WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THE COVID W lockdowns? While most of us were sorting through long-lost boxes of photographs or binge-watching Tiger King, retired architect Hal Walter used the enforced downtime to produce an exhaustively detailed 36-page document that would become the blueprint for building his perfect Porsche 911.
In his youth Walter dreamed of becoming a car designer, but opportunities in his native Australia were all but non-existent, and he lacked the courage to follow his dream to the other side of the world. Channelling his energies into architecture, he enjoyed a career in which he rose to the top of his profession, but cars had always remained a passion. Post-retirement his creativity inevitably needed an outlet, and so began the process that would ultimately lead to this: the European RS.
Dividing his time evenly between his homeland of Australia and a second home in the French Alps, when not hiking in the mountains Walter spends his northern-hemisphere summers behind the wheel of his beloved 997 GT3 RS 4.0. Well attuned to the greatest of all water-cooled RSS, Walter's dream was to replicate that car's scintillating performance and intense delivery in an early air-cooled 911 with the lightweight qualities of a 2.7 RS and the muscular look of a 2.8 RSR.
Approaching the process with the same meticulous detail he would an architectural project, Walter obsessed over every area of the car, right down to the gear ratios. Then, instead of handing his plan to a Porsche specialist, he engaged the services of world-class multimarque restoration company Thornley Kelham. It proved to be an inspired decision.
Before meeting Walter - who arrives in a fabulous Aston Martin DB4 - I'm given a quick tour of the premises by company co-founder Simon Thornley. The facilities are impressive, but it's the diversity of cars that's most intriguing.
Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av Evo UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
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