R Gruppe Porsche 911T: London calling
It’s 6am on a Sunday morning, and the air of calm outside London’s prestigious Dorchester Hotel is banished by the bark of a flat-six Porsche tearing into life. A black Virginia registration plate marks this 911 as a recent arrival on UK soil, and judging by the thrap from the tailpipes I think it quite likes it.
London is built on destiny. Founded as a river crossing and trading post by the Romans around 50 AD, it gained status as the Roman capital in Britain, and was developed into a planned and walled city, housing 60,000 people.
Even near-destruction in battle early on and subsequent abandonment after the collapse of the Roman Empire could not kill Londinium. Following a post-Roman lull lasting more than a century, the Anglo-Saxons breathed new life into London, and the UK’s capital city has prospered ever since.
The most famous words describing London come from the famous 18th century English writer, Samuel Johnson: “You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London… When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.”
Walk along any street in the capital, and the chances are you are walking in Johnson’s footsteps. The great writer lived and worked all over this metropolis, as did thousands more notable names from history.
The sense of accumulated greatness they endowed upon the city is what makes London so unique and remarkable.
Only one thing lifts my spirits after more than a morning spent in London, and that’s driving a great 911. It doesn’t take long to decide that this fits that bill.
After ten minutes rumbling through Mayfair, delighting in this zingy 911 on empty Sunday streets, we arrive in St James’ Square. Time to stop for some photos and a chat with the 911’s owner, Chris Cooke.
To read more about this awesome R Gruppe animal, including details of its remarkable 2.7-litre engine, pick up a copy of Total 911 issue 108 now. You can get your copy delivered from the Imagine Shop, or download it straight away from Great Digital Mags.
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