Our Porsche racing friends at EB Motorsport had a great weekend at the Nürburgring Oldtimer GP, comfortably winning their class and retaining the lead in World Sportscar Masters, but not everyone enjoyed the event as much.
The owner of a 1956 Porsche 356 woke to find his car had been stolen from the Hotel Hohe Acht. I’m told that two other 356s were also stolen at the track on the same night. German Police have so far come up empty-handed but that is hardly a surprise: this was carried out by professionals and there will be a plan in place to get these things out of the area as soon as possible.
This particular car is a peach. The owner bought the car in 1970 and, working as a 356 spare parts manufacturer in Denmark, it has been with him for 40 years of a life in Porsche. A €15,000 reward is offered for any information leading to the safe return.
This is not the first 356 theft we’ve seen this year. Certainly classic Porsches are getting ever-easier to steal: a quick colour change and a few bits swapped (including chassis number) and no one would be any the wiser on what it once was. If you’re not using security on your classic, then fix that quickly.
I use a high-end steering lock and good alarm on mine – plus one other unnamed measure – which would slow any potential thieves down a bit. The agreed valuation for insurance purposes is also up to date! I do agreed insurance valuations for UK classic Porsche people if you need any help there: total peace of mind and not much added to the premium.
More info on this car: black Porsche 356A with Speedster seats and a Sebring exhaust. Steels are very distinctive as is the ‘Les Lestuns’ steering wheel. but all these bits bolt off. Just be suspicious of any spotless 356s in black seen around the place.
Thorkil Simonsen owns the car. If you like the sound of that reward then call him at +45 40721284 or email simonsen-356@c.dk. Would be great to get this back.
Porsche have sent out some pics of the Martini-painted 918 Spyder, currently lapping at the Nürburgring. One target for the car is a 7:22 lap at the bankrupt race track, so Nürburg snappers have had a field day with the 918 going around in development.
Personally, I wasn’t sure about the Martini stripes to start with. That’s the blog I just wrote but deleted after adding the pictures. Have a look at them yourself and consider your reaction.
Silver-painted Porsches never do much for me, but I loved the shade on the 918 when the Preserve launch pics shot by Marc Urbano were released a few years back. This latest 918 livery reminded me of the Cayman race at Rennsport, where the cars were wrapped in classic colours.
I know the intention was fun, and I did shoot some track runs where the cars looked pretty hot but, when the Caymans all trailed silently back to the pits together, wearing fake paint schemes from historic cars with multiples more aural drama, it smacked of nerd poseurs with freshly-ironed Porsche shirts.
I’m sure most others loved it but, as a diehard classic fan, pimping out the heritage to sell what is a very pretty car in its own right seemed like desperate measures by the marketing team. Instant deathly turn-off.
The Martini-painted Cayman was perhaps the best of all those Rennsport cars, but I think the 918 looks better as Batman. Bad-ass Porsches have always been black and I see this as the baddest of the lot. Bring back Matt Black and the evil of the 918: playing the good guy with the white hat does not seem to suit it.
I’m sure I’m in the minority here: fan boys will love it and no doubt the 918 looks killer at speed in this livery. I wish Porsche had sent some riskier pics: inches-from-death at high speed, scraping the rock face as it chased a fast lap. Badass is as badass does.
“The proper place for all that material is in the cellar”, he insisted. “The loft of this building is much too exposed. It offers no protection at all.”
“I know you’re right, Father”
“Then do something about it and do so right away. I want everything moved to the cellar of the building during the next two or three days. No longer.”
I shrugged, not very happy about this order, but the boss had to be obeyed. So I put the whole staff to work, transferring vast quantities of records from the attic to the cellar of the building in the Spitalwaldestrasse. The job was completed in about five days of back-breaking toil. About 48 hours later, during a comparatively light attack on Stuttgart, a small-caliber bomb came through the side of the building, completely missing the roof. The missile zoomed down harmlessly to the cellar. There it exploded and destroyed all the material we had just stored away with so much care.
Luckily, we had duplicates of most of this technical paperwork hidden in other places out of harm’s way, so what we severed mainly was inconvenience. However, this made me more certain than ever that you cannot control Fate in the slightest degree. No matter how carefully you may anticipate things, they are liable to work out just a bit differently from your expectations, even if you are an expert with a slide rule.
Excerpt from “We at Porsche”: The Autobiography of Dr. Ing. h.c. Ferry Porsche with John Bentley
The original 911 Turbo was a revelation. Introduced in 1974, the first 930 models had a 3-litre engine, producing 260 horsepower at just 5,500 rpm with relatively soft levels of boost and a 6.5:1 compression ratio.
The first journalists to sample the 911 Turbo were literally blown away. ‘To be shoved so hard in the back that you need highback seats to keep your head on, yet neither to feel nor hear anything more than a muffled hum, is a very odd sensation indeed”, wrote Roger Bell back then.
In 1977, the 930 grew to 3.3-litre engine capacity, and got some decent brakes. The addition of an intercooler took power to 300 horsepower, with 303 lb/ft of torque. 60 appeared on the speedo around 5 seconds after take off, and 160 would appear in short order: if you kept your foot in.
On paper, the 930’s big turbo and leggy four-speed gearbox is hardly ideal for use as a rally car, but that has not stopped Richard ‘Project’ Tuthill from picking one up in Eastern Europe and putting it through a rebuild process at Tuthill HQ in Wardington, just down the road from Ferdinand.
The car has been through a strip and interior tidy, with new seat rails and fire extinguisher install. The engine and transmission are out for an overhaul, the car is being completely rewired and made ready to rally in anger. It has also just had brand new Turbo brake calipers, straight from Porsche.
“One challenge is having the fastest car in a straight line,” says Richard. “But also, there’s more to rallying than the British Championship. Some great events take place in Europe, where Turbos are highly regarded. I think this will strike a chord with the fans: the few miles I did in it before we took it to pieces were amongst the craziest I’ve ever done in a rally car!”
I’ve driven a lot of Tuthill cars over the years but this lightweight Turbo off-roader is a whole other kettle of fish. I can’t wait to try it out!
“Independence, then, has always been the attitude at Porsche. To do not what is expected, but what we feel is right. It is said that so many creations today are just like all the rest. This is why Porsche must remain small and independent. Without independence – the freedom to try new ideas – the world will not move ahead, but live in fear of its own potential.”
These are the words of Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche: a unique individual, whose post-war work to save his father’s legacy, and lifelong efforts to preserve the independence of the Porsche brand should never be forgotten. Ferry is literally the father of the cars we love, and his hard-fought independence is about to disappear.
The assimilation of Porsche into Volkswagen will be completed by August 1st, 2012. Between now and then, Porsche Automobil Holding SE will surrender “its holding business operations, including a 50.1% interest in Porsche’s operating business to Volkswagen AG” (quote: Porsche). The deal will officially render Volkswagen AG sole owner of Porsche’s business operations.
The current Porsche range is widely acclaimed as perhaps the best ever, and sales are strong. VAG understands the benefits of supporting heritage through community, and appears to encourage its sporting brands to strive for excellence in motorsport. All good news for Porsche fans, but there is no way to dress this up: August 1st will send a knife through the heart of Porsche independence.
Purists will forever argue the question: what makes a real Porsche? Never one to get too hooked up on minutiae, my favourite Porsches stem from the dynasty: when a man called Porsche walked around his factory, and inspired his teams to greatness.
Anyone familiar with classic Porsche from behind the wheel knows that older cars have an attitude that was lost some years ago. The end of independence is bound to up the ante for cars built in simpler times, and emphasise that missing ingredient in everything there is to come. I’ll let The Doors play this one out:
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
