by John Glynn | Dec 13, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
I’ve been looking for a second impact-bumper Porsche 911 Coupé shell for a while, as shells are getting harder and harder to find, and I am not done with building hot rod 911s quite yet.
Built from May 1975 to July 1976 and for the US market only, the Porsche 912E (factory type 923) has the narrow IB body: quite rare with a galvanised shell and a look I really like. Yesterday was 12/12/12: the most perfect day ever to buy a 912E, so I bought the one you see here.
The 912E was originally equipped with a 90hp 2-litre flat 4, but I bought this one without running gear. Not that I’ve got anything against flat 4s – after all, I drive Subarus every day – just this was in my (cheap) price band as being sold with no engine or transmission.
Between the 914’s demise and the 924’s arrival, the 912 filled the entry-level Porsche slot. I’ve already got a 924 Turbo and a no-frills 944, so I’m happy to have secured this little 912 chassis. History tells us that the bargain basement cars are often the ones that don’t get saved, so it’s good to keep this one together.
Will it go back to factory? Beyond the paint code, I doubt it. Ferdinand’s 912E has some dodgy white paint over factory Arrow Blue – one of my favourite colours. So we will put it back to Arrow Blue but not with the stock running gear.
The plan is to bring it back to the UK from its current CA home and build something on it eventually. No idea what yet: maybe a backdate 3.6-litre 911 ST: something like a backdated 911 using EB Motorsport 911 ST body panels, or just a narrow body 4-cylinder, but not with Porsche 4-cylinder power unless they do some 1.8-litre Turbo Boxster down the road. Probably flat-4 VW 1.9 or 2.5 from the WEVO stable if we go 4-cylinder.
I have a bunch of Porsche parts in CA that need to come home, so they can all travel in this now. Pretty excited by my purchase, as you can imagine!
by John Glynn | Nov 22, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche People
We had a nice little session on Ferdinand’s Facebook page last night, where I opened the wall for a couple of hours to let Porsche friends post their answers to the question: “what shape does The Cult of Porsche take through your eyes?”
Holly Ragan Krueger shared this pic of her 912, before telling me the story of the car and making it a must-write blog post.
“My dad bought this 1968 912 in Florida in 1977,” said Holly. “I still have the two-line notarised bill of sale for $3,990. He drove it across the US and up the ALCAN highway with my brother, my mom and I following in a Ford pick up. My dad was a great old-school mechanic and he restored the car in Fairbanks, Arkansas next to his 356. He moved the cars to Georgia in 1987, then replaced the Solex with rebuilt Solex in ’89: he was such a purist.
“I drove her up to Minnesota in 1997. This ’68 912 is the only Porsche I’ve owned. I’ve paid mechanics a fortune to work on her, and spent many frustrating hours trying to work on her myself. 912 projects take me forever because I don’t know what I’m doing, but it’s worth it because I learn so much and then I’m that much closer to really understanding the car. I like to think what I lack in skill I make up for in determination.
“I replaced the fuel tank this past summer, which turned out to be a lot more than just sliding in a new tank. I had a shop replace the Solex with Webers this October, but I still need to balance the carbs and I think adjust the linkage too. I’m not sure how to do that, but I bribed my brother to send me some tools, so if I feel reasonably confident I’ll try to do the work myself. If I can’t I’ll have a shop do it.
“This coming spring I’d like to get some touch-up work done on the paint and replace my muffler. If everything goes well, I’d also like to clean up the engine, paint the fan cover, get new stickers, etc. I’m looking forward to this spring because I’ve met some local enthusiasts and found a few car events I can attend.
“All Porsches are special, but learning how to work on this old car is what makes this Porsche special to me.”
What a great story, perfect for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to Holly, her family and all our American Porsche friends and family around the world. Enjoy the holidays and share the love!
by John Glynn | Nov 17, 2012 | New Models, Porsche News
The new Porsche Cayman has been scooped ahead of its LA Show launch later this month. An Instagrammer in an Atlanta warehouse caught it hiding out. Lights are disguised but you get the picture. Follow Ferdinand Magazine on Instagram as @CultofPorsche.
by John Glynn | Nov 13, 2012 | New Models, Porsche News
Almost eight weeks after its debut at the Paris Motor Show, people are still talking about the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo. Porsche has taken the model’s online microsite down, but there’s no doubt Stuttgart has plans for the concept.
Porsche supremo Matthias Muller gave a production version the strongest green light yet when he told one reporter: “The Panamera Sport Turismo sells. The next generation of the Panamera is expected to more sporty and coupe-like, then next place for such a model.”
Autoweek’s coverage of the concept Panamera station wagon revealed some interesting details on the production and likely market positioning of a production Sport Turismo.
“The body concept of the Panamera Sport Turismo is an outlook on a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow,” said Matthias Muller, without providing any official time line for the introduction of the production version.
Porsche says it investigated spinning a wagon off the current Panamera design, but the high cost of re-engineering the rear body structure, including vital changes to the bulkhead to open up the loading area, proved prohibitive. As such, the new model has been integrated into the development process of the second-generation Panamera.
“In terms of the overall concept, the wagon is not too far removed from the liftback. Both use a large tailgate, with the structure engineered appropriately to suit both,” Porsche revealed. “The decision to push ahead with plans for a Panamera wagon has been driven by customer feedback. We have existing Panamera owners who seek greater practicality but don’t necessarily see the Cayenne as a solution.”
No official measurements are available for Panamera Sport Turismo’s luggage space, but it’s said to offer seven cubic feet more than the Panzer hatch’s 15.7 cubic feet. This puts it close to Audi A6 Avant, at 20 cubic feet, and the Mercedes CLS shooting brake at 20.8 cubic feet.
by John Glynn | Nov 12, 2012 | Market & Prices, Project Cars
One thing I forgot to say about California car auction TV is there are plenty of ad breaks, and most are for Viagra, or something pretending to be that. I’m guessing that not too many kids watch this stuff. Thankfully, I’m not in need just yet.
I also know people will ask me what Jamie’s 912 looks like, so here it is, live from California. I’m watching Overhaulin’ rather than standing outside in the shade, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care!
