What did you do today?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:24 pm
As it was the first really sunny day of the year...and the day before the vernal equinox ....we decided to go for a quick drive to blow the cobwebs from our Porsche 944.
It was such a lovely day, clear blue skies and bright sunshine, we (my ever suffering wife Kim and I) decided to go topless, removing the roof panel from the car.
Home is near Gatwick, so we'd decided to take a run through the countryside past Horsham, on towards Guidford passing through the picturesque village of Bramley and then up to the Hogs Back....and then we had our Thelma and Louise moment....with the Porsche running superbly the moment took over when my wife suggested we just keep driving...and we did.
Through to the M3 and on to the 303 passing Stonehenge and Yeovil and on right down to Weymouth. The only thing that stopped us going onto the ferry was the poor dog and teenage son left home alone....the dog is ok but I cannot trust my son with the house!
For the return we followed the A31 through Dorchester, finally picking up the M27/A27 heading back through Chichester and the towards Brighton before taking the A24 back past Horsham and through to Crawley..
The return drive was amazing especially with the moon tonight which was blood red and enormous as it rose above the horizon just as we passed Southampton...an incredible sight.
We covered just over 350 miles in just over 7 hours ( including stops), used £60 worth of fuel, passing through a total of six unique counties on the journey.
For the first time since I've owned the car ( five years now) I finally had an opportunity to experience what she was designed for......it's a grand tourer in the true sense...designed to travel hundreds of miles at high speed and in comfort and safety.
Whilst many modern cars could now do the task more efficiently and use much less fuel...that's missing the point...it's the way the car effortlessly covers the miles with ample reserves of thrust, such is the torque from the 2.5 ltr 4 pot engine you need not change out of top for anything but coming to a full stop.
It'll trundle along at 30 in top gear, eagerly acelerating all the way to top speed without complaint. The sheer pace...and I mean pace not speed....of the Porsche is stunning today, compared to it's contemporaries it seemed like it was from another planet....no wonder it cost the equivalent of £48000 when new!
Now at nearly 30 years old, the 944 is equally at home trundling around cities, back lane cruising or thundering along the motorways. In a world dominated by Eco-friendly ergonomic politically correct safety cells, she is a real dinosaur......but what a car! Long live the past, it is a breath of fresh air in today's uniform perfection on wheels.
Thelma and Louise can't wait for the next sunny day
It was such a lovely day, clear blue skies and bright sunshine, we (my ever suffering wife Kim and I) decided to go topless, removing the roof panel from the car.
Home is near Gatwick, so we'd decided to take a run through the countryside past Horsham, on towards Guidford passing through the picturesque village of Bramley and then up to the Hogs Back....and then we had our Thelma and Louise moment....with the Porsche running superbly the moment took over when my wife suggested we just keep driving...and we did.
Through to the M3 and on to the 303 passing Stonehenge and Yeovil and on right down to Weymouth. The only thing that stopped us going onto the ferry was the poor dog and teenage son left home alone....the dog is ok but I cannot trust my son with the house!
For the return we followed the A31 through Dorchester, finally picking up the M27/A27 heading back through Chichester and the towards Brighton before taking the A24 back past Horsham and through to Crawley..
The return drive was amazing especially with the moon tonight which was blood red and enormous as it rose above the horizon just as we passed Southampton...an incredible sight.
We covered just over 350 miles in just over 7 hours ( including stops), used £60 worth of fuel, passing through a total of six unique counties on the journey.
For the first time since I've owned the car ( five years now) I finally had an opportunity to experience what she was designed for......it's a grand tourer in the true sense...designed to travel hundreds of miles at high speed and in comfort and safety.
Whilst many modern cars could now do the task more efficiently and use much less fuel...that's missing the point...it's the way the car effortlessly covers the miles with ample reserves of thrust, such is the torque from the 2.5 ltr 4 pot engine you need not change out of top for anything but coming to a full stop.
It'll trundle along at 30 in top gear, eagerly acelerating all the way to top speed without complaint. The sheer pace...and I mean pace not speed....of the Porsche is stunning today, compared to it's contemporaries it seemed like it was from another planet....no wonder it cost the equivalent of £48000 when new!
Now at nearly 30 years old, the 944 is equally at home trundling around cities, back lane cruising or thundering along the motorways. In a world dominated by Eco-friendly ergonomic politically correct safety cells, she is a real dinosaur......but what a car! Long live the past, it is a breath of fresh air in today's uniform perfection on wheels.
Thelma and Louise can't wait for the next sunny day
