997 TURBO S - A 6 MONTH REVIEW.
I've not fired up the Turbo 'S' up for quite a while, so decided to take advantage of the sudden cold, fine snap to go for a little run around the coast. I was immediately reminded what a fine piece of kit this car is. It may lack the vra vra vroom of the Ferrari, but as an all round performer, this car really rocks! [
]
Central locking was disarmed, so it was manual entry and you then need to get the ignition switched on fairly quickly or it'll set off the alarm system. The motor fired up first time as always, even though I'd forgotten to put it on charge. All systems worked OK and tyre pressures were fine (N2 filled). Driving through the village doesn't produce the impact the Scuderia used to - no open-mouthed stares, pointing or waving, but there were a couple of youngsters who stopped in their tracks to take a second look. Most villagers however, have become fairly used to seeing Porsche 911's of varying hues passing through in my neck of the woods. [8|]
Having collected the car from the dealer in Reading last August, the first outing followed immediately at the Wilton House Supercar display the very next day. Since then we have been to several 997 Register outings and a few runs here and there, but as I sat looking down at the dials, I was quite shocked to see 6½ K already clocked up. Insurance was for 7K pa, so a quick call to Marsh was needed to sort out more mileage, which they did easily and for just another 12 quid on the premium. Can't really say where all the miles have been done, I really enjoy driving the car and when you live in the far south-west, it's ½ day's travelling to get anywhere, so it all mounts up. [:-]
There was a bit of excitement last Autumn when I entered the local motor club's sprint meeting at Chivenor as they were a little down on entries. In spite of there being any amount of mouth-watering motors on hand, I was requested by the local radio station to do a demonstration run around the track as a prize for one of their competition winners at half time, so managed to get Porsche a bit of publicity and to my surprise also won a couple of awards in the competition itself. Not quite sure what for, since I left early - the weather was rather cold and wet for my old bones and I've yet to pick up the trophies, but probably for being the oldest participant or something! [&:]
Launch control seems far easier to initiate on the Porsche than Ferrari - I always needed to get the handbook out for instructions on that one. Also, I found in Sports Plus mode (equivalent to the Ferrari's "Race") the car was ideal for the twisty circuit, and needed only manual down changes, since PDK seemed quite capable of dealing with up changes without any human input. [8D]
Judy finds the current car much more comfortable too, so that makes our trips a lot easier, although she actually prefers the ride of the Turbo to the Turbo 'S' which seems a little more firmly sprung. []
Maintenance? I've fitted some mesh to the front PU and adjusted the boot lid, which was rattling a bit. The oil and filter have been changed a couple of times and I was initially concerned about some slight scoring on the engine cylinder bores, but I've been assured by the OPC, Porsche Technical and Hartech that all is well. The car doesn't smoke excessively and uses no oil to speak of, so I'm trying hard to suppress my paranoia and simply enjoy the ownership experience. I'll rely on the 3 year Manufacturer's warranty should anything go wrong subsequently!
Chris Franklyn (Center Gravity) had a session on chassis alignment and has given the front end a little toe-out. This makes the car a bit more pointy and dials out some understeer, which I like. It won't suit everyone since it does tend to increase final oversteer, a trait that Porsche always tries hard to eliminate in its standard set up. [&:]
This is a car suiting my needs completely. I like the Basalt Black Centre-Lock wheels and haven't found any problem removing them that a length of gas piping and a ¾" 'T' bar won't resolve. This is the first 911 I have had with the Aerokit fitted and it does seem to help with high speed and back-end stability. There's also a bit of carbon fibre in the cabin - but not overly so.
Summing up, it's a go-almost-anywhere, reliable motor, an everyday runabout if you need it - a GT car for touring when the occasion arises - and you can go out and play at a bit of motorsport at weekends, when the fancy takes you -it's quite competitive as well. []
Me and my Turbo 'S' are likely to remain firm friends for a quite a while yet. []
Regards,
Clive.
I've not fired up the Turbo 'S' up for quite a while, so decided to take advantage of the sudden cold, fine snap to go for a little run around the coast. I was immediately reminded what a fine piece of kit this car is. It may lack the vra vra vroom of the Ferrari, but as an all round performer, this car really rocks! [
]Central locking was disarmed, so it was manual entry and you then need to get the ignition switched on fairly quickly or it'll set off the alarm system. The motor fired up first time as always, even though I'd forgotten to put it on charge. All systems worked OK and tyre pressures were fine (N2 filled). Driving through the village doesn't produce the impact the Scuderia used to - no open-mouthed stares, pointing or waving, but there were a couple of youngsters who stopped in their tracks to take a second look. Most villagers however, have become fairly used to seeing Porsche 911's of varying hues passing through in my neck of the woods. [8|]
Having collected the car from the dealer in Reading last August, the first outing followed immediately at the Wilton House Supercar display the very next day. Since then we have been to several 997 Register outings and a few runs here and there, but as I sat looking down at the dials, I was quite shocked to see 6½ K already clocked up. Insurance was for 7K pa, so a quick call to Marsh was needed to sort out more mileage, which they did easily and for just another 12 quid on the premium. Can't really say where all the miles have been done, I really enjoy driving the car and when you live in the far south-west, it's ½ day's travelling to get anywhere, so it all mounts up. [:-]
There was a bit of excitement last Autumn when I entered the local motor club's sprint meeting at Chivenor as they were a little down on entries. In spite of there being any amount of mouth-watering motors on hand, I was requested by the local radio station to do a demonstration run around the track as a prize for one of their competition winners at half time, so managed to get Porsche a bit of publicity and to my surprise also won a couple of awards in the competition itself. Not quite sure what for, since I left early - the weather was rather cold and wet for my old bones and I've yet to pick up the trophies, but probably for being the oldest participant or something! [&:]
Launch control seems far easier to initiate on the Porsche than Ferrari - I always needed to get the handbook out for instructions on that one. Also, I found in Sports Plus mode (equivalent to the Ferrari's "Race") the car was ideal for the twisty circuit, and needed only manual down changes, since PDK seemed quite capable of dealing with up changes without any human input. [8D]
Judy finds the current car much more comfortable too, so that makes our trips a lot easier, although she actually prefers the ride of the Turbo to the Turbo 'S' which seems a little more firmly sprung. [
]Maintenance? I've fitted some mesh to the front PU and adjusted the boot lid, which was rattling a bit. The oil and filter have been changed a couple of times and I was initially concerned about some slight scoring on the engine cylinder bores, but I've been assured by the OPC, Porsche Technical and Hartech that all is well. The car doesn't smoke excessively and uses no oil to speak of, so I'm trying hard to suppress my paranoia and simply enjoy the ownership experience. I'll rely on the 3 year Manufacturer's warranty should anything go wrong subsequently!
Chris Franklyn (Center Gravity) had a session on chassis alignment and has given the front end a little toe-out. This makes the car a bit more pointy and dials out some understeer, which I like. It won't suit everyone since it does tend to increase final oversteer, a trait that Porsche always tries hard to eliminate in its standard set up. [&:]
This is a car suiting my needs completely. I like the Basalt Black Centre-Lock wheels and haven't found any problem removing them that a length of gas piping and a ¾" 'T' bar won't resolve. This is the first 911 I have had with the Aerokit fitted and it does seem to help with high speed and back-end stability. There's also a bit of carbon fibre in the cabin - but not overly so.
Summing up, it's a go-almost-anywhere, reliable motor, an everyday runabout if you need it - a GT car for touring when the occasion arises - and you can go out and play at a bit of motorsport at weekends, when the fancy takes you -it's quite competitive as well. [
]Me and my Turbo 'S' are likely to remain firm friends for a quite a while yet. [
]Regards,
Clive.
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