Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

A few years ago I raised an idea with a few friends and customers, which we never got around to doing.

The basic idea was as follows.

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Lots of people like the idea of doing something like the cannonball run or gumball rally, but do not like the elitism or cost
Lots of people would love to do a TopGear style challenge, but never get around to it
Lots of people worry about going on a super long tour into Europe, for fear of "What if...."
Lots of people can not take a month off work
[/list]

My solution was to arrange a group of people with these interests, who are down to earth and fancy an occasional adventure. These people were then to buy a 924, even if it was a "fixer-upper" and get it together as a project... Then, a few times a year, there will be arranged an adventure, it could be a short weekend break, through to a week long tour. The destination could be as far as eastern Europe, the Nurburgring, Porsche Museum, Stelvio Pass or could be as close as somewhere in the UK, such as the ACE cafe, tunnel runs etc.

The key thing is, I would supply the cars in each adventure with a complete spares package to be split between the cars, if someone uses a bit, they buy it, if not it gets returned to stock after the adventure... also spread among the cars in each adventure would be some basic tools, no need to duplicate, but with each car carrying a few kilo's of tools and spares, there should not be anything the people in the adventure would not be able to take care of.. and if the worst came to the worst, as the cars are cheap, either international RAC could get the car home, with the driver and passenger joining someone elses car to continue enjoying the adventure, or, if it was beyond repair... dumped... But seeing as most of these adventures would have at least one, but maybe two pro-Porsche mechanics on board.. I doubt anything would turn into a problem

I am still quite keen on this idea. Anyone else up for it?

Also, if anyone is interested, next year I am considering the chance of setting up a car for the Britcar endurance race.. Costs will be split between drivers, if there is too much interest for one car, I am sure we could prep more than one

Do you have estimated costs for the ideas Jon? I'm interested. Costs aren't my main worry, getting time is probably harder for me.

I think the costs would be around £1000 for a car, often found at ebay bellow that amount, and if they need work much less which should pay for the work, otherwise it isnt a good idea to buy it.

Maybe spending £200 to £500 making sure it is good for the journeys

I would not arrange it as something you pay to enter, it would be a group of friends and like minded people looking for some fun and top-gear style adventures (maybe without writing manloverules on the side of the cars though.

Only other cost would be fuel, ferry crossings for the continental stuff and other costs of your food and drink.

Could be done with camping, so the cost of a tent, or could be done with B&B's, all depends on what people would want.

Would possibly recommend that the adventures are (and kat better not get offended) lad's trips, without spouces, so we can all let our hair down and be foolish if we wish to.

Lets face it, most of us here now have a lot of responsibilities in our day to day lives, we have more expensive cars than perhaps when we were young chaps, which is unfortunate because we might be a little too precious about them.. Whereas with a 924, we might be more inclined to think of the car as disposable, be happy to enjoy it, park it in a field, sit on it and throw empty coke cans in the back... Something like this might be just the ticket, as a method and excuse to let our hair down.

For the spares support, it would be just that, not charged for, just a load of parts split between the cars with prices on them, if someone in the journey needed something, they would just pay for it at usual UK prices... its more there to avoid breakdowns than to make money, so no charges there to anyone.

If the "women" were to give us trouble, we could even arrange it as a group holiday thing, decide on a european destination, get the wives to fly on ahead as part of a package holiday for a couple of weeks, we meet them there part way through spend some time there for a couple to a few days, and then head back by another route before they leave so we get back about the same time.

Just thinking out loud, but I am not a laying on a beach type of person, and would enjoy a long continental road trip more than a flight and time on a beach, but maybe using that as the holiday in the middle would be ok and then another road trip home.

As well as that, we could arrange several smaller adventures in the UK, some long weekends across the channel and lots of other things... We could either have it as a tipec thing or a non tipec thing, possibly with all the cars getting tipec window sun strips and calling it the "TIPEC Ramshackle tour" and getting some press for the club in the Porsche and general press.

I already have a few people interested from a couple of years ago, they may all still be up for it.

The best bit.. a 924 is generally reliable, a few achillies heals that could do with sorting to trust them, and they can be fun to drive, especially if you throw away the non essential bits.



Any thoughts anyone?


I could be up for this. One thing we talked about up here was a top gear type challenge, including buying the car, and getting from lands end to john o'groats for an agreed amount?

I'm interested in both, but the Britcar or similar sounds the most interesting to me.

So, you want a Top Gear style challenge - here's one for you;

As you depart from Calais, head for the 'old circuit' in the heart of Champagne country. Park your car on the old pit straight and take a photo of the entire team changing a wheel. Car must be jacked up, one of the wheels must be off the car and the whole team, car and the 'Ferodo' logo on the pit straight wall must be visible in your picture. Luggage must have been re-packed into the boot - no suitcases lying about!! Points awarded 20. Bonus of additional 30 points for having 2 wheels off the car in the picture, same requirements as above.

And the second;

Conduct the 'Coke and Mentoes' experiment on the roof of your car. Height of Coke spount to be at least 3 times the height of the Coke bottle. Background must be pretty scenery, mountains, fit birds etc.......... Car must be visible in the picture. Points awarded 20 or 50 points if all team members are in the picture.

You get the idea?

The photograph to be taken standing on one leg whilst drinking a large G & T and whistling the national anthem.

Or Champagne if you are at Reims

Bit of an update on the Britcar24hr 2013.

Entry price for a car is expected to be £4500+VAT, if they do the same as this year, it will be discounted between the start of the year and March by around £500

Cars can have 4 to 6 drivers, meaning with six drivers you get 4 hours each for £900 including VAT per person for entry fees. Or.. £225 per hour, £3.75 per min of driving. About £6 a lap I guess.

That's without fuel share, car share, RACMSA Licence etc..

Not cheap, but I guess a once in a lifetime experience

I'd be very very interested in the Britcar, i don't have a RACMSA licence though...... yet.

Cost for Britcar is just about do-able for me. What type of licence do I need and how do I get it?

Here's a link for licenses not cheap http://www.msauk.org/custom/asp/home/default.asp

Been a few years since I last had my RACMSA licence, but back then it worked out cheaper if you were a member of a RACMSA approved competition club which there is or was local ones in every county.

I was a member of the Bournemouth and District Car Club, which ran a lot of rallies, sprints, autotests (and my favourite) navigational rallies... Once you were a member, the local club used to provide discounted licences (I think the basic one was included in the peanuts membership fee) and had local instructors to deal with the half day course for your national licence for closed circuit racing.

Can't remember the in's and outs, but I know I saved a lot of money by doing this.

Also had to have a medical, but that was more of a "Are you breathing?, yes? ok, sign here" kind of affair.

However this was a while ago.

http://www.silverstone.co.uk/track/driv ... hing/ARDS/
thats the cheap part! msa pack £50 FIA MSA suit gloves & helmet around £1000 but you can spend a lot more.
all this before you even race.
then prep the car, roll cage, seat, harness, suspension, brakes, even race pads are £100 upwards. then you start buying perspex windows, q.d steering wheels etc. T
This is why my kitchen has taken 2 years to build and still isnt finished and the car still needs tyres!!

Now I can't stop looking at 924's on eBay!!!!

Cheap disposable and almost indestructible fun.

Only worry is, they also respond well to love and attention, which for the rally will stop them being quite a lot less disposable!