After the flurry of activity in February and March 2022, my 993 use has been curtailed by the logistical challenge of being some 7,000km away in Canada. This did not stop me from having one of the best days of car ownership I’ve ever had in August though, we had a planned trip back to the U.K. for a VW camper van festival. A 993 friend had been very keen to assemble a group of brightly coloured 993s - something of a rarity as mid-90s buyers appeared to go for silver, black and blue hues on the whole.

So with a couple of hours of sleep, I was up at an unsightly hour…one I would normally be going to bed at…to get across London and up to the storage facility. The car had been carcooned in the interim and was fresh from a clear of advisories MOT the day before. The jet lag kicked in hard but my first drive in four and a half months was rewarding, to say the least. I made spirited progress across the Home Counties and up to Warwickshire where awaiting me were Blood Orange, Guards Red and Riviera Blue brothers. I would like to think that there was the odd air-cooled Porsche fan who got quite the treat with me passing them, safely yet spiritedly on their commute to work. It really is a rewarding and intoxicating drive, and exploitable at sub-three-figure speeds.

After a day of photography and videography completed for magazine and YouTube features, then came the evening when I had an opportunity to meet up with friends and family at Caffeine & Machines ‘Aircooled Appreciation Society’ monthly meeting. After staying the night at C&M came the time to return the car to storage, it drove faultlessly there and back. This is a real testament to Porsche getting the car so right but also when stored properly ‘old cars’ can be relied upon.

That was the last time I drove it but I’ve been keeping up my air-cooled fix since, with a trip to Los Angeles in October for the Lüft 8 event, where I met up with Andy of 9 Werks Radio, the chap who came up with the idea for the bright coloured 993 feature. I also had an opportunity to meet up with people I interact with regularly on Instagram. This really was air-cooled nirvana and I won’t forget that day for quite some time/ever!

Thanks to the powers of social media I’ve had a few drives of a couple of air-cooled RS’ this side of the pond, one imported from England and the other from Belgium - both owned by the same person local to me, who I’ve become good friends with. In fact, my first drive here was in a Rubystone Red 964 RS! The North Americans were not fortunate to be able to obtain them from the factory, but with the strength of the USD they are definitely making up for lost time - I know of 3 993 RS that have been exported in the past year. No matter where I am in the world, the sound of the air-cooled flat-six really is something special.

I hope to go to the Porsche museum in Germany in April - how much seat time I get in the car this year is TBC, because I have conflicting priorities being 20 years of the M3 CSL (a car I am also lucky enough to own) and I feel that car deserves the limelight. Nonetheless, it’s a pleasure to make connections and friendships through it, and my enthusiasm for the air-cooled scene.