The sun came out and so did a record number of cars for a 62 per cent upturn for Beaulieu’s Simply Porsche.
As many as 1,620 Porsches of all ages took part in Sunday’s event, up from 1,003 at last year’s Simply Porsche rally.
The event’s success continues Beaulieu’s bumper 2018 season of Simply rallies, which saw a strong start for the first Simply Audi and record numbers at Simply Ford.
Held in association with The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts’ Club, Simply Porsche saw every era of the sports car marque’s history represented in the vibrant display. From early 1950s machines right up to the latest models, there was something to please every fan of these finely-engineered German sports cars at the event in the grounds of the National Motor Museum.
A selection of Porsche 356s from the 1950s and 1960s could be found parked up with examples of the V8-powered 928, the high performance GT3 and GT4, the Cayman and open-top Boxster and Spyder. 911s ranging from the 1960s up to the very latest incarnations were well-represented in the line-up.
A variety of trade stands offered a range of accessories, from brochures and model cars to stereo systems and soundproofing, while Porsche specialist Brookspeed displayed a selection of Porsches for sale.
Throughout the day, visitors and participants voted for their favourite car of the show in the People’s Choice Awards. The overall winner was Matt Gough, who had driven from Maidstone in Kent to take part in the rally in his 2010 Porsche Boxster.
Matt, who has only owned the car for a year, said: “My favourite part of it is the paintwork, which is Riviera Blue – I love the colour.” He was presented with a commemorative trophy, an Autoglym car valeting pack and Beaulieu chocolate by Beaulieu’s Financial Director Phil Johnson.
Runners-up were Neil Richardson, of Camberley in Surrey, with his 2004 Porsche 966 Turbo Cabriolet and Jon Devereux, of Milford-on-Sea, with his 1952 Porsche 356 Cabriolet. Neil has done a lot of work to keep his Guards Red 966 on top form in the nine years he has owned it, while Simply Porsche regular Jon has fully restored his 356 during his ten years of ownership. They both received an Autoglym prize and Beaulieu chocolate.
Simply Porsche is one of Beaulieu’s range of Simply rallies, which continues with Simply VW on June 16th, Simply Land Rover on June 24th, Simply Jaguar on July 8th, Simply Japanese on July 29th and Simply Smart on November 11th. To buy advance tickets online or for more details click here.
