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 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 | 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:
by John Glynn | Apr 10, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Spent some time with a very sweet 1966 Porsche 912 at leading classic Porsche specialist, Tuthill Porsche today. Owned by a single family from new, this 94,000-mile Light Ivory car was being prepared to depart for the Silverstone Auctions classic car sale at the NEC this weekend.
Sitting behind the wheel in peace and quiet, the air was filled with the smell of old car. Wood dash, leather seats, simple machinery with so much presence. A fantastic way to unwind for five minutes.
Silverstone Auctions estimate the selling price somewhere between £28,000 and £32,000. I might place it slightly higher. I didn’t have a good look at the car but it does have a sense of ancient solidity: not too many RHD 912s around in this condition.
Slightly sad story, as the owner who inherited the car from his dad – the original buyer – is suffering the indignities of age and can no longer use the 912. None of us know what’s around the corner: enjoy your cars while you’ve got the chance.
See the full range of collector cars on offer at the NEC Classic Car Auction this weekend.
by John Glynn | Mar 30, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Another year, another Essen Techno Classica. The 2014 show weather was gorgeous all the way through, prompting a half day sitting by the Rhine, watching the world go by rather than slogging around seventeen halls of old cars.
In three days, we ate enough pork to fill a 911 and drank enough beer to sink one. We ended up driving in Jezza’s Saab diesel estate, which did all the European miles on one tank of fuel: impressive. Even more impressive was the amount of Merlot he crammed into it on the way out of France.
There are always Porsches at Essen, but definitely felt like a lesser presence than in previous years. Some very lovely 356s, a handful of pre-68 911s and not as many impact bumper (IB) cars as two years ago. I spotted one or two 928s, but 924s and 944s were thin on the ground.
The 964 population was reasonable. This yellow 964 Speedster below was tucked in one hall: seemed like a sensible Essen price circa €120k but I didn’t study it too hard after finding a few details lacking. The Lemon Yellow 3.2 Speedster up top was a favourite car this trip: one for the lottery wish list.
You’ll need a lottery win if rising IB Speedster prices keep at it. One of my travelling companions owns a 3.2 Speedster in black with less than 20k miles and full Porsche history. As a low-mileage narrow-body 3.2 Speedster recently sold for £250k at auction, he’s overdue an updated insurance valuation.
Life doesn’t get much better than a road trip into Germany with beer-loving friends. I highly advise you to follow my lead.
