by John Glynn | Feb 21, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Finally found time last week to get on the road and visit my Porsche 944, which has been parked in a mate’s farmyard for a few years while I get this Ferdinand thing off the ground.
You might remember I bought the 944 for its 911 number plate a few years back. It had been parked up for ten years in a soaking wet garage. I knew it needed a few bits repaired, which then turned into plans for a full restoration.
I subsequently broke two front-engined Porsches – 924 and 944 – for spare parts that might be needed, and the whole lot is stockpiled. I’m not in any rush to do this job, but am certainly glad to have a simple early 944 put aside, as Porsche is not making any more of them. Though this project is not a priority, it’s nice to check up on the car every now and then.
Above is the sight that awaited me – the Porsche being swallowed by a hedge. It’s sitting on gravel, so the underside is still dry, and better it is well ventilated than in some damp garage or barn. Nevertheless, I’m going to drag it back to Porsche rust repair experts Racing Restorations at Pershore sometime soon, and allow Rob Campbell to work his metal magic.
Robert and I have been friends for over twenty years, so have done plenty of projects together. The team of guys there do exceptional metalwork, and the restoration repairs will be invisible.
Racing Restorations replaced a lot of mothy metal on my E36 BMW M3 saloon/sedan restoration last year (above). I’m super pleased with the M3 now, so I’m looking forward to getting this 944 project started.
by John Glynn | Feb 8, 2013 | Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Project Cars
Genuine Fuchs wheels have been the lightweight sports rim of choice on Porsche 911 since the 1960s. Fuchs recently started making forged anodised rims for newer Porsches, but it’s not easy to get pictures of the wheels on interesting cars!
That situation improved today, with some pics of a Porsche 996 Turbo S just sold, where the owner also bought a set of Fuchs for it.
This Turbo S is a peach: 2005 with just 23,000 miles and full Porsche history. Slate Grey paint, ceramic brakes, full leather: perhaps the perfect 996 Turbo. Were it not for the spotless Speed Yellow X50 996 Turbo sitting alongside it, also waiting to be handed over to a new owner today, the Slate Grey S would be a no-brainer Ferdinand company car.
Bigger blowers and intercooler, combined with a remap give the Turbo S 30bhp more power than a standard 996 TT. Torque is up to 474 lb/ft and the car will do 191 miles an hour.
Intelligent four wheel-drive and ceramic brakes make the six-speed manual Turbo S a driver’s favourite. Adding these 19″ Fuchs not only looks good, it also drops the sidewall profile of the tyres and adds a bit more footprint, a combination sure to add traction and perhaps a hint more firmness, without being crashy.
The Fuchs wheels on this Porsche 996 Turbo are 8.5 and 11-inch by 19-inch diameter, with 235/35 front and 290/30 ZR 19 rear tyres. These wheels are finished with black centres, but an RSR finish is also available. See the full range of genuine Fuchs wheels on the Porsche tuning website.
by John Glynn | Feb 6, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog
UPS just arrived with a parcel to be proud of: the Porsche – Die Marke. Die Werbung. book I ordered from the Porsche Museum Shop last week.
Having a copy to leaf through at the Silverstone Porsche Experience Centre is one thing, but having your own copy in your kitchen is something else. I had almost forgotten how nice this book was. I heartily recommend that you all get one, too!
The huge number of pictures alone are worth it for me, but it reminds me that I really should start learning German. My eldest studies German in school, so I’ve got someone to speak it with at home.
Thanks to author and walking Porsche encyclopedia, Herr Landenberger, for signing this wonderful work of art especially for me! Something to treasure, for sure.
by John Glynn | Jan 26, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Project Cars
Had an email from my buddy Ryan down in Sydney this morning. Ryan is a hard core Porscher: sworn R Grupper, rallies a 911 ST and has been with us to Classic Le Mans, to taste the mania of Porsche that prevails. His email gave me an excuse to mark Australia Day by sharing one of the wild Porsche soft tops he’s owned in his career.
This red devil is a 1966 Porsche 912 with custom bodywork in the style of a 356 Speedster. Ryan takes up the tale:
The bodywork was all steel, with chassis strengthening along the sills between the front and rear sections. The car was ordered in left hand-drive through a German dealer, but originally delivered into the UK. It then made its way to the US.
Originally Slate Grey, the VIN went back to a 1966 3-gauge 912 Coupe: not a Targa. The car drove nicely. It started easily, pulled to redline, shifted well and brakes were no problem, holding it all in a nice in a straight line. It had period “Thunderbird” headers and muffler setup, which sounded great.
The original chrome wheels were replaced along the way with 16″ Fuchs. I think chrome 15″ steel wheels with taller tyres would have looked better, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for me.
The car used a cut-down 911 windscreen in a modified 356 speedster frame. It featured lots of nice design details, such as magnets sewn into the sides of the tonneau cover that worked very well, the recessed 911 grill in the 356-esque engine lid, and the 356 side stripes, mirrors and badges.
Ryan sold the car a while back (just $30K!), but I’d love to know where it went to next. This thing is right up my alley: would be great to catch up with it one day.
Happy Australia Day to all of our friends down under! Follow @cultofporsche on Twitter!
by John Glynn | Jan 25, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
I’ve owned two Porsche 911 SCs: Coupe and Cabriolet. I’d love to have kept both. In my opinion, the 911 SC is the perfect air-cooled 911. Not starter 911 and not introduction to Porsche: the perfect air-cooled 911 available for sensible money.
It’s simple, reliable, quick enough for most of us and relatively cheap. At least it used to be. Prices have been moving up since I started my Porsche forum at impactbumpers.com in 2006, to gather mid-year, SC, 930 and 911 3.2 Carrera owners and enthusiasts. I’ve been talking up the bumper cars in mag features for years now, and SC prices are finally beginning to get where they belong, relative to everything else.
Contrary to all those magazine buyers’ guides pushing people towards the 3.2 Carrera, the 3-litre SC is no poor relation. The longer stroke 3.2 engine is a bit lazier than the revvy SC, so while the 3.2 makes more power on paper, driving the two cars back-to-back does not confirm the Carrera as an obvious ‘upgrade’. I’ve had more than a few SC versus 3.2 thrashes on open roads and track days, and the SC is the car I would pick for either, every time.
SC prices have always trailed 3.2s and are likely to do so for the foreseeable future, but we’re seeing more sense on prices for the best SCs. My classic Porsche insurance valuations view the price relationship on average SCs and 3.2s as the market views them, but I’ve long valued really great SCs along the same lines as 3.2s, and recommend owners think very carefully on what they agree their SC values at. Really great RHD examples will not be easy to replace for under £20k in the UK.
Take the 911 SC seen here, which just sold today on eBay. The description read well enough: nice solid car, some work to the b-posts and sills, fresh black metallic paint, engine rebuild with Carrera tensioners: all the right bits there, if you believe the buyers’ guides. The pics show some issues for originality freaks: aftermarket steering wheel, 3.2 Carrera sports seats, aero mirrors, 7″ & 9″ Fuchs with wrong polished finish, aftermarket hi-fi, but all of these can be fixed. 154,000 miles cannot.
Still, it seems a solid car, so what price for all this finery? £18,610 in ebay bids: 42 of them, from a £1,000 start to the final bid a few seconds before the finish. The auction pictures weren’t great, but a good car is getting hard to find now. For it to hit this much on eBay with a finish on a weekday afternoon is pretty impressive and shows some real support for the humble SC.
If you’ve got a low number sitting on your Porsche 911 SC agreed insurance valuation, you need to update that opinion. Drop me an email and get it valued properly. Same goes for everything: this number relates to 3.2 Carreras just as it ties into 911 SCs and all of the others.
