For Greg Howell a passion for VWs and the VW scene inevitably led to the altar of all things Porsche and a passion for modified 964s, culminating in this slammed C4
Before we get even the slightest glimpse of Greg Howell’s road-hugging 964 Carrera 4, he takes us on a quick tour of his workshop: Greg runs a body and paint shop, and while he deals in everything from builders’ vans to classic cars, in the past couple of years he’s been picking up an increasing amount of business from Porsche owners. Proving that point is a partly disassembled 964 RS Touring, a left-hooker in rare silver, that’s having little bits of rust sorted out and a general spruce-up. Elsewhere sits an Audi RS2 – the estate car co-developed with Porsche – in the final throes of a major restoration and with some of the smoothest paint we’ve ever seen.
Greg isn’t showing us these cars to brag of his talents, he’s simply passionate about quality machinery and believes we probably are, too: he’s right. But Greg hasn’t always been a Porsche man.
‘When I was still at school I enjoyed tinkering with mechanical things and spraying push-bikes,’ he reminisces. ‘Then once I had my driving licence I moved quickly on to cars.
‘Like so many others I got into the Volkswagen scene: my friends were into it, too, and it was great fun. We’d take our cars to shows and picked up trophies left, right and centre. Later I moved on to Audis, and then about nine years ago I felt that I was ready for a fresh challenge: that’s when I got my first Porsche, a white 964 Carrera 4.
‘It was frowned upon by a lot my hardcore VW mates!’ Greg laughs. ‘But several years later a fair few of them have Porsches of their own. You quickly get to realise how well built they are and how readily available so many of the parts are. And after my first drive I couldn’t believe how well they handle.
この記事は 911 & Porsche World の April 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は 911 & Porsche World の April 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
The Usual Suspects
Jeremy Laird on getting back to driving basics on some proper Brit B roads, why he would take driving dynamics over orginality and how the invevitable march of progress is dulling cars
Simply Red
For Greg Howell a passion for VWs and the VW scene inevitably led to the altar of all things Porsche and a passion for modified 964s, culminating in this slammed C4
A Tooth for a Tooth
The 928 has a reputation for being fearsomely difficult to work on. And there is certainly a lot of it. In truth, however, even replacing the big V8 engine’s vital timing belt, and the water pump it drives, is only marginally more awkward than on a humble 944
The Blues Brothers
Two friends, two Porsche 993s, two shades of blue. Between them they’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and they’re wearing sunglasses… Except they’re not, of course, and neither Paul Madden nor Mike Moore smoke. They may not be on a mission from God – or driving to Chicago – but getting their cars to this level of detail was pretty close to being a spiritual experience…
Attack Of The Clone
It’s a 993 RS in all but its VIN plate, that would have most experts fooled. We take a drive in the ultimate clone.
Improving On Perfection
The 987 Cayman’s sweet chassis is its defining feature. But that hasn’t stopped one intrepid Croc owner from attempting to improve on near perfection with help from Ohlins and Center Gravity.
Sonic Boom Boy
In an unplanned attempt to emulate Bloodhound’s world land speed record challenge, Johnny Tipler discovers his 986 S is halfway to the sound barrier with a Cargraphic silencer, which provides the required acoustic effect.
The Specials
Anniversaries come upon us thick and fast, and car manufacturers commemorate the most significant ones with limited editions. We pay due diligence to a special pair, the 997 Sport Classic and the 911 50th Anniversary 991.
Roaring Forties
Sing it loud: “Happy Birthday!” Launched in 1977, the 928 design masterpiece is 40-years old.
The Kitchen Sink
Having replaced 996 Pig Energy with another 986 Boxster S, Johnny Tipler is hellbent on raising its spec to that of its predecessor, a 550 Spyder 50th Anniversary Boxster S, AKA the Silver Bullet.
