Porsche are back on top at Le Mans! Overall win number 17 was achieved with maximum style and class, they simply outran the pre-race favorites, Audi, and were in a different league to Toyota - as for Nissan, let's not mention them. However, it was not only on the track that a Porsche Turbo was winning, the 911 Porsche Turbo S Cabriolet that was my ride for the Le Mans week certainly won my heart and mind without the need for attention to any other appendages. It was quite simply stunning in every aspect; performance, style, attitude, it had them all in spades. I am still slightly bemused that Porsche GB felt confident to loan me this fabulous machine, especially considering the destination. The car came with a price tag of almost $250,000, that alone would give one pause for thought, but the draconian approach to breaking the traffic laws that exists in France was also a factor to cause concern. Simply put, if you are caught at more than 50 kph (~31mph) above the speed limit you run the risk of having the car confiscated, as well as a huge fine. Never gonna happen on my watch... #keepalightrightfoot This self-imposed discipline would explain my apparently glacial pace to the steady number of French registered cars that flashed past me on the Autoroute while on my way to Le Mans, cruise control was set under the limit and all temporary limits were observed in full - I had no intention of reviving the French economy through direct taxation! On the way back after the race the Gendarmes had radar patrols all along the routes to Calais and were doing a roaring trade relieving cash from the heroes who were pushing the limits of both speed and sanity. You were all warned... However, emulating a racing driver on public highways is not big or clever, and there are ways to really enjoy a car like the 911 without wringing its neck and risking your own. Driving along A and B roads using the paddle shift transmission with the roof down is close to automotive heaven, you can really engage with the car, trying to get your driving style to match the precision of this sophisticated machine. All-wheel drive and all manner of electronic wizardry keep the 560 horses in check, you don't have to be Mark Webber to drive this car, though it probably helps. Despite our fabled bad weather, compared with paradises like California, the UK drivers have embraced the joys of open top motoring, though most of us do it at an age when it is not so much "the wind in our hair" but "our hair in the wind". While in France I tried to keep the skies in view but finally the weather broke and the rain that had threatened for a few days arrived. This coincided with a visit to Teloché, a small commune located to the south of Mulsanne, the place that gave its name to The Straight. During the '50s right though to the beginning of the '80s this modest garage was home to Porsche's Le Mans campaigns. Morse and I were scheduled to meet up with a very special guest, Norbert Singer, who was involved in every one of Porsche's previous 16 victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours. He is a modest and humble man of great achievement and thoroughly engaging company. His recollections of the days when the Porsche factory team used this workshop will form the subject of a later feature here on DrivingLine.com, it really was another world back then. Indeed Norbert had been central to the first turbocharged engine that Porsche ran at Le Mans, all the way back in 1974. He engineered the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo and this iconic car almost upset the establishment by finishing second overall to a Matra prototype. I will also be looking back at that particular Porsche Turbo in the near future... do you have this site bookmarked?! There were three kind of approaches that other people took to the special car - most ignored it, either unaware or not caring about it. There were those who wanted to race the Turbo, especially notable was the guy in the Renault who lit his tires at every one of the six red lights down Avenue Felix Geneslay, I am afraid he was just too quick for me. Then there were those who appreciated the 911 for what it was, a pinnacle of German engineering and just looked past the old guy behind the wheel. The worst thing about the 911? Having to give it back after Le Mans... it was a very special driving experience, and I'm afraid my daily driver will just never be the same (not that it was great to begin with!) So I had better get lucky on the Lottery soon...
