by John Glynn | Jan 28, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
We’re familiar with pictures of Ferdinand Porsche in dark hat and overcoat, or in three-piece tweeds, looking through a wheel. These senior pics have kindled a soft, shed-tinkering grandfather image. But here’s a pic you might not have seen before, which proves he was once a young thruster, keen to get ahead.
Now, the Porsche Museum has rescued the vehicle he designed for his success: the Egger-Lohner C2 Phaeton. This first-ever Porsche design has been brought back to Stuttgart and will be officially unveiled on January 31st: the museum’s fifth birthday.
Ferdinand Porsche P1
Porsche called it the P1 (Porsche 1), engraving the designation into its main components (below). As with so much of Ferdinand’s early work, it was powered by electricity, with a compact drivetrain weighing just 130 kilograms. This 1898 vehicle had a range of up to 50 miles, with a switchable body for summer and winter. Excellent!
In 1899, Porsche raced his creation at the international vehicle exhibition in Berlin: centre of the motoring universe. Over a 25-mile course and with three passengers on board, Porsche drove his own P1 to victory, 18 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor. The man was a proper legend.
Porsche is presenting the P1 as a historical artefact, prefacing Porsche’s early commissions and his later work. No over-restoration and no recreations: kudos to them for making it so. I urge you to visit Stuttgart and learn more about Ferdinand and the P1 at the Porsche Museum. Entry is free all weekend over Feb 1st and 2nd.
by John Glynn | Jan 19, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
Sorting through my archives yesterday, I uncovered some Porsche Museum pictures from a trip to Stuttgart in December 2010. This one shows a 917, RS Spyder, Cisitalia engine, 904 chassis, 3.2 Club Sport prototype, 993 RS and 936 scale recreation, as well as a special 996 we weren’t allowed to photograph.
The Porsche Museum is closed every Monday. This is a day for building maintenance, but also the day where invited Porsche guests (and common-or-garden journos like me) get to view the collection in relative quiet.
I say relative, as our visit included a Cup Car start-up in the museum’s sound theatre, and a 917 start downstairs in the museum workshop. It was definitely a day to remember.
Porsche Museum Pictures
What Porsche says about its museum: Enjoy a close-up experience of the history of Porsche. Encounter legendary racing and sports cars, fascinating production models as well as unusual prototypes. More than 80 vehicles will take you from the early years all the way to the present days of Porsche’s history.
by John Glynn | Jan 16, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Chris and Andy Osborne – the terrible twins – have been busy in Tuthill’s fabrication shop, fitting steel front wheel arches to this Porsche 911 RSR build.
Steel Front Wheel Arch/Front Wings 911
The most common front wing solution on widebody Porsche 911 RSR builds is using composite panels like the EB Motorsport Porsche 911 RSR front wings, which include the front wheel arch and are moulded in lightweight fibreglass. The main advantages of this approach are reasonable cost, very low weight and easily replaceable panels when things get bruised in competition.
For some of those building dream RSRs, the issue is less about cost and more about craft. Steel is solid, long standing and a rare commodity in arches for bespoke 911 builds. High-end Porsche aficionados like a complex metal wheel arch and the Tuthill Porsche fab shop is more than capable of fulfilling their wishes.
The Porsche 911 RSR build seen here is for street, circuit and rally use. It features a number of composite lightweight Porsche parts from EB Motorsport, but also a measure of old fashioned steel. It is true to classic Porsche, and to the owner, and will definitely turn a few heads when it’s finished.
by John Glynn | Jan 10, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Spotted a familiar Porsche Carrera hot rod at Tuthill Porsche yesterday: Simeon Anderson’s orange Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera with the classic ducktail rear end.
Based on a 1985 chassis, this 911 is a great example of impact bumper upgradery. Now kitted out with Tuthill 6-pot brakes, EXE-TC suspension, Recaro trim and an engine transplant, the Carrera also runs a torquey 3.6-litre engine, rebuilt by Nick at Redtek to give 290bhp.
I first encountered Simeon’s car for its 2013 insurance valuation. Back then it was painted mid metallic blue, but it now wears a colour worthy of its sass. Somewhat reminiscent of Oli Wheeler’s Lime Green 3.2 update, last seen at Cameron Sports Cars down in Wiltshire, the big difference is Oli’s car (previously owned by Chris Harris) ran a stock engine, with Jenvey throttle bodies and an Omex ECU.
Is this a future feature car? For sure. Anderson is a petrolhead par excellence and fine Ferdinand material!
by John Glynn | Dec 26, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
My next building project is knocking down our old lean-to garage to build a new extension, so I had a good Stephen’s Day clear out in the current garage today, dragging some stuff out for eBay, including some Carrera 3.0 bits and pieces which I don’t think I’m going to need on my car.
Flicking around eBay at various 911 bits and bobs to get an idea on selling prices, I found this: a 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Coupe for sale with just 93,000 miles, which may have been driven by Sir Elton John. The first Elton John Porsche I have ever heard about.
Owned by Sir Elton’s Limited company – William A Bong Ltd – from 1976 to 1981, the silver Carrera 3.0 went to its second owner at 57,000 miles. It’s had three more owners since, and is not exactly factory fresh, with a few wrong bits and various shades of silver suggesting some work has been done on the body over the years.
On eBay at £34k, it’s advertised elsewhere for under £30k and has been around for a few months, so might be bought cheaper. I doubt it owes the dealer anything like £30k, and for sure there is work to do to bring it back to A1 condition. Nevertheless, it may be worth a follow up.
Whilst not a diehard fan, I like a lot of Sir Elton’s music (Songs from the West Coast – brilliant) and find his wit, career and performance ethic quite inspiring. No doubt Sir Elton has been a key player in pop culture since the early 1970s. Perhaps more associated with British cars – Rolls Royce, Jaguar and Bentley – an Elton John Porsche is a rare beast. Given the amount of spare time Elton has to go driving around, I find it difficult to believe that he clocked up 57,000 miles in this 911, so maybe it was an MDs car or similar.
With investment in mind, it’s perhaps a better idea to look at this as a lowish-volume air-cooled 911 hardtop in need of some work and price accordingly. Finding a RHD C3 Coupe still with the right engine is rare enough, but those miles and the possibility of a celeb owner for the first five years of life do give it an extra spoon of Stuttgart sugar.
![Porsche 911 Carrera RS Replica New Zealand]()
by John Glynn | Dec 22, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Project Cars
Too many pictures being shared by down-under Porsche friends on Facebook, as they enjoy their summertime with long, sunny days and warm, bright nights. The bad news for them is we’ve just had the Winter Equinox, so the solar pendulum is swinging back towards the Northern Hemisphere.
The sunshine reminded me of this shot from Porsche buddy Thorsten earlier in the year, as he toured Sicily in a rented Fiat 500: there to see Stuttgart’s planned RSR re-run at the Targa Florio. “The faded sign looks incredibly cool!” said T. “I can’t believe nobody took that over the years. Maybe it’s protected by La Familia!”
Porsche 911 Carrera RS Replica
This picture recently arrived from New Zealand might ring a few bells, as it shows a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS replica that I inspected in Frankfurt for a NZ Porscher before the 2013 Nurburgring 24-Hour. The deal went ahead, and the RS has since arrived down in Wellington. New owner Graeme has been enjoying RS competition and some Porsche social, too.
“My car arrived in NZ mid-August but I was away until late September, so couldn’t get it registered. Final compliance took about two weeks and, once the 911 was legal, I drove it the 600km from Auckland to Wellington.
“Had a 5-day tarmac rally at the end of October, so prep and event took precedence over leisure time. Work has ruled the calendar since, but I’m looking forward to a few drives during the holiday summer break down here in NZ. The pic shows a Porsche Club NZ evening at the Bose Store in Wellington.”
Ah, Summer. We’ll have our revenge on NZ next year with the 2014 Le Mans, Le Mans Classic and all the glorious motoring that goes on here in the sunshine. Can’t wait for it.
