50 years of the Porsche 911

50 years of the Porsche 911  - PRNMAG.COM
50 years of the Porsche 911 – PRNMAG.COM

A special sports car celebrates a special anniversary

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but 2013 is the year of the Porsche 911. At PRN Ignition, we began the celebration early.

While I am fully aware that snow is the last thing on most people’s minds this time of year, any day is as good as the next to reflect upon some of the more exciting things I get to do as part of my job. That said, those times when you are allowed – no encouraged – to fling a brand new Porsche 911 around a closed course and not worry about kissing curbs, tire walls or cement barriers are few and far between.

Well, that’s exactly what happened. In fact, it was still the dead of winter when I headed to the Saint-Donat region of Quebec where Porsche Camp4 Canada was in full swing at the renowned ice racing facility known as Mecaglisse.

Camp4 is a Porsche Driving Experience anybody can attend – even non Porsche owners are welcome – to have fun and learn car control by drifting around icy purpose-built tracks. Participants have access to many of the latest current Porsche models, including the Boxster S, Carrera 2S and the newest member of the 911 family, the C4S. In fact, barring a few customer cars that may have been delivered before this year’s Camp4, we are lucky to have been amongst some of the first to drive the new C4S anywhere in Canada. And, we did it on ice baby!

Compared to the Carrera 4 models, the C4S has different front air intakes, a wider body in the rear (+44 mm total) and a light strip that connects the taillights, but what makes it so fun to drive in these conditions is the all-wheel drive system and Nokian winter tires equipped with 3 mm studs.

The copious amounts of traction combined with the short wheelbase, light weight and a robust powerband prove these cars are at home in this environment far from the hot summer asphalt. So much so I experience far more traction than I ever thought possible at this time of year (far more than any other winter tire I’ve driven on, in fact) on a super-slick ice track no less.

All of the cars are sporting these tires; and, although studded tires like this are not road legal in most parts of Canada, the Porsches are. They make driving on the facility’s three snow-covered road courses and large winter skid pad not only possible, but also extremely fun and satisfying.

50 years of the Porsche 911 - PRNMAG.COM
50 years of the Porsche 911 – PRNMAG.COM

I have attended the Porsche Sport Driving School (PSDS) at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama to learn from some the best instructors, including SCCA/IMSA veteran road racer Cass Whitehead, 2011 Rolex GT Champion Andrew Davis and even Porsche Racing legend Hurley Haywood to name a few.

I’ve turned many laps in a variety of Porsches, but Porsche Camp4 Canada just might be the most fun I’ve ever had in a Porsche, or any car for that matter.

To read the complete article on the 50 years of the Porsche 911, please visit the PRN IGNITION website. To get the entire Summer ’13 issue of PRN IGNITION, visit your local newsstand and get it on Zinio!