by John Glynn | Jun 18, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices, Project Cars
Loyal readers of my original Classic Porsche Blog may remember the story of when Porsche 911 parts I bought on eBay were flown to me in person. I just found some of the old pictures and thought it was worth a re-blog.
eBay Porsche Parts Shipping
In need of some parts for The Varmint – a Porsche 911 SC Coupe I had bought in San Francisco on Craigslist, used in California and shipped back to England – I went on eBay and hunted around. I needed a door pull, door pockets and a few other bits. Peter had been backdating a 3.2 Carrera and was selling all the parts I needed on the auction site. He also had a few other NOS parts including a headlamp washer pump and some light lenses.
We did a little deal on the lot, I gave him my address and he went off to get a price on the postage. I had an email ten minutes later. “Are you near Silverstone and free tomorrow?” I’m just down the road from Silverstone, and I work from home, so that was no problem. “Meet me at Turweston and I’ll have the parts with me,” said Peter.
Turweston Aerodrome
Just a few miles from Silverstone circuit, which was a huge aircraft base in the war, Turweston also served as an airfield in WW2. Wellington, Avro Anson and USAF Mitchell bombers flew from its three runways (including a 1.6 kilometre-long strip still used for F1 car and MotoGP motorbike testing) until the aerodrome was closed at the end of 1945. After that, it was used for MoD storage until reopening in the 1990s as a private airfield. It’s where most helicopter taxi rides into the British Grand Prix start from.
It turned out that Peter was the only qualified town planner in the UK who specialised in airfield planning and permission issues, and Turweston was one of his clients. He had flown up from Kent in his Europa 2 Tri-Gear light aircraft and brought my eBay 911 parts with him: I was knocked out by the service.
Driving the distance would have taken more than two hours. Flying took less than a quarter of that, with a lot less fuel used also – the 100hp Rotax 912S engine in Peter’s self-built Europa uses as little as 6 litres per 100 kilometres while cruising, so about a gallon of fuel to get to me. It was a very cool experience: I know lots of Porsche guys are pilots too, so thought I would share pics of the aircraft.
Of the Europa 2, Peter says “The Europa offers a rare brilliance in light aeroplane design and handling. There is very little in the marketplace today that offers so much performance for so little cost in maintenance.” The car is, of course, my 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Coupe in Continental Orange. Sits well against the white and blue paint scheme, with the orange on the tail. Here’s some video of Peter’s plane in action:
by John Glynn | Jun 18, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods
Had a nice email from Raleigh up in Utah, who thanked me for pointing him towards Impact Bumpers (you’re welcome mate) and shared some pics of this very smart 1984 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera Coupe in rare Ruby Red. With just two owners and low mileage from new, it’s the antithesis of yesterday’s Targa Speedster feature car.
Introducing the Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera
1984 was the first year of the 3.2-litre Carrera. The new 911 was a development of the 911 SC, which had sold well for Porsche through the late 1970s, when Porsche management was planning to axe the 911 in favour of the 928.
New Porsche CEO, Peter Schutz, saw that enthusiasts were not ready to abandon Stuttgart’s rear-engined sports car. Schutz reversed the 911’s sentence, and gave orders to restart product development. In 1981 there was had a power hike for the SC, then another in 1983 (RoW) and then a displacement increase and fuel injection system change for the new model 911 3.2 Carrera in 1984.
The 911: Saved by Schutz
“The decision to keep the 911 occurred in the office of (engineering chief) Helmuth Bott, when I noticed a chart on the wall,” recalled Schutz. “It showed the ongoing development schedules for the Porsche 911, 928 and 944. Two of them stretched far into the future, but the 911 line stopped at the end of 1981. I walked to the chart, took a black marker pen, and extended the 911 line clean off the chart. I’m sure I heard a silent cheer from Bott.”
Bott went on to father the 959, and the work his engineering team did on the Carrera paid off handsomely, as the new 911 sold in record numbers. Bosch Motronic was a clear step up from the earlier CIS or K-Jet system used on the 911SC (and every other contemporary Porsche), giving better efficiency. While the bigger displacement came via a longer and lazier stroke, the increased capacity and better intake system gave more headline horsepower: quite a marked jump for US enthusiasts. More power, more prestige, more sales.
Two Owners from New
One man keen to sign up for the 3.2 Carrera was Raleigh’s father-in-law, who ordered this 911 brand new in 1983, and had it delivered that Christmas. Those early 3.2 seats are still as 911SC: most early 3.2 trim shows no change from previous. Teledial wheels were Carrera additions and are rare items now: sunroof and air con is not super common outside the US.
The classic Carrera has covered just 41,000 miles and looks in superb condition. Raleigh took over the 911’s upkeep one year ago, and reports the only change to standard as an updated radio – literally nice to hear. Good job, Utah Porsche guys: this 3.2 is a cutie.
by John Glynn | Jun 17, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Project Cars
Fellow Porsche hot rod fans will totally get this Porsche 911 Targa Speedster. Originality crew, avert your eyes now.
Vincent in Colorado emailed me last night with pictures of his Porsche street rod creation. Known affectionately as ‘Butzi’, it’s a lightweight Speedster-style project, based on a 1971 911 E Targa. Inspired by a visit to the Porsche Museum, close inspection of the 550 Spyder and 909 Bergspyder hillclimb special drove Vincent to create a lightweight version of his early 911.
Hot Rod Porsche 911 Targa Speedster
“I bought my 1971 Porsche 911E Targa in California on 9/11, 2000. Always maintained by Andial, the car had been stolen from its previous owner, but subsequently recovered. While stolen, it had picked up body damage: a smashed front wing and door, clipped in a collision. Now far from immaculate condition, it was ready for a transformation along the lines of home-brew early race cars.
“I welded in rear flares to fit 8 x 15” Fuchs wheels, and added lightness to the entire body. Fibreglass bumpers, bonnet, deck lid, and front fenders keep with the lightweight build theme. I have yet to weigh the car, but you can be sure it’s in the 1800 lb range (800 kilos).
eBay Porsche Parts Find
“The most challenging part of the build was committing to the Speedster theme. This required removal of the original Targa roof components and fabricating the windshield. I got lucky and found the rear clamshell on eBay.
“Powered by the original 2.2-litre engine, refreshed and on Webers with the 901 transmission, I’m enjoying driving it, but have to start work on the suspension and get some ideas on paint. Originally silver, I really like the early Porsche race cars in white, hence the theme it is now: in various shades of white primer, awaiting the next stage.”
As a Porsche feature car veteran, I like the hot rods: cars with personality. I rarely get super excited by perfect Porsches that the owners won’t drive due to spotless condition. For me, a Porsche on the move is the real deal: even Zuffenhausen drives its museum exhibits every now and then.
Vincent’s 911 Speedster is towards the opposite end of the Porsche preservation spectrum, but this doesn’t make it less engaging. It’s a work in progress, and sometimes progress has to shake a few cages. Kudos, Vincent and Salut, Butzi. Keep on rocking in the free world!
by John Glynn | Jun 14, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Almost seven hours into the 2014 Le Mans 24-Hour and night’s drawing in over Circuit de la Sarthe. Following a crazy first quarter, Porsches have run at the front of each category they are competing in, but are now slightly further down the order.
“We struggled at the beginning in the high ambient temperatures,” said 919 pilot, Neel Jani, who was mesmerising through his opening stint in pursuit of the Audis, dicing for position at 200 mph. “We a small problem with a 20p screw coming loose in the fuel pump, which dropped fuel pressure and took us a while to sort out, but now we are back up to speed and trying to get places back.”
Rain played a big part in this afternoon’s racing. Two huge rainstorms brought the safety cars out and Porsche pulled places back by playing it smart. Dempsey Racing in GTE-Am took the lead by staying on slicks. The team now runs down in fourth position, but its best lap is 3:58.4 versus 3:55.7 for the P2 Aston. Beating that ultimate pace could be a big ask.
The RSRs have been battling hard, with Holzer v Bergmeister very close at one stage. Were they holding each other up? Bruno Senna seemed to think so, as he threw the 97 Aston in between them before making quick work of Marco and shooting off into second place, in pursuit of the leading Ferrari. Then again, Senna isn’t carrying a 25-kilo ballast penalty or a smaller intake restrictor.
Porsche 919 Hybrid goes off at Le Mans
As I started to write this, Brendon Hartley’s 919 went off at Arnage. Looked like a lock up, but then he struggled to find reverse in the car. Pushed back on track, he came in the pits for service and driver change to Mark Webber, with quite a lot of animation in the garage.
“I locked up the front,” said Brendon afterwards. “I felt we had a puncture in the stint before, so we changed tyres and got back on it. We had a bit of a balance shift half way through that stint, which we need to look into, but it all seems to be running fine. I feel like I’ve done a good job for my first stint with Porsche on its return to Le Mans.” Having watched the race for six hours solid, I would not disagree.
Still such a long, long way to go. Porsche is P4 and P6 in LMP1 with Webber and Dumas going well. Richard Lietz and Nick Tandy run P5 and P6 in GTE-Pro, but their bast lap times are down on the leading Corvette. Corvette looks like a winner, but another safety car has killed their lead gap. The GTE battle is not a long gap – they will be driving these cars flat out to the finish.
![Impact Bumper 1977 Porsche 911 2.7-litre S Trending]()
by John Glynn | Jun 12, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods
In February 2006, I started a website called Impact Bumpers. Based on a suggestion by my mate, Tripe, it was a forum for Porsche guys into aluminium ‘impact bumper’ 911s from 1974 to 1989: what we quickly christened the ‘IB’ 911.
Back then, the cars were unloved by Porsche clubs and there was no place outside Pelican for owners to congregate. My aim was to get twenty guys together who liked working on their own cars and would do a few events every now and then (I had a secondary agenda of lifting regard for the 911 SC, but that’s another story). Eight years later, impactbumpers.com is still going strong, with thousands of Porsche fans online every month.
Just as the SC was looked down on back then, so the 911S also suffered. Built pre-SC with narrow rear quarter panels, the S has a lowly 2.7 litre engine, strangled by K-Jet and emissions exhaust, normally making just 165 bhp. Without the SC’s RS-style arches, it was neither fish nor foul – no pretty early bumpers and no chunky IB rear. On the cusp of full galvanising, many 911S bodyshells rotted away and were not worth repairing. No doubt the narrow body had style: but its moment to shine would just have to wait.
That moment has arrived in 2014. As a mark of its rising regard, two R Gruppe friends have each bought impact bumper 911S models in the last seven days and both plan to keep the appearance as-is. They’re not the first narrow IBs in an R Gruppe garage, but it goes to show what people are up to.
1977 Porsche 911 S
The car seen here is Joey’s in Northern California. “I just got this rather pedestrian narrow body US version 911S coupe,” says Joe, “not normally on my radar but what got me off the fence was the color combo of Minerva Blue with Cork interior. Also it’s a full delete package from the factory: sans sunroof and power windows, with driver side-only manual mirror.”
I love that Joe thinks poverty spec was an option (!), but what a cool 911. My first 911 (SC) was almost going to be the same colour combination, as it really pings in the metal. Joey is looking at mods that will keep it low-key: a bit of a sleeper. 3-litre power is likely, with SSIs adding a bit more grunt.
Personally I would fit modern air con, take weight off stealth-style with aluminium panels, lightweight bumpers and run it as-is, but it’s not my project to build: I’ve got my own narrow-body Porsche 912E project waiting for that. But this 911S looks a beauty! I’m looking forward to having a drive myself sometime soon.
Got a new/old 911 you want to share? Send us some pics: mail@ferdinandmagazine.com. We’ll feature the best ones.
