Good day, everyone. Welcome back to Porsche Talk Radio Show.
It's been a hot minute. How many minutes you might ask? I can't tell you, but I can tell you
it's 180 days today since our last episode. I know what you're thinking. That's like half a year.
You're right. It is half a year because it was in October last year that Ajmal and I caught up.
You know what? Today's the day. Ajmal, welcome, my friend. It's been a long time.
It can't be. Surely we live on December.
We didn't. We have been busy, my friend. Oh, my God. I mean, it's a bank holiday here today.
And I'm sat in the garage because it's pandemonium in my house because my
children have play dates and all sorts and there's no room that's off limits to them.
But it's here I can close the door and they can't get in.
Yeah, good to hear. Good to hear. I can't believe it's been so long.
A lot's happened in your life. A lot's happened in my life. A lot's happened in the Porsche world.
A lot's happened to the listeners because we're definitely getting ambushed.
When's the next episode? When's the next episode? What's Ajmal doing? What's Mark doing?
This is the episode where we're going to get everyone up to speed on Ajmal's completely random
throwing money at people experience, right? And not a lot's actually happened to me in the last
six months, but we'll cover that. But it's nowhere near as exciting as what's happened to Ajmal.
And I'd love to talk Porsche stuff, but what's going on in the world of Porsche in
January? But let's talk about Porsche in our world, Ajmal. What have you been up to?
Yes. Well, I'll tell you about my 996 first. Oh, let's talk about that. Yes. Yes.
Yes. But as you know, so it's now the 6th of April, 2026. I took it to my friend Jack
in August, when I knew the head gasket had gone. Yes. And I just took it to show him and say,
this is what's happened. And I remember his exact words. He just looked at it and he looked at me
and he meant, oh, may he? I think he just knows it's bad because he normally always puts a positive
spin on anything. He goes, no, don't worry. We'll sort it out. And he just looked at me and went,
this is bad. So obviously, I haven't booked it in with him or anything. Sure. And he went, look,
I'm just chock-a-blot. I'm backed up. All the diaries booked up. So I said to him,
I really don't want to take it home. Can I leave it here? And he went, yeah, sure.
So he then called me in February. February. From August to February. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
He said, right, I've bought it in. It's on the lift. It's indoors now. Right. Better than it
bought it in. And we came up with a plan, what we were going to do, which was he's going to
dismantle it. And he said, look, do you want to go full-on, not rebuild the engine? Or do you want
me to just start taking it apart and see what's what? And I said, look, just start taking it apart,
see what's what. And then we'll see how it goes. And if you remember, Lee Sibley of NineWorks,
he's 996, had a timing chain failure. So he's going through a rebuild as well.
Which you are. So yeah. So he's, he's very different. And he's going for a full
remachine, everything rebuilt. Before we go any further, is what happened to Lee's car,
what happens when you don't replace the timing chain guides that you've had in your shed for
like two years that you've not installed yourself? I don't think so. I think it's the stress on the
chain. A link has broken on his. And I think, and I don't think his were as worn as mine,
because mine were causing lumpy idle as well. It just was, it was so far out. Got it, got it.
And when I saw them, because Jack showed me, because obviously he's dismantled the engine
now into tiny, tiny pieces. And he showed them to me and they were, and I thought they had actually
a channel in that guided the chain because they're called timing chain guides. I said,
it's just like a plastic thing that holds pressure on some other. Yeah. That's it. And then they,
when the car is under load, they, the timing chain tensioners push out
those guides to give you that extra power. And so he showed them to me and I really thought
that they were shapes to guide the chain, but they're not. That's the shape that's been created
by the chain gouging out the channel in what should have been a smooth piece of plastic.
Yeah. Yeah. So, so he's taken it apart now. And he said the pistons, the liners,
he said, they're like brand new. Don't touch those. Yeah, good. And he went, yeah, he said,
which was amazing. He went, we're not going to touch those. He said, and it has been rebuilt
before he said. So he said, we'll start and there's been quite a lot of things that are
nuts and bolts that are broken, probably because it lived by the sea before I got it. So there's
a bit of rust and things like that. I think the carriers, the headers, they're all nuts and bolts
are just crumbled, which was to be expected. And so he started looking at, and the thing
that starts almost, you'd get that rebuilt because that's an engine out job. He's changing the brake
pipe that goes over the top of the engine just as a precaution. You know, the classic,
while the engine's out. Yeah. Yeah. And so, but I thought, you know what? That's okay. I'll take
that. So, you know, we spent, I think, £5,000 on parts. Yeah, okay. Yeah. And then the dreaded
message came. One of the heads is cracked. That shouldn't be too bad, should it? Like,
they're all in. Yeah, but, you know, it's a 996 head. There must be a thousand from out there you
can, you know, that have had a, you know, a problem with some other part of the engine, but a head's
okay still. Second hand that they're currently listed on eBay at £1,000. That much. That would
still need to be pressure tested. Yeah, of course, of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, and I'll talk
about this a bit later about the Porsche premium. It's flapping insane. Yeah, look, it's not at
Ford eSport, okay? We've established that from the name of the podcast. But at the same time,
it's a little bit of a mistake, though, when you think about, so when, I'll give you an example
just now, just quickly, like a bit of a tangent, but the 964, which we'll get onto, it's got a bit
of a fuel smell on the inside. And I thought, oh, I wonder if it's the carbon canister.
So I looked up how much it is, and at design 911 or wherever heritage, it's £400 and something
pounds. Sure. But if you get one for a VW transporter, like a C5, it's £27. I was about the
size of 20, is it £20? Yeah, it's £27. And you go, how can it be that? F in different,
it's pretty 3D printed, the outside of it, and the inside's the same.
So I'm sure someone's going to correct me and say, no, they're completely different,
but it can't be that different. I think on that front, Matt Armstrong is well and truly
exposed the myth of Volkswagen group parts, right, with his experience of varying levels
of the Volkswagen group that he's going through. Not that Matt Armstrong's a sponsor of the show
here. However, if you are a fan of automotive content, I'm sure you're well aware of who Matt
Armstrong is and what escapades he's up to of late. So he's well and truly, yeah, I would be
on some due diligence on that before I'd be going off and spending £400. So I haven't done it on that,
but I have done it. I put in an order yesterday at GSF. Do you have GSF over where you are?
German, Swedish, French. No, no. So it's more of a budget-side part supplier.
But sometimes it's just silly things that I'll end up having. You think, how can they have that?
And I was looking for, on my 912, there's a sill trim on the outside. It's a silver
piece of trim with a rubber bit in the middle. I know the base, yeah. And everywhere I looked
is a couple of hundred pounds each for each side. Mine doesn't have them at all. There's no holes
for them or anything. And so I just, you know, when you just go, you know, I'll do them out,
I'm strong. I'll put in the part number and search for the part number. And it comes up at GSF for
£60. And they only have one in stock. So I think I'll have to do that. But then I think,
hang on, I need rear brake pads on the 964. I need some brake sensors. There's a little
trim panel that's broken. So I start searching all of them on that site. And they all come up
a fraction of the price, like the little plastic cap on the door. It's something like £40.
Any other post specialist. It's £2.94 on GSF. And I pull these in. And then I go,
and then it comes up, oh, before you hit order, do you want £25 off? 25%? Sorry.
Yes, please. And I think, and I think, yes, please, you know, suddenly you go, hang on,
I've just bought all this stuff for a fraction of the price. It's insane. But anyway, I digress.
So the 996 is at that stage where Jackson will find that and a replacement head,
and it's in the state of being put back together. And I am now at that stage where I can't wait to
get it back. Yeah, because it's going to be October, November, December, January, February,
March. It's only been eight months. Exactly. And but also it's going to drive like a new car.
And it's going to be comfortable air conditioning, everything. I just can't wait to get it back
because I've been driving our family wagon. And it's super efficient, cost barely anything to run,
especially in these times of, you know, chaos. But I just, I just want it back.
So I'm hoping in the next few weeks, I'm going to have some news from Jack and it's going to be,
it's going to be coming back. Oh, I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to hear how it goes.
You know that example you gave about, I think you said GSF?
Mm hmm. I had a similar experience going back a few years where on the 356,
what was really different about Australian delivered 356s and Italian delivered 356s
is the teardrop tail light compared to the rest of the world.
Okay. Now, traditionally in the teardrop tail light, it has two sections. It has the indicator
and the brake slash rear light integrated into the teardrop, right? And in the US delivered cars,
which they use all red and the end of tail light flashes red. They don't have an orange marker
for their indicator light. They're doing Australia and a lot of other parts of the world.
Well, that was the brake light part is in the smaller part of the teardrop, not the larger part
of the teardrop. If you can sort of imagine that. And in Australia, we have our running lights, rear
running lights. And when you hit the brake, the rear running light goes to a second filament and
lights it up even more. When you're in heavy traffic and it's that small part of the tail
light, it melts the lenses. If you're in traffic and because it's so the globe's big,
you know, that sits in that part of the, in the holder that sits in that part of the tail light.
Anyway, for Australia and Italy for some reason, for like three years, they swapped them around.
They made the inside bit orange and the outside bit red, right? Just to stop the lenses from
melting. Oh, my God. This happened for like a thousand cars out of the whole production of
356s, right? So we're talking like 34 or sorry, 37,000 cars had normal tail lights and a thousand
had these other ones, right? And I thought, I want some of those tail lights because my car's
originally US delivered. No one had to put the orange markers on the back. No, okay. And how hard
can you imagine it's going to be possible to find these lenses for the teardrop, right? So I'm,
they've got a partner, but I'm Googling. I can't find anywhere. I'm going through a thousand different
sites. And I thought I'll just email a couple of big hitters in the US, right? One of which is
Auto Atlanta. Again, not a show sponsor, but I sent them a message and said, look, here's what I need,
this partner because I've got a car here in Australia and I can't find it. And they said,
well, we've actually had those in stock before, but we're out of stock currently. If you can give
us two months, we'll put a production in request in from the original OE manufacturer in Germany.
Oh, wow. I don't think so. I replied and said, okay, just out of interest. Has anyone else asked
you for these since they go, no, no, not since we've ran out of stock. We've never had a request.
And they end up being like the equivalent in Australian dollars of like $23 Australian each.
A month later, they turn up and it's like, they had to get another production run done on these
things. So naturally I notified every 356 owner I know in Australia and said, if you're looking for
some of these, these guys have got them. They sold out in like three days. This is the thing though,
because if you do this, there'll be some obscure, normally obscure car sales place or
it'll be a mainstream one that isn't as poor specialist and they'll end up having something
at rock bottom prices. Or it's been on the shelf for that long. It's now a new old stock, right?
They just want to clear the shelf space or, you know, they've got a budget of their stock holding
of let's say, you know, 6 million pounds. And right now they need to, they're at 6.2 million,
they need to do whatever it takes to clear those shelves. And yeah, you know, four people a year
ask for something. As soon as someone wants it, they just drop their pants on the price to get rid
of it. But you know, in this era of 3D printing and what do they call them, the metal cutting CNC
machines and stuff like that? Do you think people who have their own cars and maintain them, things
like ours, it's worth having a 3D printer because you could just print up? Well, I stuff, I work in
that space nowadays as well. And the complexity and equipment costs, I don't think it's worth it.
Right. Just because to get quality outcomes, the cost of the equipment is significant
with additive. Yeah, manufacture, which is the term used, whether it's in a filament of plastics or
metal or carbon or whatever you want to manufacture thing out of. But what I do think is viable is
that you should be able to buy for a, I don't know, a three time use file that has an expiry
down on it and you can then contract someone who does this for a living to make a part for you.
That's true because I was talking to, because you know who does his own stuff, Jeff?
Yes. Of Honbelle Jeff. And I was messaging him probably early last year because I was looking for
a USB lighter adapter for my 996. Sure. Now, if you buy a generic one, it was three pounds.
If you buy a 996 one, it's 110 pounds. Really? Yeah. And you just go, hang on,
this isn't like a mass manufacturer. It's pretty still 3D printed, but it had a little cap on it
that looked like a lighter. You pull that off and it was very snug fitted. And I was thinking,
I can't justify that. The generic one didn't quite fit right. And when you were driving,
sometimes it would stop charging and you don't realize until your phone dies and you've got
Google maps up. And then I looked, I was looking through some boxes of old spares that I've had
for the 912 because on the 964, there's no way to put your phone. And I didn't want a screen
attached to one. And then I thought, hang on, I've got one for the 912 that goes around the clock.
You know, the Rennline one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought, I'll get that out. So I dug it
out. And you know, when you look at it and you go, shit, that's for a left hand drive one.
You know, because I never got around to putting it on. I think you mentioned it.
You can't just rotate it around the other way. It doesn't work like that.
No, no. Oh, what a bugger. Because it's contoured around the dash.
Yes, yes, yes, yes. So you can put it on the right hand side.
So you can put it on the other side. So it's towards the door side and it'll fit properly.
With the clock. But then, yeah, but then you're running the cable across if you're plugging in
and stuff like that. And I didn't put it in the 912 because you have to go reach behind and undo
the little, yeah, and remove the clock and then put it back in. And I can't get my hands back
there. Whereas with the 912, you just pry it out. Yep. And you know, I was trying it out.
And then I thought, oh, yeah, it does come out. And I went and dug it out, took me ages to find it.
And I sat in the car and you know, you go, fucking heck. And so I then look up, how much did I get
this thing for? Because I would have bought it maybe five or six years ago. Look it up, 130 pounds.
You are not paying that much for a phone holder.
And then you get stuck by not having these things. But I have bought quite a few things
that weren't very expensive. There was. So anyway, no, I should tell you the 964 story,
shouldn't I? Yeah, let's see this. How did it come about? So. Hey, wait, what 964, Ashmo?
It's a target, Carrera 2 964. What year? God's red, 1990. Yeah, lovely.
Manual. And manual, of course, right hand drive. UK delivered. I think UK delivered.
And it's got 132,000 miles on it. Sure. And I think it's done 21,000 miles in the last 25 years.
And sadly, it is, I think it is another one of those situations where the owner, who's had it
since 2007, and in the paperwork, he bought it for 10,000 pounds. And you know, you think.
Fortunately, you didn't pay much for that, did you?
Maybe four or five times that. But I really like it, but I'll tell you the history of it
after I tell you how I ended up with it. Yeah, let's hear it. So, you know, I was starting
to think about getting a 993 and I thought, well, now's the time. The price is going to spike.
And start looking around. And then Simon, Simon Jessup, I think most people know him.
He rang me and he said, I know someone who's about to get one in a dealer,
this 964. And he said, I know you look for a 993, but it's 964s coming up and you might want to
give him a ring. So I give the guy a ring. And he says, I haven't had it come in yet. Ring me next
week. So I ring him back and he says, yes, come in. I think it's pretty good.
There were a couple of things that he said it didn't need, which was rear brake pads,
which I haven't done yet. And the other thing is, oh, it started to get a little bubbling around
the front screen, which they all do. And so I say, oh, I'm interested. Give me a price. So he
gives me a price. And I think, you know what? Can I just give you a deposit? He's two hours away.
And you know me, I'm lazy. I don't want to go two hours and too busy with work. I can't spare the
four hour round trip. And so I can't just give you a deposit. And he said, he said, no, there's no
need for that. Look, he said, I haven't had the paperwork yet. I haven't got the history. I have
no idea what's been done to it. Ring me next week. So instead of ringing him on the Monday,
I'm away for work. I ring him on the Tuesday. And when I ring him on the Tuesday, he said,
oh, I'm really sorry. It's sold. So another dealer's bought it and he's loading it up as we speak.
And I'm like, oh, that's it. It's gone. So I phoned Simon. I say, Simon, I've missed down that car.
It's done. I don't think I'll ever be able to afford another like 964. They're too rare and their
prices are going up too quickly. And Simon said, funny story. He said, my mates bought it.
And he went, he's also a dealer. Here's his website address, go and have a look.
And you could phone him if you want to see what he says. So I phoned the guy. He's four hours away.
So the car is getting further away from you. So I say to him, look, you know, I was trying to buy it.
So so he comes back and says, oh, I don't know. It's actually quite good. And I might want to
put it through my workshop and I can sell it for quite a bit more. And I went, look,
put a few grand on, but you paid for it and I'll have it as it is. And so he has a good look at it
and he gives me a price. And I said, oh, I'll have it if you can deliver it for that much.
And he said, oh, no, you're so far away. That's 500 pound delivery. And anyway, I don't hear
anything for a couple of days. He says, let me have a proper look at it. And then
and he hasn't had the history either. So still with the original owner. And so
it's a Saturday and my brother's over from Australia, my little brother from London,
we're having a big boozy lunch. And the guy messages me and says, yeah, okay,
you can have it for that much. And I'll deliver it. And you know, when you sat there going,
I showed it to my wife, the message, and she kind of rolls her eyes and says,
do you know what? Just why don't you just do it? And then she's egging me on. My two brothers are
egging me on. Sounds like a lot of big. Yeah. So I go on my banking app and just get alone
approved instantly. I say yes to him. I transfer him a deposit. And he says, all right, okay,
I'll have it delivered by Thursday. So but I'm away with work until Saturday night.
Sure. So I missed the delivery. So my wife's there. So she says yeah. And I just said to her,
can you please just go out and get the key and get the paperwork. And so I come back on the
Saturday night. And I promised my daughter I'd be able to do bedtime seven year old. So I
literally dump my car on the driveway run past it to go inside. But my daughter bed after that,
I've had a glass of wine. So I don't come back out. So I come out the next morning,
but we're going to brunch. So I literally walk past it, get in the other car, go off to brunch,
come back. And then it's so three o'clock on the Sunday afternoon, having it's been delivered
on the Wednesday or Thursday, I can't remember. And so I go and have a look.
Stick the key in, battery's dead. Like completely, completely dead.
Classic. Yeah. And so I phone up the guy and went, oh, the battery's dead. Was it? And he went,
oh, yeah, I had to charge it up. So I ran out to Halfords and get a brand new battery. Wack the
battery in, fire it up, I go for a 20 minute drive. It's immense. I love it. It's amazing.
I'm super pleased to hear this. It sounds fantastic. And you know, it's compared to my 912,
it's a super modern car. It feels like a modern car. The only thing is the clutch is heavy.
That's it. Yeah. And it's so zippy, but a little bit terrifying.
Because you know, the engine's hanging so far on the back. There's no driver aids,
no airbags. And it doesn't have air conditioning, which is a bit of a bar, but you can't,
you know, beg a sponsor. It wouldn't have worked anyway.
Exactly. So I come back. I don't look at it again until the Thursday, because I'm away with work
again. Thursday evening, I go out for a try and get a drive. And remember, this is still early
March. Sure. The battery's dead. Again. Yeah. So there's obviously something going to drain it.
Yeah, something's happening yet. And which I haven't looked at yet. This is two months later.
I still haven't looked at that because when I dug around in the in the in the fruit in the
frunk, there's a massive battery cutoff. Isolator switch. Oh, just turn it off now.
Yes, I just turned it off. Every anywhere I park it, I just turned that off and it's been fine
since. Yeah. So I need to work it out. Yes. So it's been so it's been a few months. So I
absolutely love it. I've been out a couple of work meetings and stuff like that.
Everybody stops and wants to chat about it. I got a really nice note left on it when I was at
the customer's car park. But an and so I took my wife out. It was a sunny day. We went out for
lunch and we went to a local sort of the next village along. So it's a country drive country lane
drives. And we had the top off. Yeah, lovely. And we're driving all the way down. She's got her
arms out over the top. And she's happy as anything we get there. And I turn to her and I go,
What do you think? And she looks at me with a very serious face and says, I don't hate it.
And I went, I'll take that. I'll take that as a win.
Is the target is the target top in a nine six four. I said a collapsible target top that you can
sort of crunch up and put in somewhere. We just have to go in. It is. It's collapsible because
it doesn't really fit anywhere. You could fit it behind the seats, maybe. Yeah, okay. And but it
does collapse. I'm too scared to collapse it. Yeah, okay. But but it's in pretty good nick.
And it has been replaced not that long ago. So the service history eventually arrived.
It's extremely expensive parts replace. Oh, God, yeah. Incredibly. And so the service history
arrived. And the previous owner, some years he would do 300 miles. Some years he would do 1000
miles. Some years he would drive to Spain and back. Got it. And but he was very diligent in
getting the work done. That's good. Yeah. So he's probably getting the work done. He's
on the screen now in front re sprayed at one point. But I think the paint has aged differently.
You can't really tell until you look at the fuel filler cap, which wasn't sprayed to match.
Ah, okay. So it's that's the only bit that you notice. There's a lot of things there.
There's a motor been dropped out in its history. Yes, it's had the top it's had a top end rebuild.
Yeah, good one. That's probably leaking too much water oil in.
Um, so I had it in here in the garage and I had a cardboard underneath it and there's not a drop
on it. Oh, really? Amazing. That's great news. So I'm a little bit shocked at that, but I do need
to check out the smell of fuel because it's fine taking my children out when I've got the top
removed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But a little bit, you know, a little bit. I don't want to take them out
Yeah, there's a 356 and I empathize. Yes. So that and that was one of the main reasons I wanted the
993 was on the 912, I can't take my children out. Seatbelts. Yeah, no, I've got no proper seat
receipts, no seatbelts. It's left and drive. It's a dog leg first can't overtake anything.
And it was just one of those things. So the 912 has got to go when that can happen.
Um, sometimes on the next two to three years, I guess.
No, no, because I've got a massive loan that I'm paying. So I need to sell that to pay off that
loan. Sure. And it's I fired it up the other day and it did fire up quite nicely and it's got the
new iridium plugs in it. I didn't backfire at all. There was no backfiring or nothing.
Um, but I only backed it out the garage and then back in.
Yep. Okay. So I need to, uh, properly give it a once over and I'm going to take the
sort of meatball thing off the side. Good decision. I'm going to put the hubcaps on.
Better decision. And the trim that I said is missing along the bottom. I need to fit that.
So that's going to arrive tomorrow for the one side. They only have one stock at GSF.
Okay. Um, so I need to wait for that to come back into stock and for the other side, get those
done. Look, you know what, I just put it on the market. See what's out there.
I know that's the right need to do. It's, you know, when I think about when I look through
the paperwork, I've done quite a lot because it didn't really come with a lot of paperwork,
apart from an engine rebuild receipt. Sure. Um, and new floors. But I've done loads to it.
Welding wise and things like that. You know what, if any listeners out there are looking for a
very storied, um, Insta famous 912, reach out to us directly at flatcap driver on Instagram,
and he'll, uh, do you a deal? Yeah. Cause there's someone locally who's asked about it,
but he said, Oh, I won't be ready to come and see you until middle of May.
Oh, like just, you know, I just laced it,
listen on car and classic or something. You know what, with this trim stuff,
the car is never going to be perfect. Just mention it be, you know what, you're going to be
transparent and honest in the ad anyway. Cause you don't, you're, you're not, you're not a bad egg.
So why don't you just list it as it is and say, look, here's what I'm asking. Talk to me.
Yeah, exactly. Cause when I think about it, and I think, hang on, I've put
two grand's worth of wheels on it. I've just had two grand's worth of welding onto it.
Um, and the amount of work that's gone into it, just to get it to a point where it's usable.
Um, I'm, I'm really pleased. It's just that I couldn't take my children out in it.
Yeah, I get it. You know what, but it's right. It's, it'll be the right car for someone,
you know, it made me someone on mainland Europe.
Uh, yeah, it could be, it could be because it's Italian delivered.
Yeah, I remember. Um, so that needs to go, but, um, but I think it's,
but with the nine, six, four, I just need to use it more.
There's things that need doing on it. I really need to do the rear brake pads.
You know, when you look and you go, I can't see the gap between the metal bit and the disc.
I can't imagine it's too big and difficult to job. Is it?
Oh yeah, it can't be. It can't be. All I need to do is, um, I just need to,
they're arriving tomorrow, the pads, Brembo ones. Um, and the thing is it's,
it's been cleaned to within an inch of its life from underneath as well. If you look under the
Really? Oh, that's great news. Yeah. The wheel arches and things like that. It's really clean.
And even the brake calipers look really clean. So if I, and brake calipers need painting,
they've got all the paints flaked off. I think just a couple of little things that need doing
would really bring it up. Um, and I could probably spend five grand to make it absolute tip top.
You know, the, um, with the brake calipers, all these people that do like, um, suspension mods
and wheel upgrades and vehicle wraps, all those sort of workshops, they all do paint caliper,
a brake caliper painting. Yeah. Go and see them. They'll do everything needed. So the stuff's on
there when the motor's hot, when the brakes are hot still. So it doesn't, you know, don't backyard
this one. Just go and see them and pay the. Yeah. 250 pound and someone will do the whole four of
them. You know what I mean? Yeah. Cause I want that done, but also I think there's an interior,
the interior needs some work. Okay. Uh, the driver's seats worn. Um, and the gear stick,
but the gear stick where I quite like, um, just keep some patina there that you're happy with,
you know? Yeah. Cause the seat needs doing, but the, the gear stick are quite like, and when,
when I got it, the key, the actual key that I was using is, um, it was warning to like a really
sharp blade at the end. Really? So thin. Yeah. So thin. I thought I can't keep using it. It's
going to snap. Yeah. So I started using the spare one, but I bought a, I went to a key cutting
place and they went, I don't have that key. Um, so I went and bought one from design 11
flesh 40 pounds or something ridiculous. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and then I bought the key fob for
the top as well. And I went back to the key cutting place and he went and he said, no,
I can't use a key that you've bought. I can only use a key that I've bought. What? And I said,
and I said, but I was here last week and you said, you don't have this key. Do you have it now?
And he said, no. And you know, when you're looking at him, I'm going, you see the problem I'm having.
So you get it somewhere else. Did I cut it? Uh, well, I haven't yet. So all I've done is,
because you don't, you get the normal key fob with the light in it. Sure. Yeah. Yeah.
And then you've got another much smaller one. I was using that and I couldn't quite turn it.
It was really difficult. It's like a valet key type thing, isn't it? Yeah, exactly. And so I,
I just put the new fob on top of that one. So it works fine. So I do need to get it cut, but
I've got spare key. Yeah, you spare a good, good decision. Yeah. So well, it's all very exciting
news. It's happened in the, in the flat cap driver household with regards to the garage.
Like you've got more cars and you've got parking spaces in your garage right now.
Don't you? Um, yeah. Well, in total, as a family, we've got four cars. Yeah. Yeah.
But two of them are garage cars, the 964 and the 912. So there's two garage spaces,
which is fine. Sure. And the 912, the 996 would always live outside anyway,
because that would be an everyday car. Right. Okay. Good to hear.
Well, my wife's not happy that I'm using both of the spaces.
Well, did she ever think that your car was going to be parked in there?
No, she, she had turned the one side into a gym. Oh, okay. Yeah, right then.
And I backed everything up against the corner and shoved the 964 in here.
As she said, oh, it's fine. I'll just clear the stuff out. That's at the end of it. I don't know,
you can't be doing weights right at the top of the car. So I've got to do something because you can
put a floor upstairs here. I can see you. I can see you got some mezzanine space available to you.
Yeah, but it's, it would just, it would just be like a storage space kind of thing. Sure.
But it needs quite a lot of work to make it a stable. I have, I have a very similar space in
my garage with a pull down ladder type thing. Then I've put flooring in it and all that sort of
stuff so that it's a, there's a lot of 356 parts up on my mezzanine.
Oh, see, I would move a lot of this weights and stuff, but I'd have to put a staircase in
on the next bit. Yeah, okay. The, I also, what about us? I've got all, every bike my daughter's had
growing up is up there.
Well, so I've got two girls and there are, we're a family that doesn't cycle.
Yes, okay. We'll get into the cycling bit in a minute. But there's, so, yeah, we don't really
cycle. I think there's nine bikes over there because when my oldest was born, I wanted him to
start cycling. So I bought a one when she was two. Sure. Never touched it. Never touched it.
And I bought one of those fancy ones that was a balance bike that turned into a bike.
Yeah. And so bought one of those. Then she got a bit bigger. I bought another one that was a bit
bigger. Never touched it. Then she got bigger, got another one. And then I thought, that's it. I've
no, no more. But then when she was a lot bigger, my wife bought one of those with a basket on the
front. Yeah. And she looked at that and thought, oh, that's interesting. So took her out cycling
seven days later, she's cycling. And then the little one sees her cycling and goes, oh, I want
to cycle. So then they're both cycling, but we've still got all the bikes and the scooters and
everything. And it's just honestly, they're all off on the wall, on the floor, on the side.
Yeah. Every every listener, because let's face it, 99.99 recurring percent of our listeners are
middle-aged men, which is right, who just happened to try and fit their portion
enthusiasm around their lifestyle. Right. All have exactly the same problem we're talking about right
now. Yes. Yes. Oh, by the way, the 964 has been given a name as well. Oh, what is it?
Goose. Goose? Yeah. Who called it that? My 11-year-old. She wasn't Goose. She wasn't
referring to the driver? No, she wasn't. No. And she wasn't referring to Goose from Top Gun, either.
Okay. Yeah. That's where I would have gone. She was referring to the cats from the Captain
Marvel film. Oh, yeah. Classic. Right. Now, I realize I've done far too much talking.
Well, I'm glad you asked. Well, I've had a lot of up and down going on in my work life since we
last spoke. However, that's very little, if anything, to do with my car enthusiasm. Outside
of the fact, I actually do work in sort of in the automotive space to a degree through a startup
business where we, the company I'm working for develops a lot of flow management of air cooling
for turbo intakes and diesel mining trucks and things like this and a lot of 3D scanning and
prototyping for power pipe development and all this sort of thing. It's, look, basically, I was
brought into the business to, because as a startup, it's run by some young guys who
have just had a crack and they're going really well and they used to quote the founder of the
business. He just needed to grown up in the room. Oh, yeah. So it's, look, it's been very interesting
to open eyes up to a whole sector of the market that didn't really have much insight to, but I've
quickly discovered here in Australia, which I don't think it'd be the case so much in the UK,
but definitely here, that this current generation's idea of what we consider muscle cars is
the off-road lane cruiser, you know, with big wheels and big turbos and big
lift kits and all this sort of stuff. And that's what all the 18 to 23-year-olds all aspire to
own at the moment. So it must be an Australian thing. Yeah, I think it might be. Oh, look,
it's probably not too dissimilar to in the States where they all drive the big pickup trucks,
you know, where the big jacked up suspension lights. Like I said, I don't, they wouldn't fit on the
roads in the UK, but they're a big thing over here at the moment. And I think, you know,
history is going to be very kind to these vehicles in another 20 years where the kids
who couldn't afford the ones they wanted in a position financially to actually buy them.
I thought you were going to say history will be kind because we'll be living in a
post-apocalyptic world. I think there's a lot of mad max about these vehicles,
there's no doubt about it. Yeah, exactly. But anyway, so I'm doing that. And
also, aside from that also, I've gotten back into the bicycle industry and opened up another
bicycle store in the city. So I've got a lot going on on that front. But car wise,
because how busy I am now trying to do two jobs, I don't think either of them as well as I should be.
The, I decided to, the 356 has got an intermittent problem with the starter,
and it's been trouble shot back to the starter motor itself, which only fitted in like August
last year. Yeah, I remember you saying, yeah. So that's been disappointing. So that's been a lot
of work to get to get back to finding out where this problem is. And whilst I took it to a Pete
Thompson, who's been a guest on the show before, he's got his own independent Porsche workshop now.
And he's crew are doing the work on the car for me. And whilst in there, I've got a service done
and did all the valve clearances and all that stuff, because I just don't have the time to do it.
And so that's all getting done at the moment. Yeah, I've got to go pick up the
starter motor from him tomorrow. And I'm just deciding whether or not I want to pay what it
costs to ship it back to the UK, because the starter motor is not light. It's probably going to cost
me half the price of starter motor to get a warranty on it. So I'm hoping they're going to come back
to me and say, look, when you find someone local, you know, we'll give you 20% off the next thing
you buy from us or something like that. And tell them to specifically look for this problem,
because when, you know, historically, you know, the three out of the last 50 we've ever had returned
have had this same common problem. I'm hoping I'm going to get some feedback like that from them.
But surely I would have thought that those kind of local engineering companies would be all over
the place in Australia. I don't know. I'm there will be someone that yeah, there will be someone
that can will be able to look at it for me. Right. But what I'd like to do is I'd like to go to them
with start here. Okay. You know what I mean? Rather than, you know, pay $500 Australian for them to
have no idea and have to dismantle the whole thing, right? So I don't want to go down that path
if I can help it. I'm hoping it's an easy solution, you know, but we'll see where it ends up.
Yeah, I think it's always one of those where it's an intermittent problem or it's a difficult one
to trace. I hate those. And it's so satisfying when you just go, okay, I know what the problem is.
It's a bit of a problem fixing it, but I know how to fix it. Yeah. And it's so satisfying when you
can do that. But you know, when you're kind of scratching around in the dark and you don't really
know what the problem is, I hate that. Just yeah, they're the worst. Oh, I'll tell you what else has
happened. I currently pay for storage for two cars. I've decided to start paying for only storing one
car because I put a vehicle lift in. No, that is big news. I can't believe you didn't see that.
I forgot off the bar. Yeah, I forgot all about it. I bought a four-post lift, right, and assembled it
myself. Is it a lift that you could work on or is it a storage lift? Okay. It is a drive-on four-post
lift. You have access to the underside of the car, but it's obviously resting on its wheels,
so you'd need to, it has a jack tray, so you could put a jack in there and lift it up off there if
you need to, right? But my intent isn't that. My intent is purely as a parking lift, right? That's
all I need to think for. Okay. Now, you'd love this. So it's only a two and a half ton lift,
right? So it's an entry-level lift for, look, I only put the 356 on it and the Audi TT gets
parked underneath, right? Right, yeah. And I do it that way because the 356 weighs like 800 kilos,
so it's a no-brainer, easy to do, right, except the gap between the two platforms that your wheels go
onto, the either drive-on, forwards or backwards, right? Yeah. There's only about 40 mil either side
gap between the inside of the tracks and the track of the car. So, and like the first time I'm going,
I'm thinking, oh, god, if this drops down, it's going to drop 150 mil and it's going to whack on
the muffler or something, dumb like that, you know what I mean? And I'm thinking, oh, this is a nightmare.
So whilst I've been on and off at three or four times, I've now actually gone and bought some
structural timber and stuff and actually filled in the gap. So I guess the Audi TT gets used a lot
more. No, it doesn't. The 356 gets used a lot more. Would you not consider doing the other way
around because the TT can't be that heavy, can it? I actually don't know what the TT weighs, but,
look, well below the limit. Oh, yeah, well and truly, I'm not concerned about the weight limit.
To drive on the road, the TT is solid. It's got that 2000s German on the road solidity about it.
Do you know what I mean? I want to say that, like they feel like, you know, when you floor it,
it feels like you're turning the earth, not moving on the earth type, you know, feel about it. Like,
it's like a, what else? What else? I had a BMW X5 of that era that felt exactly the same.
You shut the door and you feel it. You've closed, you know, you could go into space and this thing,
you'd be fine. Right. Yeah, I'm a big golf product then, a V5. Yeah, yeah. So you know what I'm
talking about, right? Anyway, the, I think it probably weighs about 1.3, 1.4 tonne, I'm guessing.
However, because it doesn't get driven very often, if I put it on the bottom,
if I've got to get it in and out all the time to get the 356 up and out, it's getting
heat cycled more often, which the car needs, you know, so I'm conscious of that,
whereas if I leave it up top all the time, I won't pull it down often enough.
Yeah. So anyway, putting together one of these lifts, that was the only time I've ever done it.
And I had a friend who I grew up with who came over from Melbourne for a weekend. I said,
oh, look, I've got this lift here. I've had it here for a month and I want to put it together.
He's a motorcycle mechanic and we've both been working on cars since we were kids and
he goes, yeah, let's do this. This is going to be a mint way to spend a weekend.
Anyway, my goodness, was it more work than we anticipated?
So hang on, did you have to bolt it into the ground?
I haven't bolted on the ground because it's a four-poster, right? However, I will bolt it
to the ground to give it its better stability, you know? But look, I've got to talk to the landlord
about that bolted into the ground bit as well. But look, now it's assembled. If I move the cars
from where they're currently stored to somewhere in the future, it actually has wheels that sort of
clip on and as you lower the top platform down, it sort of uses these levers and puts it on the
wheels and you can wheel the thing around and move it. Wait, wait. So you've put it up
in your car storage facility, not in your garage or home? Correct, yeah.
Oh, okay. And then if I want to move it, I'll just put it on a flatbed tow truck.
Yeah. And move it to where it goes next. I know a guy's got one of those.
A flatbed tow truck? Yes. Jeff with his Frankenhauler. Yeah, he does, yes, yes.
But he's a little bit further away from me. Actually, he's almost as far away from me as you
are right now. I thought about some kind of lift in here and I was foolish when we had the garage
built because my wife said, get a pit put in. A pit? A pit, yeah. Yeah, I know what it is. It's
yeah. And she said, look, because it can't go up, right? Well, you can get a lift, but it won't,
you can't get it. You just could have built it higher.
What, the garage? Yes. Not really, because it was more of a off the shelf. Hang up. No, no,
hang up. Wait, wait, wait, wait. You could have actually dug down deeper. If I recall,
you actually moved a lot of soil to get that thing level. Yeah, that's true. That is true.
But her thing was, well, we're going to get a concrete pad put down,
just get a pit made so you could just roll the car forward, walk down some steps and be under
the car. And for servicing, it would have been amazing. Not jacking it off or anything, just
walk down, undo the bolt, oil out, filter out, redone. Boom. And I didn't because I was worried
about flooding. Okay. I grew up in a household because my father was a motor mechanic by trade.
We had a pit in our garage. What? And once a month for my pocket money, I had to change the sawdust
in the bottom of it. No. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I should have got it done. But whereas now I think
about, well, how could I get, can I get one of those scissor lifts in? I don't think I need them.
I don't, well, what sort of height you got? It's not very high. So if you look at the top of the car.
Oh, yeah, yeah. No, no, it's not happened. Yeah, it's not. So the car could probably go.
The best you could probably hope for is like a quick jack or something like that, really, isn't it?
Yeah, exactly. So, or, you know, even if you got a scissor lift, it wouldn't be able to go. It could
probably go up three feet at the very most. And at your height, that's still a bad back material.
You'll be crouched down and stuff like that. So it's not even worth it, really.
Yeah, exactly. It's not going to be a lot more convenient than putting it on stands. Let's face it.
I took the 911 stands last year when I did the, you know, the little gauze in the tank.
Oh, yes, yes, yes. And I was taking that out and I jacked it right up. I had the
stands at the top. But you don't still, you're under the car and the underside of the car is right.
Right in your face. And you'll literally do that. You think,
no, I've got to stretch because if I go right close to it, I'm going to splash petrol onto my face.
And it's just that you just think, oh, this should be easier. But then,
but then I was thinking, you know, I need to change the oil in the 911 because I haven't changed it
for a couple of years mostly because I haven't used the car. But at least the filter's on top.
The filter's easy to change. And look, I know it uses the word filter,
but it's a passive filter. So it's fairly token, right?
Yes, true. That is true. But I do, I do now the weather's sunny today.
And we've been away for a few days over Easter. So tomorrow it's supposed to be like more than
20 degrees here and the day after. But I looked at my work calendar and they are just back-to-back.
On the Wednesday, I've got back-to-back meetings from 7am till 6pm.
How important are you?
It's annoying Australian customers. It's really 7am, yeah.
But it's, I would love to take the 911 out. But you know when you come out and you go,
I've only got a small window. And then you go, I've got to go in there, try and fire it up.
It's got to warm up a little bit. Then I'll take it out. And then you go, I could just take the 964 out.
I could just jump in and go.
Honestly, a lot of people think this about 350c because the 911 has got the same motor.
So I'm going to throw that in the same category, right?
Everything you read, even in the owner's manual, it doesn't say to sit down and let it warm up.
It just says, go easy for the first couple of minutes.
It's the splutteriness because I leave it for so long.
So you know if I drove it today, and then I drove it, put it in your calendar, lock out some time.
If I drove it once a week, yeah, if I drove it once a week, it'd be fine.
Perfect.
But I drive it so once every three or four months.
Yeah, that's terrible.
And then the car hates you.
And then it doesn't want to, yeah, I know. And it's not on trickle charge, so the battery's fine.
But it's just, it's just the initial getting it going.
You've got one of these things, right? Listen, as I'm just showing Hajma on my phone.
Put a recurring reminder in there every week, same time, same day.
Lock it out, lock out your calendar in it and just, you know what, give it 30 minutes.
But you've got 30 minutes. If you've got 30 minutes, you're not exercising.
I think I need to probably put it in my work calendar.
Yeah, do it. Lock it out. Lock out 30 minutes.
I've got to rely on the weather. I've got to rely on the weather.
Just do it.
I guess it's going to get better.
You're not going to believe this.
That ain't a perfect weather in Germany, all right?
And that's where the car was designed and built and where it comes from.
Just drive it.
That is true.
And you're selling it anyway.
Yeah, I'm going to sell it.
I'll be sorry to see it go. I have loved owning it.
But it's just, it's just not, I've not made the most of owning it.
But you haven't, you know what though?
You are going to need to sell that to cover Jack's bill as well.
Jack's bill, yes.
So I'm already that, the five grand for parts.
And that's not including buying the replacement heads,
getting it skimmed again, getting it pressure tested.
But at the same time, I'm going to be broke forever.
At the same time, I'm excited.
Look at the life you live in.
That is true.
That is true.
No one has ever laid on their death bed and said,
geez, I wish I hadn't aboard that Porsche.
I wish I had more money in the bank.
I know.
You know, when you catch yourself and you go,
kind of, you have to pinch yourself a little bit.
And I know I'm massively in debt.
And, you know, a bit like the major influencers who don't really own anything.
Yeah, except you're a moderate.
Yeah, I'm not an influencer.
No, you're a influencer.
Yeah, that's it.
But when you think about one of, when I bought the 964 and a colleague at work said,
how many cars is that on your driveway now?
And, you know, I just checked myself before I said it out loud.
I thought I was about to say, well, when my other 911 comes back from the garage,
it's going to be three.
I actually just think, look, as much as I loved having the GT4,
and the 356, right, I actually found it a little bit.
And like, this is just me.
I'm not judging anyone when I've made this statement, right?
I actually found it a little bit embarrassing to say I had two Porsches out loud.
Well, this is the thing.
I've got three.
I know you do.
I can't say it out loud.
And I feel like it's okay because, you know, one of them is financed.
I think that's kind of okay.
I don't really own that one.
The bank owns it.
It's like your house, you know, you don't really own it.
The bank owns it.
Sure, sure.
So it's the same kind of thing.
But I am, but when I bought the 964 when Simon rang me the first time,
and I said, I said, it's not red, is it?
And he went, yeah, it's red.
And then I went, okay, then I went as long as he hasn't got white seats.
And he went, yeah, it's got white seats.
So it's pretty much anything that I wouldn't have wanted.
Well, I have just seen Rint vehicle design.
Brian's got a Barn Find 964 Target in.
Oh, okay.
Like proper, proper, you know, it looks like the state of my 996 from the outside.
Yeah, okay.
But the problem, the thing that I was worried about 964 is rust.
I know they galvanized.
Um, but I don't think this one's been kept outside for the last 25 or so years.
Sure.
So, you know, it's pretty.
To keep it outside, but it's not the problem.
It's the driven on the salt.
That's the real problem, isn't it?
Let's face it.
Yeah.
And I think that the, you know, especially in the winter, when they're
caked in salt underneath and they don't, they never dry out.
Oh, let's talk about rust for a second on something else.
Yes.
I've got some bubbling action.
I've got a bit of bubble and squeak going on on the 356.
And I've got it tentatively booked in to get some rust repairs done.
Are you sure you want to pick at that?
Well, put it this way.
I need to get rid of, it's about to break through the paint, right?
And I've, in my head, I want to do a full body restoration on that car
in about 2031, 2032.
And I don't think I've got another five or six years of this current rust problem
up my sleeve.
So, it's only going to, you know, I've allocated a certain amount to address this problem.
It's not going to be perfect.
But the paint's a long way from perfecting that car anyway.
All right.
I mean, it looks fantastic in the photos.
Yeah.
Look at, look, you know what?
You and I probably photograph okay as well.
But when you see this in real life, right, the, not me.
So, yeah, I've got it set and there's really, I had some rust repair done
about five or six years ago and it is rusting where that repair was done.
And the person owns a business of some credibility.
So I'm not going to name and shame, right?
You can be rest assured it's not going back there to get done.
Right?
Now there's one absolute expert in the country that does 356s here in Australia.
Like any, if you've got a 356 and you're serious about getting any rust repairs or body restoration
done, this is the guy, right?
And he's an Adelaide.
Okay.
So it's about 2,500 kilometers away from me.
They're going to be transported then.
Well, here's what I'm thinking.
There's a group here in Perth of 356 owners that are talking about going over to the
there's a, like the National 356 Register here in Australia has a, their concourse
in November.
And there's about six owners here in Perth and all going over here.
And currently some are going to drive all the way.
Some are going to tow their cars to Adelaide and then drive from Adelaide because in Melbourne,
right?
So I'm thinking about doing that.
Towing it over to Adelaide, go and do the event.
Then on the way back, leave the car in Adelaide to get done.
Then I'll just come home.
And then when the car is done, which I expect will take a couple of months, right?
Hmm.
Fly over and drive the car back.
So is that, is that like five digits?
No.
No.
Okay.
That's, that's not too bad because I know what you mean because the nine six four has
bubbling a couple of, and I know it's been repaired.
I can see, and I've got the receipts to say.
Yeah, probably in the last 15 years.
So for it to come back on a car.
Yeah, it hasn't been done very well.
And it's, but it's, there's a couple of bubbles around the windscreen.
Normally, you know, it's bad when it's bubbling a lot, but it's not very much.
And it a little bit down at the front wing fender down where it meets the bumper.
Sure.
Front to the front wheel.
So it's basically screen out in the front.
And I think in the time that I've had it, someone's bumped, bumped it in a car park
where I left it.
So it's got cracks on the back bumper.
And so I'm thinking, well, if I could get it done, and that's where I was thinking,
if I could get it, those things done for five thousand pounds, say,
and get the driver's seat re-upholstered.
And then I'd just be, I'd be so happy then.
Yeah, okay.
But it's got silly little things that need doing.
Like the, well, the front hood struts needed doing.
Sure.
So I got those.
I ordered those.
Why didn't you get those?
Why didn't you get yours for a guest?
I didn't.
I've still got them.
But you know, when you go, they don't, they don't cost very much.
But they are, they're a proper pig to do.
Like I looked online and everyone said, oh, it takes 10 minutes.
But you can't, your hands don't fit.
You can't get your hand into the space and see what you're doing.
And the new ones have this tiny pin that you have to feed in.
So it holds it against the ball that's on the body.
And so I haven't put that pin in, but they're rock solid.
So that's fine.
And on the back, they're gone as well.
And now I'm seeing why they weren't done.
So I haven't done that.
I haven't done the decklid ones either.
Because, you know, your, your arm is in to the space.
Yeah.
And it's a clever, clever spin type thing.
Oh, no, it is.
And your arm, and your arm up to the elbow is into this space.
And you literally can't see anything that you're doing.
So I've got to be able to do that and not drop the pin into the engine.
I get it.
So to undo that.
So at the moment, I've not really, I've not really probably looked at the engine or anything.
Have you got a, is your car got a rear wiper?
Yes.
Oh, okay.
There's another.
So that rear decklid is heavy then.
It hasn't just got the spoiler.
It's got the wiper motor as well.
Is the wiper motor in the decklid?
It's not, is it?
Because the body is AR.
I don't know if it is in a 964 or not.
Do you have to open up the wiper, lift the wiper off to lift the rear decklid?
No.
Oh, okay.
My beauty in the body then.
Okay.
Oh, because the spoiler comes up automatically.
So it's got motor in there for that.
Yeah, yeah.
No, I don't think it is in the decklid.
I'll have to double check now.
You've said that.
But yeah, I need to do it because it's really annoying.
They've obviously been gone for absolutely ages because they offer zero resistance.
And that's the weird thing is when I got the 912, it's the same thing.
Okay.
It didn't have one on the back.
So any of them tried to put those in.
And then with the same on the 964.
I find it interesting that they went down this path with the 911 body and 912 obviously,
compared to 356 because mine's got the gravity where you lift it
and then the gravity thing swings in and that holds it and you have to lift it up again
and then pull it for it to drop.
You know, both the front and the rear.
I wonder why they didn't like that sounds like a lot more of a lightweight solution
than the gas strut to me.
Yeah, it does.
Or the spring loaded.
I think 911's usually have on their rear decklid.
They got those torsion springs sort of things to lift the back of my understanding.
They don't use a gas strut in the back.
Well, my 912's got gas struts on the back.
Does it really?
Yeah.
I thought they had springs, you know, like the middle.
No, no, it's got the gas struts and it didn't have them.
So on the front, it had one and the hood is heavy on the 912.
That's because there's bonds in it.
But it's...
So it had one and I thought, well, that's gone.
So I replaced it with one, but it wouldn't hold it.
So I had to again, then get two on the inside.
It held it up.
And for the back, decklid, it didn't have any at all, but I could see that there was a space for them.
And so I fitted them, but they were too strong.
So when I pulled the lever, the decklid just came up.
It is like a slingshot.
I mean, like you had a pop, sorry.
A couple of times, I went over a big bump and the decklid popped.
Latch popped and it just popped right off.
It didn't just sit there.
Yeah, sure.
So, you know, when you go, oh, that's cooling the engine down.
Extra cool.
There's no difference to what pops up in the 964 when you drive it.
80 kilometers an hour, is it?
Um, yes, spoiler on the back here.
That's right.
Exactly.
I think the spoiler on the 912 was bigger.
To the whole decklid.
On the 964, it comes up at low speed.
I haven't looked it up when, but I think it's 50 or something like that.
Yeah, it will be because I remember the press release when they came.
Like it pops up at 80K, which is 50 mile an hour, and drops back down at 20.
Something like that.
Yeah, because I was surprised because obviously you could see it in the review.
You just see the top edge of it.
But on the 996, it's 75 miles an hour.
75.
Yeah, it comes up and it goes back down under 50.
So, when you're on the motorway, highway, and it's come up,
everybody knows you've been above the speed limit by more than five miles an hour.
It's just because especially when there's a couple of roads around here where you just
pull onto a dual carriageway off a roundabout or you're going onto the motorway.
And I used to always floor it, red line it in second gear.
And those are the things that I miss about not having it.
I just really, I'm really getting to the point now because the sun's out.
Sure.
Sun's down.
I really want that car because especially when you're just popping out somewhere,
you're going to a shop, you're going for brunch, you're going to the next village,
you're going to work, I could just go in that.
And instead, I'm going in the family market with 210,000 miles on it.
I do that stuff in my 356.
I'll go down to the local soup market, which is literally one kilometer away.
I will happily get in my 356 and drop down there and do that.
I should probably start doing that because that's the local village.
But my problem with that is, that is literally the only exercise I do at the moment.
It's a one-dance one, which is three minutes each way.
That's a separate issue, right?
Because sometimes I'm stood at the front door and the sun's out.
And I'm thinking, oh, this would be really nice to get the top off, the target top off and drive down.
I've been meaning to ask, is the target waterproof?
So we're a couple of days where I left it out in the rain.
And you get in and think, I think it's dry.
There was no steam inside, no smell, except fuel.
But then I touched the carpet and I thought, is that a bit damp?
I'm not convinced there.
I'm not convinced because the guy, the dealer who had it first,
I think he got the carpet washed.
He got it properly cleaned up.
So I don't know if it's from that.
I would have dried out by now, surely.
It must have done.
So I don't know.
There's a little bit of damp in there.
But it wasn't, you know, it didn't crazy steam up or anything like that.
Yeah, good news.
Have you got a garden in there?
No, but also I need to fix the blower, the blower motor.
Just comes on when it wants to, even when it turned off.
And I think that's something to do with the sensor.
I've been on the forums.
That's great.
It's something to do with the sensor somewhere.
So I can make it come on by adjusting the temperature to a certain amount
and having it on for blast.
But generally, I don't use it.
And you know, when you get in a car, like you've not been in before,
you've got to work out what the gauges do.
Yes.
Well, hang on.
There's oil temperature.
There's oil level and then there's oil pressure.
Yes.
So obviously, I know oil pressure because my Nana, six gold pressure,
one, the oil temperature is fine.
And then I was looking at the oil level because it's not obvious that it's oil level.
I'm like, what's that gauge for?
And I'm sat in traffic and it's going off and down.
And you see what I'm driving?
It's low.
It's at the bottom.
But when I'm so with the oil temperature gauge, obviously it goes red at the top.
But with the oil level gauge just red at the bottom.
Yeah, that's right.
And I'm sat in traffic and it's a hot day and there's roadworks and I'm not moving.
And I can, I've just seen these gauges going off and down.
What is that gauge for?
And at one point I'm thinking, is it going to explode or what?
It's probably the third time I was driving it.
Yeah.
And I just think, is it going to blow up?
And you know, when you're in a car, generally you can tell if it's overheating.
Like car like that.
Like someone with mine 12 and it's getting hot.
I know it's getting hot because it's hot inside.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But this didn't smell that it was hot or anything like that.
And I'm like, what is that?
And then I came home and googled it and I'm like, oh yeah, it's the leveled.
And it only goes up when you're stationary and the cars warmed up.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because I think there's some thermostatically controlled valve that sends the oil to the front.
Or something like that.
I read it somewhere.
There will be an oil thermostat to hit to the coolers, right?
Yeah.
So it sends it to the cooler and that's when it starts registering on that gauge.
Yeah.
Because when you first fire it up, it doesn't register.
So I need to get out there and have a drive of it.
So this has been good to catch up for after such a long break.
I think let's not leave it this long again because I know it's the listeners of all four of them have missed the shows.
Yeah.
So we'll listen.
We'll commit to actually talking about some other Porsche news in the next episode, which
Ashmole put in the diary next to the Drive 912.
Yes, definitely and to sell my 912.
Yes, and to sell the 912.
Yeah.
And let's face it, that ain't happened any time in the near future.
I've got to sell it.
I know you're talking about it, but you're talking about all these other things you'll do first.
So I can't see it coming.
I mean, you can see how dusty it is behind you.
I can see how dusty it is behind you.
Listeners, it is dusty.
The last time it went out somewhere was Goodwood Revival in September.
Oh, goodness.
Yeah, okay.
And before that, it was probably the year before.
Yeah, that's right.
But it went away.
It would have been.
It's bad.
It is bad.
You don't deserve that, Car.
I know, but I've looked after it.
Sort of.
Yeah, I have.
I've looked.
I'm better than I've looked after my 996, although.
Your benchmark is low right now.
No, but when I went to see Jack and, you know, when you're under the car
and the engine hasn't come out yet, you go, hang on, it's pretty nice under here.
All the suspensions brand new.
All the brakes are brand new.
It's freshly cleaned and Lano guarded.
And, you know, obviously all the jacking points were brand new
because they were welded in.
Yeah.
And Jack was telling me that anybody who came to look at it would go,
is this car being scrapped?
And then they'd come and look under it,
run into a bomber lift and go, oh, I see.
So when it's got the engine rebuild, it will literally just be cosmetic.
And then I'll have to start saving for a full-on respray.
No, you won't.
You know, that's against everything you stand for.
You weigh the external condition of that car like a badge of honour.
About one, but not.
I wouldn't say I wouldn't do that to the 912 or the 964.
Good to hear.
Anyway, listen, if you've got something that you would like to share with us,
we'd love to hear from you.
You can get hold of Ajmal, especially if you want to buy his 912 off him,
at Flat Cap Driver.
I'm at Mark & Cars.
That's Mark with a C.
And Ajmal, you and I need to do this more often and let's make sure we do.
Definitely.
Sounds great.
Thanks for listening, everyone.
Talk soon.
About this episode
After a six-month gap, Porsche Talk Radio Show catches up with Ajmal and Mark, diving into real-world ownership pain and wins. Ajmal’s 996 is mid-rebuild after a head gasket/timing-chain-guides saga, with cracked-head news and the eye-watering Porsche parts premium. They compare that to bargain German/VW-group pricing and discuss sourcing obscure 356 components. Mark then shares how he ended up with a manual 1990 964 Target—plus battery-drain fixes, fuel smell checks, and upcoming brake/trim work. The chat also covers rust plans, 3D-printing vs outsourcing parts, and Ajmal’s new four-post lift.
Well it's been talked about for a few years now, and all it took was some convoluted negotiation through a couple of dealers, perfectly matched with a Family Lunch involving too much consumption, and Ajmal finally lands his much hyped 964! Timed to perfection, with his long drawn out 996 engine rebuild. Could this be the end of the journey for the 912?
Marc's life has been simple on the Porsche front in comparison. An overdue service combined with a dodgy new starter motor, coutesy of friend of the podcast, and previous guest, Peter Thompson from Purely Porscha.
The boys have plenty to catch up on as there has been 180 days since the last episode! They didn't even review 2025....
Anyway we hope you're up for the catch up they were long overdue for.
Got any feedback or ideas for the next episode? It wont be another 180 days away...fingers crossed send the boys a message.
Ajmal is @flatcapdriver
marc is @marcandcars
We all hope you're listening from behind the wheel.