My '72 911T

[Bootsy]

Great pics Gary, hope you sort the wobble!

[Gary71]

Probably time to bring this thread slowly up to date!

Jumping back to spring my son found this stunning location with the blossom just about hanging in there:




Was nice to get some good pics of the S2000 just before it went the way of many a twitchy rear drive car!

Same location also offered an avenue of trees!

[Gary71]

What does a queuing at passport control photo mean? Well apart from the miserable time spent getting fingerprinted, DNA checked and retina scanned in means an Euro adventure is about to start! Hull to Zeebrugge this time around.
This was in May, so less traffic not (too) hot and the snow has just about gone for the big passes to be open. Everyone else brought at least another 120bhp...




A long slog through Europe went without drama until my car started to lose power, and eventually coughed it's last breath as it rolled into the underground car park in Ulm. The gap on my newly fitted points, only replaced as the ones in there where at least ten years old, had closed up and these cars get emotional fast without the right dwell angle! Those too young to know what that is can Google it

Back up and running pretty rapidly and with a newly high idle speed, as it messed the ignition timing, I was ready for the first passes.

Awesome collection of cars this year, from the usual 2.7 Carrera, 3.2 Carrera, 964, Boxster, 996 GT3, to 997 GT3 RS, to Ariel Nomad and of course a Ferrari 512 BB

[Gary71]

Next day we were up bright an early heading into the mountains

Main goal being Timmelsjoch in Austria, still plenty of snow as it had only recently opened, and closed again the following week after a major snowfall.



Same pic I took a couple of years ago and still love it up there!



Got to get another sticker!



It was lovely going up, and most of going down... then things escalated!

[Gary71]

The Ferrari was having a few running issues due to the altitude (as was I!) so we both hung back from the group on the descent so we could pop and bang and misfire our protesting carburettors down the mountain in private.





Obviously the 'hanging back and taking it easy' didn't really happen so we got into the flow of descent, tunnels, waterfalls, snow, in convoy with a flaming flat 12 Ferrari is quite the moment for a petrolhead.

We swapped places and I took the lead as I had the map, then without any warning I had complete brake failure...

We've all had a soft pedal occasionally that is the polite warning to ease off, but I had a hint of softness on one hairpin then the pedal freely slamming to the floor on the next! Honestly thought a line had burst as the pedal literally had nothing and just collapsed.

Very luckily the road had levelled out so a combination of a super early 1st gear and the handbrake managed to get it to stop in a handy layby. Clean trousers were required...

So without more than the very slightest hint of fade the fluid had boiled in the front calipers, not much you can do about this at the side of the road other than wait for it to cool down. After about 30 minutes there was a hint of pedal that would pump up (a bit) so I continued very very slowly down the mountain without intentionally using the brakes to the hotel for a stiff drink!



Luckily team DDK had fresh brake fluid, and enough jacks, impact guns and tools to bleed the brakes, so down to the hotel garage before breakfast and an hour of 'up/down/up/down' later we had done a basic fluid change.

Good job because still to come is the Grossglockner pass which is still the sign off test for brake systems used by many manufacturers!

[Gary71]

Although the brakes made a good recovery, the pedal was still far from ideal, and I'm not sure brake discs should be that colour on a 130bhp 55 year old car...

So with the previous days fun firmly in the back of my mind and under my right foot we started the day in usual fashion with another expensive tank of fuel.



After a gentle run through the valley floor I dropped back from the group as we ascended and descended Passo Rolle in Italy. No longer trying to keep up and giving the brakes a rest presents many opportunities to soak in the scenery rather than blat through it.



And as is often the way on these trips you think the scenery can't get better.

Then you start to climb Passo Sella in the Dolomites and it never fails to impress:




Those last pics are all composites of multiple images as I find wide angle lenses just distort everything and software is so good these days it's no great effort to stitch 25 pictures together!

[hot66]

great photos Gary .. pretty sure I don't see any of the scenery on these trips

[Bootsy]

Stunning photos

[sladey]

great photos Gary .. pretty sure I don't see any of the scenery on these trips

There was scenery?!?

[jtparr]

What i love about your posts is that you remind us of the amazing views of the places we sped through at pace…

[Gary71]

What i love about your posts is that you remind us of the amazing views of the places we sped through at pace…

Sometimes being slow boy at the back has its advantages!

[markm]

Love the photos Gary, forgot how stunning the dolomites where after our last trip

[Gary71]

Love the photos Gary, forgot how stunning the dolomites where after our last trip

Yes it's truly amazing, such a long drive to get there but worth it

[Gary71]

After another good night of beers, food and setting the world to rights in a bar we headed back into the hills.

Stopping for an early coffee as we were all feeling it a bit!



Then up Passo Giau, which was super busy with campers and bikes as the Giro de Italia was coming through the next day.

One good thing was a professional photographer was crouched by the Armco taking pictures of literally everything that went past and captured this nice shot of a commited entry to a hairpin!



Our next hotel was in Slovenia and I joined up with JP in his 2.7 Carrera for the last passes and the run over the border.


Whilst it's no longer a border as such, it gave the vibe of entering a very different country!

[Gary71]

Next day back into Austria and to the Porsche Museum in Gmund.



It really small, so not worth a pilgrimage, but if you are there for other reasons, like those big passes, it's great



Onwards back to the mountains and to Grossglockner, another super high pass.



And of course another sticker


Luckily on the way back down there are many lay-bys where you can rest your brakes. Good plan!