THERE have been heat waves these past few weeks with temperature soaring close to 40 ∞Celsius. But that did not stop enthusiastic Porsche Club Malaysia (PCM) members from participating in the annual Drive of the Year (DOTY) 2019.
For the 2019 edition, the members decided not to cross the borders up north or down south and the result was an epic full tour of the peninsula.
The lineup comprised hot Porsche models from the Boxster, Cayman, 911, Macan and Cayenne.
These included a few brand-new 911 (991) GT2 RSs, 911 (991 mk1 and mk2) GT3s and GT3 RSs, 911 (991) Turbo S, 911 (997) GT3 RS, Boxster Spyder, Cayman GT4 and a 911 (964) wearing Gulf-inspired RSR bodykit.
Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) decided to support this year’s edition and invited a group of journalists along. We were assigned to a Porsche Panamera 4 Sport Turismo and a Porsche Cayenne.
The convoy started the journey with a flag-off at the Porsche Centre Sungai Besi. From there on, we headed south to Johor Baru, with a visit to the renown RWB (Rauh-Welt Begriff) Museum before ending the day.
Day 2 started with a group of Porsche cars from Johor and the Porsche Club Singapore (PCS) joining the convoy.
The members took a group photo before proceeding on a more than 500km drive to Tanjung Jara, Terengganu, which was also the longest leg for the trip.
The next day, we made our way to the interior of the peninsular via the Jeli-Gerik highway and spent a night in Royal Belum.
On Day 4, the convoy drove further north; passing through a few towns in Kedah, then to Kuala Perlis before turning south to Penang.
The convoy drove back to Kuala Lumpur after spending two nights in Penang. Truth be told, the agenda for the trip was literally “drive, drive, ‘makan’, and drive again”.
There were endless B-roads, coastal roads and twisty hill roads. These kind of roads are perfect to test the acceleration and cornering capabilities of the Porsche cars while embracing the beauty of nature.
To spice up the drive, there was dedicated attitude in some of the club members.
The female driver of a rare Porsche Boxster Spyder even drove with the top down. The fabric roof had to be manually-operated (yes, you have to fold or unfold it yourself to get the roof down or up, and stow it into the boot afterwards).
And then there’s the 964-gen 911 with Gulf-inspired livery and RSR bodykit that looked like it came straight out of LeMans endurance race.
It is equipped with motorsport-derived components like a 996 GT3 RS gearbox, 930 GT2 Evo front axle, centre-lock wheels and full roll-cage to name a few.
Meanwhile, the 1974 911 was the only air-cooled car in the convoy and the driver, Mr Bakker, and his son had to bear the brunt of one of the hottest days of the year.
This car was truly Instagram-friendly and it garnered the most attention and smartphone-pointing whenever we stopped to refuel (fuel was sponsored by Shell, so kudos to them for the awesome welcome and hospitality at all the stations along the way).
Other notable cars were the beautiful 911 GT2 RS in Riviera Blue and the 911 (997) GT3 RS in Viper Green.
The GT2 RS was a sample from PTSRS (paint to sample) that is believed to be one of only two in the world in this hue.The 997 GT3 RS belonged to Christian Coujin, a serial RWB collector who hosted our visit at his facility in Johor.
I have been on a drive that goes across the whole of Peninsular Malaysia but to be part of PCM’s Drive Of The Year 2019 is surely an unforgettable one.
This drive covered more distance and was with a special lineup of cars. There’s nothing like waking up knowing that “you are going to drive a Porsche again today”.
Also, how many times can you see a brutal GT2 RS and the hardcore 964 RSR at their pace driven before your eyes, unless you’re on a track day?
The drive also allowed us to spend more time with SDAP’s Panamera 4 Sport Turismo and Cayenne. I mean, we have driven these two cars before but this exercise enabled us to further understand what these cars had to offer.
The Panamera 4 Sport Turismo and the Cayenne, together with the other cars in the convoy had no big trouble keeping up with the more serious machines.
These cars might be down on power, but the more compliant suspension and chassis were more suited to the roads we took.
My favourite black ribbon from the trip has to be the stretch from Rompin to Nenasi, Pahang, and the Jeli-Gerik bypass. Underrated, but they are one of the best driving roads in the country.