by John Glynn | Jan 20, 2015 | Porsche News
In an interesting recent interview with Germany’s Westfalen-Blatt newpaper, Porsche CEO Matthias Müller was asked about the company’s plans to manufacture overseas, given the pressures which accompany exponential production driven by unprecedented demand.
“If the necessity does in fact arise, we will have to react. If an important market has obstacles such as taxes or customs regulations, you’ll eventually start building cars there rather than simply giving up that market. Up until now, however, we’ve seen no indications that we’ll have to do anything like that.
“Financially speaking, a new factory doesn’t become profitable until it produces 100,000 units. We don’t have any models that we sell on such a scale in China, for example. So, the whole idea doesn’t make any sense from a financial point of view. Nevertheless, we’re monitoring developments in various markets very closely in order to determine whether we might have to address this issue at a later point in time. If it comes to that, we’ll deal with it and come up with a solution.”
The Commander-in-Chief (above) was not pressed on the point by the bourgeois conservative newspaper (from Wikipedia – love it) and, while the transcript rings true with Müller’s straight-talking style, you sense a PR cloak on part of the picture. I don’t doubt that the boss is happy with things as they are, but generating 100,000 units could be possible if it was not purely a Porsche factory.
Porsche may build cars in China
Volkswagen sells well over 2.5 million cars in China. A VW manufacturing unit could build a Chinese Macan for that side of the globe, as part of a bigger production portfolio. With Porsche Macan using Golf GTi engines and who knows how many other Volkswagen parts, Macan will one day be Porsche’s biggest seller. Why would Stuttgart incur the risk and expense of shipping tens of thousands of cars from Germany every year, when a factory inside the Peoples’ Republic could just bolt them together and ship straight to dealers?
“We built nearly 190,000 vehicles last year,” says Matthias Müller, “which means we’re still not completely exploiting our total capacity [in Germany]. For the moment, there’s no need to expand our manufacturing facilities again.”
Porsche’s plants are recruiting and adding to production capacity. Porsche expects to add 3,000 new people in 2015, taking the total employed to 25,000. Consider the cost of supporting that workforce under EU legislation, add all the other costs involved in European production and how long can Stuttgart hold out against the economics of an overseas plant serving Eastern demand? It’s an interesting chess game of brand image versus bottom line.
by John Glynn | Jan 16, 2015 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Pictures have just been released of the 2015 Porsche 919 LMP1 Hybrid, three of which will be raced at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours on June 13-14, with drivers including Formula 1’s Nico Hülkenberg.
Weissach rolled the car out onto the test track for various systems checks in December last year, but serious testing of Stuttgart’s WEC challenger kicks off in Abu Dhabi on January 18. More testing is scheduled before the opening round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship on April 12 at Silverstone.
Porsche’s 2015 LMP1 car is said to be “a comprehensive evolution of the successful car that made its debut in 2014. It features the same innovative drivetrain concept consisting of a 2-litre V4 turbocharged petrol engine, an electric motor powering the front wheels, and two energy recovery systems.”
What has been dropped? We don’t know. Details will emerge as the season progresses: it will also be interesting to see what pace the car runs when it gets to Silverstone, how hard it is on its tyres and whether Porsche applies any changes in approach to quali and race strategy.
2014 was a mixed bag for Porsche in the WEC, with some teething troubles on track and a serious crash for Mark Webber at Interlagos. The team did manage a win with the 919 – Dumas/Jani/Lieb (above) coming home first in Brazil – but only after Toyota had clinched the World Championship, following a virtually flawless season by Anthony Davidson and Sebastian Buemi. Here’s to better results for the car and our heroes in 2015.
edit: Daily Sportscar has done a quick analysis of 2014 919 vs 2015 model, also making the point that Porsche has gone to an 8mJ Hybrid system which requires more cooling. The initial changes are aerodynamic – at least Porsche has its own wind tunnel this year.
by John Glynn | Jan 15, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods
Swapped some good emails with Jonny, a fellow impact bumper 911 man earlier this week regarding an agreed insurance valuation for his newly-restored Porsche 911 SC. The car is just about finished, so it’s time to make sure that this investment is properly protected in case anything should happen. The car is absolutely lovely: well worth sharing on Ferdinand.
“The brief for the car was an ‘everyday’ hot rod based largely on standard components and some period accessories – hence ‘stock rod’,” says Jonny. “The car as purchased was scruffy but largely sound. The shell needed repair to both kidneys, sills, one inner wing and the oil tank aperture.”
Porsche 911 SC Hot Rod begins
“I contacted well known body man, Barry Carter, about tackling the bodywork. He was at the right end of the country for me and has done some lovely metal restoration on 911s. Barry’s mission was ‘search and destroy’ all rust. After a lot of detailed repair work, I believe this has been accomplished.
“While Barry was working on the rust problem, he also addressed the metalwork in other areas that I was changing, to make the shell perfect. This included a mirror hole delete, side skirt delete, side repeater delete, rear fog light delete, front spoiler delete and rolling the wheel arch edges.
“When the bodywork was done, I stripped the car back to bare metal myself and the shell then went to Steve Utting at DC Coachworks. Steve carried out a complete colour change to Porsche Delphi Green – a 914 colour, similar to some 911 shades. The new paint extends to the wheelarches, engine and luggage bays.
“Former Paragon engine builder, Lee Colbran, rebuilt the engine with standard pistons and cylinders (rebored and Nikasil coated) 964 cams, and SSI heat exchangers. We also backdated the heating: taking the secondary air blower out of the engine compartment. I rebuilt the Bosch K-Jet CIS injection and had the fan and housing refurbed. Mike Bainbridge rebuilt the transmission for me, also fitting a Quaife LSD to the car.
“There’s nothing wrong with standard SC brakes, so no upgrade was necessary. I had the calipers reconditioned by Classic Brake, and replaced every part of the braking system. All the suspension was also removed, stripped and refinished in the correct plating or powerdercoat. New suspension bushes are a mix of standard and Superpro, as this is not a track car. Rear torsion bars went to 26mm, with a 22mm front anti-roll bar. Turbo tie rods were fitted to my 911 SC, as they make a difference.”
Jonny is an electrical engineer, so there are some clever bits and pieces on the electrical system – more on that in a later post. The interior is very period, with the original brown dash, door caps and trim, some manual Porsche sports seats and very smart Mercedes “Brazil Brown” carpet, as it tones well with the Porsche palette. The door panels and rear quarter trims are covered in “Domino” Alcantara. Rear seat backs have been deleted but the handy “jump seat” cushions are still in place.
Kudos to Jonny for getting in early and snapping up an SC before prices went crazy, then working his way through a detailed “update” restoration so the car can be used every day. Undervalued for far too long, the 3-litre 911s are still my favourite and I love what Jon has done with the Delphi Green stunner. Looking forward to having a drive sometime soon.
by John Glynn | Jan 15, 2015 | Art and Books, Classic Porsche Blog
Fellow 911 owner, artist Nicolas Hunziker, has just uploaded another “can you guess what it is yet?” Porsche painting to Youtube.
The first few minutes had me waiting for something discernable, then a 356 hove into view, then I thought I saw something else: surely Nicolas can’t be painting a water-cooled car. The end result is special and was very familiar – reminded me of a press photo maybe? Something I had seen before. The final dénouement was obvious.
Porsche Unexpected with Nicolas Hunziker
The book Porsche Unexpected was released last year. Telling the story of the incredible Ingram Collection, I bought two copies: one for me and one for a friend’s birthday. I had them both shipped to his house in California and not been able to get there to read my copy yet, but I hear it is very good. I’ll let you know!
Check out Nicolas’ interesting video below. These movies are fun but can be longer than you think (this is art, not speed art), so allow some time to enjoy the experience. Ciao!
by John Glynn | Jan 14, 2015 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
The Paris-Rouen Horseless Carriage Competition of 1894 was one of the very first motorsport events, and gave rise to many more inter-city races over low-grade public roads. In 1911, the inaugural Monte Carlo Rally took early motorsport events to a whole new level as competitors started at points all over Europe, racing south to Monte Carlo. The world’s first proper rally would demonstrate automotive development, manufacturer reliability and the resilience of its participants.
Fast-forward just over a century, and Tuthill Porsche is on the verge of its first ever Monte Carlo Rally. Racing in this first part of the five-round 2015 R-GT Cup, it faces competition from two worthy adversaries, both highly talented and equally as passionate about motorsport.
Romain Dumas: 2015 Monte Carlo Rally
Romain Dumas is a former Le Mans winner, and winner of the 24 Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Nurburgring. A regular rally competitor in 911s, Romain is a Porsche works driver and pilots a 4-litre Porsche R-GT rally car for Monte Carlo. No change has been made to the 4-litre engine specification to bring it closer to the 3.8-litre cars.
Marc Duez
Marc Duez is a Belgian driver, highly regarded in European rallying. A former WRC driver in BMW M3, Toyota Celica GT4 and no end of Porsche 911s, Duez has claimed a number of top ten Monte Carlo finishes and is sure to be on form.
François Delecour
In the Tuthill Porsche camp is François Delecour: heart-sleeved legend of rally fans everywhere. A four-time winner in WRC, François has a “win it or bin it” reputation, which may not be entirely accurate but, whatever the story, he is adored. Tuthill has one word for Delecour: angry.
“François is an angry man,” said Richard Tuthill when interviewed at last week’s Autosport Show. He means it as a compliment. “Sleeves rolled up, let’s get to business, angry, angry man and a total legend.” With François to keep Tuthill Porsche firing along, Monte Carlo can’t come quick enough. Alongside François is Dominique Savignoni, with whom Delecour has won the last three Romanian rally championships.
Romania is a 50% sponsor of the Tuthill Porsche R-GT attack in 2015, with Richard Tuthill currently footing the bill for the other half. I don’t know many people who would be as brave with their money: Tuthill does not have an endless supply of cash and is well into this project already. Some might have left the car parked up for Monte Carlo and spent some money on classic Porsches instead, but that is not the Tuthill way. These are adventurous spirits, looking for the next thing in epicness and taking Porsche to the forefront of whatever that is.
In a fairytale world, François would have a small issue on the first day of the rally – maybe an off-piste in snow – find himself well down on Duez and Dumas and climb back up through the ranks before taking the win by four seconds on the final day. But there are no fairy tales in the WRC.
The politics of getting a quick GT car onto a rally stage alongside manufacturers who have invested millions of marketing Euros into making their hatchbacks look good are insane. Tuthill has a long way to go before its gravel spec R-GT is approved for stage use: an approval that has little to do with engineering. Anyone thinking the speed of the cars is down to the teams needs to wake up a bit: WRC status quo is not up for discussion.
Rallye Monte Carlo kicks off on January 19th and runs to the 25th. Some stages are up towards Grenoble, well north of Monaco, with weather ranging from -15 degrees with heavy snow to 9 degrees C and some sunshine. François Delecour will need all his wits about him if he wants to kiss a princess at the finish.
As for the gravel spec R-GT car, Chris Harris tested the car on gravel in Wales at the end of 2014. Chris is no rally driver, but he’s a capable racer who knows 911s and has driven every brand of hypercar for his popular videos. “This is the most exciting car I have driven all year,” he said. Watch this:
