by John Glynn | Jul 19, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Had a great email from Nicolas in Paris, France, with details of his 911 Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet. A 1987 example with the sought-after G50 transmission, it’s just passed 300,000 kilometres.
What I like about this picture is that Nicolas has done the maths and planned how best to celebrate his car’s anniversary. Zero the trip at 299,089 and run it on to 300k, when the trip will also show 911. He has not wimped out on the photo either, taking his chances on catching the reading at 91.1km/h on the open road. A small window of opportunity!
What an excellent job from the French contingent. Also excellent is Nicolas’ day job with GQ magazine, leading to the Carrera finding its way into magazine fashion shoots. This one for Ralph Lauren.
Nothing says style like an old 911. More than mere A-B transport, it has attitude and presence: it speaks of a philosophy. This well travelled dark blue Carrera Cabriolet on Teledial wheels is sublime. Rich in understated luxury, like a perfect Vanity Fair portrait*, age deepens its allure, reaching beyond beauty and into iconography.
I was biased towards soft-tops by my first 911. An SC Cabriolet in white, bought in the south of France, close to Montpelier. We flew in to Perpignan, stayed the night on a roof terrace in Cazedarnes and drove home through the mountains the following day, under the Millau Bridge (not yet built) and up through Paris, to Calais and home.
Nicolas’ 911 has covered many wonderful kilometres and no doubt has many more to cover. Much loved and enjoyed, it seems to have found the perfect owner. Salut, mon brave!
*One of my very favourite books is ‘Vanity Fair: The Portraits’. Discovered in the library at art college, I found more inspiration for my photography in that one book than any other. It’s not easy to find for a cheap price, but next time you are passing a library, seek it out and enjoy half an hour in its company. Some beautiful art is contained in those pages.
by John Glynn | Jul 17, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices, Porsche News
The annual Silverstone Classic is next weekend – July 25 to 27 – and of course we will be there to follow the Porsches coming from our friends at Tuthill Porsche, and the mighty EB Motorsport.
This RSR replica has spent the last few weeks at Tuthills being prepared for the Silverstone weekend. Built elsewhere, the car had a number of issues after delivery, so arrived at Wardington with a list of repair jobs to do. It is coming together nicely, so I hope the owner enjoys a reliable weekend.
EB Motorsport’s Light Yellow Porsche 911 3.0 RSR and the Guards Red RS will both run at Silverstone on Friday and Saturday, in the Masters Historic qualifying and race. The SWB 911 sadly won’t be seen at Silverstone but is still looking good for Spa 6-Hours.
As always, Silverstone Auctions is holding a sale at the event. Running over two days, there are a number of Porsches listed for sale. A 1974 Porsche 911 S restoration project is estimated at £10-15k, while an allegedly stunning Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet is estimated at £18-22k. Seems low to me for a three-owner car with 81,000 miles. In Iris Blue, the colour may not arouse a majority of buyers, but only takes one to make a sale (or two to make a war).
The 1967 Porsche 911 2.0 ex-California car in Sand Beige seen above, with low mileage since a full engine rebuild is estimated at £45-55k: sounds alright for a left-hand drive car if it’s in good condition. But my favourite photo from the catalogue must be this Mini Cooper S, which has lived in the seller’s living room since purchased in 2006. It’s been recommissioned and MOT’d since leaving the sofa.
As ever with auctions, do your homework before committing to anything. Estimates are usually low, so expect some auction fever to knock prices up a notch. We’ll be around somewhere to watch how the bidding goes.
by John Glynn | Jul 8, 2014 | Market & Prices, Porsche News
Porsche sales figures for the six months from January to June 2014 reveal some interesting data on demand for Porsche Panamera Hybrid. Year-on-year, Porsche has delivered eight percent more cars than at six months into 2013. Deliveries of new Panamera rose almost thirty percent, with ten percent of customers opting for the plug-in E-Hybrid model.
Porsche Panamera Hybrid Sales
Hybrid is an interesting car. The UK’s company car tax rules are set up to favour hybrid technology, but real world use is probably still not as effective as a decent diesel. Panamera Hybrid’s maximum 20-mile range on electric power mainly benefits urban users in big cities that offer concessions for low-carbon vehicles.
The What Car? Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid road test applauds the car (which costs almost £90,000 here in the UK) for a monthly liability of just £150 in company car tax for a 40% taxpayer. For those of you living outside the UK, car drivers who receive a car from their employer as part of their salary package pay Benefit-in-Kind tax on the perk, measured in how good the Treasury feels about the carbon emissions of said car. You don’t want to know the likely BIK tax on my Cayenne V8 (not run through a company, for obvious reasons).
Compare this to Texas, where a Panamera Hybrid with 1 mile on the clock will cost you $110,000, or £64,000. This is roughly the same as a Panamera Diesel here in Britain and, according to What Car’s top editor, the Panamera Diesel is the better real-world car. “It’s the best hybrid I’ve ever driven, but I’d rather have the diesel,” said Chas Hallett.
Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid Fuel Economy & Battery Range
Clarifying “best hybrid” as being the best in terms of how it managed the transition between power sources, Hallett noted an average of 32 mpg over 500 miles, while What Car’s testers got 30.7 miles in real world testing. That is per imperial gallon, not US gallon. What Car? data notes that Porsche claims 91 mpg: that gap is something else. What Car also managed just 11 miles on electric power.
Marked down to three out of five stars by What Car? for high running costs, lack of brake feel and overwhelming understeer unbecoming of a Porsche, this has not deterred the 1300 people who picked up plug-ins so far this year. Whether it was private buyers or dealers building up Hybrid stock, one in ten is a reasonable number. I remain a Hybrid fan – when the AC/DC Cayenne gets cheap, I’m there.
by John Glynn | Jul 1, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Catching up on some overdue Porsche insurance valuations today, I tripped over this superb 1970 Porsche 911 2.2 T Targa for sale in Kleve, Germany: just inside the border with The Netherlands.
First registered in May 1970, this Signal Orange 911 Targa has clocked up 135,000 kilometres, or about 84,000 miles. I did email the garage for some better pictures but they haven’t come back to me yet. So I apologise for the picture quality, but you get the idea of potential condition: seems super original to me. I also like the ad text.
“Here we have one of the few completely authentic 911 Targa vehicles, almost as delivered. The car has all the attributes of a historically valuable vehicle, also because of its small sympathetic errors. Average paint coating thickness of 140 My (only a point slightly more).
“Well documented: a plethora of bills, original service history, all keys. The vehicle was picked up in Stuttgart by the original owner. The train ticket from 07/17/1970 is here. Apparently matching numbers, aluminum brake calipers, 5 x “Deep Six Fuchs wheels“, radio, etc.”
No doubt a skilled eye will find some holes to poke in condition, and the ad doesn’t say how many owners, but a nicely patinated Signal Orange Targa with the original train ticket from factory collection? I just love it!
Let’s slip back to July 1970. Jimi Hendrix starts his first recording session in New York City, Casey Kasem’s Top 40 show enjoys its first recording (RIP, dear Casey) and the first Boeing 747 lands in Amsterdam, en route to Brussels.
As the Jumbo touches down in Amsterdam, a man steps on board a train, bound for Stuttgart. Awaiting his arrival is a new-for-1970 C-series 911 Targa, with the brand new 2.2-litre engine and alterations to front suspension geometry for a less fidgety feeling on the road. Signal Orange is the colour of choice: a brave decision.
June 1970 was a fine, sunny month: some German towns enjoyed more than two weeks without rain. July kept it going, and August was also a scorcher. September recorded fifteen days with no rain in some parts of Germany: perfect weather to enjoy a brand new 911T Targa. Oh, to be back in the ’70s!
What’s the verdict? It’s on Mobile.de, priced at €71,000. Not bad money if it’s solid.
by John Glynn | Jun 30, 2014 | Market & Prices, Porsche News
Dropped in to see Jonas Zambakides and a pair of perfect Porsche 911 Turbo S models this morning and catch up on used Porsche sales activity. Some interesting discussions on the state of the market and whether values have indeed peaked: I think we’re on the same page, but that’s a post for another day.
Classic Porsche fans who don’t hang on every detail of newer 911 machinery may be unaware of the 997 & 991 Turbo S. Both of these Weissach-tuned performance Porsche 911 Turbos have just sold, so it’s interesting to compare them in fantasy garage style and wonder what the choice would be if funds allowed.
Porsche 997 Turbo S
Introduced in 2010, the 3.8-litre Porsche 997 Turbo S was developed in response to customer demand for a bit more excitement. How about 523 bhp with 516 lb ft of torque and the sole transmission offering of 7-speed PDK with standard Turbo four-wheel drive. PDK gives launch control, offering 3.3 seconds to 60 mph and a top speed of 196 mph.
Spec includes PCCB (ceramic brakes), dynamic cornering lights, carbon seats, Sport Chrono and centre lock wheels. The Dynamic Engine Mount system is one of my favourite new-Porsche concepts and that is standard on the S. Porsche Torque Vectoring is an active diff that splits power across the rear axle depending on what the car is doing, improving traction and stability.
Porsche 991 Turbo S
New to the market last year, the 2013 Porsche 991 Turbo S beats the 997 in Top Trumps: 552 bhp, 197 mph and the grunt to sprint to 60 in 3.1 seconds. Interestingly, Porsche says it is faster around the Nürburgring than the GT3 RS 4.0, managing a 7:24 on Pilot Sport Cups. Hardly a surprise, but not a point one might expect Stuttgart to make.
Weighing just over 1600 kgs, the 991 Turbo S features the latest active rear wheel steering, active anti-roll bars and active/adaptive aerodynamics. EVO magazine knocked the 991 Turbo for a fuel-saving intermediate PDK gear setup, which shifts the car up a gear earlier than normal. Their tester said it made the car “deeply unresponsive: it feels like it’s on the verge of stalling”. As the latest 911, it is also fresher faced but, parked up side-by-side, all I can think of is how good the 997 still looks.
Brand new, the Porsche 997 Turbo S cost £123,000 from new, which is about £137,500 in today’s money. List price for a Porsche 991 Turbo S is £140,850, so a little bit dearer. The Porsche 991 Turbo S was a pre-owned example with 1,300 miles on the clock and sold for £135,000, while their Porsche 997 Turbo S had less than 25,000 miles and was closer to £75,000. That’s a 60 grand difference for new versus (not so) old.
Not saying the 991 is not worth the money or that the 997 is super cheap but it certainly puts choice and value into perspective. The reality is that someone looking at the 991 Turbo wants a 991 and the real purchase choice is this versus used McLaren, or used Ferrari. In comparison, the 997 Turbo S is a well priced list topper for those in search of the ultimate GT 911.
Given £75k to spend on one 911, would you go for a Porsche 997 Turbo S? Or would it be early 911 – maybe a simple 911T? 930 of some description? I could be tempted to opt for the 997 Turbo S. That shape rings true in my head: more than I remember a 993 or 996 ever doing.
by John Glynn | Jun 18, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices, Project Cars
Loyal readers of my original Classic Porsche Blog may remember the story of when Porsche 911 parts I bought on eBay were flown to me in person. I just found some of the old pictures and thought it was worth a re-blog.
eBay Porsche Parts Shipping
In need of some parts for The Varmint – a Porsche 911 SC Coupe I had bought in San Francisco on Craigslist, used in California and shipped back to England – I went on eBay and hunted around. I needed a door pull, door pockets and a few other bits. Peter had been backdating a 3.2 Carrera and was selling all the parts I needed on the auction site. He also had a few other NOS parts including a headlamp washer pump and some light lenses.
We did a little deal on the lot, I gave him my address and he went off to get a price on the postage. I had an email ten minutes later. “Are you near Silverstone and free tomorrow?” I’m just down the road from Silverstone, and I work from home, so that was no problem. “Meet me at Turweston and I’ll have the parts with me,” said Peter.
Turweston Aerodrome
Just a few miles from Silverstone circuit, which was a huge aircraft base in the war, Turweston also served as an airfield in WW2. Wellington, Avro Anson and USAF Mitchell bombers flew from its three runways (including a 1.6 kilometre-long strip still used for F1 car and MotoGP motorbike testing) until the aerodrome was closed at the end of 1945. After that, it was used for MoD storage until reopening in the 1990s as a private airfield. It’s where most helicopter taxi rides into the British Grand Prix start from.
It turned out that Peter was the only qualified town planner in the UK who specialised in airfield planning and permission issues, and Turweston was one of his clients. He had flown up from Kent in his Europa 2 Tri-Gear light aircraft and brought my eBay 911 parts with him: I was knocked out by the service.
Driving the distance would have taken more than two hours. Flying took less than a quarter of that, with a lot less fuel used also – the 100hp Rotax 912S engine in Peter’s self-built Europa uses as little as 6 litres per 100 kilometres while cruising, so about a gallon of fuel to get to me. It was a very cool experience: I know lots of Porsche guys are pilots too, so thought I would share pics of the aircraft.
Of the Europa 2, Peter says “The Europa offers a rare brilliance in light aeroplane design and handling. There is very little in the marketplace today that offers so much performance for so little cost in maintenance.” The car is, of course, my 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Coupe in Continental Orange. Sits well against the white and blue paint scheme, with the orange on the tail. Here’s some video of Peter’s plane in action:
