Jubilee weekend was here, and like many I took the entire week off. The time to step back a little and relax with the long weekend fast approaching.

The Jubilee celebrations I attended were fantastic, an organised event in the little town of Mortimer where there was fair, a stage with bands and most of all, lots of beer tents all finished off with fireworks and the renditions of God Save the Queen”.  What a fantastic end to an extra special and extended weekend….

…but wait there was still something special to do on the Sunday, and that was to go and experience my first Simply Porsche at Beaulieu. Not only was I attending the event, but I would be taking pictures for “The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts club”.

Sunday morning came, the cameras were packed and me and a friend (James) grabbed a quick cup of coffee before venturing out into the dull and gloomy weather.  The run down to Beaulieu would take an hour and there was hope that the weather would break and stay dry for the show.

As we got to the New Forest we started to see the odd Porsche here and there, but as we got closer the pronounced roar of a flat six engine was heard time and time again, the excitement of what to expect started to build and our enthusiasm for what lay head started to grow.

Arriving at the show, the weather had improved so the need for an umbrella or raincoat was thankfully not needed although filtering with the other cars in a Skoda Superb, we did have the odd funny look, but as we approached the entrance and showed the gate staff our wrist bands, they were very polite and helpful in guiding us through the gates and giving us directions of where to park up.

Now, I am not a Porsche owner, and it has taken me an age to come around to all of my friend’s way of thinking about the beloved Porsches we were there to see, and once you emerge into the sights, the sounds, and the smell of all things Porsche, I was like a kid in a sweet shop.

First things first though… we made contact with Andy Harris, found the TIPEC Gazebo where we were greeted by smiles and warmth along with another cup of lovely coffee and some very special shortbread biscuits. Briefing done, and it was time to explore with camera in hand.

The various clubs and stands all had lots of lovely owners who were willing to chat about their cars, everyone I spoke to were pleasant and welcoming.  As a photographer I try and get the best angles for my pictures, sometimes I have to get up close to the cars for detailed shots and owners were very encouraging when asked if I could get that little bit closer to their pride and joy.

The out-and-out quality and care of these machines is only replicated by the enthusiasm of their owners.  Coming from the VW scene of 30 odd years to a more mature and sophisticated atmosphere was encouraging.  It was nice to see the odd “hoonigan” every now and again though on either starting their engines or on the road trip on our way back home.

The variety at Simply Porsche of old verses new, verses petrol verses electric, there was so much to see. I am a real sucker for the old Porsche 356 and there were quite a few at this event.

A stunning baby blue one on the main parade into Beaulieu on chrome Fuchs alloys, then further along on the back row near the ruins a dark red or wine coloured one that caught my eye. The lady owner was extremely proud of her car and expressed how she had tried to keep the little Porsche as original and authentic as possible.

Moving back slightly through the rear fields, lots of EV’s and 992 touring’s were out for all to admire. Quite large compared to their older generations, but still brought admiring looks from other owners and attendees.

Moving further back we came upon what could only be one of the best-looking cars at the show, a black 356 straight out of what looked like the first top gun movie. The car was flawless, the paint deep, the leather sumptuous and the chrome as bright as any I have ever seen.  It was quite hard to get a clear spot to get pictures of this beauty as it was attracting so much attention.

Moving through the rest of the hordes of 991’s, 996’s GT2’s, GT3’s, Carrera’s and Carrera-S’s there was just so much to see and take pictures of.

I do have to give a quick shout-out to another older Gentleman driver (yes a 356 owner in silver) who kept me talking well over 30 minutes of his adventures of him in his many cars and rally’s that he had been on.

Once the work had been completed it was time for a little downtime, where James and I visited the museum, had a good old look at the “no time to die” cars, some that were in quite a bad state from the film to be fair. It was lovely to revisit the museum after a good absence, seeing new and familiar cars that were seen in my childhood, my youth and now… well let’s just say my more mature years.

The World of Top Gear, was as popular as ever showing the cars that Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond used during their time on the show, although now they were in the company of the newer generation of custom racing tractor and 4x4 ice cream van.

Time had come where members and attendees were leaving, thanks were given to those on the TIPEC stand and we joined the queue to exit.  The drive home was quite spirited with windows down listening to the endless burble of flat-six engines that just made the hairs on the back of your head stand on end…

Until next time…