![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.
![Impact Bumper 1977 Porsche 911 2.7-litre S Trending]()
by John Glynn | Jun 8, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Flicking through Instagram this morning, a 356 friend on there posted this picture of his stunning Coupe. Turns out the colour is Aetna Blue – a new one on me, available on 356s for just two years: 1960/61. Porsche paint names intrigue me, so I got onto Google.
You’ll have guessed that Aetna is a Greek word. In classic mythology, Aetna was the daughter of Uranus and Gaea: nymph goddess of a Sicilian volcano said to entomb the giant Typhoeus, whose frequent restlessness led to the eruptions from the mountain, and terrifying earthquakes that shook the island.
That Sicilian volcano is, of course, Mount Etna. It is easy to understand how a sojourn alongside the Sicilian coast could have led to this rich melt of sky and sea finding its way onto a svelte 356. Continuing the Google led to a thread on Rennlist, which once again proved to me how small this Porsche world is. But that’s another story.
Marc L in Houston, Texas shared how he had bought this used Porsche 991 C2S manual from a Houston Porsche dealer, in paint-to-sample Aetna Blue with Espresso leather and wood trim. Apparently the car had covered less than a thousand miles but had come back in soon after delivery, as part exchange on a C4S 911. Numerous local Rennlisters contributed to say it had been at the dealer’s for a while: the unique colour and trim proving difficult to sell.
Marc walked in looking for a Cobalt Blue 997 Turbo, but was struck by the luxurious combination of this custom-built 991. While there is the usual backlash on the thread against the wood trim, seeing these things in person is a totally different experience. No surprise Marc was smitten, buying it on the spot.
The original owner of the Aetna Blue 991 also chimes in to the thread, sharing how “that vintage feel is what I was looking for. My dealer would never order wood in a 911 but after this car they’ve done it several times. With the right colors it looks good.”
Porsche’s paint to sample facility is a wonderful thing. A skilled aesthete can build a beautiful car that would be kept forever. It can also go exceptionally wrong, of course, but to me this 991 sums up the best of modern Porsche. Perhaps it also shows that the 991 is now a car for fifty- rather than thirty-somethings (I’m at the wrong end of that scale), but now the young folk have the Cayman and Boxster, let all 991s look as special as this. It’s my favourite 991 to date.
by John Glynn | May 16, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Porsche of the 1990s was a very different company to the one we know today. Squeezed by recession, Stuttgart turned to final evolutions of its classic designs and pushed to slash production times (and therefore cost) on new models, to increase profitability.
The 964 Turbo – often referred to as the 965 – was one of the last Porsche models to be built in the old fashioned/traditional way, with plenty of hand-finished aspects. Good examples of 964 Turbo are amongst the most sought after 911s in the current classic market and this one may be the rarest of the rare: an X88 964 Turbo, ordered and owned by the Sultan of Brunei.
Sultan of Brunei Porsche Collection
Depending where you look, estimates for the Sultan of Brunei’s Porsche collection ranges from 160 Porsche models to over 200. The only one I have seen up to now was a special 959 at William Loughran’s in Preston, but now there is an X88 pack 964 Turbo with just 18,200 miles.
First registered on April 8 1994, this Horizon Blue 964 Turbo is amongst the last ‘965’ models built as part of Porsche Exclusive’s 964 Turbo run-out programme. The 3.6 already had a number of improvements over earlier 3.3-litre cars, including a 360 bhp engine, bigger brakes, upgraded final drive and the iconic Speedline split rim wheels. The X88 Turbo S versions had another jump in power: dyno testing this car a few years ago showed 402 bhp and 556 Newton metres of torque.
Delivered straight to Ruf in Pfaffenhausen, the car was fitted with the Ruf electronic clutch system, which has since been removed. The car now runs a five-speed transmission, albeit still Ruf badged. Post Ruf, the 964 Turbo entered the Sultan’s collection where it remained until 2003, when it was sold back to the UK.
Porsche 964 Turbo S X88 Spec
Originally supplied through Porsche Centre Malaysia, the Horizon Blue exterior is matched with a Marine Blue full leather trim, featuring electric ‘Comfort’ seats and the X26 leather steering wheel with airbag (bespoke to the Sultan’s collection). Options on the air-cooled cars are always amusing compared to today’s plethora of PCM, PMS and the rest, but this has an on-board computer, rear window wiper and holder for cassettes and coins. Plush to the max.
It’s offered for sale at just under £200k. Given that a standard 911 964 Turbo with this mileage could sell pretty quickly for around £130k, it’s conceivable that someone will pay this.
by John Glynn | May 3, 2014 | New Models, Porsche News
A pressure group formed by UK 911 GT3 owners has won compensation from Stuttgart in the Porsche 991 GT3 fire scare, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Denied the use of their all-new Porsche sports cars following the failures which led to fires on 991 GT3 models, group leader Sunil Mehra says owners who received their cars will get a £5,500 lump sum from Porsche, with a further £1,500 payable per month until the cars are returned to working use.
Buyers who ordered cars that have arrived in the UK but not yet been delivered will be refunded £4,000, as well as being paid £1,500 a month while their cars are off the road. Ferdinand Magazine has already been in contact with owners who have returned their GT3s to Porsche for a full refund.
Inconsistent Compensation
“I wish it had happened sooner,” Mehra told the Telegraph, while sharing tales of inconsistent treatment for owners whose cars have not yet left Germany. “I’ve heard from two members of the same family, one with a car here and the other with a car in Germany, and only one of them is getting compensated. It’s grossly unfair.”
The Telegraph claims that owners in other countries are receiving more money than those in the UK. The paper has been shown emails from Dubai Porsche 991 GT3 buyers receiving £12,000 back in compensation payments.
About Porsche 911 991 GT3 Fire Scare
Porsche is replacing all engines on the brand-new 911 GT3 model. In February, two cases of engine fires destroying 911 GT3 cars led to a full investigation by the Stuttgart manufacturer, which eventually decided that con rod connectors were to blame. The suggestion is that con rod bolts fail, leading to engine internals breaking through the crank case and spraying hot oil onto the exhaust. This then sets fire to the rear of the car and quickly spreads to the whole 911 bursting into flames.
by John Glynn | Apr 30, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
The third post in our week of catching up with Yorkshire’s EB Motorsport shares news of these trick Almeras bumper and arch body kits for Porsche 911. Note this picture shows the kit without bumper accordions installed: they would be fitted afterwards.
Almeras Porsche 911 Bumpers: New Deeper Front Spoiler
Formed to fit impact-bumper 911s with standard front wings and SC rear arches, the boys have recently tooled up to manufacture slightly modified front arches and this this deep front spoiler version.
Seen here on the 1975 911S mule used by the manufacturing team to ensure a great fit, the additional depth is obvious. Period pictures from the late ’70s and early ’80s show exactly the same version on Almeras cars of the period.
I know the shallower version looks and works great on rally cars, but the deeper kit was run more in period, as the cars were mainly run on Tarmac events. “What’s the rationale behind producing this deeper version?” I asked Mark. “It looks awesome!” was the answer. Good answer.
Here’s a link to the full range of EB Motorsport Almeras Porsche and 911 SC RS parts.
About Almeras Porsche
Started in 1975 by brothers Jacques and Jean-Marie Almeras, the Almeras Frères soon made a name for themselves on the European rally scene. With two notable wins in wide-arched Porsche 911s on both the 1978 Monte Carlo and 1980 Tour de Corse rallies, the firm became synonymous with a bespoke style of lightweight bodywork, designed to cover wide cut-slick tyres on Tarmac rallies.
Other Almeras wins included the 1978 French and European Rally Championships with Michèle Mouton in a 911 Carrera RS, and the 1980 Spanish and European Rally Championships with Antonio Zanini. I’ve always loved the look of these bodykits and have quite a few Almeras models on the shelves in my office.
