by John Glynn | Aug 15, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
So much for more time for Ferdinand after last weekend: this week has been even madder than last. Much activity has centred on the WRC debut of the Tuthill Porsche 997 RGT car.
Originally intended to debut on the Ulster Rally, the schedule did not allow for transport to the first test to Germany on the following Monday: Germany is too far away at 53 mph in the race truck. So it is straight off to Germany today, to arrive on Sunday. There follows a week of full on activity with testing, recce, shakedown and then the rally proper.
I had a look through the WRC event paperwork with Richard this morning and it’s amazing what they give the teams to get their heads around, even before the co-driver paperwork. Speaking of which, Stèphane Prévot is co-driving with Richard next weekend, and that is another delight.
Stephane started with Bruno Thiry in European rallying before moving to WRC in 1993. He then partnered Francois Duval, Stèphane Sarrazin and now runs with Subaru/Hyundai WRC pilot, Chris Atkinson. The pair are not racing again until Australia, so Prévot can partner with Tuthill. Stèphane is well known to the team, as he often sits alongside Glenn Jannssens, Tuthill’s Belgian Historic championship winner.
An unbelievable amount of work has gone into the 997 development and launch, so opportunities to really enjoy that achievement have been few and far between. Richard took the car out to bed in new brakes last night and said that the nicest surprise was the smile that appeared on his face half way around our local test route. “The 997 GT3 might look big, but it doesn’t feel big once you get moving,” said Richard. “Our aim in Germany is just to enjoy being back in a WRC paddock, with what we think is the coolest car.
“We’ll be looking for reliability as it’s not an easy car to service and we still need to understand the best approach to that side of things. It is so exciting and there is a huge amount of interest in what we’re doing. I’ve got to shut that excitement out, find some space and just focus on the road.” The enormity of a Porsche 911 in full-on FIA WRC rallying makes me nervous just standing next to the machine, so I am super excited for the team.
by John Glynn | Aug 8, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Been a very busy boy lately with a bunch of new website builds and a lot of new products and projects to look after. It’s left little time for Ferdinand, but I should start catching up after this weekend.
Undoubtedly the biggest Porsche story of the past two weeks has been the launch of Tuthill Porsche’s 911 WRC car. Built to comply with complex FIA R-GT/RGT regulations, the project was led by Graham Moore, who also managed the original Aston Martin V8 Vantage Rally GT project. Graham is super interesting to talk to, and following Team Tuthill’s work in getting the car through the various levels of FIA approval has been highly illuminating.
Graham Moore – Chief Engineer Tuthill Porsche 911 Rally Car
Like many of the engineers and technicians who work with Tuthill Porsche, Graham started with Prodrive in the early 1990s and gained experience across all of the projects of the time, including BMW and Alfa Romeo touring cars. He then switched to Subaru’s Group A and WRC teams, where his work as head of powertrain helped Colin McRae secure Subaru’s first World Rally Championship.
Moving to the race track, Graham worked on the Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT2 program in Le Mans, American Le Mans and the 24 Hours. The team then built the first bio-fueled, Judd-powered Lola LMP1 to race in Le Mans Series. The car snatched pole in Japan ahead of a full season of Le Mans Series, ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010.
Since then, Graham has been focused on developing high power electric drivetrains for electric racing championships like FIA Formula E, and served as Chief Engineer on converting the LMP1 Lola chassis to race with pure electric power. Graham’s lead role in the Tuthill Porsche RGT project has been a real dream come true for all at Tuthill Porsche in Wardington.
Porsche 911 FIA WRC Rally Car: Restrictions
It will come as no surprise to learn that the FIA’s RGT category is power restricted. The 911 has to run an inlet air restrictor, which limits outright performance on FIA events. This creates an interesting challenge to get the best performance, but Richard and Peter Lythell enjoyed their first outing at Harry Flatters, where the Tuthill 997 RGT car ran as course closing car with an official dispensation from the MSA.
“We had an amazing first day in the car,” said Richard Tuthill, who drove the car on the event. “The main aim of the day was to get miles under our belts. We tried a variety of setups and tyre combinations. Our target for the 911 WRC car was create a Porsche that is easy and fun to drive, and which will appeal to all levels of drivers.
“We’re delighted to report that the car lands beautifully from jumps, is incredibly nimble through the narrow tight twisty stuff and hugely competent in the fast sections. It was born to rally: there is also no doubt that it will be extremely competitive in the overall standings.”
Porsche 911 FIA RGT car at Ulster Rally and WRC Germany
Next outing for the Tuthill Porsche 911 WRC car is next weekend’s Ulster Rally. From Ulster it goes straight to Germany for testing for WRC Germany, and then possibly on to Scandinavia. We are waiting to hear! There may even be a video crew following the Tuthill Porsche in Deutschland, so we look forward to great content after that event.
The plan is to race this car to iron out any bugs and then open the order book for customer versions. Anyone interested in the Porsche 997 GT3 FIA WRC car should email Richard Tuthill and get talking, as build slots will fill up quickly. It takes very little work to switch the car from track day use to rally spec, so it is a true all-rounder.
Rally Pics by JMS Photographic
by John Glynn | Jul 28, 2014 | Market & Prices, Porsche News, Race and Rally
Porsche’s South African connections have bought the Kyalami Circuit near Johannesburg, South Africa. Recently offered at auction as commercial development land, the South African Porsche dealer CEO apparently had to put £200k on deposit to bid in an auction sale that eventually lasted less than a minute. The final purchase price was just under $20 million, or £11.5 Million.
The purchase joins up a news loose end for me as, a few weeks ago, my number 1 Jo’burg informant sent me a picture of a 919 Hybrid-like creature being trailered away from the circuit. I did some research and found the link to the auction. I suspected something could be happening but did not want to speculate. That kind of chat makes it dearer for everyone. That said, the secret obviously escaped as the reserve went from zero to R129 Million to R200 Million within a few days.
Porsche Kyalami Circuit purchase
What will happen with the circuit? Could be a hot weather testing zone open to Volkswagen/Porsche badge, with the added ability of customer experience and on-site vehicle engineering centres. Jo’burg is also a great place for car launches in the depths of winter without having to fly to Australia. Summer runs from October to April, when snow never happens, rain is infrequent and January temps approach 30 degrees.
The main thing is no one will build houses on it, so well done to the J’Burgers for stepping up. That said, I’m sure it could make a tidy profit if they did split some of it off for development.
The Old Kyalami
Alastair Caldwell, friend of Ferdinand, former McLaren team manager and now erstwhile marathon rally driver, tells some great stories about Kyalami, back when his driver James Hunt gorged on the breakfast of champions. I can’t think of one that’s repeatable, but no doubt the legend of the old Kyalami circuit’s speed and debauchery lives on in race circles. With Mexico coming back on the GP calendar, maybe Kyalami will be next. It would certainly make a good WEC venue, although the new circuit is not as exciting as the old one, which was raced until 1985.
Old Kyalami was absolutely awesome. The lap finished in a huge uphill climb to the main straight where the cars could reach more than 200 mph on a surface rougher than a Belgian motorway. Check out this video of Prost in the Renault during 1983. They don’t make them like this anymore!
by John Glynn | Jul 28, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
The sun has set on another great Silverstone Classic: an event that is maturing into a laid back petrolfest of epic proportions.
Silverstone is local to me: only fifteen minutes from home. I’ve never previously considered local events as being world class, and I am not alone. Talking to some Le Mans locals at a previous Le Mans Classic, they viewed Goodwood Festival of Speed as a better event. Away from cars, when we visited Venice, the locals said Florence was more impressive. As Joseph Addison put it: “when a man becomes familiar with his goddess, she quickly sinks into a woman.”
My issue with Goodwood is it’s all a big car show. Fine if you like looking at cars, not so great if you want competitive action. Le Mans Classic has plenty of racing, but there’s a feeling of exclusion in the field. If you haven’t got something ACO approves of, stay home. That long course is great for the drivers who can be bothered to lean on the loud pedal, but spectators hardly see the older cars, each lap is so long.
Silverstone Classic Porsche
Silverstone is a different affair. A huge mix of cars go racing on the 3.6-mile GP circuit: everything from early F1 to ’90s GT cars. There is not too much properly old stuff – and what old stuff there is runs a reasonable lap time and is absolutely terrifying to watch, let alone drive. I watched an early GP car in practice on Friday and, every time it braked into Luffield, the rear wheels bounced up and down at least a foot off the ground for three or four seconds, driver sawing away at the wheel but getting straight back on the throttle as soon as it turned in. Hardcore!
Yes, much the same faces win every year, the later F1 cars will always go quickest and nothing can touch a Lola T70. But, behind the front runners, everyone else is racing hard too. The EB Motorsport 911s fought a range of other machinery this weekend: Ferrari Daytona, Corvette and Chevron. A classic McLaren raced that gorgeous Ferrari 512M, and GT40s had a proper grudge match in the thirty-degree heat. With track temps past forty degrees, the old cars worked like ovens all weekend.
Still the drivers thrashed on: a quick walk around the paddock showed some serious racers. Big motorhomes and race transporters parked up next to single-trailer set-ups with tents and barbeques everywhere. Hoorah Henrys seemed less prolific than in previous years, although I did see a punch-up between drivers in the paddock.
A bit silly maybe, but no doubt these guys take the racing seriously, as they should. It’s the most serious racing this side of Oldtimer GP and the Spa 6 Hours. There is no doubt the FIA Masters Historic Sportscars race could have run longer: most drivers I spoke to wanted to race on for at least another hour (the race was sixty minutes). It will be interesting to see how the programme develops over the next few years.
Good fun to have a concert at the venue too. Coming into the circuit at 4pm one evening, loads of old cars were leaving but lots more people were coming in to share the music and atmosphere. As I left the track at 10pm on Saturday, the place was packed, and rocking to the sounds of Bonnie Tyler. Not my kind of music, but it was still a great weekend. Congratulations to Silverstone on another sterling effort, and many thanks to whoever is organising this weather!
Edit: RIP Denis Welch. Just heard via Octane’s David Lillywhite that the respected Healey specialist has died in hospital from injuries sustained in a crash this weekend. Sad to hear the news: at least he went out doing what he loved.
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 15, 2014 | New Models, Porsche News
If you thought special edition 911s were reserved for run-out models, think again. Porsche Cars GB has just unveiled a unique-to-the-UK limited edition of 40 991 Turbo S models, priced from £150,237. Forty for sale marks the 911 Turbo’s 40th anniversary. The ‘from’ in the price sounds a bit ominous.
Based on the 991 Turbo S – we shared this Porsche 997 versus 991 Turbo S for sale choice last week – the Turbo S Exclusive GB has the same four-wheel drive chassis with active rear axle steering, adaptive aerodynamics, full-LED headlights and a 560 hp flat six-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine.
With Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) active anti-roll system, Sport Chrono Package Plus with dynamic engine mounts, and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), the 991 Turbo S hits 62 mph in just 3.1 seconds and runs to a top speed of 197 mph.
Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive GB Edition
The 991 911 Turbo S Exclusive GB Edition adds some unique features, to help the car stand out versis other Turbo S examples.
A black rear upper spoiler is said to hark back to the 1974 3.0 930, along with twenty-inch Sport Classic wheels in black, black finished exterior door handles, and the black ‘Porsche’ script along the sills. Black leather upholstery features Guards Red contrasting stitching, with an embossed Union Jack flag on the centre storage compartment lid.
Special features of the 911 Turbo S Exclusive GB Edition are:
- Choice of three exterior colours: GT Silver metallic, White, Guards Red
- Contrasting exterior features in high gloss black: 20-inch Sport Classic alloy wheels, upper part of rear spoiler, SportDesign wing mirrors, exterior door handles
- Porsche logo script in black along door sills
- Storage compartment lid with embossed Union flag
- SportDesign steering wheel with centre marking in Guards Red and rim with Guards Red stitching
- Black leather interior with Guards Red stitching
- Privacy glazing
- Porsche crest embossed on head restraints
- Seat belts in Guards Red
- Personalised carbon door sill guards with ‘911 Turbo S – Exclusive GB Edition’ in illuminated lettering
- Carbon interior trim, including PDK gear lever, with chrome logo on dash insert
- Bespoke floor mats with leather edging and decorative stitching in Guards Red
- Complementary accessories including personalised indoor car cover, a unique photo book and key pouch in leather with decorative Guards Red stitching
Porsche 997 Turbo S with Delivery Mileage: Half the price of 991 Turbo S GB
Adding a few more options will take the cost of the 991 Turbo S to over £160,000, which is twice the price of the delivery mileage Porsche 997 Turbo S PDK in Guards Red arriving at JZM Porsche for sale later this week.
A superb looking car in a very rare colour, the specification is massive. I hear the Porsche 997 Turbo S PDK will retail around the £80,000 mark.
Will Porsche Cars GB find 40 people to buy the UK-only 991 Turbo S Exclusive GB? Perhaps that doesn’t matter as long as everyone knows Exclusive is alive and well and living in Stuttgart. I like that dash badge, but the standard Turbo S is more up my street.
