Another bereavement in the Porsche community this week, when the respected technical writer, Bruce Anderson, passed away at the age of 75. Bruce’s wife, Stephanie, sent me the following story of how Bruce got into Porsche cars and built a career from his passion:
“Bruce was head of publications for Hewlett Packard’s Santa Clara Division in California. He was a tech writer first at HP. At the same time, he was a Porsche guy. Can’t tell you how many he owned back in the day but his love was the air cooled 911 etc. He and his friend, Bob Garretson, would tinker on the cars on the weekend. Thus they began “Garretson Enterprises”, which in fact was primarily owned by Bruce and his brother, Clark. Then in 1974 Bruce decided to quit HP and open a real shop.
“When that relationship fell apart in 1986, Bruce decided to write the “911 Performance Handbook”. He was Tech Chair for the Porsche Club of America and did that for 21 years, helping guys work on their cars in the garage. He also became a great photographer: most of the photos in his books are his. He also served as the Technical Editor of Excellence Magazine from its inception until he passed.”
I never met Bruce, but his writing was a favourite source when I first came to Porsche. My first-edition copy of his Porsche 911 Performance Handbook is on the desk as I type, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to know air-cooled.
Never wishy-washy in opinion, Bruce did his research and was ready to stand by his point of view. His attention and forthright delivery set a proper example: this loss leaves a hole that will prove tricky to fill. There’s no doubting his place as a much-loved member of the tight Porsche community and Bruce will certainly be missed.
Friends of the man speak warmly of days spent at Monterey listening to jazz – a great love of Bruce’s – and long nights at Daytona and Le Mans. With a taste for red meat and fine wine, Bruce was all about living his passions, and his writing is rich with the same. Few authors share as much detail on the technical aspects of engines and performance as Bruce: visit the Bruce Anderson blog to read some for yourself.
Former Porsche CEO, Peter Schutz wrote the foreword to Bruce’s performance book. Peter is sincere in his appreciation for the man’s driving force.
“Bruce is one of those people who never does anything half way. His knowledge of Mexican food and jazz is exceeded only by his knowledge of Porsche, and particularly the 911 in all its variations. It is thus in the true Bruce Anderson style that he has decided to share his love and knowledge with the rest of us, in this book. Beyond all else, Bruce is a sharing person.”
Bruce had been in and out of hospital for months: purgatory for one who so enjoyed being out and about in the company of Porsche heads. With his passing comes peace in the sound of air-cooled flat six engines in Porsche heaven. Best wishes to his family and friends, surely blessed to have known him. The rest of us will continue to enjoy Bruce’s work through his legacy of words and ideas.
I’ve got three girls, but that doesn’t mean all television is My Little Pony. My two youngest are quite technically minded and like to know how stuff works, so Discovery Channel’s How It’s Made is perfect.
Here’s a piece we just watched together – the two youngest are home from school with colds this week. How It’s Made filmed this at Brembo’s manufacturing plant for ceramic brake discs. It’s pretty fascinating stuff: no wonder ceramic brakes are not the cheapest things out there.
Porsche 911 997 GT3 models with centre lock wheels built between February 2009 and April 2010 were recently recalled for an issue with the rear wheel hubs and bearings. Transport authority notices note that “in rare circumstances, the wheel hubs and wheel bearings on the rear axle may break. If the rear wheel hubs and bearings break, the driver may lose control of the vehicle and create a hazard to the driver and other road users.”
Porsche representatives have allegedly told other mags that hubs and bearings “don’t break” and are being replaced “to standardise the revision intervals”. But owners discussing this in a Rennlist thread note that Porsche Cars NA has been telling owners not to drive their cars until the replacement has been carried out.
A number of owners on GT3 forums have shared how their hubs did break, causing their cars to go out of control. Something else to check if you’re in the GT3 market and another big reason to buy from a Porsche 911 GT3 specialist. This video below shows what happened when one owner’s hub gave out at speed on the Nurburgring. Much harder treatment than the majority of owners will ever give their hubs, but still pretty scary when you know what is coming!
Here’s one to watch for if you’re looking at Porsche 996s for sale: rust around the door latch mounting points.
This is a common problem on earlier cars, but I didn’t think was that bad on later cars with arch liners. But while older cars rust from the back of the latch to the front, starting inside the wheel well, these cars are rusting from front to the rear. It’s pretty common on the 996 and does tend to come from the front. Early 996s get it worst: on models pre-2000, prob 30% of them have this and some pretty badly.”
You could rub this particular case down and paint it, but if Porsche rust repairs are not done properly, they will always come back. The big question is where else is rusting? If it’s happening here, the rest is at risk, too. Put it on your checklist.
The second pic shows ongoing body repairs on a Porsche 964 bought by a customer as accident damaged, with new front wings replacing rusty ones and good quality second hand parts used in a few other places. Looks a bit patchwork at present, but is heading off to paint later on.
Few classic Porsche cars sum up Ferdinand’s driving, not posing policy more than those built at WEVO in San Carlos, CA. One of my favourite cars from this stable is a 1967 Porsche 912, known in the family as Primrose, which I first enjoyed driving two years ago. This is me: pic by Jamie.
The ’67 is Aga Blue. It’s a genuine barn find, with only 36,000 miles on the clock when first uncovered. Hayden Burvill regards the 912 as “the essential-to-understand engineering link between the 356 and the 911. Put into dry storage in 1972, we recovered it in 2007, the 35-year hibernation leaving the interior beautifully preserved and the exterior degraded in a manner that is difficult to describe.
“The patina is insanely genuine, at times disturbing, yet any effort to control or preserve it would look ridiculously contrived. The 912 is heavily waxed, waxed over every blemish and that seems like the appropriate treatment for the time being.”
When I first drove this classic Porsche, it had a simple engine build and almost standard suspension, albeit rebuilt with new bushes. Since then, Hayden has further upgraded the running gear: most noticeably with a 1900cc engine that was run in on the 2012 California Melee.
“The 1900cc motor has been faultless so far. Initially it required a little tuning and synchronization of the carbs but otherwise all good and much nicer than the old motor. Went on a diet and took another 16lbs off during the build, so the car is now about 2000 lbs with a full tank and 110hp: about BMW 2002 territory.
“Old engine to new engine: we kept the crank and flywheel and the cam, but not much else. Entering it on the Melee was an incentive to get it working. The 912 turned out to be the perfect car for the event, rewarding care with momentum – and the big grin that comes from sliding about on dry pavement at legal speeds on 165/80-15 tires.
“The nimble 912 can tackle the unexpected with such finesse, it makes me very happy to have left the 911 at home for another day. That said, after an unbroken run of 140 miles, my shoulders did feel like a massage would have helped. Drivers in the heavier cars would have enjoyed a great upper body workout.”
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