.
- Heritage HQ Highlights: A look back at our first major DNHC gathering of the year.
- Porsche Factory Trivia: We reveal exactly how many Porsche 911s are produced at Zuffenhausen in a single day (Hint: It’s more than you think!).
Whether you’re planning your own winter escape or just want to hear about the reality of year-round 911 ownership, this episode is for you.
To see pictures of the Heritage event visit Heritage Parts Centre’s website.
Find your dream Porsche on the 9WERKS Marketplace: 9werks.co.uk/marketplace
Thanks to our friends heritagepartscentre.com for sponsoring this podcast, get up to 10% off your basket by entering the code ‘9WERKS10’ at the checkout on heritagepartscentre.com
‘9WERKS Radio’ @9werks.radio is your dedicated Porsche and car podcast, taking you closer than ever to the world’s finest sports cars and the culture and history behind them.
The show is brought to you by 9werks.co.uk, the innovative online platform for Porsche enthusiasts. Hosted by Porsche Journalist Lee Sibley @9werks_lee, and 911 owner and engineer Andy Brookes @993andy, with special input from friends and experts around the industry, including you, our valued listeners.
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support us by joining the 9WERKS Driven Not Hidden Collective you can do so by hitting the link below, your support would be greatly appreciated.
9WERKS Radio : The Porsche and Car Podcast
Andy Brookes, Lee Sibley, Max Newman
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