by John Glynn | Apr 24, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
No visit to Techno Classica would be complete without a trip to the official Porsche Classic Essen stand. Slightly over-corporate since they left hall 3 and moved to the Volkswagen group plaza, this year was given a burst of energy by the presence of Magnus Walker signing autographs on the stand.
Porsche cliques are wasting their time being sniffy about Magnus. He doesn’t care what haters have to say, nor should he. There was no shortage of people lined up to grab a few words or an autograph with the Urban Outlaw, and Magnus was very polite to all of them. That’s how the man was raised, and how he treats everyone: not just the train of celebs lining up to see him in LA.
Porsche Classic parts prices have gone up again this year, so maybe Magnus was there to soften the price tags of body panels and other parts on sale. There’s some very nice merchandise coming on line – sweet kids bits and pieces included – which to me shows clear Volkswagen marketing influence. The presence of a hidden diesel spout on the Porsche Classic fuel tanks was another big VW signpost (ouch).
I asked one of the guys where the glitzy Porsche merchandise truck had gone to – not seen that at Essen for a while. “It was in a big crash: we’re building a brand new one for Le Mans,” he said. Not too surprising. A solid Slate Grey 991 Turbo Cabriolet with special wishes red leather from the Exclusive department was no great surprise either. Not sure what residuals will be like on that one.
![New models: Four-cylinder engine for Porsche Macan]()
by John Glynn | Apr 23, 2014 | New Models, Porsche News
Autocar magazine has just shared news from Beijing, where the new Porsche Macan four cylinder engine option has just been unveiled for Stuttgart’s compact SUV.
Volkswagen Golf GTi Engine
Powered by a turbocharged 2-litre Volkwagen EA888 engine – as used across all other VAG brands – the 4-cylinder Macan will run an identical tune to the Golf GTi Performance Pack version, giving 234bhp and 258lb ft of torque, versus the 3.0 Turbo’s 335bhp/339lb ft.
Porsche Macan 200,000 sales target
The move is inevitable. The Porsche CEO recently estimated that the company could sell up to 200,000 Macans next year. They’re not going to do that at £50k a unit: an entry level model is needed using a seriously cheap power unit. The slightly lower emissions and likely engine size tax advantages will also have rub-off benefits in parts of the world, across the Macan range and the broader model portfolio.
While pricing has not been revealed, it’s been confirmed that the Macan 2.0 will run a PDK gearbox in Asia: let’s hope it’s not too slow. There are suggestions it will come to England in 2015, but an earlier debut wouldn’t surprise me. Watch for the 2-litre diesels up next.
by John Glynn | Apr 23, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Another highlight of our trip to the 2014 Essen Techno Classica was this Porsche 968 Turbo S, spotted on the Porsche Centre Bensberg stand. OPC Bensberg has built a strong reputation for finding rare Stuttgart machinery, and the 968 Turbo S is one of the very rarest ’90s Porsche products.
Weissach made just 16 of these cars: turbo 4-cylinders with the late 3.0 block and larger 8-valve head, giving 304 horsepower, 368 ft/lb of torque, sub-5 seconds to 60 and a top speed of 180 mph. The interior is trimmed, but stripped to lightweight buckets with a rear seatback delete.
It’s one of those machines that new Porsche would not contemplate, but the pressured Porsche of 1993 was all for, to get some press interest going. 1993 was the middle of some tough times at Stuttgart: then along came Wendelin Wiedeking.
by John Glynn | Apr 22, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
The 2014 Sydney-London Marathon Rally is in full swing. As the cars approach the last of thirty-three stages raced in Australia, two Tuthill Porsche 911s hold station in the top five, split by just over a minute.
Previous winner of the event, Francis Tuthill, is following the rally and and supporting his Porsches as they play a long game behind a trio of Z-cars. It’s impossible to win a month-long classic rally event in the first two weeks, but very easy to lose it through unreliability or lack of concentration.
The beautifully built 911s of Joost Van Cauwenberge and Simon Connolly cut a handsome shape through the Australian bush in these photos. Sydney-London is the third outing for the white car of Joost and he’s come a long way since his Moroccan debut, when the initial support plan involved a Sprinter van and champagne. Love that Belgian style!
Simon makes his marathon debut on Sydney-London and is doing a really superb job. To be fifth, just twenty minutes behind the leader after nine hours of competitive rallying keeps him in touch with opportunity. Both cars are well placed to move up should problems arise as the Australians leave their native soil and we head towards familiar Porsche territory.
I know my Aussie mates will be torn between supporting their guys and supporting the Porsches. I have no such worries!
by John Glynn | Apr 22, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
We’re doing a week of Essen Techno Classica posts as a catch-up post Easter. This second post looks at a classic 1965 Porsche 901 911 I definitely would not have kicked out of bed.
Located in Hall 3 near where the Porsche AG stand used to be when Porsche was still independent, Manfred Hering’s Early 911S stand has become a bit of a touchstone, and was my first port of call on arrival at Essen.
This year, the firm brought a good mix of air-cooled ‘money’ Porsche cars, including this 1965 901 911 in Emailblau (Sky Blue) which had ‘sold’ signs on from the start, an early project 911 example and a mix of impact bumper 911s and the most desirable 964s: 964 Turbo in Rubystone and another 3.6 Turbo in black with Green leather.
Plenty of impact-bumper Turbos on the stand mirrored the 930 content all around the show. These cars are clearly capturing buyers’ eyes. Here’s a link to the Early 911S website.
