by John Glynn | May 3, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
Had a great day at Donington yesterday with Mark and James Bates of EB Motorsport, who were racing their 3.0-litre Porsche 911 RS in the Donington 1000kms event. It was not the best day ever for Porsche motorsport on the whole (Spa 6 Hours thoughts to come), but we did enjoy an exciting, well-organised race at a great venue.
Historic racing is an expensive business. Forget about buying and building the cars for a moment: just to take part in a decent event costs upwards of £1000. This covers the entry fee for a car and one driver, but does not always include a second driver, garage space or catering. It does not cover tyres and fuel, it does not cover insurance and it definitely does not include wear and tear or breakages, which on older cars can be highly significant.
The Donington 1000kms was part of the 2015 Donington Historic Festival. Organised by the Swiss-based Historic Motor Racing, the race is one of a series of endurance events run by the company all over Europe. As the EB brothers are putting in a shorter race season this year due to work commitments, more Porsche projects and a new baby for James, the 1000kms schedule of ‘qualify in the morning, race in the afternoon’ was perfect: they could rock up early, get the car ready, qualify and chill out for a bit, then have two and a half hours of racing before heading home.
First job of the day was to scrutineer the car. Slight issue there, as someone forgot the Porsche 911’s FIA Historic Technical Passport. We had a word with the people in charge and, as the car still had its barcodes from the last event, the engine was FIA sealed and the 911 was running in an invitational class and would not score points, we were allowed to take part.
Porsche 911 3.0 RS vs Prototype Racers
Qualifying went well. On a grid packed with prototypes, the single exception – EB’s 911 – went 14th quickest on new post-historic tyres that have only been tried on the team’s yellow 911 RSR for a couple of races so far. While the compound might be a bit slower than previous rubber, the tyres are huge, so the increased width gave excellent grip. We were still almost ten seconds off the pace of the leading Lola T70.
Racing is a very social affair, so there was plenty of craic in the paddock between quali and the race. Our garage was shared with a Chevron B8, Elva Mk8 and a Lola T70 Mk3B. A Lola T70 for sale must be £750k now, Chevron B8 for sale would probably be £200k and similar money for an Elva. Despite there being well over a million quid parked in our garage, the atmosphere was just the same as if all were in cheap track day specials. People dropping in and chatting, bit of banter from previous track outings and one or two compliments for Mark, following his performance in EB’s SWB car at the 73rd Goodwood members meet. He will henceforth be known as “The Sultan of Slide”.
The race was slightly delayed, which gave time for the weather to change and the rain to move in. The boys split the race into two equal parts: James took the start on a slippery circuit and had brought the car up to seventh by the time of his pitstop. With 100 litres of fuel in the tank at the start and the lack of grip keeping speeds and fuel consumption lower than expected, Mark decided to gamble on that being enough to finish the race, avoiding the mandatory 3-minute minimum time for a fuel stop.
As Mark started his stint, the rain stopped and a dry line began to appear. The pace hotted up: 911 lap times falling from the high 1:30s in the wet to an excellent 1:17.9 at one point: quicker than qualifying. Ambient temperatures were very cold, so the rest of the track stayed damp and slippy, leaving a treacherous no-mans-land for anyone who had to go off line to make progress. After two and a bit hours of racing, Mark had no choice: he pitted for fuel and the three-minute stop to go with it. This cost us the best part of two laps and we were out of the top ten.
As the race entered its final lap, we had news that, while fighting for the lead, our garagemate – the beautiful Lola T70 (above) – had passed a backmarker on the damp part of the track through the fast downhill Craner Curves, lost traction and hit the wall at high speed. When the car was brought back, it was not the best sight, but owner/driver Leo was safe and well. At times like this, no one worries where they’ve finished: it’s just good to get home in one piece and live to fight another day.
by John Glynn | Apr 27, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
EB Motorsport has just added a 100-litre steel fuel tank to its ever-expanding range of classic Porsche 911 parts.
Recreating the classic 911 sports purpose tank, which was available as a factory option on pre-1973 road and race 911s from the end of 1966, the all-steel fuel tank is internally baffled to keep the contents under control on track or in press-on motoring.
“We’d been looking for a top quality fuel tank for our 1965 SWB 911 race car for a while,” says EB’s Mark Bates, sideways hero of last month’s Goodwood Aldington Trophy. “As with so many Porsche parts nowadays, it’s hard to find something that will last as long as the original parts. After speaking to various people, we found a supplier who could manufacture to our specifications in high grade steel that would not start to rust soon after fitment.”
The 100-litre steel tanks for Porsche 911 were originally available as either side- or centre-fill. Side fill using the standard wing-mounted petrol filler flap was normally used on road cars, but was also seen on a number of ST rally models. Centre fill was more common on racing cars, including the 911R.
EB Motorsport offers both options. The standard tank comes fitted with the side filler neck and is finished in black, ready to fit in the car. The tank can also be supplied with a blank top, finished in grey primer, ready to be fitted with the optional centre filler neck or professional quick release race fittings.
The 100-litre fuel tank with or without side fill costs £2200. The optional centre filler neck and cap are priced at £285. An extended fuel sender, to allow accurate reading of the fuel level in the larger capacity tank, adds £295 to the total.
All prices plus VAT and postage. Contact EB Motorsport for more details via the website at www.eb-motorsport.com.
by John Glynn | Apr 26, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
A Porsche 968 competing in the Britcar 24 Hours of Silverstone has raised thousands of pounds for the Children’s Heart Federation charity. It’s not to late to donate: see below.
Practice lap times placing the Porsche at the back of the field did not tell the full story. Starting towards the back of the grid, the twenty-two year-old Porsche beat faster cars that could not last the distance, eventually coming home twelfth overall and proving the virtue of staying power.
“Beating heart disease is all about teamwork, just like endurance racing,” said Jonathan Evans, a trustee of the Children’s Heart Federation and one of the 968’s four drivers alongside Ben Demetriou, Paul Follett and Alex Eacock.
“This satisfying result is testament to a great team of drivers, pit crew and sponsors. Each team member did their utmost to achieve the best result for a wonderful organisation that supports so many sick children every year. Prepared by EMC Motorsport, the Porsche ran faultlessly throughout the event, outlasting much quicker cars, including two 911s. We have much to be proud of today.”
The team is still taking donations in support of its efforts, with all proceeds going directly to the Children’s Heart Federation. Porsche fans can contribute at www.justgiving.com/team-chf500/. Do it today!
Thanks to GazH Photography for the Porsche 968 picture.
by John Glynn | Apr 18, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods
Watched some Variant 1 KW Suspension going on a Grand Prix White Porsche 964 Targa earlier this week. It was interesting to follow the Porsche project as the rusty old factory dampers came off the 911, to be replaced by KW kit.
When it comes to upgraded Porsche suspension, KW kits are amongst the best available. The German brand with a penchant for finding fine detail on its ex-Formula 1 hydraulic test rig is a favourite of many winning race teams, particularly in the exhilarating VLN championship, so it’s no surprise that KW Suspension Variant 3 kits are common on Porsche cars used for fast road and track days.
The new three-way KW Clubsport adjustable coilover kits are one of my favourites amongst the firm’s 997 GT3 RS track day crowd, but the cheaper V1 and V3 kits are an affordable, quality upgrade for worn-out original suspension.
With prices starting at just over £1,000, the KW Suspension Variant 1 coilover kit is hard to beat. The struts are made from stainless steel, with corrosion resistant springs and bump stops. They also come with the top mounts, which are usually ruined on old 911s. This saves a few quid.
Variant 1 is TUV-approved, so maximum lowering is restricted to no more than 70mm: not that you would want to go quite this low in a classic 911, assuming you were serious about driving. Experienced suspension tech Ricky (above with old and new) carefully set the ride heights before fitting the kit, but the rust-resisting trapezoid thread and composite collar will move freely at any stage in the future, so a new owner could easily raise or lower the car using the supplied KW toolkit.
KW Suspension says that each Porsche suspension kit has been specifically tuned for the car in damper setup and spring rate. The new dampers reduce body roll when the suspension is in compression and give much sharper handling than anything fitted to 911 road cars as standard.
It probably sounds like I have swallowed the KW blurb on this, but I’ve road tested quite a few KW cars and no doubt they feel better to drive. One interesting comparison would be the Bilstein setup fitted to the 964RS I lived with for a few months. That was special, but there seems very little in it when the cars are on track.
by John Glynn | Apr 15, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Loving the story of the latest early Porsche 911 discovery shared in a thread on the Early S Registry. Current owner Jay bought this 911 as a supposed 70s/80s model more than thirty years ago, but only recently uncovered the car’s true identity.
Originally purchased with steel flares, IROC bumpers and a fibreglass ducktail, the car had a 2.7-litre K-jet engine installed. It came with a roll cage and some suspension changes, so it seemed the 911 had been raced in the past.
After fifteen years sitting in storage, Jay decided to explore the car properly. The now more savvy 911 enthusiast began to notice 1964-specific features including engine bay pressings, door handles and other small details. A factory check of the build numbers revealed the production date: 21st September, 1964.
Porsche 901 Prototype
This 911 carries chassis number 300005: the fifth 901 built in 1964. No earlier chassis number is known to survive, making this chassis a very special find. The big question now is, how to restore it? Parts for 1964 and 1965 SWB 911s are notoriously difficult to find: certainly the most unobtanium Porsche 911 road car parts out there.
The Porsche Museum currently has chassis number 57 in restoration. This is obviously a much later car, plus the level of attention to detail found in past Porsche Classic restorations has been criticised in some corners. It will be interesting to see what happens with this amazing find. No doubt the level of interest in this Porsche 901 early production prototype at auction would be completely unprecedented.
