Just put a quick voiceover on top of a video we shot back in 2007, when wife Sarah and I drove down to Lausanne in Switzerand to pick up my 911 Carrera 3.0 Coupe. It’s nothing special but I think some of you will enjoy it.
I first spotted the car in this pic on a Pelican Parts thread, and it was love at first sight. At the time, I owned a white 911 SC Cabriolet which I was very happy with, but I knew I would have to own this if it ever came up for sale.
When it did come on the market in October 2006, I struggled with the numbers for a bit and eventually realised I would have to sell the SC to pay for this C3. That Cabriolet was a darling and I struggled with the decision, but five years on, I still feel good about my choice.
The Orange (so named by previous owner GeorgeK) looks standard but is quite different to how it left the factory. Engine is standard and I still have the original side glass, but most everything else is modified. There is really too much to list: we’ll get into it in detail sometime soon.
This 911 is my Cult of Porsche. We’ve got more videos of it to come and 2013 is expected to be a year of work on the car before Le Mans 2014. I’ll be there in this for sure. Keep it here for more on my Continental Orange Carrera and upcoming top end rebuild. If anyone’s got a deal on throttle bodies for this, I’m all ears!
“The future of Porsche” was how Porsche President, Matthias Müller, described the Panamera Sport Turismo concept, just unveiled at the Paris motor show. Turismo features what Stuttgart calls e-hybrid: plug-in hybrid with a petrol engine.
“Today we’re taking a look at Porsche’s future,” said the President. “We’ve developed an entirely new vehicle concept, which did not exist so far. A very special sports car, which is perfectly in line and a perfect fit with our customers and the future of Porsche.
Transport Bulky Sports Equipment
“It’s become an uncompromising Porsche for active people who not only want to experience the fascination of power and dynamics on the road. This innovative vehicle design is tailored to our customers’ needs, like a bespoke suit. Customers who want very good everyday usability and flexibility, without renouncing the Porsche typical performance, who occasionally need sufficiently large luggage space to transport bulky sports equipment, however still appreciate the elegance of an exclusive Gran Turismo.
“Innovative: that is also the drivetrain. It’s a highly efficient plug-in hybrid system. Looking at our concept car is, at the same time, a look at the future of Porsche. Not just in terms of the drive; the design anticipates many of the things that our customers will find with Porsche in the future.”
Muller repeated his assertion of this as the future later in his presentation, so it’s clearly more than fantasy. How will Porsche fans greet the news that a five-door estate with a silent electric motor is the future? Or are shareholders’ reactions more important?
What do you think? Is it a sports car, or a big, fast Prius? Note: I am pro-Prius.
If you watch the English version, your sound will take until Müller exits the car to come on, so do not adjust your set. Note that the pop-up window for video is also titled “direction future”.
Porsche has been beavering away on its 918 Spyder Nürburgring programme. Two days ago, a 918 Spyder prototype set a 7:14 (minutes:seconds) on the Nürburgring, which Porsche says is amongst the best for a street-legal vehicle on production tyres.
In fact, it’s just 4 seconds faster than the time Porsche claimed for test driver Timo Kluck in a 911 GT2 RS on Michelins back in 2010, but almost 30 seconds slower than road-legal Radicals. If you’ve ever experienced a Radical, you’ll know it is hardly the same. Still, half a minute’s a bit of a gap.
With this lap time set one year ahead of the Spyder’s launch date, Stuttgart delights in the 918’s progress. “By turning in this fabulous time, the 918 Spyder prototype fully confirms the viability of its future concept, after just a few months on the road,” said Dr. Frank Walliser, overall 918 project leader.
Surprisingly, Porsche notes that, as they only had one clear lap available, the time was set from a standstill. It also notes the Michelin tyres and an optional Weissach package, which “integrates modifications to boost driving performance”. I don’t know why the über-Porsche to beat all others has a standard non-sport configuration, but it just goes to prove that everything’s an option on a Porsche price list.
There’s a ton of Youtube video of the 918 at the ‘Ring. Here are two of my favourites, starting with a some video of a 918 unload, and shots of Walter Röhrl driving EVO’s Harry Metcalfe et al ’round the track. The second has some great tracking footage of the 918 in motion on the lanes around the circuit, including one of my favourite routes out.
Youtube vids show how every notable European pressman has run ’round the ‘Ring in this now. It’s not due out for a year and it’s already everywhere. By the time it gets interesting and heads to Le Mans, we’ll be burnt out on Spyder.
Had an email from my buddy Magnus Walker in LA last night, inviting me to the premiere of his Urban Outlaw Porsche film on September 28th. Assuming it was in California, I was forced to decline, but Magnus clipped me ’round the ear and told me it was London, as part of the Raindance Film Festival. Needless to say, I’m in!
Raindance is Europe’s leading independent film festival. An unmissable celebration of filmmaking, Raindance nurtures, supports and promotes independent films and filmmakers from the UK and around the world.
Ex-pat Magnus is thrilled to be showing his first short feature at Raindance in London, where his love for Porsche began. “Porsche began for me at the 1977 Motor Show: one look at the 930 and I was hooked. As a boy, I had the Turbo poster on my bedroom wall in Sheffield, but moving to LA was where it really started cooking. It really is the land of opportunity, especially the early 911 kind.”
California allows Porsche immersion like nowhere else on earth. No way could a UK-based Magnus have built a collection like the one he’s amassed over twenty five years in LA. In one sense, this premiere brings a virtual collection back to the UK, to be savoured with British 911 fans before heading off to the wider world. Walker agrees.
“A chance encounter with Canadian film director, Tamir Moscovici, earlier this year was the start of what was to become our Urban Outlaw short documentary film. Tamir’s movie vividly captures the soul of my Porsche passion/obsession & drive to succeed. Thirty-five years after that fateful London Motor Show, we bring our own motor show back to the capita: I hope we’ll get some Porsche fans there to enjoy it with us!”
You’ve seen the movie trailer previously on Ferdinand Magazine and the Classic Porsche blog, but it’s here again to remind you. UK hot rod Porschers and anyone else who wants to fly in are more than welcome to join us at the Apollo Piccadilly Circus on the night of Friday September 28th. Should be a great evening’s entertainment!
Fabulous top Magnus pic by our friend Maurice at Dutchman Photos, from his Total911 feature on the wild man.
Today is the 2012 Spa F1 GP. I’m glued to the coverage on Sky Sports F1 HD with Twitter running on the iPad in the background. Today was also the penultimate round of this year’s Porsche Supercup.
F1 journo Adam Cooper tweeted this earlier: “Big shunt in Porsche Supercup with a car rolling on the way up the hill after Eau Rouge. But no safety car out”. Here’s some video of that incident.
The Team Bleekemolen car (below) was being driven by Jeroen Mul. Starting tenth on the grid, he gets a tap from the rear on the exit of Raidillon, which then sets off a chain of events leading to upside-down deceleration before the car rights itself, crosses the track and hits the barriers opposite. Not a small event!
I’ve done a lot of track days at Spa. Climbing up from Eau Rouge through Raidillon and on to the Kemmel Straight is one of the scariest parts of the track. You are absolutely flying here – sometimes almost literally – and every track day sees people destroying their cars. I remember one utterly destroyed F360 Spyder when they first came out: the owner frantically ripping the number plates off in the paddock after it was dragged back. If you can’t afford to wreck it, don’t take it on track at Spa.
Jeroen’s last tweet before this accident was “Good morning everyone! A beautiful day for a good race here in Spa. Watch the race live at 11.45 on Eurosport and Eurosport HD!” Mike Hedlund has since tweeted “First Supercup race in the books. Got my ass kicked but had fun! @Jeroen_Mul had a bad crash in front of me, but he is fine!” Team boss Sebastian Bleekemolen has tweeted the above picture of the damage, adding: “What a race! @Jeroen_Mul rolled over just in front of me. Scary! He’s ok, so that’s the only good thing.”
Porsche Supercup is flat-out drama. Next weekend is the last round at Monza- will update the championship table shortly.
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