by John Glynn | Feb 5, 2013 | Art and Books, Classic Porsche Blog
It’s about six weeks since I spent a day with Porsche Cars GB at the Silverstone Experience Centre. If you’ve never been there, the upstairs overlooking Silverstone’s Hangar Straight and the Porsche handling circuit is a great place to while away a few hours.
As soon as I got to Silverstone, I sailed upstairs and grabbed a coffee, then sat on the sofas to wait for the rest. On the table in front of me was a giant book I had never seen before. It was Porsche: Die Marke. Die Werbung. by company archivist, Dieter Landenberger.
Dieter had mentioned this book at our last meeting during Nurburgring 24, 2011. Standing at the top of the TUV Tower at 2am, eating ice cream and watching racing, Herr Landenberger told how his latest book examined all of Porsche’s advertising from the earliest days right to the present. Here was that book, and it was pretty special.
The whole thing is in German, which won’t upset the ardent Porsche fan. I’ve seen a lot of Porsche ads and images over my years as a fan, but there were loads in this book I had never seen before. I sat engrossed in it for almost an hour until someone pointed out it was time to get driving.
After the day, I searched the Internet for the book, finding only one copy online through an eBay store in America, but the postage was huge and the guy would not return my emails. I added the book to my Amazon wish list and set up a Google Alert but, five weeks later, there was still no sign. I decided to email the shop at the Porsche Museum.
It took a day to get a reply from Porsche but, yes, they had it in stock, and what was my address for postage? UPS came to €12, so with €50 for the book, it was worth getting sorted. The coolest thing was, I emailed the author (below) and asked him to sign it before despatch, which he was happy to do. Waiting for it to arrive now!
The Porsche Museum Shop couldn’t have been more helpful on email and over the phone. If you’re chasing something interesting, give them a shout and tell them I sent you!
by John Glynn | Feb 1, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
Lot of Porsche buzz online about the upcoming ALMS winter test at Sebring. Nick Tandy has already been confirmed to drive the Falken Tires Porsche GT3 RSR, and Jeroen Bleekemolen has also just tweeted confirmation of a drive with Alex Job Racing in their ALMS GT3 this year.
In the midst of the excitement around their upcoming event, Sebring tweeted this great Porsche 906 pic with the text: “I would say this photographer got pretty close to the action at Sebring ’67.” I loved it: the sliding Carrera 6 must have clipped that tyre by microns. Clearly whoever was driving knew their Porsche well! I set out to find the driver.
First place to look was an entry list for Sebring 1967 and the drivers of car 49. Car 48 was the MG of Timo Mäkinen and 50 was another MG. All the 906s were up in the 30s, including one with Hans Hermann and Jo Siffert, but there was nothing for car 49.
A quick look on the Sebring Facebook page showed the same pic, but a few people dating it to 1966, when Siffert and Charles Vogele drove Charles’ 906 with number 49 to sixth overall. But that car was red. I dug around a bit more and found a few pics of the Sebring 1967 4-Hour, but this was another dead end.
Weighing just 600 kilos and with perfect balance, the 906 Carrera 6 with eventual fuel injection was successful into the 1970s as the 906E, so I looked at later years. Google didn’t help much, so I switched to the next most powerful search engine: eBay.
A quick search on ebay for 906 Sebring threw up this pic from 1969. Checking an entry list from 1969 confirmed a Porsche 906 raced as number 49, driven by Dr. Merwin (Merv) Rosen and Dave Morrell.
A quick google for Merv found a hardcore Illinois racer and an SCCA legend in his Porsche 906, with great results all across America. I also found an email address and have sent him a message: would be cool to hear more about his career. Merv if you’re out there, please say hello!
by John Glynn | Jan 23, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
On my travels to Autofarm last week, Josh and I got talking about a 3.2 Carrera Club Sport that was sitting in the corner of a barn. I didn’t recognise the registration, but it looked a smart car: totally standard in very good nick.
“See if you can spot what’s wrong with it,” invited Josh. Having served my time as a buyer for retail car supermarkets and also for a major UK fleet company, I’ve bought more cars than most other folk I know so I was sure this wouldn’t take long. After two minutes looking around the outside, I couldn’t find much to whinge about.
“The driver’s door gap looks too good,” I offered. Turned out this was right: there was nothing wrong with it. The Club Sport is owned by Porsche author, Gordon Wingrove, and was famously featured in one of the mags as an accident repair on one side a few years back. Can’t remember who did the repair, but it’s flawless: as you would expect from a man who wrote a 3.2 technical book.
With just 27,000 miles on the clock, this is a special Club Sport. The model has its detractors, who love to point out it’s a basic Carrera 3.2 with a lighter interior and a blueprinted engine, but those who have driven one know there’s something else. Josh has heard all the Club Sport knockers but, as he asks: “What else is there from the 1980s? This is it.” I reminded him of the 5-speed 930, but essentially agree on the affordable/available 911 road car side. There’s plenty of front-engined Porsche stuff from that era I’m keen on, but they’re not rare-bird 911s and the SC RS and 959 hardly count.
Coincidentally, two days later I was asked to do an agreed insurance valuation on another 3.2 Club Sport, one I’ve seen a few times. I had talked money with Josh and he thought Gordon’s would be into the seventies. Not sure I would go that strong for January but I referenced his and a few more for mine.
What’s the forecast for Club Sport values? I think pretty steady, trending very slightly upwards to match the base model. There were circa 50 RHD ‘Clubbies’ made and standard Carreras in the very best condition are £30k+ now. So a factory hot rod in tip top notch has to be where Josh is pitching it. Try replacing a Club Sport after total loss: that’s not going to be pleasant.
Need an insurance value? Check out our Porsche insurance valuation website.
by John Glynn | Jan 21, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
I had a good chat with Mads Jensen in Denmark last week: driver and team manager for the Scandinavian team, State of Art racing.
You’ll know State of Art from the videos I post every year, following the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix: always exciting and usually featuring Björn or Stig winning in a Porsche. This year, Mads is putting a Porsche-only race together at the Jyllandsringen GP on August 24-25th: I’m delighted to help publicise the event. Mads says:
“When Jyllandsringen is organising its annual Grand Prix Denmark 24th-25th August 2013, one of the main attractions will be a 40-minute race exclusively for historic Porsche 911 race cars. We expect 40 registered cars from across Scandinavia and possibly the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, which will compete in 3 categories divided by age groups: Up to 1965, 1966-1971 and 1972-1976.
This event started with one single idea: To create a race with only classic 911’s. I race a 911 myself and know almost all 911 drivers/race car owners here. I contacted the organisers of Grand Prix Denmark and suggested to gather all 911’s. There are about 30 of these cars here in Denmark and 21 of them have signed up so far.
There is a max of 45 cars on the track, so we decided to invite people we are connected to from abroad. In addition to the race, we are organising a Porsche gathering to celebrate the 50 years anniversary. I am an active member of the Porsche Clubs and online communities and they are all onboard for this, as is the Danish importer.
We are expecting 300 club members to exhibit their cars in the dedicated 911 paddock. Everyone gets a few laps on the track in the lunchbreak and we host a party in the hospitality area. Finally, if we can get funding, we are planning to invite former Porsche works drivers.”
Sounds cool. So is the poster for the event, created by 911 fan and online friend Paul Wilson in Copenhagen. Rather optimistically seems to show an ST in front of a RSR, like Twinspark Racing’s Viper Green Hulk 911 Porsche RSR. If that’s Waldegard with Stolk coming up behind him, I am seriously impressed!
I’m planning to be there, and fingers crossed a few of you will attend also. The website is Danish only at the minute, but it’s in the process of being translated. Check it out at www.porscheclassiccup.dk.
by John Glynn | Jan 20, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices, Porsche News
Googing & Company just brought a record price for a Porsche 718 RSK at their sale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Running Friday and Saturday, January 18 & 19, the auction got the year off to a flying start, with some excellent results in the sale hall.
There was plenty of Porsche content scheduled. The most rarified Porsche on the programme was lot 112: a 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder, chassis number 718-023. Number 023 is one of 35 RSKs built at Stuttgart, and is a matching numbers car with its original body. The history was unbelievable: huge detail available and most recently owned by a prominent New York collector.
Gooding wrote a terrific description and advertised the sale everywhere: likely instrumental in the impressive end result. Estimated at $2.8M to $3.2M, the car was greeted by some excited bidding, quickly shooting up from the early $2m mark to looking like a sale at $2.6M. But no – there was still life left at that stage and it went on to finish at $3.135M: a record price for an RSK at auction.
I love auctions and miss that sale hall buzz when watching Gooding’s excellent Internet stream. Gotta get to a few more sales this this year: I’m guessing Essen will be my first of the season.
Here’s a few more RSK pics:
