Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Would you like to have some adventures across the UK and Europe in a Porsche without the worry of damaging your pride and joy or breaking down a million miles from home and feeling stranded.

I know I often want to do a trackday, but one thing that puts me off is damaging or putting adverse stress on one of my pride on joy cars.

I know I would like to spend some time at Spa and the Nurburgring, but certainly do not want to plant my white turbo into the armco at the nurburgring.

I would also like to go on a driving adventure to other parts of Europe, but often worry "what if I break down a thousand miles from home?"

I have also watched top gear over the last few years and enjoyed their adventures across Europe in all kinds of cars and realised that it is not so much about the hardware they are driving that make them look fun, but the journey they take.

Anyway, for some time I have noticed that customers have had the same worries and I have told a few of them of a spark of an idea I have had. I have also mentioned it in passing on this forum.

The idea is that 924's are relatively inexpensive, and if several people were driving standard 924's I could supply spares that could be distributed across the fleet of cars during journeys, along with some tools, to ensure just about nothing stops us from completing the journey, and if it did, if we all had ADAC (German europe wide version of the AA) we could let them bring the car home and the driver jump in with some other members of the adventure and share some driving, just to meet your car back home once it is all done.

With 924's being available, as project cars needing a little attention, for as little as a £400 for super sheds, up to £1500 for a runner in good nick, it could be an option for some like minded people to buy one each and start planning some adventures.

Initially the adventures would be close to home, perhaps UK track days, maybe a weekend with an overnight in northern Wales, Cornwall, The peak or lake district.. Then perhaps moving onto a weekend over to Spa, the Nurburgring and eventually Northern Italy for the Stelvio pass.

Just to mix things up a bit, perhaps having each of these adventures having a competition involved which is not just based on speed, but more on navigation, like a treasure hunt on route, with the winner getting a silly benefit, and the looser a silly default, such as the winner not having to buy drinks all night at the destination (everyone elses round but theirs) and the looser perhaps having to have his car wearing a "man love rules" banner on his way back the next day.

Anyway, I have a couple of surplus 924's, I would say it would be open to non turbo, 2.0 924's only to keep it from getting competative on speed and everyone would need to be prepared to muck in when something goes wrong, and be prepared to have fun.

I would be behind this project 100% even if it means that I open my doors to all members of the adventure club on a saturday morning, making available a lift (by pre booking) along with a mechanic for hand holding so they can check and prepare their car. In addition, I would be prepared to set up a fund for the group to buy a 924 to be broken up for spare parts to be freely distributed among who in the group need them.

Anyway, would anyone here be interested?

The answer is: YES!

But I probably wouldn't keep the car at the end of the adventure. Do you want to do it this year?

Reminds me of this book: http://www.bencoombs.net/africanporsche_tripreport1.html

I have experience of organising tours, organised a few european tours for supercars.

I'd enjoy organising another one and would certainly be up for a trip in a 924.

I get the idea for a track day, buy a cheaper car to use and abuse and have some low risk fun

IMHO I fail to see how spending £2k + a year on another car gives you a better option for a driving tour. You would be better off investing that money in maintenance of your current Porsche.

I have been on well over a dozen or so road trips to Europe in the Porsche. It is by far the most enjoyable time we spend with a Porsche.

Sean - I think Jon's concern, like the rest of us, is taking your pride and joy on a track, and throwing into a wall. If it only cost £500 to begin with, it won't hurt you so much.

Personally, I look forward to the challenge of repairs.

Jon's idea is sound, for the track if you are precious. His post mentions European adventures and UK tours.

The costs involved will be considerably more than £500. You still have to tax and insure and maintain the car to a high standard to drive it to and then complete a track day.

Track Days and long tours will both test a cars durability.

My 944 Cab completed 1000's of miles in Europe and went on the odd track. The Speedster is my garage queen and I used the Cab and currently the 4S as Jon's 924 substitute.

My point is for driving holidays all cars are capable irrespective of age if well maintained. At Laon there were hundreds of old British Classics, some broke down and got fixed it's all part of the fun.

Sean makes an excellent point. Having driven all over Europe at breakneck speeds in an old recently purchased 944, Id sooner do it now in a car that I know, look after and have recently wisely spent money on.

The car in my avatar was subjected to a one hour examination by Stuttgart police during the 2007 Scumball3000 (and not the gentle going over in the car park that the majority got away with!) and the car on either side was confiscated and scrapped (inc a cheap 924!). Unlike most other entrants Id bought a known car and then MOTd it and not cut any corners.

Even after this I still didnt feel really confident until we rolled off the ferry on Monday night! My heart was in my mouth when we had an incident with the car in the Italian Alps and again on Monday afternoon when we lost a tyre on the run from Djon to Calais.

Fun when you get home and look back but fraught at the time.

Jon,

Very keen on the road trips, etc (although I draw the line at driving around the Ring in anything on a Public day). However, I am inclined to agree with the other posters, I'd rather take the car that I know (and enjoy driving) on road trips. I already take it to tracks, and tend to try and moderate my exhuberance when I think the risks are higher, so for me, the risks are no different. Now, if you were talking about racing, I might have a different view!!

As a technician with many years Porsche experience, I enter any euro trip with a level of trepedation, even in the most pampered and well maintained Porsche. No one expects their car to break down, but fortunately they usually break down close enough to home to not be a problem.

One aspect of my idea is just to have all the cars of one make, so a complete kit of spare parts can be distributed among all the cars in the tour so just about anything which could stop a car from proceeding can be dealt with on the road, and a 924 as the most simple car mechanically and electrically. Breaking down in a foreign country is stressful enough, then finding out the local garages can not get the part you need for a few days is a trip breaker.

The next aspect is that I want to go to the ring on a tourist day, but I do not want to do a slow tourist lap to just earn a the honourable right to a sticker (rather than ebay), I want to actually enjoy the laps to the max and have a bit of fun, so the risk of rubbing the armco is increased over a sedate lap.. So the car needs to be disposable. I enjoyed the blyton track day, but would have enjoyed it more if the car was not one of my pride and joy.. So I want something I can play with on track days, in this country as well as overseas.

The third aspect is that on a euro trip I think doing it in a bit of a shed, with the above mentioned safety nets, part of the fun will be the "Will she make it there" and if not, it is not the end of the world, ADAC membership will get the car somewhere safe or all the way back home, if not a tow rope in one of the other guys car will at least get the car to where it can be looked at.

My insurance quote for a second car policy is about £140, road tax will be the usual amount and the trips will be in the summers with the end of spring or start of autumn, so six months will be enough, and servicing.. oil and filter change once a season should be fine.. What is the most expensive service item on a 924? Probably a set of plugs or the oil.

What I suggest has a different vibe to a take your Porsche across europe trip, more of a TopGear style "oh my god will we all make it" trip.. all the cars will need an MOT and I can certainly help people make sure the cars pass police examinations in europe and have had free professional examinations before each trip where possible.

I just got back from a great weekend at the ring for the 24 hour. Went with 3 other great guys, 2 of which I had never met before.. We drank a little too much.. ate well too much.. and we had some fun getting lost on the Brussels ring road, but came back as good friends.

What I propose is a trip, without the significant others in our lives, a guys road trip, or sequence of trips, where the emphasis is on having a great time, not necessarily coming back with a little more culture, but coming back knowing you went on the journey of a lifetime with a group of like minded people who went for the fun of it, but you could count on if there was a problem, build some decent friendships as well as some decent memories.

When you get to many of our times of life, things become very routine, risks are rarely taken and it can be hard to really break the ice properly to a level where good friendships are made and memories forged which make you look back with a "wow" factor... My plan is to spend as little cash as possible, and take what for some of us might be our last chance to break the chains, for a few days not be "dad", "the boss", "the manager" or someones other half, hit the road and be slightly irresponsible at appropriate times.

Sometimes adversity can be something that makes you feel truly alive... The times I have felt most alive was after crashing a souped up Jetski about half a mile off the coast of Turkey, when driving a jeep up a gravel track (slightly narrower than the jeep) up the side of a mountain with a 1400 foot drop on one side and a rock face on the other...

The times when I have truely known who my friends are is when the chips are down and you see who mucks in.. Over the last few years I have had a few events where I have seen who my true friends are, and they are the ones I invest in now.

While at the ring recently I tore my cartlage in my left knee, along with the tendons and ligerments and now have a blood clot and a bleed in that joint.. It will be a while before I know how permanent that damage will be, but what I do know is when I had that injury with two strangers and one customer, their reaction and assistance is what turned them from two strangers and one customer into people I would consider as friends.

This is the point of the trip, its not the destination, but the journey and the company you are with, no hierarchy or snobbery of who has what car, as we will all be in the same cars, no race to the destination, as part of the fun will be making sure everyone gets there together. And unlike a rally like some of the ones for charity or the ones that get the headlines, no having to sell the car at the end of the journey, no expensive venues and off the beaten track rather than big name events where the whole town is ready to extort you.. Low cost, big fun experience will be the name of the game, no life or death risks, no who has the biggest wallet, or keeping up with the Jones', everything will be aimed at everyone playing at the same level and together.

I really like the idea of this, a very good way of making it a true budget run would be to set a 1k limit on the total spend on the car.
A friend of mine took a 924 to the Nurburgring five years ago, the car cost £600 and it was due an MOT when he got back (which it failed) this to him was the thrill... Like you say the will she won't she seat of your pants experience but not everyone are like my mate, this is the guy who took a reliant robin to the Le Mans 24 hour just for sh!ts and giggles
I for one would sign up if I could convince the accountant that its a good idea but that would be easier if the destination was something like the south of France, I'd like to say Monaco but that would not be cheep, but think of the photos of a group of "old bangers" amongst such decadence

Actually I expect to breakdown every day, most days I am pleasantly surprised.

Sometimes I am not

On a serious note I have done a number of utterly unsupported road trips in a range of cars and they are very exciting but only if you are someone who deals with stress well. In Europe just make sure you are happy that you have a way to send to the car and yourself home (ADAC for example) and that if that happens you pick yourself up and organise another trip. The trip to Africa was difficult as our BMW was crap and broke a lot, we barely made it The Gambia!

My Turbo will be doing another road trip this year (it may well break down) going to Croatia and Slovenia and back. I am going with friends and we all have radically different cars. The most ambitious is a 1986 TVR 350i! I cant wait to have a go at it but we have had cars break before and they have had to be sent home. Oddly a few ago my Porker was one of the only ones that did make it back.

If you haven't done these trips before or are a bit nervous of such an undertaking then Jon's idea sounds good as you don't have to worry so much - but I would always opt to take my car - rusts, leaks and all!

Hi Jon,

I would be up for this. Already have a 924, so I am already halfway there!!

David

If I can scrape together the cash alongside all of my other cars I have lying around I may be interested in this. I'm in need of a good adventure!

Hi All,

I would be interested in taking part so long as I can find a 924 for around £500 mark, as I too would want to get rid of when I return, and whilst £500 is alot of money to throw away, I'd be happy to take a gamble on winding up with a car that winds up been recovered back home and scrapped / broken for parts....

I have done alot of euro trips from my renault days, Whether we have been to the ring, wales or just a local hoon on some B roads, all I can say is that they are fun.

I am actually embarking ona roadtrip this friday with 4 other cars/friends. I was supposed to be taking the turbo, but its still in the bodyshop!! So last weekend I started looking for a plan B, and ended up buying a lexus LS400 (4.0 V8) for £400. It has straight pipes, has every extra you can imagine and sounds awesome!! I have been driving it since last sunday, and so far she has not missed a beat!

Whilst I am gutted that the 944 will not be ready, and I will have a complete shed/barge combo, I am actually a little relieved as I was very apprehensive about taking a freshly painted 944 on a roadtrip with my friends, as we are all complete hoonigans!! So instead I have a big ''wafter'' and will literally drive it to destruction. If it blows I will get it recovered to Uk, and jump in someone elses car.


So going back to Jons last post, I think it makes sense to take a shed, as you can throw it around without worrying about damage or stonechips,and if you like abuse the engine to destruction. It may end in tears, but you;ll still have your baby lockd up in the garage back home still in 1 piece.

I will watch this thread with interest and if money is right will join the trip /(s).

Quick question, is there any objection to taking a non porsche vehicle ? If this lexus makes it to cannes and back, I may sort out the handling and keep it for future use...

I drive mine to Poland a few times a year, and have lapped the ring in it. RAC euro cover is only 110£ a week.
I think your more likely to stack an unfamiliar car tbh.
If i was going to do Euro trips in a different car it would be a modern Audi TDI or somthing!