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The Aventura Adventure

In late May the car went in for its annual service - given the major items worked on in the past 12 months, the plan was to very much keep this visit to a minor service followed by the MOT.

I'd also asked my local expert (Tognola Engineering) to give the car a general check-over ahead of a planned road European roadtrip. Just as I left the car with him, Peter noticed there was a split in the fan shroud air diverter - seemingly quite a common issue on our cars. A few days later Peter called to notify me he'd observed two of the CV boots in rather poor condition - and probably wouldn't advise going on a long run given the damage that could occur to the driveshafts with the joints drying out :what:. The recommendation was to replace all 4 - inner and outer boots - I gather this is a messy and tedious job!

Having formed a positive rapport with Peter over the years, I trust Tognola Engineering without hesitation :yes: so taking the recommendations into account, the work-list became:

- Minor service
- MOT
- Replace fan shroud diverter
- Replace inner/outer CV boots
- Air-con re-gas
- General checkover/adjustments ahead of upcoming trip

Once again the car flew through it's MOT which was pleasing :).
 
So with the car back from service, it was time to set off on the overdue roadtrip, which for one reason or another, was pushed out from last year. It was also the first time taking the 993 on the continent; excitement and nerves in equal measure, especially as I'd convinced my wife it'll be more rewarding than flying out to a relaxing beach destination! :puh:

The general order of the route as follows:

>>> Eurotunnel UK>FR
>>> Metz, FR
>>> Baden Baden, DE
>>> Lake Constance, DE (via B500 Black Forest High Road, DE)
>>> Innsbruck, AT (via Hahntennjoch Pass, AT)
>>> Grossglockner High Alpine Road, AT
>>> Karlsruhe, DE
>>> Reims, FR
>>> Eurotunnel FR>UK

We really wanted to cover Silvretta High Alpine Road on the way into Innsbruck, however it was still shut from the winter (only just opened in recent days), so we headed to Hahntennjoch instead.
Credit to fellow 911uk'er infrasilver :thumb: - his past trips, reports and personal correspondence aided our route mapping. The aim was to cover no more than 400-450km a day. A previous trip in the pre-911 days had seen us cover up to ~725km in one hit :yawn:, we knew that was just too much to make an enjoyable trip for us both.


All in all a manageable ~1,805 miles or ~2,905 kilometers were covered over 9 days, with 2 nights in Reims (champagne tour of course :salut:) and 3 nights in Innsbruck (small city with a cool vibe).


On to some photos, starting with the almost obligatory one:

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Not too many photos along the B500 - it was so enjoyable - free flowing, fast moving roads with sweeping bends... we covered most of it without stopping :D. Certainly lived up to expectations and it definitely won't be the last time we visit the Black Forest 8).

On our way into Lake Constance, we came across a pleasant surprise. We'd earlier seen a blacked out Porsche '992 test mule' absolutely flying - I'd not seen a vehicle move so quick 'in the wild' for a long time. Turns out we were heading into the same town, so after we caught him up and swapped a headlight flash/hazard light exchange, stopped at a petrol station:

CE6V93z.jpg


VP1uGsl.jpg


He was indeed a test driver for Porsche and a very friendly one at that. They have felt coverings which they have to apply across the whole of the dash, centre console, door cards, etc. whenever parked up to prevent uninvited photos. The 992 has an interesting dash/gauge :wink:.

A quick comparison...

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I preferred mine...:shutup: :lol:.

Onto the Lake, a nice buzz at the waterfront and a perfect place to eat/drink/relax after the B500...:thumbs:

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Heading into Austria, the scenary became rather spectacular...:eek:

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Hahntennjoch Pass definitely lived up to it's dangerous roads tag; at times the pass can get quite narrow and often without any barriers :what:, pretty intricate, and not too many overtaking opportunities (unlike the B500). This technical nature of the road, with its very tight back to back hairpins coupled with a steep ascent at pace, meant I worried about grounding out a few times! It was a thrilling drive with some breathtaking views along the way 8).

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In fact the route we took leading into the Hahntennjoch Pass was just as enjoyable & memorable - catch the 200 from Müselbach and follow it into the 198 around Warth all the way until Elmen for the pass :thumb:.

Innsbruck:

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Next up, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Not much more to say other than it lived up to the billing of one of the best driving roads in Europe :worship:. Definitely allow more time than you think; you'll be stopping more often than you expect to take in the phenomenal landscape...:) The change in weather from bottom to top was also quite dramatic!

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We headed back into Germany via the Autobahn where the 993 managed to stretched it's legs :D - satisfying to know that despite it's age, performed well and remained pretty stable at high speed.
I think the car feels better for it! :lol:

Finally, we stopped at Reims-Gueux on the way back to Calais...

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Finishing with 2 of my favoured images from the trip:

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Difficult not to be impressed with the 993's curves from above :cloud9: :

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The tone of the trip was set from the outbound Eurotunnel; a gentleman from the next carriage up came over to check out 993 during the journey. Lots of appreciating nods of the head or waves were exchanged across France/Germany/Austria which was quite cool too :).

Along the way, we saw a handful of pre-'89 911s, maybe 8 to 10 964s out and about, and maybe 20+ 997s (by far the most friendliest, always offering a wave! :bye:) ...but only ONE 993 - a stunning French plated C2S in Arctic Silver. Where are the others all hiding? :?

We're so glad we did the trip, we came back buzzing - whilst it wasn't a relaxing break there was a real sense of adventure. Massively relieved the car behaved, too (I carry a spare DME relay in the car, but other than that... :-| ).

In future we hope to experience either the Spanish Pyrenees or the Italian Dolomites. Hopefully both! :thumbs:
 
That looked like a brilliant trip! I laughed at the first photo; who needs a cup holder when you have a "tea tray"?
 
Awesome trip, great write-up and pics. :thumb:

The 993 looks so good with a drop and splits.

C.
 
Excellent write up and pics. I drove the Grossglockner last year in a hired Fiat 595 Abarth which was fun altho the brakes did get hammered! Would be so cool to do it in a 993.
 
Thanks for the comments - it was indeed a great trip!

stichill99 said:
Boy,how much nicer the 993 looks compared to the 992! :worship:
The newer cars are just so big & bloated!

cableguy said:
Awesome trip, great write-up and pics. :thumb:

The 993 looks so good with a drop and splits.

C.
Thanks! ...and totally agree. A 993 looks and handles so much better when sitting between the factory M033/Sport & RS heights.

ChrisT70 said:
Excellent write up and pics. I drove the Grossglockner last year in a hired Fiat 595 Abarth which was fun altho the brakes did get hammered! Would be so cool to do it in a 993.

Relatively new brakes and clutch were definitely called into action! The variety of cars doing the same pass was quite cool in itself... we saw modern supercars that you'd hear before seeing including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani and of course Porsche... to classics from the 70s and 80s...to 'club runs' including Alfa, MG and Mini. Some in 'time attack' mode, some taking it all in at their leisure - everyone just enjoying it in their own way. I imagine a 595 Abarth would've been a lot of fun too, especially with its raspy exhaust note bouncing off those walls! :lol:
 
In late July, Luftgekühlt crossed the Atlantic for the first time and landed at Bicester Heritage. Described as:
  • In the Porsche vernacular, Luftgekühlt represents all the air-cooled cars in the manufacturer's history, from the Pre-A 356 through the 993 model line, which ended in 1998.

    The Luftgekühlt brand is the brainchild of two-time Le Mans class winner Patrick Long and noted Southern California creative director Howie Idelson. A true Porsche happening, Luftgekühlt is an experiential car culture event centered around a tightly curated list of historically significant or interesting cars, both race and street. There's no set formula for our events, but we're excited by cool venues, fun people, and creative expression, so you can bet those elements will always be in our recipe.
More info here: https://luftgekuhlt.com/

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Despite a 24hr downpour in the middle of 'the heatwave of 2018', the event was really enjoyable with several iconic Porsche present - quite easily the most impressive I've seen - stunning eye candy behind every corner 8). Many images can be found using the tag #LuftGB.

Here are two images of my 993 from the day:

CLUJ8Ue.jpg

^courtesy of Yellow Hound Photography

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^courtesy of Jason Easton Photography
 
Sounds like you had a good time.

:thumb:

Those two photos show how the colour can change according to the light.
 
I absolutely love this car; stunning colour. 8)
 
MarkGolf said:
Stunning example!!

Really not helping my desire to sell my 997 and get a 993.

Do it! You really won't regret it (I did exactly the same).
 
Sutton said:
Sounds like you had a good time.

:thumb:

Those two photos show how the colour can change according to the light.
It's a shame you couldn't make it this time. It really was an enjoyable day - really hope the Luftgekühlt event returns to the UK next year :).
 

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