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 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!
by John Glynn | Nov 2, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Mark at EB Motorsport just sent through some development pics of the new SC RS one-piece front bumper for narrow body 911 front wings. Moulded from a genuine original SC RS part, this bumper is to fit standard (non-Turbo) bodied 911/S, 911SC, and 3.2 Carrera models.
The EB SC RS bumper is a one-piece reproduction of the factory 911 SC RS/SCRS front bumper, with brake duct/fog light holes. This bumper does not use standard mounts, as this is not possible with the smooth external finish. The EB part fits direct to the body: fitment should be obvious when the panel is in place and bracketry is apparently very easy to do.
Porsche 911 SC RS bumper fitment
Stiffening panels have been moulded into the bumper for quality and durability. EB also makes a matching rear bumper to fit both standard 911 SC & 3.2 Carrera, as well as an SC RS bonnet in lightweight composite material. This bumper is a great solution to corroding old aluminium bumpers in need of refurbishment.
The pictures show development parts fitted to the EB mule: an impact-bumper 911 used for test fitting. This is the part which will be used to produce tooling to manufacture production models.
As to when they will be available, once the tooling is done, the production lead time will be dictated by how much other stuff EB has lined up. I would expect to see them on sale by the end of November, which is perfect for most winter project schedules.
White gelcoat doesn’t give the ultimate impression of how the parts will look when painted and on the car, but I think the finished product should look pretty hot on a lowered 911 running the right wheels. What do you guys think?
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by John Glynn | Oct 5, 2012 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
Amelia Island Concours is the latest event to announce it will ‘honour’ the Porsche 911 in 2013, on the model’s 50th birthday.
The 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, scheduled for March 9-10 in Amelia Island, Florida will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 911. These announcements always smack of “let’s haul in the Porsche dollars” but I guess there’s some sense in it, and for sure the show has its fans.
Amelia was at the centre of heavy Porsche action earlier this year with the Drendel Collection sale, and Florida is home to some hardcore Porsche enthusiasts, so there’s a strong local market. I live tweeted the Drendel sale on my Classic Porsche Blog if you don’t know what happened there.
“The profile of Porsche’s 911 is instantly recognizable,” said Bill Warner, Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “The 911’s shape has remained fresh, contemporary and essentially unchanged since the day the first 911 was built a half century ago. That must be the best and purist (sic) definition of a truly great design.”
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Foundation has donated nearly $1.8 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. and other charities on Florida’s First Coast since its inception in 1996. Concours/show & shines are really not my thing, but kudos for the charity work. As a small percentage of takings, it shows just what these big events can earn over time.
About the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is held each year during the second weekend in March in Amelia Island, Florida. A New York Times article about celebrity car ownership listed the event alongside America’s other top concours d’elegance: Pebble Beach in California, Meadow Brook in Michigan and the Louis Vuitton Classic in Manhattan.
In a Concours d’Elegance (competition of elegance) each entry is rated for authenticity, function, history, style and quality of restoration by a team of judges including specialists for each car type. A perfect score is 100, but any imperfection requires a fractional point deduction. Classes are arranged by type, marque, coachbuilder, country of origin, or time period. Judges select prizewinners for each class, and also award “Best of Show” to one car from the group of first-place winners.
by John Glynn | Sep 27, 2012 | Project Cars
I just spent two days up in Yorkshire with the lightweight Porsche panel manufacturers at EB Motorsport and picked this up on my travels: a tidy 924 tailgate from an eBay seller in Bolton.
It’s not perfect and suffers from the same peeling glass paint they all have, but the spoiler is in better shape than the original one on my 924 Turbo, so I was pleased to get hold of it. I’ll strip and refurb the hatch with some help from Racing Restorations and get it on the car when we do the fresh paint this winter.
If anyone ever asks whether a 924 tailgate fits in the back of a Subaru Outback, I can confirm that yes, it does. Don’t expect to fit more heavy stuff in there, though.
