by John Glynn | Jan 19, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Project Cars
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.”
Check out the WEVO Facebook page. Follow Ferdinand Magazine on Facebook.
by John Glynn | Jan 18, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Project Cars
I had a cool email recently from Alex Webster, who works for Porsche in sunny Australia. Alex and dad Stewart have a tasty 356 collection, including the one seen here: a 1960 Roadster built as an all-metal Outlaw.
Others in the line up include a Carrera GT, Carrera 2, 1958 speedster and 1956 sunroof coupe: all original RHD. Stewart had this to say about his collection:
“The GT was delivered to New Zealand and has only covered 13k miles. The Carrera 2 was delivered to AFN in England, and made its way to Australia twenty years ago. Condition is said to be new: sounds like a beautiful car. The Speedster is one of four in Stone Grey cars, and was delivered through Hamiltons in Melbourne in 1958. The ’56 sunroof coupe was delivered by the dealer in Sydney and it too is like new.”
Stewart’s other 356s include half a dozen US models, restored and converted to RHD. The Outlaw looks like something else: someone should do a story on these Webster boys 😀
![Step Back in Time: Porsche 356 Speedsters]()
by John Glynn | Jan 15, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
Doing the school run today, my ten year old asked “where would you go if you could travel back in time?”
For me, the answer is obvious. 356 Speedsters awaiting delivery – how could any man resist a brand new Speedster, even before they were worth what they are nowadays?
I was born at the end of the 1960s. I’m glad I arrived when I did, but to be amidst great Porsche history being made would be my choice. What about you? Targa Florio, Le Mans, a certain motor show, a certain film star? 😀
by John Glynn | Nov 22, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche People
We had a nice little session on Ferdinand’s Facebook page last night, where I opened the wall for a couple of hours to let Porsche friends post their answers to the question: “what shape does The Cult of Porsche take through your eyes?”
Holly Ragan Krueger shared this pic of her 912, before telling me the story of the car and making it a must-write blog post.
“My dad bought this 1968 912 in Florida in 1977,” said Holly. “I still have the two-line notarised bill of sale for $3,990. He drove it across the US and up the ALCAN highway with my brother, my mom and I following in a Ford pick up. My dad was a great old-school mechanic and he restored the car in Fairbanks, Arkansas next to his 356. He moved the cars to Georgia in 1987, then replaced the Solex with rebuilt Solex in ’89: he was such a purist.
“I drove her up to Minnesota in 1997. This ’68 912 is the only Porsche I’ve owned. I’ve paid mechanics a fortune to work on her, and spent many frustrating hours trying to work on her myself. 912 projects take me forever because I don’t know what I’m doing, but it’s worth it because I learn so much and then I’m that much closer to really understanding the car. I like to think what I lack in skill I make up for in determination.
“I replaced the fuel tank this past summer, which turned out to be a lot more than just sliding in a new tank. I had a shop replace the Solex with Webers this October, but I still need to balance the carbs and I think adjust the linkage too. I’m not sure how to do that, but I bribed my brother to send me some tools, so if I feel reasonably confident I’ll try to do the work myself. If I can’t I’ll have a shop do it.
“This coming spring I’d like to get some touch-up work done on the paint and replace my muffler. If everything goes well, I’d also like to clean up the engine, paint the fan cover, get new stickers, etc. I’m looking forward to this spring because I’ve met some local enthusiasts and found a few car events I can attend.
“All Porsches are special, but learning how to work on this old car is what makes this Porsche special to me.”
What a great story, perfect for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to Holly, her family and all our American Porsche friends and family around the world. Enjoy the holidays and share the love!
by John Glynn | Nov 5, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods
Good times on the California Hot Rod Porsche Tour 2012 last weekend, as we made our first-ever trip to the monthly RGruppe Porsche meet at EASY in Emeryville, San Francisco. EASY stands for European Auto Salvage Yard: this long-standing meet was recently featured on Wayne Carini’s Discovery TV show.
The weather here is terrific. Temperatures in the mid-70s (24 degrees Celsius) ensured a decent turnout, and it was good to see old friends and meet a few new ones including EASY top dog, Jim Breazeale.
We spent Friday at WEVO in San Carlos and WEVO’s Hayden Burvill (above) also came to EASY. The rather battered Porsche 911 known as Rabbit was his transport Porsche of choice: a 1973.5 2.4-litre 911T, running the original CIS injection. Was fun to convoy with it across the San Francisco bridges and out of  the city: more on that one later.
Other cars spotted at EASY included Joey B’s beautiful Beetle with 356 running gear and a spotless ’76 911 Turbo (above) in special order Albert Blue, which we’ve arranged to shoot for a feature this week. So many cars, and so much fun to come!
