Going Undercover At The FlatSix Present

Psssttt… over right here. Ah sure, you most likely can’t recognise me on this crafty disguise.

Usually I rock as much as a automobile present in some kind of BMW. Those that’ve learn my articles up to now will know that my alliances with the Bavarian titan are blood tight. Fidowicz with no BMW is like Christmas with no pine tree. However this time I’ve gone undercover. We’re going to infiltrate the Porsche crowd on the 2023 FlatSix occasion from the within, Trojan Horse model. However as a substitute of a horse, it’s a 20-year-old convertible, and as a substitute of a military of Greek troopers sitting inside, it’s simply me holding a digicam.

I’ve left my BMW at dwelling, and as a substitute managed to get my pesky arms on a distinct set of keys for the weekend. As a result of, what higher technique to get entangled with the Porsche group than rocking as much as certainly one of their very own automobile reveals in a Porsche?!

My steed is a 2.7L mid-engined, handbook Boxster with a mere 160,000 miles on the clock and its justifiable share of age-related dents and scrapes. However whereas my disguise won’t be the flashiest within the crowd, beneath its look we have a nicely sorted sports activities automobile, fuelled and prepared for the dash down from London to Goodwood Motor Circuit.

Whereas the Greeks needed to endure a sweaty, cramped, picket journey to achieve their goal, I acquired to get pleasure from my journey on a few of South England’s most interesting B-roads, with wind in my hair and a raspy, induction-filled flat-six on the mercy of my proper foot. It’s an expertise that’s largely unparalleled within the motoring world, and one that gives a lot driving enjoyment that it’s solely persevering with to develop the Porsche model.

A lot in order that it’s inconceivable to go to any automobile occasion within the UK now with out it being dominated by Porsches, particularly the 911. You could possibly go to the annual MGB House owners Membership UK gathering and one way or the other MGBs will nonetheless be outnumbered by 911 house owners. Head alongside to any Sunday Scramble occasion at Bicester Heritage and you’ll discover a common carpark that appears extra like a Porsche foremost vendor car parking zone.

You simply can’t shake the issues. They’ve all the time been unbelievable vehicles, however lately their presence at motoring occasions appears to have quadrupled.

I believe the latest inflow of used Porsche purchases could be largely attributed to the rise of social media creatives and so-called ‘influencers’ getting their arms on them to get pleasure from as objects of luxurious on prime of simply being nice sports activities vehicles alone. A Porsche is the kind of object that suits a way of life the place your furnishings is from Scandinavia, the meals you eat is plant based mostly, you’ve tennis classes on Tuesday, and also you’re married to somebody who works on Vogue journal.

Individuals desire a slice of that life. Porsche themselves are conscious of this, and even fund their very own way of life journal to encourage the mystique.

So the massive query is, how does this new-found Porsche vitality radiate while you lastly get your arms on a little bit sports activities automobile to take to a Porsche occasion?

Bluntly talking, fairly nicely.

The FlatSix present is hosted by these additionally answerable for the UK’s present calendar spotlight, Gamers Traditional. Because the title suggests, it’s finally a celebration of all the things Porsche.

The very first thing I realised is that almost each 911 right here appeared to have an thrilling spec. Positive, you had the classier, safer choices like darkish metallic colors too, nevertheless it’s clear that your common Porsche buyer pushes the boat out to get one thing attention-grabbing and distinctive. This orange 911 might be the strongest instance of what I’m making an attempt to say. Try the contrasting purple inside!

This carries into the actual high-end choices from Porsche, and this 996 GT2 was positively a spotlight. The way in which we see at the moment’s GT3 RS as a ridiculously succesful automobile with the largest rear wing on the planet, this most likely had the identical influence on people again within the early 2000s.

Tamer, however not too far down the meals chain have been these two 996s. The fantastic roof down blast with the Boxster actually acquired me interested by a 996 Cab, and a green-over-tan one ticks all of the packing containers for the proper summer time sports activities automobile.

As is all the time the best way with a Speedhunter, you rapidly gravitate to the modified part. No quantities of social media affiliation with modern-day structure or finely minimize natural cotton can take away from the pure dedication of taking a automobile and making it quicker.

The primary set of paddocks hosted a line up of modified Porsches. All kinds too, from slammed G-bodys to Sultan Al-Qassimi’s 997 drift automobile.

However the actual gem from the present – and the one that basically made me perceive the love and fervour for Porsche – didn’t even come from a Porsche-badged automobile.

After I attended this present final 12 months, I got here throughout a Porsche RTurbo – a 996 Turbo that acquired the RUF remedy at Pfaffenhausen in 2002. The chap who owns it’s known as Adam, and he introduced it alongside once more for this 12 months’s occasion. However that’s not all.

Alongside the RTurbo, Adam introduced one other automobile he owns, and this one is actually particular. An precise RUF RTurbo.

That’s proper, not a Porsche, however a RUF, with a RUF car identification quantity and all. Purchased new by his father, the automobile belonged to Adam’s mum who used it as her every day. Yup, Adam’s mum’s every day was a 1-of-25-ever-made, and solely right-hand drive RUF RTurbo on the planet.

At present, Adam makes use of the automobile himself to ferry his children round, while his spouse drives the Porsche RTurbo. We’ve had some fairly cool line ups through the years on Speedhunters, however this one will likely be engraved in my thoughts endlessly.

I completed my time on the FlatSix present and headed again to the plucky Boxster. My day cosplaying as a Porsche proprietor was full, and I drove dwelling interested by the RUF RTurbo. It left me feeling fairly rattling good about that incontrovertible fact that the steering wheel I used to be holding onto shared the identical DNA as a automobile that blew me away.

I’ll depart you with an prolonged picture gallery from Flatsix 2023 under, and a few closing ideas.

It’s inconceivable to match my love for BMW with what Porsche has to supply. It’s apples and pears on the finish of the day, however the Porsche group’s allure is simple, thrilling and, most significantly, optimistic. I don’t suppose I’ve ever walked away from a automobile present feeling like that earlier than.

Michał Fidowicz
Instagram: candyshowroom