Heading to Royu with the GT3 and Panamera

One early Sunday morning, our family of four headed out to the Royu Driveway for the first time in a while. My husband took the freshly broken-in GT3 Touring, and I drove the Panamera Turbo with our two daughters in tow.

Since I’d been driving my beloved BMW 320i lately, it had actually been about two weeks since I last got behind the wheel of the Panamera. A little nervous, I got in and tried to start the engine—but out of habit, I instinctively pressed the clutch with my left foot, even though there isn’t one in the Panamera.

Oh right, the Panamera doesn’t have a clutch! (laughs)

Shaking it off, I started the engine, and with a mighty roar of “Vroooom!,” the Panamera sprang to life. “Oh yeah… that’s the sound. So cool,” I thought, feeling the thrill, while catching my husband’s signal from the GT3 next to me: “Go ahead first.” I set off in the Panamera.

The Panamera’s ride is somehow smooth yet powerful.

When I was driving it daily before, I’d gotten used to its feel and taken it for granted, but riding it again after a while reminded me just how amazing the Panamera really is.

On the way to Royu, I kept accidentally pressing the nonexistent clutch with my left foot, chuckling to myself, “Oops, no clutch here!” It’s amazing how just a short time driving a manual transmission car can engrain that clutch feel into your body. Habits really are powerful.

To the Higashi Rokko Observatory

As soon as we passed through the toll booth on the Royu Driveway, the GT3 ahead accelerated and eagerly climbed the mountain road. While my husband was cautious on the uphill curves, his speed on the straights and regular corners was incredible.

The GT3 can carve through mountain roads without hardly ever hitting the brakes—truly an amazing machine.

From the backseat, our daughters cheered, “Mom, you can do it! Wait for Dad!” but the GT3 quickly disappeared from view, speeding away. That car is really fast. (Probably also because I’m slow, haha.)

We arrived safely at the Higashi Rokko Observatory before 9 a.m., but the parking lot was already packed with sports cars.

I parked the Panamera a bit away from my husband’s GT3 and looked around. I spotted several familiar Porsches and wondered, “I wonder if that’s the owner over there?” but had to quickly chase after our kids who darted onto the road, so I just passed by. (-_-)

Three GT3s plus a GT2 RS

While the kids played at the Royu observatory, my husband had a chance to greet a friendly and gentlemanly owner of a stunning bright red 964, whom he had met here before.

I wish we could have chatted more, but with our two-year-old running wild, I was busy keeping an eye on the girls and couldn’t mingle much—what a shame.

I was busy snapping photos of all the cars gathered at the observatory, but I wonder if in two or three years, when the kids are older, I’ll be able to relax and chat with everyone more.

Then my husband said, “Let’s move to another spot and take a photo of the three GT3s lined up.” It turns out he knew another GT3 owner, and they also met a new GT3 owner at Royu that day. All three GT3s were 991.2 models, making for a rare and beautiful trio to capture on camera.

Wow, that sounds awesome! (ﾟдﾟ)!!

We hopped into the Panamera and followed my husband’s GT3 to a parking lot perfect for photos. Though all three were 991.2 GT3s, their headlights, body colors, and specs differed, making for a stunning lineup.

While my husband and the others chatted, I kept the kids entertained. Suddenly, a thunderous engine sound approached from afar. “Something amazing is coming!” I thought, waiting eagerly—and sure enough, a GT2 RS rolled in!

And it was the Weissach Package version!

I wondered if it would just pass by, but to my surprise, it stopped in the parking lot.

Things were really heating up…

I learned that the GT2 RS owner is from the same dealer as us and owns several other rare Porsches and supercars. Wow, these folks really have amazing collections. I wonder what they do for work.

Everyone chatted for a while, but as the weather at Royu turned gloomy and chilly, we decided to call it a day. Though our time together was short, it’s wonderful to know we can always reunite whenever we come to Royu.

That day, we enjoyed a wonderfully healthy outing, returning home by late morning.

KUGATTI-san

On that day, a young man with a camera was riding shotgun in the GT2 RS. I wondered, “Is he the GT2 RS owner’s son?” but he was snapping photos enthusiastically, so I figured he must really love cars.

Later, I found out that this person was KUGATTI-san, a university student famous for taking tons of photos of his dream supercars!

After getting home and browsing Twitter, I spotted a four-shot photo of the GT3s and GT2 RS posted by him.

No way! So that’s who it was…!

I regretted not saying a word to him, but after reaching out on Twitter, I was able to schedule an interview! (Look forward to the interview on the blog!)

Going to Royu always brings interesting encounters, and it’s amazing how quickly you can connect on Twitter afterward. I truly feel my world expanding through Porsche, and just imagining what’s next fills me with excitement.

I’m definitely going to get up early again and head to Royu on a Sunday morning!