Nein, this is not ze best Porsche’ says Klaus. No way, Klaus. This is the best one. How can it not be? This is the 911 Turbo. It’s all-wheel drive, and it’s turbocharged and it’s got a 480bhp bomb slung out behind the rear axle. The steering wheel is doing the shimmy in my hands as those wiiiiiide Michelins find a patch of gravel just as the turbo kicks in. The electronics sort it out. I’m laughing hysterically while Klaus has that ‘Not another idiot journalist’ look.
The Porsche World Roadshow. It’s a travelling circus where the performing artists are related to horses. Lots of horses. 4055 horsepower in all. The idea is to give existing customers, prospective customers and lucky journalists like myself a taste of the latest of what Porsche has to offer. The line-up waiting for us at the Aamby Valley airstrip in Lonavala is enough to give even a supercar-toting English Premier League footballer goosebumps.
The latest direct-injection Carrera with the PDK gearbox, the Cayman S, the Boxster S, the 911 Turbo, the Cayenne Turbo and the Cayenne GTS are in attendance. The airstrip is divided into a slalom course, a handling course, a braking section and an off-road bit. To top this kind of excitement would take a lot.
On hand to make sure the only replacements at the end of the day are the tyres, are Porsche’s professional drivers, complete with German humour. ‘You crash ze Porsche, you buy ze Porsche, ja?’
Our group’s instructor is Klaus. He has three kids, one wife and a job that allows him to travel the world driving Porsches. I’m a little jealous of this guy. He’s driven every new Porsche and yet, believes the Carrera S is the best one for everyday use. He says the 911 Turbo has too much potential to be fully exploited everyday. Which brings us to the first bit of this story. I believe what he says, 500rpm at a time, till the tacho needle crosses the 4000rpm mark. At this point the 911 Turbo is all I want. I’ve been in the car for barely five minutes and it’s all I want.
Which, I guess, sums up what the Roadshow is all about. If a handful of customers felt the way I did at the end of the day, it’s job well done for Porsche. A handful of customers today, the
world tomorrow.
Uday Singh
Glenn Noronha
Dipan Sur
