European Turbo Tour 2025
Published in the Porsche Club NSW magazine ‘Porsche Power” Summer 2025
Four months, 14,000 km, one epic Porsche adventure.
Keys in Hand
After years of planning, our European road trip was finally here. Our chance to kick back and enjoy the freedom of the open road, having retired from our full-time jobs in late 2025. Kerry and I touched down in the UK in early April, and our first stop was Ashgood Classic and Sports Cars in Slough. Michael, Sales Director, greeted us warmly, and there she was – our Basalt Black 997.2 Turbo Cabriolet, spotless, roof down, and ready to go. A quick handover, a few photos, and we were on our way.
Workshop Wonders
Nestled in the Oxfordshire countryside, Tuthill Porsche Banbury was the venue of our first Porsche-focussed stop. Founded by Francis Tuthill in 1977 and now led by his son, Richard, this site is a fascinating blend of modern and vintage workshops, reflecting the evolution of a unique company. With over 100 staff, including nine apprentices, and more than 200 Porsches on site in various stages of transformation, the scale of the operation is staggering. From rally-ready 911s to intricate restorations, each car has a story. The care and craft in every detail are evidence of the dedication behind the Tuthill name.
North to the Highlands
Next, we attended Sunday Worship at Oscar’s Café in Easterton Farm Park, Mugdock. Open only to owners of classic, sports, prestige, and performance cars, the event was organised by Bill Telford, who we would later join at Le Mans Classic in July. We enjoyed breakfast amongst like-minded owners, swapping stories and admiring a line-up that ranged from Austin Healey to Ferrari, Mini to McLaren and, of course, plenty of Porsches.
Tearing Uphill in the Turbo
The long-awaited Porsche Club Great Britain Harewood Hillclimb in Yorkshire was our next exploit. More than 60 Porsches lined up for a day of flat-out fun. After the driver briefing and sighting run, we dropped the roof so we could hear the full roar of the Turbo up the hill. While the course record sits close to 60 seconds, our best laps were a more-relaxed 20–25 seconds off that pace, but still plenty fast enough to get the pulse racing. Six hill runs later confidence had grown, but we resisted pushing the fearsome Turbo beyond my modest limits.
Air and Water
May brought Luft Vs Wasser at Everards Farm in Somerset, where air-cooled and water-cooled machines met in one great gathering. Over 200 Porsches gleamed under a moody sky with bursts of sunny good humour. From rare, classic icons to modern turbocharged beasts, the variety was superb. Amongst the standouts was a green Tuthill SCRS Kerry recognised from our earlier visit to Banbury – her Porsche-spotting skills are now unmatched.
R15 WOTY 2025
Promise of the Weekend of the Year (WOTY) in early June lured us across the ditch to Nantes with members of Porsche Club GB Region 15. Twenty Porsches, from Spyders to Turbos to a 992.1 GT3 Touring, explored the scenic backroads along the Loire and Vienne rivers. Our convoy of Porsches certainly turned heads in the historic village of Candes-Saint-Martin, alive with weekly market shoppers and those looking for a bargain at the busy flea market. Next stop was the turreted Châteaux d’Ussé, inspiration for the story of Sleeping Beauty before arriving at Domaine Pierre & Bertrand Couly in Chinon for a winery tour, tasting and barbecue lunch. A perfect afternoon with new friends and lots of lively chat about Le Mans Classic, dream destinations and our precious Porsches.
Legends of Le Mans
In July, we rejoined Bill Telford for Le Mans Classic. Highlights included lunch at the legendary Hôtel de France, base for Porsche’s 917 race team in the early ’70s, and dinner at Auberge des Hunaudières on the Mulsanne Straight. The paddocks brimmed with history – 911 RSRs, 934s, 935s, and endurance icons like the 917 and 956. Driving the Circuit de la Sarthe in the Turbo was unforgettable, reaching 184 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight – spirited Porsche driving at its best. Our Classic Car Tours crowd was 180-people strong, and we connected with many new friends from Australia and the UK. Every element of the event was superbly organised by Bill and his team. So much so that we have already signed for up for Le Mans Classic in 2026.
Passes and Hairpins
From France we headed into the Alpes: Martigny to Salo, then on to Cortina d’Ampezzo via more than a dozen mountain cols, including the Great St Bernard, Grimsel, and Stelvio Passes. In Andermatt, we celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary with a morning drive under clear skies – top down, sun on our shoulders, and the flat-six echoing off stone walls. Each pass had its own charm: the St Bernard’s sweeping elegance, Grimsel’s high-altitude drama, and Stelvio’s tight, stacked hairpins. Heading back up through the Dolomites was different yet equally beautiful, the dramatic limestone cliffs and signature pine forests making this a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Precision Play
In Germany, the Porsche Precision Intensive at the Hockenheimring shifted the focus to skill. I tackled the 2.8-km handling track first, under the guidance of our lively instructor, Cosimo. More fun ensued when Kerry joined me for the low-friction half-moon, where we practised understeer, oversteer, and braking drills. After lunch with fellow drivers from across Europe and the USA, I took another turn on the handling track, trying to match Cosimo in speed drifting practice on the skid pan, searching for that perfect balance of throttle and counter-steer. A slalom challenge and group photos wrapped the day – a Porsche experience to treasure.
Porsche Heartland
Our experiences at the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen tied the trip together, charting Porsche’s innovation from the 1900 Lohner-Porsche to the Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid. Icons like the 356, 911 Carrera RS, 959, and successive 911 Turbos stood as milestones in the brand’s evolution. Dinner at Christophorus, the museum’s fine-dining restaurant, was a highlight – filet mignon, a bottle of Burgundy, and a sunset over Porscheplatz, with our Turbo parked amongst museum royalty in the pristine carpark below.
Until Next Time
After four months and more than 14,000 km our Turbo never missed a beat. A few routine stops for new tyres, rear brake discs and pads, and a wheel alignment gave us the opportunity to enjoy the service excellence of Porsche and Porsche-dedicated repairers in three countries. Compact yet supremely capable, it has just enough storage space for all-season clothing, our walking gear, and the essentials for a regular wash and shine. Being four-wheel drive and turbocharged, she is a brilliant machine that seamlessly shifts between gentle grand tourer and snarling, powerful beast. We returned her to the UK where Michael at Ashgood will arrange her transport to a secure storage location until our return in 2026.
Beyond the motoring highlights, we enjoyed a remarkable array of activities on our tour. We connected with dear friends and family in the UK and France, walked up hill, down dale, by Loch Ness and through the rugged landscapes of Scotland. We dined at fine restaurants, local cafés and shared many a picnic, taking our time and savouring the special moments along the way.
We loved the coastal and island-hopping parts of our journey to the Orkneys, Skye, Arran, Guernsey and Jersey, the Normandy landing beaches and the battlefields of the Somme and the Marne, which reminded us of the tragic, heroic stories of two world wars and Australia’s involvement.
For us, this journey confirmed what we all know – that our Turbo is far more than tool of transport. It connects roads, landscapes, and people in an experience that stimulates the heart and soul and stays with you long after the engine cools.
