by John Glynn | May 22, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
This Bill Gates Porsche 911 Turbo story has been doing the Internet rounds for a couple of days, but some of you may not have seen it. It is definitely worth following!
Bill Gates’ 1979 930 is for sale on an Austrian auction site. The car has apparently covered 89,000 miles, but was restored in 2011, with fresh paint and an engine rebuild paid for by the current owner, a year after it was imported to Austria.
As a ’79, it is of course a 3.3-litre, with the 4-speed transmission. Though it seems in good shape, any prospective buyers would be well advised to have a closer inspection. Early 930s can need more than engine rebuilds at this stage and it did live in Seattle: rain capital of the USA.
One thing you can be sure of is a decent history: Bill is not short of a bob or too. With the best 930s now being offered (perhaps slightly optimistically) at close to £50k in the UK – a LHD car should be expected to fetch more. Add in the kudos of Bill’s original Bill of Sale and who knows what it might fetch.
I’ve driven plenty of 4-speed 930s in the UK, Europe and the USA. Even in the best condition, they can be difficult to get excited about on a twisty mountain road. I don’t think that this car would be worth fortunes to me, but then I’ve been a fan of the 3-litre normally aspirated 911s and a Steve Jobs/Apple Mac user for many years!
What do you think it will sell for? Add your views in the comments. This story came in from Matthew (thanks Matt): email me with other interesting stuff you might see. We are always looking for interesting feature cars. Follow Ferdinand to keep in touch with all the Porsche stories we share online.
by John Glynn | May 11, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
Porsche Classic on the Mille Miglia is rich in shades of 1953’s “downright phalanx”. Mille Miglia – literally a thousand miles – is for cars approved by the FIA or FIVA that would have raced in period, so up to 1957, when the 24th and final Mille was run.
From the press release, it sounds like the Porsche museum is sending two Porsche 550 Spyders, 356 Speedster 1500, 356 Speedster 1600, 356 Speedster 1600 S and 356 Coupé, the so-called “Knickscheibe” (bent windscreen).
Hats off to Stuttgart if it really is sending all that precious metal. Entry fees for the Mille Miglia are €7260 per car, for three nights B&B, some parking and a road book. Single beds, additional stickers or road books for support crew, and parking for transporters while the race is going on are all extra. Times that by six cars, plus drivers and navigators, plus transport, plus support, plus PR, plus staff costs and I guess you are knocking on €200k, for three days driving around Brescia to get some promo pics. Heavy duty!
Of course, for some people, it’s a proper race: 1,600 kms in three days. A few years ago, I pitched a story idea to Porsche, to follow his highness Gijs van Lennep in the State of Art 550 Spyder around the Mille Miglia in a Boxster Spyder. Got big thumbs down on that one, but one of the days I will follow the race in a Boxster: the only modern Porsche worthy of the jaunt.
Before I leave, back to that fabulous word. In ancient Greece, phalanx was a military formation, made up of heavily armed troops in tightly packed ranks. The soldiers stood shoulder-to-shoulder, several rows deep, often with shields interlinked. It was a formidable force that was difficult to match. At the turn of the 20th century, a Munich art cluster including Bauhaus legend-to-be, Wassily Kandinksy, formed a group known as Phalanx “to oppose old-fashioned and conservative viewpoints in art”.
Combining the two interpretations, I doubt there is a better collective noun for racing Porsches than ‘phalanx’. An impenetrable group of conquering soldiers, opposed to old fashioned concepts in art? That’ll do nicely, phalanx.
by John Glynn | May 3, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
British law says that cars over three years old must have an annual safety inspection, known here as the MoT (Ministry of Transport) test. Racing Restorations UK recently took our Project 924 Turbo for its test. It’s the first step in registering the Italian-plated Porsche here in England.
The test checks what you’d expect:
- Body or vehicle structure free from corrosion or damage, engine mountings secure etc. Fuel system: No leaks. Security and condition of pipes or hoses. Fuel cap fastens and seals securely.
- Exhaust emissions: dependent on the age and fuel type. Exhaust system: secure & complete. Catalyst where one was fitted as standard. Without leaks and is not too noisy.
- Seat belts: checked for type, condition, operation and security. All seat belts must be in place. Seats: driver’s seat can be adjusted. All seats for security and seat backs can be secured in the upright position. Doors: Latch securely. Front doors open from inside and outside. Hinges and catches for security and condition. Mirrors: minimum number required, condition and security. Load security: boot or tailgate can be secured in the closed position. Bonnet: securely latches in the closed position.
- Brakes: condition, inappropriate repairs or modifications, operation and performance. ABS or electronic stability control (ESC) where fitted. Tyres and wheels: condition, security, tyre size and type and tread depth. Spare tyres are not inspected.
- Registration plates: Condition, security, colour, characters correctly formed and spaced. Lights: Condition, operation including HID and LED headlamps for cleaning, self levelling and security. Headlamp aim. Main beam warning light.
- Wipers and washers: operate to give the driver a clear view ahead. Windscreen: condition and driver’s view of the road. Horn: correct operation and of suitable type. Steering and suspension: condition, steering oil level, operation, a check for inappropriate repairs or modification including corrosion to power steering pipes or hoses. Operation of steering lock mechanism.
After an hour’s worth of checking, the 924 failed, but only on a few things.
First was the headlamps, which are left hand drive and dip to the wrong side. Track rod ends and one rear wheel bearing were past it. There’s a problem with the rear fog light being intermittent, the windscreen washers don’t work and it needs new wiper blades. The tyres passed but they are pretty old, so we’re changing them.
Rob at Racing Restorations will do the track rods and wheel bearing, I’ll swap the lamps and fix the other bits from my stock of 924 and 944 parts and we should be good for a re-test next week. Then I need a letter from Porsche confirming the build date, and we’ll be ready to submit a registration application.
The boys say it drives well: worn second gear synchro being the only real issue. My transmission guy has our spare gearbox apart and apparently it’s not pretty, with worn selectors on 1 through 4. We’re still trying to figure out what bits Porsche and Getrag used in the early 924 Turbo gearbox: must be Mercedes or similar from the period. More news on that as we find it.
As an aside, I’ve just bought a complete 924S back end including the aluminium arms from a mate, so that might come in handy. Aluminium arms will be nice if we go for this Carrera GT idea and try for trick underpinnings – same as fitted to 944 Turbo.
by John Glynn | Apr 24, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
My growing car collection just went up a notch, as new Ferdinand Magazine bought its first Porsche project.
The new addition is a 924 Turbo: a Series One car from the late 1970s, in Silver. It’s LHD (of course) and has a non-sunroof shell. Condition is reportedly very solid, but I’ve not seen it yet so will advise when it arrives with me, later today. The seller knows his Turbos and says this is the fastest one he’s ever had. Count on some test drive video! I’ve been looking for a good 924 Turbo for ages, so I really hope this is as sweet as it sounds.
The odometer is showing very low kilometres, which may or may not be genuine. There is absolutely no paperwork with the car, so a detective hunt lies ahead. It still carries its Italian registration: tracing that back should be interesting. Completely unconnected, I just started Italian lessons but have enough Italian Porsche friends to help me with the digging.
Plans for the car: it is seriously tempting to make this a Carrera GT replica. I’ve always loved 924 Carrera GTs and a silver one would sit well in the garage with the Orange 911 and my M3 saloon. I’m having the car delivered to Racing Restorations UK in Pershore, where Rob Campbell will give it a good going over. Rob has just finished tidying up the M3 – chopping out some rot in the sills and overhauling the suspension and underside – so the 924 will drop into that space.
Whatever about the Carrera GT plan, I know I have a gearbox fault to fix on this 924 first, so the spare transmission I bought with the car will be stripped later this week to check it out before swapping it into the newbie. Once the car is MOT’d, we’ll decide what to do for the future.
I know you will now ask me: what’s happening with the 944 Kombi/Estate project? The donor car we bought and paid for turned into a bit of a nightmare, with the seller initially agreeing to store it for a while, but then moving it and refusing to tell us where we could pick it up! Buying through eBay with Amex was a sensible move. We are back on the hunt for a donor: I still have my 86k-mile 1983 944 Lux stashed away, but I think that’s a bit too nice to chop up.
More updates later: follow Ferdinand Magazine on Facebook to get the news first.
![BBC Radio 4 interview on Ferdinand Porsche airs today]()
by John Glynn | Apr 13, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche People
The interview I recorded in London with BBC Radio 4 airs today at 16:00 hrs UK time.
The piece will appear on Last Word: Radio 4’s obituary show. I think the session went well, but you never know how these things will turn out in the edit. I’m hoping it will come across as interesting, and in honour of the third generation of Porsche car designers: we’ll have to see.
The whole thing was recorded in The Orange: my Carrera 3.0 Coupe. I drove the orange 911 down to London, picked up producer Jane Little and we took a drive around the West End. Tootling around a city centre is not where Orange is happiest, but there were a coupe of spots where it could stretch its legs a bit in second gear. Made both of us laugh.
Jane was quite surprised by the 911’s turn of speed in stripped out guise, with the reduced final drive ratio that Orange runs. The view through that big screen from the low seating position on my car, built to sprint up Swiss Alpine passes, emphasised the amount of glass Ferdinand set into the slim pillars: 60% more glass than the 356. As I say, there were some thrilling turns of speed and Jane asked some interesting questions, so I think it was a fun few hours. Hopefully that will come across on air.
However it turns out, I’m glad to have been asked to contribute by the BBC. I’m sure it will make a reasonable podcast, too. You can hear it at 4pm today and repeated at 8.30 PM on Sunday night. It’ll be on iPlayer once the Friday show has run. Here’s the link to the show again.
by John Glynn | Apr 11, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog
I had a call from BBC Radio 4 this afternoon about an upcoming tribute they are recording on Ferdinand Porsche. I’ve been asked to contribute, and suggested another name they should talk to. I’m taking the 911 down to London tomorrow and we’ll try to record something in it. The Orange is no hush puppie, so it ought to be interesting!
Considering Butzi, his place in history and how we should remember him is something I’ve been doing a lot of. I grew up in a broadly similar family dynamic – third generation of a family business that was well established in its field – so I feel some simpatico with his start in life.
Our family business was music: we had a small chain of shops and were Irish importers for Gibson etc. I started ‘working’ there around age 7, and would go to ‘the big shop’ on Saturdays, where my Uncle John and his son Jonathon, Uncle Sean and his son Johnny, two more local Johns, a guitar tech, an electronics engineer and my grandad all worked.
So many Johns and then me on top. My second name is David, so I became Johndee, and that is why my blog is called Johnd Glynn (not john D. Glynn). I didn’t want something with Porsche in the name, and JohnGlynn.com was already taken.
ANYWAY! My dad and grandad were very well known. It was expected that I would follow their musical careers (dad was a successful musician and grandad ran the Musician’s Union in that part of the country) and for a long time I did. I learned how to sell, studied some instruments and generally did what I was told. But, much as I enjoyed working with my dad and grandad, I did feel some resentment for an impending career that was not of my choosing. My big thing was cars, trucks, bikes and books: I wanted to write about cars.
When my grandad died, my dad’s priorities began to change and eventually the business closed down. I was free, but I had also lost a purpose. I wandered distractedly for years before finally, a big bike accident for me and the premature death of my young brother in law forced shifts in thinking, and I finally bought my first Porsche. The sea change came in a 911, on the way home from the Nürburgring Oldtimer in 2009. A chance conversation brought clearer focus, and led me to where I am now: on a journey that still thrills and terrifies in almost equal measure.
Some reading this who will wonder what a music business in soaking wet Ireland has to do with three generations of car designers, hundreds of miles away? Probably nothing if you take it that literally. But I’m not talking literal: I’m trying to explore it emotionally. How does someone feel when the family business is pulled out from under them, or the ties of obligation are severed? I do know something about that.
Thoughts continue before tomorrow’s recording. So many paths are open to all of us but, in the end, we can only take one road. How worn the road is and what lies along the way depends on courage and conviction. It seems to me that Ferry had both, in supersize portions. I don’t know about Butzi as yet, but of the same species, for sure.
