Some great Porsche Targa Tasmania video has just gone live, featuring Walter Röhrl and Christian Geistdörfer talking about the SC rally car from the Porsche Museum they are using on the Targa Tasmania. It’s not on Youtube yet, so you’re getting a sneak preview.
Here we learn that the boys are apparently using their actual original SC from the 1981 San Remo Rally; pretty cool. Can’t wait to get more information on the chassis and that engine. I want to know why the Almeras stickers on a works 911 – I reckon it was maybe rented from France for Walter but we’ll find out: 1981 was a funny old year for Herr Röhrl. I’ll likely be queued up to see the SC when it gets back from Australia, where it’s helping to celebrate 60 years of Porsche down under.
Also on Origin are some nice pics from the Carrera Cup meet at Brands Hatch last weekend. While I was dropping back the C4S this morning, a friend at Porsche GB told me that the pics had come out well and she wasn’t kidding.
Meanwhile back on Youtube, this privateer vid has also gone up, featuring some of the museum cars as they take to the track at the Longford Revival Motorsport show. Porsche have certainly shipped some talent out to Taz – no wonder I only bumped in to one Porsche Museum acquaintance at Essen!
The Porsche Youtube Channel’s Targa Tasmania reporting starts tomorrow.
I wrote a few days ago about the upcoming Porsche Youtube coverage of Röhrl/Geistdörfer at Targa Tasmania. Some questions over the classic 911 rally car they’re using: is it an SC RS? Engine shots do look similar, but the chassis is quite different to the SC RS that was being restored on my last Stuttgart visit. I’ll find out when it comes home again (edit: see the SC rally video Porsche have just posted).
Here is an SC RS though, in the closest finish I can remember in Irish rallying. The Donegal International Rally is a tough three-day event that takes no prisoners. Running through the rugged terrain on Ireland’s north west Atlantic coast, it is all mixed weather and dry stone walls. There are no second chances here. One slip and you are in deep trouble – as the video shows.
1985 was a landmark year. Legend Austin McHale in his Manta 400 was chasing a win after two years of playing bridesmaid. The rest of the field was Manta 400s and hot rod Escorts: the last gasp of old-school RWD rallying before the AWD philosophy really took hold.
Tony Pond was present in the first real outing for the Group B Metro 6R4. By SS6, the car had a 1 minute 45 second advantage over P2: over two seconds a mile faster, and Pondie was not flat out. If you’ve ever seen a 6R4 apart, you know that is utterly terrifying as they are made of fresh air. Thankfully the car retired before anyone could impact the scenery.
When the event gets going, Billy Coleman (the King of Irish Rallying), is on mesmerising form in the Rothmans 911 SC RS. 911s always went well at Donegal: Cathal Curley won here three times in a row in a 911 in the early 1970s. Coleman too has tasted success on the event: winning in a Lancia Stratos in 1977, and then in a Manta 400 in 1984. He’s the natural choice for David Richards to take on Donegal in 1985.
At the end of day two and a fairly major hold up, the man from Milltown has climbed back from being over a minute and a half behind McHale, to what he thinks is 9 seconds behind. Turns out he is 39 seconds behind, with 40 miles to make it up the following day. In fact, it is less: the final stage is cancelled due to spectator problems.
Can Coleman do it? You’ll have to watch and see. Coleman came back in a 6R4 the following year and won the event.
Here’s a Porsche review following my road trip to Germany in Porsche GB’s Speed Yellow 911 Carrera 4S (997) demonstrator.
Things I liked a lot: 29 mpg over almost 1000 city and highway miles, at cruising speeds and more. Excellent brakes: perfect for emergency avoiding action. Wonderful driving position and controls. Gorgeous gear shift. Beautiful engineering and build quality. Millions of airbags. Smell of genuine Porsche windscreen washer fluid. Excellent nav/stereo/trip computer, works a treat with iPod. 4wd – love 4wd.
Things I questioned: same amount of road noise from the rear as on the Carrera GTS. There must be a quieter 19″ tyre out there – it can’t just be ‘putting a driver in touch with the drive”. Exhaust button: I know people love it but I never bother. Same with the firmer suspension switch. The standard setup is just so good.
Hint of clutch smell when I parked up sometimes – maybe just because it’s new. I don’t think I’m hard on clutches. Hard to find Sports Chrono controls when you are a dozy idiot man who puts the book pack under the bonnet to make room in the glovebox. Lack of storage ‘bins” in the front: not like the old IBs with those massive door pockets. Small sunvisors with gaps in between them. Pretty small list, really.
Loved the colour (after a while). It turned more heads than the orange car. Love the dash layout. Great ventilation – set and forget. I only used the air con once, when the rain was torrential. Love the Porsche key and like the way things work for a little while when you take the key out. Love the very effective rear wiper and the great use of space in the back. Love how the car feels with half a tank of fuel, or the added bit of fizz when you just fill up and the fuel is freezing.
Options I would have: The car had beautiful leather seats but no heating elements. Come on all you Porsche drivers, fit heated leather to your cars! I’d heat the steering wheel too as it is a daily driver: 365/12. I would probably spec cruise for convenience. Front driving lights as high beam is literally a very high beam.
I’d go with a painted rear badge and centre console phone prep, plus the Sport Classic wheels. I’d delete Sports Chrono: I’m not lending it out and it’s not going on track. Black sports seats with black dials and black seat belts. Probably about £88,000 to buy that one? Can’t remember how much the Sports Classic wheels cost.
If money was no problem, would I buy it? The better question is would I buy anything else. Love the Carrera 4 and the S is the one. Amethyst Metallic for me, please Santa.
Great fun on the Easytrack RS track day at Oulton Park today. After a misty start, the sun came out and the afternoon was epic. I was the last to leave: they closed the gates behind me!
Alisdair Cusick and I captured the day for Total 911 magazine. The piece is part of a short series of articles planned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Porsche 964 RS.
Tons of friends, old and new at Oulton today. Have almost lost my voice from talking, and that is unusual for me! Not just 964s, 993s and 996/997s present either; lots of cars turned out, including a good showing of impactbumpers.com amigos. Passenger wristbands were priced at £15 a head, with all the money going to Muscular Dystrophy and the Woodland Trust.
This was one of my favourite 964s of the day: Ninemeister’s new Cup Car. Ended up (unharmed) in the kitty litter, but what a lovely little 911. My other favourite was a German 964 RS on BBS LMs: a seriously cool car. By the time I had a minute to take some pics and track down the owner, it had disappeared.
My Leica started playing up at the track, hope it’s nothing serious but I missed a few shots when it refused to fire. Then the Landcruiser developed a charging problem on the way home. As these things are said to come in threes, I wonder what the grand finale will be, especially if they are arriving in order of expense.
Just had nice pics through of paint correction and detailing on a classic Porsche 964 from good Porsche buddy and Guild of Motoring Writers Photographer of the Year, Alisdair Cusick. Having worked together on many photoshoots for Total 911 magazine, Ali (@SnapperAli on Twitter) recently pulled the classic Porsche buyer’s move: getting his first 911 within a few months of the birth of his first child. We’ve all been there!
Ali’s 911 is a tidy 964 that’s been enjoying some quality airtime in the magazine. The latest job was to send it off for paint correction and detailing throughout: obsessive valeting with the highest quality products, to bring the bodywork back to as pristine a condition as possible. The results are amazing.
Elite Detailing Porsche 911
Alisdair used Elite Detailing to overhaul his car – the boys reckon they have refurbed more Porsche paint than any other specialist detailing company in the UK. Prices start from £399; Ali’s job took a finger-melting 40 hours.
The products used will be listed in a future issue of the magazine. Contact Elite Detailing via their website and watch out for Ali’s forthcoming feature on the job!
About Paint Correction
Paint correction is the process of machining vehicle paint with rotary polishers and varying grades of specific polishes and compounds. This is a highly specialised process that requires specialist experience and knowledge, as well as expert measuring and lighting equipment. Car manufacturers use different paint types, all of which need to be recognised and treated in their own unique way for best results.
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