THE FUN FACTOR

The Fun Factor

Taking Ehsan Bhatti’s two Porsches to an airfield outside London for a much needed break from the city.

“On paper they’re two totally different 911s, but they share the same spirit of mischief, presence, and genuine turn-key usability.”

Though plenty fast enough for most people’s purposes, speed isn’t the common denominator that binds Ehsan Bhatti’s car collection together. As a film maker based in Central London, speed bumps, traffic and narrow streets are some of the environmental concerns that had to impact his choices. While most in the city opt for whatever enclosed box can pull them through the experience in as swift and insulated a manner as possible, Ehsan tries to have a little more fun with things, and that’s very evident in the way he talks about his Porsches.

“Stepping into an air-cooled 911 is special. Speed isn’t measured it’s felt. Where the appliance-like precision of modern cars is forgettable, feel isn’t. The Dakar is much the same, just like its fully restored post-heart-bypass grandma, both of these cars just wanna live a little.

The body roll in the Dakar is pure driving banter, it’s like riding a balloon thats let half the air out. I’m literally screaming ‘wooooo’ as I’m feeling the chassis duck and weave before shaking its tail out of a corner.

“Stepping into an air-cooled 911 is special. Speed isn’t measured it’s felt."

The body roll in the Dakar is pure driving banter, it’s like riding a balloon thats let half the air out. I’m literally screaming ‘wooooo’ as I’m feeling the chassis duck and weave..."

The other 911 is a 964 C2 3.8, backdated to look older and fitted with an endless list of mods. It’s totally set up for my canyon driving tastes and I’m into the finishing touches now. It’s a cheeky little thing, you can’t finish your sentence because it’s finding all the gaps to fill. She’s small, loud and so damn pretty. I once forgot to latch the Targa top coming down the Sustenpass so it flew off like an umbrella, only to be found the next morning with some cows using it as a dinner plate.

Roofless cars get such a hard time but if driving is all about connection to your environment, nothing beats the motion blur of mountains and the harmony of a flat six flowing into the cabin, you really do feel like you’re flying.”