Driving the fabulous Sports Purpose Porsche 911 | Henry Catchpole - The Driver's Seat

Henry Catchpole tries to get away from it all in a Porsche that is about as pure and tactile as you can get. The Sports Purpose 911 is a beautiful, early SWB car that has been restored, massaged and tweaked incredibly sympathetically to produce something that is understated yet incredibly involving to drive. Catchpole argues that it is the prioritisation of feel that we should be striving for in more drivers cars. A deep sense of connection, so that we can intuit and respond to the way the car is behaving, is the number one facet we should look for. Too often these days manufacturers major on connectivity and a sense of isolation from the world, they prioritise pace and obsess over grip. But feel is ultimately what matters most, as that’s what ensures we can be immersed in the process of driving above all else for mile after mile after mile… at any speed. Sports Purpose was founded and is run by James Turner. This car - a very early 911, known as 545 after its chassis number - is in fact his own car. It has a little 2.2-litre, air-cooled, twin-plug flat-six that is putting out 200hp and 160lb ft of torque. But when you’ve only got 1000kg or 2200lb to push around, that’s more than enough. Many of the upgrades have been taken inspiration from 2-litre Cup race cars that compete in a one make series that Turner is also behind. It’s a car full of tactility, more than enough pace and oodles of character - it’s no wonder it gets driven so much. This is a Porsche 911 that would happily live alongside cars such as an Alfaholics GTA-R or an Eagle E-Type; Restomods that stay very faithful to the original underpinnings and philosophies of the cars they are elevating. Despite the modifications, they somehow remain true to the period they are from. And all are full of feel. We hope you enjoy this latest episode on the Hagerty YouTube channel. Despite the almost ethereal nature of its opening shots none of this film was created with the use of AI - just the very skilful camera work of Glenn Winhall, Alex Johnston and Nick Wilkinson. If you would like to show your support for the channel then liking and subscribing really does help. And don’t forget that if you are in need of an insurance quote for that special car, then just click on this link… www.hagerty.com/Henry #Porsche911 #911 #SportsPurpose #restomod #feel # #Henry #Catchpole #Hagerty Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications! http://bit.ly/HagertyYouTube Visit our website for an insurance quote, to join Hagerty Drivers Club, and for daily automotive news, cars stories, reviews, and opinion: https://www.hagerty.com