Hopefully you 356 owners have been taking advantage of the spring weather that most if not all of the country have been enjoying.
I was lucky enough to join the Spring Drive organised by Richard and Jeff East , following a tip off from Steve Winter of Jaz. So on last Tuesday , 21 April , a 6.30 alarm setting to make sure I could make a 9.00 rendezvous at Halstead . Bright sunny day , London traffic reasonable , but made a big loop west on M4 then south and east on M25 . I'm sure the 356C could have coped with the direct routing crossing river at Vauxhall then through the narrow streets of SE London but not the driver.
10 cars assembled , 5 coupes , 2 roadsters , 2 speedsters , 1 cabriolet , we received our route instructions -
' Chiddingstone /Penshurst/ Fordcombe/ Groombridge/ Frant /Wadhurst/ Flimwell/ Hawkhurst /Rye and lunch at Brookland'
I did not have a navigator so relied on following the car in front , so consequently was under pressure at road junctions , traffic lights , level crossings , zebra crossings........the two lead cars were the speedsters being driven in a spirited fashion.
After lunch we were invited to return to Crosthwaite & Gardiner (what a fantastic place!) via Lewes and Heathfield.....again a spirited drive , with modern cars giving us plenty of leeway in narrow streets or in twisty bits and sometimes holding us up on the straight bits ! Richard Crosthwaite and Mark Sumpter were setting the pace which was broadly in line with indicated limits.
Here are some rough and ready pictures
I was lucky enough to join the Spring Drive organised by Richard and Jeff East , following a tip off from Steve Winter of Jaz. So on last Tuesday , 21 April , a 6.30 alarm setting to make sure I could make a 9.00 rendezvous at Halstead . Bright sunny day , London traffic reasonable , but made a big loop west on M4 then south and east on M25 . I'm sure the 356C could have coped with the direct routing crossing river at Vauxhall then through the narrow streets of SE London but not the driver.
10 cars assembled , 5 coupes , 2 roadsters , 2 speedsters , 1 cabriolet , we received our route instructions -
' Chiddingstone /Penshurst/ Fordcombe/ Groombridge/ Frant /Wadhurst/ Flimwell/ Hawkhurst /Rye and lunch at Brookland'
I did not have a navigator so relied on following the car in front , so consequently was under pressure at road junctions , traffic lights , level crossings , zebra crossings........the two lead cars were the speedsters being driven in a spirited fashion.
After lunch we were invited to return to Crosthwaite & Gardiner (what a fantastic place!) via Lewes and Heathfield.....again a spirited drive , with modern cars giving us plenty of leeway in narrow streets or in twisty bits and sometimes holding us up on the straight bits ! Richard Crosthwaite and Mark Sumpter were setting the pace which was broadly in line with indicated limits.
Here are some rough and ready pictures
