I was at Tuthills last week, catching up on on some photos, when who should I spy but John Watson: ex-McLaren driver, 5-time GP winner and Eurosport/Sky/Bernievision commentator (alongside the entertaining Ben Edwards). I got talking to John about his immaculate Beetle which was being serviced, as both of us are Irish we chatted a bit about home and then discussed his 911 Carrera 3.0 RS.
Though the Carrera 3.0 RS was built in very low numbers, I am surprised at how many I have seen on my travels. A few 3.0 RSs come into Tuthills – real ones as well as tribute cars – and they never fail to impress.
The car we watched Walter rip around the Nurburgring in the last post is a 3.0 RS, owned and run by German gear specialist, Tandler Technology. Tandler use it as a promo vehicle and as a racer, running events such as the Köln-Arhweiler Rally, the Nurburging Oldtimer and the Vienna-Trieste. There are race reports and pictures on the Tandler website.
When you consider that one of these cars is getting on for half a million Euros now, watching a driving god thrash the daylights out of it on the most infamous circuit in the world is privileged stuff. OK, it’s Walter, but still: if it hits the wall, he gets to walk off and wave goodbye. No such luck for the owner! At least we know that, as a fellow enthusiast, his Röhrlship has some idea of the responsibility he carries.
I’m always amazed by the regular working blokes who share their passion and their good fortune by racing their historic Porsches with total commitment. I count myself lucky to call some of these guys friends. Long may it continue!
