My nomination for Pelican-wide Thead of the Decade: Targa to Sicily

[Dueller]

Many of you guys rarely stray over to the Tech Board...just in case you missed it, juicersr's 11 page thread on hauling his bastardized, North Carolina registered Targa 911 with 280,000 miles on the clock to Italy via Antwerp with stops at Spa, Nurembergring, RUF factory, Stuttgart, etc is one of the best written, most fascinating threads I've followed on any forum. Wonderful photography to boot.

If you haven't already, take a half hour or so and read it from beginning to end in one sitting. Well worth the time. Spend another hour if you watch all of his video.

Targa to Sicily

And for all you young guys (BRporsche, porsche4life, et al) in here take a page out of juicersr's sense of adventure. Begin planning your own voyages and follow thru before you're an old geezer saddled down (although I was suprised juicersr is in his 40's.).

Live your dream guys.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by juicersr

Well, today started off early, leaving my girlfriend sleeping, and me hungover from too much beer in downtown Brussels, as i got the train to Antwerp to Brussels. I was wondering what kind of hassles would await me at the customs office at the dock in Antwerp. Imagine my surprise, when it came off without a hitch. Paid the customs guys and shipping agents, and the next thing i know, i am face to face with the old girl, cranking her up, and hauling back to Brussels. At the hotel, where there just so happened to be a 997 parked out front for comparison

After a little more time at the 'Grand place' in Brussels, we loaded her up, and headed to Spa, where i was planning on taking part in the 'Test day' today, at least the afternoon session. Driving through the Belgian countryside to get there, i thought of all the great names who had been before, Bellof, Bell, Icyxx. However, when we got there.... silence. The track day had been cancelled, due to a malfunctioning track timer according to the steward. However, he did give me a nod and wink when i asked if i could take some track pix.




After some contemplation, we decided to push on to the Nurburgring, where i intended to run tomorrow. The weather was perfect, and my new 3.2SS is running just beautifully. The highway between Spa and Nurburing is very hilly, and the 911 was eating it up, with runs up to 130 with not a cop in sight!!!!!

Well, we got to the ring around 5, and there was a lot of checking around with local ring folk, and no-one had a clue about where and when i could run!!!!! Suffice to say, i finally asked a passing biker, and he told me where the check point was, and the only 'open' runs there days are from 5pm to 7:30. I hauled ass to the check point by 6:45, ran up to the ticket window, and bought two runs worth. Maybe it was late in the day, or maybe the ring security was tired, but they gave me a quick once over, and could have cared less about my hood pins, loud exhaust, etc. One guy even gave me thumbs up.

The Ring. OH... MY... GOD. How do you describe heaven while driving? Videos, other stories, PS2, nothing can do justice to the experience. I still am pinching myself. To do it in a 911 that you have built yourself, to hear that sweet motor you sweated over for almost a year, singing and sounding sooooo goood.... Nirvana doesnt come close.
Before. Old skool baby!!

During

After... cooling down in the company of some sickkkkk rides

There is so much in his thread...unbelieveable pics and videos...if you're reading this juicersr, thanks for sharing with us....you lucky bastage.

[gprsh924]

I just read the whole thing...unreal.

I need to do that. I've taken every opportunity thus far to go on a roadtrip or an adventure and will continue to do so. I need to get to Europe soon, but my two upcoming ski trips (Aspen over Christmas and driving to Jackson Hole for spring break) are eating up all of my funds.

[Dottore]

Great thread and great choice.

I would also nominate the thread from the two Belgian guys that went overland to China in their old 911. Maybe someone can link it.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Dottore

Great thread and great choice.

I would also nominate the thread from the two Belgian guys that went overland to China in their old 911. Maybe someone can link it.

Another great one Dottore...here ya go:Carrera To China - diary of wreckah

[imcarthur]

For "Pelican-wide' I would tip the hat to the Carrera to China. That was an unbelievable trek into the unknown. A close second imho goes to the Sicily thread. It was the 'every Pcar owner dream' thread.

Ian

[onewhippedpuppy]

Excellent thread, thanks for the heads up.

[Mrmerlin]

This thread is the true essence of the Porsche motor car .
and the owners
and enthusiasts, and the E boards.

What a way to bring together so many people........
After all this is truly what I would love to be able to do, and I would guess that most everyone else would as well..........

[porsche4life]

Jim I would love to do a trip like this in the 944.... I am only lacking one thing... $$$

[dtw]

My vote is for Carrera to China. Both epic threads, though.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Jim I would love to do a trip like this in the 944.... I am only lacking one thing... $$$

Yeah, but you've got something else on your side that many of us older guys don't have: TIME

I think that in our culture (i.e., American) we have a distorted view of what travel should be like. People here think you can only take a trip to far off places if they can stay in first class accomodations, eat at the finer restaurants, shop at the best stores, etc. While there is a time and place for that experience, when you are young (or young at heart) you can travel the world on a shoestring. For example, 10 years ago my then gf and I took 3 months off and island hopped on a tight budget down the Carribean chain ending up in Carracas VZ. Starting in St Thomas, USVI we island hopped between Sept and Dec thru 22 different islands. We ate at local places rather than the tourist attractions, found local bars/drank local beer, stayed in safe, clean but modest guest houses/hotels, found innovative ways to get to the next destination (e.g., caught a mail boat from Barbados to St. Vincent for free even tho we had to leave at 4 a.m.), etc. Cost us about $5K each total. For the entire 3 months. Hardly more than what a luxury 10 day cruise would cost.

We met a number of European travelers who traveled in the same way on their typical holidays which last 3-4 weeks...not the rush off for a week and cram a "vacation" in at a resort as most americans do.

The essence of my advice is to be a traveller...not a tourist.

If I were you, I'd start by planning a trip to LeMans next year...find a cheap flight. Backpack. Camp out at the track. Stay in youth hostels. Find some french trim. Carpe Diem

[porsche4life]

Sounds like a good way to roll...

[Rikao4]

both are awesome trips..
and different..
Targa Sicily is my choice..

'pulling out of the petrol station...
I find myself behind..
an Martini Rossi RSR..'

the Targa Florio Hist. is running..

Rika

[gprsh924]

Originally Posted by Dueller

Yeah, but you've got something else on your side that many of us older guys don't have: TIME

I think that in our culture (i.e., American) we have a distorted view of what travel should be like. People here think you can only take a trip to far off places if they can stay in first class accomodations, eat at the finer restaurants, shop at the best stores, etc. While there is a time and place for that experience, when you are young (or young at heart) you can travel the world on a shoestring. For example, 10 years ago my then gf and I took 3 months off and island hopped on a tight budget down the Carribean chain ending up in Carracas VZ. Starting in St Thomas, USVI we island hopped between Sept and Dec thru 22 different islands. We ate at local places rather than the tourist attractions, found local bars/drank local beer, stayed in safe, clean but modest guest houses/hotels, found innovative ways to get to the next destination (e.g., caught a mail boat from Barbados to St. Vincent for free even tho we had to leave at 4 a.m.), etc. Cost us about $5K each total. For the entire 3 months. Hardly more than what a luxury 10 day cruise would cost.

We met a number of European travelers who traveled in the same way on their typical holidays which last 3-4 weeks...not the rush off for a week and cram a "vacation" in at a resort as most americans do.

The essence of my advice is to be a traveller...not a tourist.

If I were you, I'd start by planning a trip to LeMans next year...find a cheap flight. Backpack. Camp out at the track. Stay in youth hostels. Find some french trim. Carpe Diem

That is awesome. If we get jobs, my friends and I are going to bum around Europe for a couple of weeks before we start. But until I can confirm a source of income, I can't commit any more money to travel right now (already have $2k worth of skiing planned).

[stomachmonkey]

Thought that said Pelican Wife thread in which case my two front runners are Angela and Isabo

[mike monde]

Targa Sicily
IMO, hands down the winner!

[t6dpilot]

Si Senore! Bellissima Targa Sicily! I will do that someday, although I am not so sure my wife will want to spend all that time in my lightweight.

[juicersr]

Hey guys, sorry that i just stumbled onto this thread so late, but i dont come over here very often, and was following something else when i ran into it.

First off, Jim, thanks for that humbling nomination. I am truly honored u guys. Like everyone here, i love the hell out of these cars, but was always bothered by not being able to drive the one nearest and dearest to me for an extended period in the fashion in which the good Dr meant. I have travelled through Europe in crappy rental cars, and done two motorcycle tours, including one from London to Bulgaria/Ukraine and back. But never in my favorite piece of transportation machinery. Maybe i watched too much autobahn and Ring vids on youtube. Maybe it was all the speeding tickets that i had gotten in my own country for being 5 miles over the already ridiculously low speed limit. Maybe it's that i am continually coming up with hair-brained adventures and then attempting them just to see if what is imagined can become reality. All i can say is that if i felt that if i had never gotten a chance to truly drive the one car i cherish above all others, on the open road as she was meant to be, i would have forever wondered what it would have been like.

LOL Jim. She truly is bastardized, like a pair of old work jeans that have been patched too many time, added this and taken away that. But like the jeans, or a mutt you take in as a stray in college, it stays with you through dozens of girlfriends, in lean times and fat. Many times the SC took my mind off a greuling medical residency filled with death and disease, by giving me brilliant, mind clearing drives in the mountains or nights spent tinkering. I thought that since she had provided me with such satisfying memories, the least i could do was allow her to spend the second half of her life in the land in which she was born to be driven.

And yes, it truly was everything i imagined it would be, and perhaps even more. Even at age 42, when the 'gee whiz' factor is starting to wear off a lot of things, i felt just like i did when i first got my driver's license. It may sound crazy, and maybe it was just my imagination, but the SC seemed to be a whole different car in Europe, more alive, more vibrant, more amazing to drive than i had ever know in my 15 years of ownership. Yeah, the new 3.2SS and rebuilt suspension had a lot to do with that, but Europe, despite encroaching regulation, is still truly a driver's environment.

Anyhow, if any of u guys get a chance to do this, or something similar, don't even hesitate... trust me, the memories will put a smile on your face every day for the rest of your life.

Cheers to all.