Early drive and Collins of Probus Visit.

Tinged with a little sadness that the mornings were getting darker and it spelled the last of our really early starts for 2024, twelve of us gathered at near Newton Abbott while it was still dark. Departing at 6am as the skies were just starting to get lighter we headed north we were met with virtually no traffic all the way to Whiddon Down and still fairly empty roads for a wonderful drive while the sun came up until we stopped for some photos and a good catch up at Widemouth Bay.

For the second part we headed down to the south coast of Cornwall via Bodmin and St Austell with a little more traffic by this time so taking things a little more easy, finishing up at our planned destination Collins of Probus, who had kindly offered to host us, with some Pasties, breakfast pastry’s hot drinks and of course get a few of our members cars on the Dyno We had an excellent turn out with 22 members turning up with the cars from the drive or heading direct for what turned out to be a glorious morning of fun, food and friendly betting on results!

Gary Collins writes
Collins of Probus is a family-run business established in 1989 by Roger Collins. After Roger’s passing in 2010, the business has continued to thrive under the management of his sons, Neil and Gary. Over the years, it has grown significantly, expanding to include car and bike sales, vehicle tuning, alongside comprehensive vehicle servicing, advanced diagnostics, repairs, and MOTs for both cars and bikes.
In 2016, we invested in our first 2-wheel-drive dyno, which proved invaluable not only for power runs and validating tuning work but also for diagnostics, such as identifying issues like misfires under engine load. Four years later, an exciting opportunity allowed us to acquire the highly regarded Maha MSR 500 4-wheel-drive dyno. We seized the chance and established a dedicated tuning and diagnostics unit, where we now run cars, bikes, and vans to ensure they are performing optimally, whether stock or tuned.
We’ve enjoyed working with many automotive enthusiasts, including a fantastic day with the Westcountry Porsche Drivers Club, where we had the pleasure of running several stunning cars on the dyno with excellent results.
At Collins of Probus, we take pride in our Porsche expertise, including our own Porsche 911 Turbo 997 Gen1, tuned by our partner, Pendle Performance. We have a loyal following of Porsche owners who trust us with their vehicles year after year. Our team is dedicated to delivering exceptional service and meeting the needs of every customer.
If you need advice, servicing, or tuning, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help!

The cars
First up Martin’s 2003 996 Turbo “Penny” which it turned out like all women was holding on to a few secrets of her own.

Next up was Chris Woodfinden’s 1989 Carrera Super Sport Targa which seemed to have maintained similar levels of power to when it left the factory, much to Chris’s delight.

Last up was John Kirwan’s 1986 928S with a 4.7 Litre V8, which again showed some strong performance, but had lost a little power over the years as you would normally expect.