Any Porsche 911 that goes up the hill at Goodwood is worth a watch. That’s doubly true for classic 911s, especially if the driver has the chutzpah to go all-in with the throttle. That’s exactly what we have here, and frankly we’re tempted to say this could be the coolest run of the entire event. That’s a bold statement considering we still have many more cars to go, but we challenge you to watch this video and not whoop and holler for this Porsche-of-many-colors.
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This is an early 911 with a colorful exterior design by Paul Smith, but it’s the artful skill of driver James Turner that has us grinning. He’s getting everything out of the Porsche’s vintage 2.0-liter mill, and with the period-accurate skinny rubber this run is basically a school for how to properly manhandle a tail heavy 911. Turner clearly knows opposite-lock control, not to mention the characteristics of this difficult-to-master sports car. Each turn is on-the-edge, but he makes it look easy. Anyone who’s driven an old 911 knows nothing could be further from the truth.
And it’s not like he holds back. Each snap of the rear is neatly held before things get out of hand; even at the Wall he casually enters the right-hander in a mild drift that would have us fouling our briefs. Then there’s the glorious sound of that 2.0-liter flat-six that Turner keeps on boil for pretty much the entire run, creating a perfect soundtrack for the action. At one point the announcers say the proper term for his effort is “giving it some.” We’d say it’s more like freaking fearless.
Turner won’t be setting any fast times with the classic Porsche, but that’s so not what this run is about. It’s a classic sports car making a great noise, handled by a proper driver who plays the 911 like the fine instrument it is. We could watch this single run all day long. In fact, we probably will.