by John Glynn | Jan 23, 2014 | Race and Rally, Porsche People
Stuttgart must have booked every hotel room in Florida for the busload of Porsche works drivers it’s sent to race at this year’s Daytona Rolex 24 Hour endurance race.
Stuttgart has a two-car works team competing in the 2014 Tudor United Sportscar Championship. In 991 RSRs numbered 911 & 912, fast boys Patrick Pilet (above), Nick Tandy (below) and Richard Lietz pilot #911, while the relentless Patrick Long, Jörg Bergmeister and recent works appointment, Michael Christensen, share #912.
Porsche Works Drivers in customer race teams
In the GTD category, Marco Holzer runs with Alex Job, Mark Lieb is with Patrick Dempsey (nice), newly-nicknamed Hasselhenzler (Wolf Henzler) is with Magnus Racing and Timo Bernhard drives for Park Place Motorsports. Brendon Hartley adds Kiwi colour to the Dinan BMW-powered Starworks prototype. Note the drinks tube, as Brendon needs feeding up! Of course I have an old BMW, so there’s my excuse to cheer for him.
The Porsche Juniors are also out in force. Klaus Bachler drives for Dempsey (why is there no one called Makepeace on the grid), Alex Riberas is with Alex Job and man to watch, Connor de Phillippi is with Timo in the Park Place car. The new RSR livery for Daytona looks good:
Winner of the €200k Porsche Supercup Scholarship prize, New Zealand’s Earl Bamber, was signed up to drive the Mühlner Motorsport 911 on the strength of his Porsche pace to date. “We managed to put something together for Daytona at the end of December,” said Bamber. “There was no time for a New Years party, as I had to get to Florida and start practicing.
“We did a three-day test at Daytona: incredible. The banking makes you dizzy the first few times around. Driving on an oval is spectacular and you’re holding on pretty tight doing 300 kmh through the steep banking, tilted right over on your side. It’s a special place.”
It’s my birthday this weekend, so I have organised peace and quiet and an Internet stream. Also got a meeting to discuss a book deal tomorrow. It’s all kicking off!
by John Glynn | Jan 19, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
Sorting through my archives yesterday, I uncovered some Porsche Museum pictures from a trip to Stuttgart in December 2010. This one shows a 917, RS Spyder, Cisitalia engine, 904 chassis, 3.2 Club Sport prototype, 993 RS and 936 scale recreation, as well as a special 996 we weren’t allowed to photograph.
The Porsche Museum is closed every Monday. This is a day for building maintenance, but also the day where invited Porsche guests (and common-or-garden journos like me) get to view the collection in relative quiet.
I say relative, as our visit included a Cup Car start-up in the museum’s sound theatre, and a 917 start downstairs in the museum workshop. It was definitely a day to remember.
Porsche Museum Pictures
What Porsche says about its museum: Enjoy a close-up experience of the history of Porsche. Encounter legendary racing and sports cars, fascinating production models as well as unusual prototypes. More than 80 vehicles will take you from the early years all the way to the present days of Porsche’s history.
by John Glynn | Jan 16, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Chris and Andy Osborne – the terrible twins – have been busy in Tuthill’s fabrication shop, fitting steel front wheel arches to this Porsche 911 RSR build.
Steel Front Wheel Arch/Front Wings 911
The most common front wing solution on widebody Porsche 911 RSR builds is using composite panels like the EB Motorsport Porsche 911 RSR front wings, which include the front wheel arch and are moulded in lightweight fibreglass. The main advantages of this approach are reasonable cost, very low weight and easily replaceable panels when things get bruised in competition.
For some of those building dream RSRs, the issue is less about cost and more about craft. Steel is solid, long standing and a rare commodity in arches for bespoke 911 builds. High-end Porsche aficionados like a complex metal wheel arch and the Tuthill Porsche fab shop is more than capable of fulfilling their wishes.
The Porsche 911 RSR build seen here is for street, circuit and rally use. It features a number of composite lightweight Porsche parts from EB Motorsport, but also a measure of old fashioned steel. It is true to classic Porsche, and to the owner, and will definitely turn a few heads when it’s finished.
by John Glynn | Jan 10, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Spotted a familiar Porsche Carrera hot rod at Tuthill Porsche yesterday: Simeon Anderson’s orange Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera with the classic ducktail rear end.
Based on a 1985 chassis, this 911 is a great example of impact bumper upgradery. Now kitted out with Tuthill 6-pot brakes, EXE-TC suspension, Recaro trim and an engine transplant, the Carrera also runs a torquey 3.6-litre engine, rebuilt by Nick at Redtek to give 290bhp.
I first encountered Simeon’s car for its 2013 insurance valuation. Back then it was painted mid metallic blue, but it now wears a colour worthy of its sass. Somewhat reminiscent of Oli Wheeler’s Lime Green 3.2 update, last seen at Cameron Sports Cars down in Wiltshire, the big difference is Oli’s car (previously owned by Chris Harris) ran a stock engine, with Jenvey throttle bodies and an Omex ECU.
Is this a future feature car? For sure. Anderson is a petrolhead par excellence and fine Ferdinand material!
by John Glynn | Jan 8, 2014 | Porsche News, Project Cars
To celebrate the 911’s 50th anniversary, Porsche Centre Madrid Norte held a live art event, where the artist VILLOTAF brought his vision to a pre-prepared 964 Porsche art car. Much of this video is in Spanish, but watch through to the performance: I know some of you will enjoy it.
Before making your conclusions, take some advice from the late Freddie Mercury. “Modern paintings are like women, you’ll never enjoy them if you try to understand them.”
