Returning from the school run last Monday, a familiar face hopped out of a Sprinter van parked opposite. Who else but my buddy Nick, sometime antiques dealer and owner of this splendiferous Sea Blue Carrera RS:

The kettle is always on at IB Towers, so Nick stopped for a cuppa, waxing lyrical about the Porsche Classic day he’d attended a few days before at our local racetrack. Porsche Cars GB had opened the doors of the Silverstone experience centre to owners of pre-’74 Porsche cars, letting them loose on the handling circuits, free to explore the Porsche centre and to try a few new 911s. Nick reckoned everyone had enjoyed themselves.

We’ve taken early cars on previous track day road trips before, including excursions to Spa Francorchamps, Silverstone, Snetterton and other race circuits not beginning with S. The owners have come home somewhat wiser, but not many return for second helpings: it takes a certain type of owner to let an appreciating classic have its head on a full race track for hours on end.

Gentler gatherings like this one are probably more in tune with most owners of older Porsche cars. R Gruppe and ImpactBumpers.com nutcases seem to thrive on a bit more adrenaline (above in Scotland), but as long as everyone’s using their cars and smiling, that’s what counts.

Here’s some video from the day: