A new dawn for Porsche Club GB

Porsche Club Great Britain is unmatched in the breadth of its owners’ demographics, from their ages, their locations and their incomes to the cars they own, the value of them and how they like to enjoy them. While the cars are all from the same company, there is a huge gulf between, say, an early 356 and a hybrid Cayenne or a 959 and a 718 Boxster. Draw whatever comparison you care to, but few other clubs can contain such disparate vehicles that are still defined by identical qualities.
 
All of this is patently obvious from the members in this article. No two are in any way alike (apart from, perhaps, a clear fanbase for the Rubystone 964 RS!), but they provide a fascinating snapshot of what it is to be a Porsche enthusiast in 2025, and they’re all united by one clear passion for Porsche and by getting out and driving their cars among people who feel the same way about them as they do.

  

Rick Wildridge
Rick has been a member of the Club for more than 50 years, having bought his first Porsche at the age of 25
 
“My first Porsche was a 912 in Irish Green,” he remembers. “I saw it advertised in the local paper and bought it off a farmer who had purchased it from AFN new in 1967. It was his wife’s car and, when she died, he had left it in a chicken shed. That was how it was when I bought it in 1975. I paid £750 in cash although he had asked for £850, which was quite a lot in those days. I got £1,600 when I sold it three years later, so I thought I’d done really well. It was a lovely car to drive and I used to take it to Snetterton (circuit) a lot.”
 
Some years later, Rick got back into Porsche with a 986 Boxster, followed by another later Boxster and then a 996 Carrera and Carrera 4S, but it was his subsequent Cayenne Diesel S V8, with its spectacular 850nm of torque, that really stole his soul. A very special example with more than £30,000 of extras fitted, it’s this car that sits at the top of his Porsche back catalogue, despite subsequently owning a 997.2 C4S. He really loved the noise it made, particularly because it was a pre-GPF model with the V8 rumble in full effect.
 
Although currently without a Porsche, his eye is on a Macan GTS or another Cayenne – “I think, at my age, I’ve done the 911 thing now” – but, given that a friend has an example of the Macan, with its strident exhaust note, you can tell he’s tempted to get another one.
 
“When I joined the Club, I was the second member in Suffolk. I had the 912 and one of the things I wanted to get right was the fit of the hydraulic struts”. Rick actually met Suffolk member number one, Terry Foubister, in Ipswich and they struck up a conversation. Terry suggested he join the Region as it got up and running and the rest, as they say, is history.
 
“The magazine is key,” Rick notes, on what has been the attraction to him of the Club. “It’s good to talk to people who are enthusiastic about the cars and pass on knowledge – information is one of the reasons people join a Club. Actually, the Club is a bit like a 911; it’s constantly improving and learning from feedback. I think the magazine has improved and, honestly, I can’t be critical of anything. Looking ahead, I think it’s important to remind people – newer members – of Porsche’s history and their achievements in motorsport, especially as everyone’s a little afraid of going electric.”

  
Sandra Pollock OBE
It was love at first sight and it’s still going strong!
 
“My first Porsche is the one I have now: a 1991 Guards Red 944 S2,” says Sandra. “There’s a bit of a story in getting it because, over the years, my husband Mike – who’s really into Porsches and has probably had seven – would ask me if I’d drive one and I always came up with excuses not to until eventually he wore me down. Then we went to a Club event in our Region, someone was selling this car and, as soon as I saw it, I knew we were going to buy it.
 
“I think we both just fell in love with it. Everything’s perfect about this particular car; not necessarily this particular model, just this particular car. I love the sports seats and I love the way it sits on the road – it feels very secure. I’ve skidded in it a few times and it just feels like it tries to rectify the situation itself! I trust it.”
 
Her dream Porsche? “Money no object, I’d buy a 997 Targa. I just love the shape.”
 
“We’ve been members for 16 years. It came about because my husband bought his first 944 and we really just wanted to find out more about Porsches. The Club has changed over that period – it changes every time there’s a reshuffling of the board – but I also think there’s been a shift in the range of people joining the Club, as younger people with different lifestyles join.
 
“I’ve always felt that when I turn up to a meeting, even my very first meeting when I didn’t know anybody, that there is one central focus: everybody there has a Porsche. It doesn’t matter what Porsche you have; you have a Porsche. That creates something for everybody to talk about and there’s no snobbery about it. It’s the love of the cars, whatever your model, and it brings people together. The friendliness of the Club is centred on that passion for Porsche.
 
“Looking ahead, I think we need to engage the younger generation better. Not necessarily teenagers and 20-year-olds – although we should encourage that age group and look to engage with them too – but Porsches are being bought by people with young families and we need to find out what interests them and make a connection somehow. I think we need to change the image of the Club a little bit and promote the fact that Porsches are driven by different age groups, ethnicities and women and that it’s not just about sports cars – Porsches are for families now as well. We need to portray those different groups in marketing terms, showcase the capabilities of the cars and the communities and talk about the wholesomeness of it.
 
“At this moment in time, I cannot imagine driving another car. I love it so much. Because it’s a classic, you get people giving you the thumbs up and saying it’s a great car. I feel mega spoiled.”
 
Tom Braisted
The Club offers so much, as Tom quickly found out
 


“I bought my 1999 996 Carrera 4 from another Club member and collected it on 18 October 2020,” Tom says. “He was right down in Devon and it was in lockdown, but it was just when you were allowed to go out a bit. Growing up, I didn’t really like the classic Porsches like 930s; they weren’t for me. But, as a child of the ’90s, seeing the GT class at Le Mans, I started to like the ‘fried eggs’. I remember seeing them in the street, I had the Scalextric set, I remember reading the articles in car magazines and the group tests where the Porsche won every time. When COVID-19 hit, we were going to move house but didn’t, so I bought the car.”
 
Tom has lavished much time, money and attention onto his car, which already had the factory aerokit fitted, including an engine rebuild, new suspension and what he describes as “extensive” bodywork, including a partial repaint. With an induction kit and free-flowing exhaust, he describes the sound it makes as “wonderful”.
 
His money-no-object Porsche purchase? “It would have to be a 964 RS in Rubystone. It’s just fantastic. “
 
“I joined the Club as soon as I bought the car, for a couple of reasons,” Tom continues. “Firstly, the previous owner was in the Club and he was talking about all the activities the Club did, but it was also nice to have that support network because this was the first of that type of car that I’d owned. I had plans of what I wanted to do with it, but I didn’t know whether they were good, bad or stupid ideas, so the Club was a useful source of information. There are real benefits as well in terms of discounts on tyres and servicing, but that’s not the main reason I’m a member. Most of all, I enjoy the social side, meeting others with like-minded interests and sharing those experiences.
 
“I think the barrier to entry for the younger generation is the cost of going air-cooled, so more and more are going to end up in 996s, 997s, 986s and Caymans. I think any snobbery around those cars has seeped away, but it needs to continue to do so. Yes, there’s clearly some vastly expensive machinery in the Club, but there’s also the other end of the spectrum that is important. As for attracting younger members, I think we need to look at getting publicity for upcoming events on platforms that they subscribe to and making the website as easy as possible to navigate.”
 
It’s the events that Tom particularly enjoys, including a Region trip up to Scotland: “The organisers did a truly fantastic job and we had a lovely time. You could choose your own adventure, with some wanting a spirited drive, others a more leisurely scenic one, and there were other activities that appealed to partners who were perhaps less enthusiastic about cars.
 
“I’m going to enjoy it for as many years as I can buy fuel for it, in a nutshell. If I have to make it run on sustainable fuel, then so be it. I enjoy it too much to not use it on a regular basis.”
  
Oliver Craddock
Considering that he never actually planned to join the Club, it’s all going splendidly for Oliver
 


“My first Porsche was a Carrera 3.2 Targa in Grand Prix white,” Oliver Craddock says. “I bought it because I’d always wanted a Porsche. I was 21 at the time and I paid £12,500 for it. I also had a company car, so this was a weekend toy.”
 
Like so many of us, Oliver’s addiction to Porsche had begun at an early age. “It all started for me when my dad came home with a G Model 911 when I was 11 years old. From that point on, I said ‘I need to have a Porsche’. When I got mine, he had a 993, so I went to 911 Virgin and the Targa was what I could afford at the time. A coupé was 14 grand and I couldn’t stretch to it.
 
“I’ve had four Porsches subsequently, including the one I have now, and my girlfriend also has a Macan Turbo. My current car is a 997.2 Turbo and it’s my favourite so far. I wouldn’t swap it for any of the other ones, or even an air-cooled model.”
 
You can’t miss Oliver’s uniquely green Turbo – a PTS factory order from birth. “My ultimate Porsche would be a 997.2 GT2 RS, because it’s the fastest-ever manual gearbox turbocharged road-going 911 (not counting, perhaps, the 992 Sport Classic). I just love the way that car looks, the manual gearbox and the hydraulic power steering. It’s a unicorn car. 
 
“I joined the Club because my dad kept saying ‘You should join the Porsche Club’, so I did to shut him up! I didn’t really do anything with my membership for the first 18 months, but then I started going to events. I didn’t join for the member benefits; I think I just wanted to be around other enthusiasts and I’ve gone on to make so many new friends through the Club. I can now pick up the phone, ring half a dozen people, just jump in the car and we all go for a drive together. It’s about meeting like-minded people that share that common ground.
 
“I think if there were areas for improvement, then it would be what we offer members on the digital side and just making sure that all of the Club’s Regions offer the same level of events across the board. Looking ahead, I think the Club can become more of a lifestyle brand in its own right, especially given how uncertain the future is for driving the cars we love.” 
 
“As for my ultimate Club event, it would have to be a continental road trip – probably Spain. There are some quiet roads out there, so it’s still a bit of a safe haven.” 
 
Simon Bowrey
Going from Beetles to Porsches is a time-honoured path...

 
“My first Porsche was a 912 that I bought in about 1986 and it was in mint condition. I had a Cal-look custom Beetle that I sold for a lot of money because it was a show car, but I was into Porsches because a school friend’s dad had a 2.7 RS (white with blue) that got me hooked when I went along in the back of it.
 
“I sold the 912 and bought a 911 SC in 1988, but it got stolen outside my business. Still, the insurance paid out, and I decided to not get another 911 but a 356 instead. I found a split window ’51 coupé down in Taunton in Somerset, which I bought from an elderly professor who’d had it for about 30 years. He’d modified the car, but had kept the original parts in old British Army gun cases. I drove it back and decided ‘I’m going to restore this’. During that process, it turned out to be a 1950 four-digit car. Its registration was UXB 12 and it’s now owned by Lord Foster. I believe I was one of the first in Europe to restore a split window coupé because no one wanted them at the time. It took me about 11 years to do the whole thing because you couldn’t get the parts. I had to research everything and that was before the internet! After winning the Club concours with it, I then drove it around Europe. I loved that car, but eventually sold it to Jay Kay of Jamiroquai fame.
 
“After the 356, I bought a 914/6 GT factory racing car that I did Tour Auto and Classic Le Mans in, then a 911 2.0 short wheelbase, a 356 Carrera GT (the first GT to go to the USA) and the first 911 ever imported to New Zealand. Currently, I have a 1953 pre-A 356 which races at Goodwood and a 914/6 GT recreation that I’m going to race this year myself.
 
“The car I miss the most is the split window because it was so cool and great to drive. Money no object, I’d like a 908 coupé.”
 
Simon has been a member since the mid-’80s and is now an honorary one. “I joined the Club when I got the 912. I wanted to be part of a Club for the networking and to get the magazine. I think the magazine is great where it’s got to lately, but there needs to be more features on workshops, members and their cars, and the Club needs to do more events as well – weekend drives, just small groups, staying in nice places and going to interesting locations. I’d like to see more clubby things going on.”
 
Julia Grace
Julia has owned her 986 S from new and it’s a keeper

 
“I’ve only had one Porsche, which is the one I have now”, says Julia. “It’s a 2001 986 Boxster S in Speed Yellow that I’ve owned since new. I bought it because I saw one cruising down Ocean Drive in Miami and thought ‘That’s what I want’. That was in 1999, I ordered it in September of that year, and it was delivered in early 2001.
 
“Even if I could buy any Porsche, I’d just keep this one because it’s so sentimental to me. I call it ‘Sunny’ because when I’m in it, it reminds me of Miami, the sunshine and also of my son, who’s no longer with us, but who loved the car.”
 
“I only joined the Club last July. I wanted to get out, meet new people and do new things, and I’d had the car recently spruced up. I’d actually had a bit of a prang in my driveway and the insurance company wanted to write it off, but I said ‘No way!’. So yes, the love came back after many years of not actually doing much driving in it, to be honest. It’s always been a second car, but now it’s my only car.”
 
Julia is enjoying the Club’s activities. “What I like about the Club is the breakfast drives and the different social events. It’s about the fun of the drive and going out specifically to enjoy driving rather than simply driving somewhere. I think people thinking of joining should know that it doesn’t have to be an expensive Porsche; there’s nothing snooty about it or a ‘mine’s better than yours’ type of thing. It’s all very supportive. After all, the Boxster is a young person’s car – it isn’t necessarily for someone affluent.”
 
Having fallen back in love with her car and driving with the Club, Julia is contemplating her first trackday. “I’ve taken out insurance through the Club, so I’m covered, and I’m thinking that I’ll have a go. Other than that, one day I hope to go on longer road trips. I’ve only done 65,000 miles in 25 years, but perhaps I’ll drive around the mountains of Switzerland…”
 
Jonny Mee
He might be young, but he’s already philosophical

 
“I think the Club is going to rise in significance as cars fade away,” says Jonny Mee, 21, a simultaneously inspiring and depressing comment all in the same breath, as we contemplate the future of the car enthusiast. “It’s about keeping that community alive”.
 
Jonny doesn’t own a Porsche himself – yet – but has the use of a 981 Boxster owned by his parents. “I guess you could say I’m a joint-driver of one of them. As soon as we got that car, I took it on a road trip to Ireland and drove it all over the place, listening to that six-cylinder scream in tunnels.
 
“My love of Porsches started with my uncle. My mum and dad were in the automotive industry but, when I was 15, my uncle got a 991.1 Turbo S Cabriolet and I got to go around in it, squashed in the back seats, going to cars and coffee events with him. Unfortunately, he’s passed away now, but going places with him and learning about the cars sucked me into it. When my parents came to buy their next car, I persuaded mum to buy a Panamera Sport Turismo as a family car (I mean, we do have a dog…). Shortly after that, mum wanted a convertible and I suggested the Boxster.
 
“Money no object, the Porsche I’d buy is a 964 RS. I really like the back-to- basics approach, the analogue nature of it – particularly in Rubystone with the interior to match. A big part of Porsche is the beauty of them, in that they’re not trying too hard to be anything, and yet the colours are a big part of it.
 
“My uncle was in the Club so, when we got the Panamera, I just wanted a way to get involved with the brand and to meet people locally who were into the same sort of things. I’ve met loads of different people through it, which has been great, and I really enjoy events such as Classics at the Castle – particularly the dinner with (legendary Porsche designer) Tony Hatter. That was the Club at its best for me.”
 
As someone who is still young himself, what does he see as the way forward to attract younger members? “The priority for the Club should now be ensuring the passion for the cars transfers to future generations. As part of that, I think we need some events centred around young people and that aren’t necessarily for owners. There can be an educational aspect to them and also having other things around the cars, such as music. My dream event would be great cars, music and people in a picturesque place.”
 
“For me, if I can own something like a Boxster one day, I’ll be happy. But, in terms of the community, helping to keep that flame alight is really important.”
 


The all-important why
Old Porsches are more interesting than new ones! We enthusiasts are a diverse and opinionated bunch, and there are few statements more likely to stimulate animated discussion. PDK is better than manual, perhaps?
 
Animated but good-natured discussion is the norm because, of course, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Irrespective of age or background, we all like different things. Some love to clean and polish, others to go to the track. Some enjoy both, but a few would prefer anything to either.
 
There’s lots to divide us, but two things bind us: an interest in Porsches and a passion for driving them. I pinched ‘United by the Drive’ off Porsche at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed because it struck me as being the ethos of our Club. So, with Porsche’s permission, we trademarked it and here we are. It’s not just a slogan; it will define us. There will be more organised drives over summer than ever before, and we are planning a series of convoys to converge on events such as our Summer Solstice party and Analogue Alchemy. There will be more centrally organised roadtrips and tours too.
 
Whatever your age, whatever you drive, whatever your demographic, come along. Enjoy the drive.

This feature was written by Adam Towler and first appeared in the April 2025 issue of our monthly Club magazine, Porsche Post. Join today to receive your copy, as well as enjoying a host of exclusive member benefits and savings.