by John Glynn | Apr 24, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
No visit to Techno Classica would be complete without a trip to the official Porsche Classic Essen stand. Slightly over-corporate since they left hall 3 and moved to the Volkswagen group plaza, this year was given a burst of energy by the presence of Magnus Walker signing autographs on the stand.
Porsche cliques are wasting their time being sniffy about Magnus. He doesn’t care what haters have to say, nor should he. There was no shortage of people lined up to grab a few words or an autograph with the Urban Outlaw, and Magnus was very polite to all of them. That’s how the man was raised, and how he treats everyone: not just the train of celebs lining up to see him in LA.
Porsche Classic parts prices have gone up again this year, so maybe Magnus was there to soften the price tags of body panels and other parts on sale. There’s some very nice merchandise coming on line – sweet kids bits and pieces included – which to me shows clear Volkswagen marketing influence. The presence of a hidden diesel spout on the Porsche Classic fuel tanks was another big VW signpost (ouch).
I asked one of the guys where the glitzy Porsche merchandise truck had gone to – not seen that at Essen for a while. “It was in a big crash: we’re building a brand new one for Le Mans,” he said. Not too surprising. A solid Slate Grey 991 Turbo Cabriolet with special wishes red leather from the Exclusive department was no great surprise either. Not sure what residuals will be like on that one.
by John Glynn | Apr 22, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
The 2014 Sydney-London Marathon Rally is in full swing. As the cars approach the last of thirty-three stages raced in Australia, two Tuthill Porsche 911s hold station in the top five, split by just over a minute.
Previous winner of the event, Francis Tuthill, is following the rally and and supporting his Porsches as they play a long game behind a trio of Z-cars. It’s impossible to win a month-long classic rally event in the first two weeks, but very easy to lose it through unreliability or lack of concentration.
The beautifully built 911s of Joost Van Cauwenberge and Simon Connolly cut a handsome shape through the Australian bush in these photos. Sydney-London is the third outing for the white car of Joost and he’s come a long way since his Moroccan debut, when the initial support plan involved a Sprinter van and champagne. Love that Belgian style!
Simon makes his marathon debut on Sydney-London and is doing a really superb job. To be fifth, just twenty minutes behind the leader after nine hours of competitive rallying keeps him in touch with opportunity. Both cars are well placed to move up should problems arise as the Australians leave their native soil and we head towards familiar Porsche territory.
I know my Aussie mates will be torn between supporting their guys and supporting the Porsches. I have no such worries!
by John Glynn | Apr 22, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
We’re doing a week of Essen Techno Classica posts as a catch-up post Easter. This second post looks at a classic 1965 Porsche 901 911 I definitely would not have kicked out of bed.
Located in Hall 3 near where the Porsche AG stand used to be when Porsche was still independent, Manfred Hering’s Early 911S stand has become a bit of a touchstone, and was my first port of call on arrival at Essen.
This year, the firm brought a good mix of air-cooled ‘money’ Porsche cars, including this 1965 901 911 in Emailblau (Sky Blue) which had ‘sold’ signs on from the start, an early project 911 example and a mix of impact bumper 911s and the most desirable 964s: 964 Turbo in Rubystone and another 3.6 Turbo in black with Green leather.
Plenty of impact-bumper Turbos on the stand mirrored the 930 content all around the show. These cars are clearly capturing buyers’ eyes. Here’s a link to the Early 911S website.
by John Glynn | Apr 21, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
At the end of 2011, Brumos Porsche in Jacksonville, Florida announced a tie up with Porsche AG to produce a limited 911 edition of just five cars, commemorating Hurley Haywood’s record five overall wins in Porsches at Daytona in 1973, ’75, ’77, ’79 and 1991.
Modelled on Brumos Porsche’s famous Number 59, the base car chosen was the Carrera GTS: easily my favourite water-cooled 911 to date. The UK launch of the 997 GTS was our last trip out with Porsche and, as grand finales go, it was excellent. With over 400 horsepower on tap, 997 Carrera GTS is all the 911 you need.
The Brumos Porsche 911 B59 edition is Brumos’ factory-manufactured special. Featuring custom 59 paint and some cabin decor highlights, the chassis options say it all about sport purpose: LSD with sports suspension, heated front seats with adaptive sports backrests, sports shifter, Sport Chrono Plus and extended navigation.
The limited edition sold out quickly, and Brumos has just released a great short film, showcasing where they ended up. It’s a journey through some incredible car collections, and some indisputable Porsche fans. Take a look:
by John Glynn | Apr 21, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche People
Two years after starting on Instagram, Ferdinand Magazine remains a big fan of the platform and our Cult of Porsche Instagram feed makes new friends every day. One early Instagram friend was John Benton, a detail-obsessed Porsche mechanic based in Anaheim, CA.
Disappointed by his experiences as a Porsche-owning workshop customer, John’s background in high-end facilities engineering led to wondering why attention to detail was not a given in classic Porsche maintenance. Guessing he was not alone in feeling, Benton took a chance and opened a modest Porsche shop in Southern California.
Driven by solid demand for his services, Benton moved to bigger premises last year. Watching Benton’s day-to-day Instagram feed shows his focus on detail, and the comments show that customers love it. His reputation has blossomed into Benton Performance, which has taken back-to-back Porsche wins on Carrera Panamericana.
Underpinning all of Benton’s output is a reverence for classic Porsche style. “We’re so blessed and lucky to have these cars. There are no new 1966 Porsche 911s being built. Out of respect to them, I remain true to the form, but I like to build it a little better.” I hear that.
Customer and film director, Heath Mattioli, is a big fan of Benton’s and recently shot a small feature film with some satisfied Benton customers. It’s interesting, different and sheds light on a few Porsche truths. See how many you identify with.
