Living the Legend
Nick Jeffery
Surrey, UK
@npjeffery
@npjeffery
Model 996 CARRERA 4S
Year 2002
Acquired JUNE 2014
Model 996 TURBO
Year 2002
Acquired MAY 2017
Model 997 CARRERA 4 GTS
Year 2012
Acquired OCT 2018
I recently took the Carrera 4S on the R20 (London Region) Porsche Club GB Spring Break known as ‘Clogs & Curves’ touring Holland. The tour was scheduled for three days, but a few of our group decided to stay on for an extra couple of days to see a little more of what Holland has to offer.
There were 14 Porsche in total, ranging from a 991.1 GT3 RS to an air-cooled ‘911 outlaw’ based on a 1986 G-series impact-bumper car with a number of subtle modifications, including a nicely tuned block and a ducktail spoiler.
We were based in Zoutelande and principally toured the islands of Zeeland, stopping off at Veere on day one, the old port of Zierikzee on day two and across to Veurne in Belgium on day three.
The roads were flat – as was expected – but there were plenty of long, sweeping corners to give our Porsche a thoroughly decent workout, and lots of epic bridges and tunnels for some added fun!
Once the main group went back to the UK, our group went to Ypres to visit The Menin Gate and attend ‘The Last Post’ in memory of those men and officers who fell during the First World War but were not given a burial. It’s arguably one of the most moving and memorable things I’ve ever witnessed.
On day four we ventured north to the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Kinderdijk. It’s a historic village known for its close grouping of 18th century windmills and should be on anyone’s list to visit if you’re in Holland.
On our final day we decided to pay the Oldtimerfarm a visit in Aalter, Belgium, which houses an enormous and outstanding collection of classic cars for sale, including literally dozens of classic 911s.
Stopping for fuel at the end of each day we found a nearby Texaco garage that served ‘Competition 102’ high-octane unleaded, so we all decided to give it a go despite the eye-watering price – €1.91 per litre! I must confess to not feeling any difference whatsoever, so the following couple of times I fell back on my default choice of fuel in the UK, Shell V Power, although, oddly, it is only 98RON in Holland.
The Carrera 4S performed as expected for the first couple of days, but unfortunately developed a slight oil leak from the nearside rear of the block, which I wrongly assumed was the sump plug. I’m reliably informed it’s actually leaking from the crankshaft chain tensioner seal, something that can easily be checked and fixed when it goes in for its annual service and MOT.
Other issues were all bizarre and random. The auto-dimming rear-view mirror started to ‘delaminate’. The car developed a slight vibration at higher speeds and also felt sluggish, which is ironic given the higher octane fuel. The clutch felt heavier and the short shift-equipped gear lever more obstinate than usual. All areas will be checked and addressed when she goes into Paragon for her annual service and MOT. I have covered over 30,000 miles in the Carrera 4S since I got her, and I am not about to give up on her now!
Peter Wilson
Adelaide, Australia
Model 930 3.3
Year 1980
Acquired 2011
My 930 had been feeling much more ‘taily’ since fitting new tyres and was quite unnerving, requiring subtle but rapid counter-steering when any significant weight transfer occurred during cornering.
While the new tyres had highlighted this errant behaviour through increased tread depth, they were the same make, model and size as before, so I needed to look towards wheel alignment rather than
