The temperature is well below freezing, and a thick coat of frost covers the ground. If you’re a track day junkie, you realize your favorite circuit will be dotted with patches of unforgiving black ice, and that no amount of spirited driving is going to put enough heat in your tires to make them stick well. Is it time to hunker down and await the arrival of spring?
Not according to Porsche, which is why it’s been building all-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 models since 1989. To demonstrate how good the car is when the weather turns bad, Porsche filmed a recent winter test drive event at Britain’s Silverstone circuit. As expected, the AWD Carrera 4 models performed flawlessly, impressing owners of rear-drive 911 models with their handling prowess and tenacious grip.
Even a flooded skid pad and cold tires failed to upset the Carrera 4, as long as the driver used some judgement in applying throttle, brakes and steering. We don’t advise you probe the handling limits of any car on wet or icy roads, but it’s good to know that the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 extends the driving season for those of us wh can never get enough time behind the wheel.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
