Henry Catchpole heads out to escape the everyday in a Porsche that’s about as pure and hands-on as they come. The Sports Purpose 911 is a gorgeous early short-wheelbase car, restored and refined with great sensitivity to create something modest in appearance but deeply engaging from behind the wheel.
Catchpole believes feel is what more driver’s cars should be built around. The most important quality to look for is a strong connection that lets us sense and react to what the car is doing. These days, he says, manufacturers too often focus on connectivity and insulation from the outside world, chasing speed and obsessing over grip. Yet feel is what counts most, because it keeps us absorbed in the act of driving, mile after mile after mile, whatever the speed.
James Turner founded and runs Sports Purpose, and this very early 911, known as 545 after its chassis number, is his personal car. Its small 2.2-litre, air-cooled, twin-plug flat-six makes 200hp and 160lb ft of torque, which is plenty when there’s only 1000kg (2200lb) to move. Many of the upgrades draw on 2-litre Cup race cars from a one-make series that Turner also organises. With so much tactility, ample pace and bags of character, it’s little surprise the car gets used so often.
This 911 would sit comfortably alongside an Alfaholics GTA-R or an Eagle E-Type. These restomods stay closely true to the original foundations and philosophies of the cars they improve upon. Despite their modifications, they somehow keep the spirit of their era, and all of them are rich in feel.
