Surrey Tifosi talk ‘Porsche’ for SSAFA with sights on Stuttgart

09 September 2026

Call it the ultimate betrayal of the Prancing Horse.

A group of die-hard Ferrari enthusiasts is trading - albeit temporarily - Italian brio for Teutonic ingenieur-effizienz and pointing its convoy not towards Maranello, but Porsche AG in Stuttgart.

Driven, perhaps, by a sudden craving for cup holders, working air conditioning, and a journey untroubled by roadside assistance, these partially reformed Tifosi are swapping operatic V12s for the clinical perfection of the flat-six and even an inline four.

While the streets of Maranello fly their flags at half-mast - and Enzo spins faster than a propshaft at 200mph - the 12 Porsche pilgrims leave for Zuffenhausen on September 14, trailing broken hearts, unfulfilled maintenance schedules, and pristine Italian leather.

And it’s all in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

Stuttgart or Bust, as it has been termed, is the brainchild of Elias Elia, owner of Autofficina - an independent Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini specialist in Epsom - and friends Mark Blyth and Tony Moore. Together, the Tifosi trio have organised many Ferrari road trips throughout Europe, yet this is the first grand tour in support of any charity.

Like many good and noble ideas, swapping Ferraris for Porsches began as a joke.

Elias - taking a 1984 944 - says: “The concept of Ferrari owners driving Porsches to Stuttgart was to appease our friend Joe who joins the Autofficina-organised Ferrari road trips, which have included trips to the Ferrari factory, in his Porsche. 

“He, for obvious reasons, wanted to visit the Porsche factory. It then became a reality, and we’ve bought Porsches solely for the event. We won’t be swapping for good!”

Although none of 12 drivers taking part has military experience, the good-natured joshing echoes the polite and gentle inter-service banter so valued by the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.

As Elias puts it: “As a group of dedicated Ferrariphiles, with numerous Ferrari road trips under our belts, we thought it was time to put Porsche to the test while raising vital funds to support serving personnel and veterans, and families who may call on SSAFA one day, like the 51,000 who did in 2025.

“The 12 spaces for Stuttgart or Bust filled very quickly, but there’s still time for anyone to support us as we fundraise for SSAFA by following this link to our JustGiving page here [Elias Elia is fundraising for SSAFA].”

All at SSAFA wish the Decent Dozen viel glück, buona fortuna, and the best of British!