by John Glynn | Jul 27, 2009 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
My ‘new’ old 911 has finally been dropped to my buddy in San Francisco who will hang on to it until Mr Lipman and I get back out to California in September. Good to get an objective opinion on condition and some recent photographs of the car. Sounds like I did another nice Porsche deal, so I’m grateful to both seller and my mate for helping me out long-distance.
I was told it had an oil leak and some trans woes and this has been confirmed by my wonderful amigo. Here’s what he says:
“Initial impression is, as you said, you can’t lose. Paint is rough, sure. But seems solid and runs great. I mean really runs good, I was surprised, frankly. The motor just zings, no funny business at idle, or mid range or at 5k, which is as far as I took it. I couldn’t get the engine lid open to poke inside, but I’m sure it has some leaks, there was a bit of hot oil smell. We’ll find out about all that. But it really runs good. Rides good, no weirdness to the ride or steering, brakes seem fine too.
The only thing is something with the clutch, which is more like an on/off switch than a clutch. Is fully engaged about two inches off the floor, and is very heavy. Once or twice it seemed to stick as it was released. But no judder, and nothing weird from the back end, so my gut feel is rather than anything with the clutch itself or flywheel, it’s all under the floorboard with cable and adjustment and helper spring. Or lack thereof. No graunching from the gears, but you have to be quite slow and deliberate when going in gear, especially one and two. So, hopefully, rather than anything really in the gearbox with synchros or clutch itself, it’s all under the floorboards. You do get sort of used to it after a few minutes, and can proceed fairly normally from stop lights, but your left leg would be very tired after a day’s driving with the way it is at the moment.
But man, it runs good. Those 3.0’s are just great motors. And a lot of other things aren’t bad at all, like the dash pad is perfect. Windows work well too, which is handy. Seats aren’t bad for support, tach or speedo needle doesn’t wiggle, it’s still a good German car in a lot of ways. Stereo doesn’t work (so he says), clock doesn’t work, drivers arm rest and door pocket are missing. Headliner is a little saggy around the sunroof. But good bones. And that’s with California frame of reference. Hell, if you painted it and fixed the dents and redid the wheels and freshened up the interior, it would probably be a show winning SC in Europe. Great car for the money, and great candidate for a backdate hot rod. Did I mention it runs good? It really runs good. More later.”
I am delighted with this quick warts-n-all report. It shows that when you have been buying cars for 20 years, much of it for a living, you can still sniff out a bargain from just a few lines of text and some 6 year-old pics. I’m glad to hear it makes good power. The Euro-spec rebuild through SSIs should give it about 220 bhp, which is loads in a fairly light SC.
The oil lines and thermostat are fairly recent so I doubt it is leaking there. There is a spot of oil under the car in the first pic – if that is from mine, then it looks centre to left side so maybe a return tube or similar, or just a connection. It’s done few miles since a full rebuild so doubt it is anything serious like a case leak (which would be dead centre), but if it is then no problem. Could even be a leak from up top travelling down and dripping off the bottom.
Sounds to me like the clutch has maybe had it which again is OK and was factored in. I’ll get a kit and sort that out with a new cable too. Might even get it whizzed over to the local top Porsche shop and have them do it for me. Then myself and Jamie can have twelve days of SC fun before shipping home a reliable daily-ish driver.
Come on!
by John Glynn | Aug 5, 2008 | Classic Porsche Blog
Year after year, car guys drive to the same places with the same people. Why do they do it? Discuss.
Rolling into the Chunnel car park and finding twenty of your friends waiting for you in similar cars is a great feeling. Camaraderie engulfs the entourage, with anticipatory awe permeating the queue of cars headed for check in.
Off the train in la belle France half an hour later, we gathered to discuss the route options. A red Carrera GT filling up next door was a positive Porsche portent, with the same good vibrations evident throughout our journey west to Rouen and south towards Sarthe. An unbelievable amount of rain means marine terminology is required to describe making way along the A28, each 911 creating a huge rooster tail of spray. France is famed for its joi de vivre though, so torrential rain and a few wet clothes do not dampen our high spirits.
A sodden autoroute might seem an odd place for an epiphany of sorts regarding the ritual annual migration of some automotive enthusiasts. But as my eager 911 surged through the tidal pools of standing water, with my buddy’s black Speedster in our wake, headlamps ablaze through a dull blanket of mist, it suddenly dawned upon me that I could quite happily see this picture in my rear view mirror once a year without regret. At last I was beginning to understand.
The sun was waiting for us in Le Mans itself, and our weekend was a blast. For me, those four days of fun, and the time spent touring Northern France the following week, bore more than a passing resemblance to Big Brother, the Channel 4 TV show now in its ninth season. Many say the BB format has had its day, but this epitome of people watching on the small screen continues to attract 3.3.million viewers an episode, the unpredictability of unscripted drama proving hugely fascinating for many devoted fans.
Big Brother game rules ensure a similar format year to year, but as time passes, the increasing familiarity between contestants and the ever-evolving narrative regularly ups the entertainment ante. The complex interactions taking place between the housemates is constantly tested and twisted by the programme directors, in their quest to stimulate the participants, and engross the addicted audience.
Fresh casting and plot twists are core to the attraction of Big Brother and annual road trips too, as participants change and events are never entirely predictable. Only those with no sense of adventure could be expected to stick to a convoy ad nauseum, so our flock of Porsche fans would regularly split up and regroup during the week, despite there being no prearranged plan. Sitting in a service station with little brother and my Speedster-driving amigo on the way down, it was not in the least bit surprising to see six of our pals arrive in the peeing rain and park up alongside our cars. Our dishevelled drive down set a precedent of voluntary participation; perfect for the relaxed holiday we had in mind.
Once comfortably ensconced in our rented house, we found we were sharing the facilities with another British classic car club, who had been coming to the same place for ten years. Their experience of events during that time gave them some stories to tell, mostly centred around how the new English landlord at the local auberge wasn’t a patch on the old French one. Sadly, we saw no reason to disagree.
As the weekend unfolded, a sizeable amount of personal detail was made public, much of it not repeatable. We learned for example, that one of our number restricted his motorway driving to maximum fourth gear, in case he had to accelerate suddenly. We also discovered that we had a master chef in our midst, who amazed us all with a sublime spag bol following two nights of negativity at the hands of the aforementioned hotelier. On the other hand, a certain someone levered himself into our happy house on a pity card and then wriggled vigorously when faced with his share of the bill: inappropriate behaviour noted for future reference!
My previous visit to the Classic had been with six other 911 friends who left us with good memories. Although none of them were with us this time around, it was a delight to see the first timers enjoying the event and each other’s company so heartily, every step of the way. It was also a boost to have additional help close by, when mechanical issues arose for some cars during the trip.
Our party included new friends from down under, who really immersed themselves in the proceedings. The new owner of my old SC Cabriolet also joined in, and it was great to spend quality time with all these guys. The village Bastille Day celebrations on our last night together as a group were the perfect finish to what had been an exceptional weekend.
The cultural phenomenon that is Big Brother will continue to inform our consciousness long after the show has been thrown on the televisual scrap heap, so I hope that our car communities continue to embrace interactive road trip versions for many years to come. It may transpire that not all of our jaunts will be as enjoyable as this last one, but when the rewards are as substantial as they have been on the last two events, it’s worth the slim risk of an occasional disappointment. Roll on 2010!
by John Glynn | Mar 19, 2008 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
I have a bit of a 944 fetish going on at the mo, but in my defence it is all related. I have always dreamed of buying classic Porsche 944 Turbo, and watching 944 prices with the SC Cabriolet sale in progress led me to A911 DRY. Bought that and it needed interior and ideally a running car to sort the non-running problem. So I bought the 924 for the trim and the red 944 for the running gear to do some swapping.
No sooner have I agreed a deal on the red 944 than up popped an 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo at Autofarm for £1750. I thought it was an OK buy at that until I saw it at £1250, which is a steal on Fuchs even with a knackered engine. Emailed them and arranged to go and see it next day. Was waiting around for a look for a while but anyway, I eventually got to see it in the dark in a barn with only a candlelight torch to help!
The car presents itself well. Fuchs very nice, with track rubber and the half-leather sports logo trim also very nice. Panel gaps on one side not so nice, so I assumed it had been in a fairly decent smash a while back. Mentioned this to Josh and he said he didn’t think so, thought it was a nice honest car. I bid for it assuming it was on the hit list and the bid was accepted – it is really just in the way down there. Paid a 10% deposit and agreed to pick up at the end of the month, when my Cab has left a space.
Came home and HPI’d it: it was declared a Cat C total loss in 1997. Still I think it’s a good buy at what I paid, even with the damage and the engine in bits. Might make a nice article in the future about buying and repairing damaged Porsches versus buying a nice clean original car.
Went to see Bob Watson today for a chat, and he has plenty of 944 Turbo bits inc crank and oil pump etc. We will use his man to sort the cylinders out; some scoring on one apparently, though I didn’t see the engine either! Bob reckons 300bhp is fairly easy on any 951, I will shoot for 250 on mine. It is more of a family Porsche to replace the Cabriolet than anything, though it’s bound to see the odd French/Belgian track.
Anyway, the aim is to be back down to two Porsches by June at the latest, but we’ll see how that works out. Some pics of my new 951 are here: a long exposure makes it look much brighter than it was in there.
by John Glynn | Feb 26, 2008 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
I picked up my latest bargain last weekend: a classic Porsche 944 restoration project. The eBay description was short, sweet and very accurate.
I have owned this car for 15 years. It has not run for 10 years. It has been garaged for 8 years. It needs a total new interior, new tyres, new brakes. We were told by a mechanic that the engine turns over but it needs a new E.C.U. unit. The body is in good condition for the year. It has all original service pack etc. and an excellent number plate: A911 DRY, which I am told is valuable. The car is white. The car will need to be transported by the successful bidder.
I collected the trailer from Rob on Saturday evening and left home, destination Pagham, at 5am on Sunday morning. The M40 and A34 were clear, so 90 minutes later, I stopped for a coffee at Tot Hill services, just south of the M4. Tyre pressures checked and lights cleaned we were back on the road, but I immediately noticed a vibration from the truck that I couldn’t pin down to a corner, and the fuel started to burn faster.
The end of the road was 65 miles away, so I kept going, stopping a couple of times to check my tyres weren’t overheating and/or delaminating. I reached Pagham at 8am and found the house. Passing the car on the way to the front door, I could see the trim was absolutely destroyed. Not a disaster but not too attractive either. The 911 DRY plate looked even better in real life, so there was no doubt that I was taking the car.
Steve (the seller) opened the door and we settled down for one of those conversations that quickly turns into two guys who could have known each other for years – the parallels were amazing. The car was his son’s, but Steve was handling the sale as the owner was abroad most of the time. They had bought the car back in the early ’90s from from Nick Faure, who was a friend of the family. The plate came later.
Steve was a very famous guitar player back in the day, before moving into the motor trade, so we had lots to talk about, and we did. After our tea, we went outside and loaded up. Once A911 DRY was on the trailer, we did the paperwork and I was gone, promising to return when the car was back on the road.
The drive home was laboured. The truck was shaking quite obviously at certain revs and the car was a little far back, so I stopped at Sutton Scotney services, rechecked the tyre pressures on all three units and slid the car up a touch – was much better over 60 after that. A quick look up the skirts of the 4runner revealed that the vibration was the prop UJ failing, causing the prop to bind slightly, dragging the engine down and pushing the fuel consumption up. Another job on the list. As we are stuck for space at home, I dropped the car at the farm, handed the trailer back and came home to finish the deal on a paraffin heater I had sold on eBay.
I hadn’t spent any time looking at the car before I picked it up and, though the inside is beyond distraught, the body looks good. Though it has been parked for 10 years, the car has only done 88K miles from new and there is plenty of service history (the book pack is mint). The brakes are completely seized, but off; not on. The exhaust, tyres and clutch etc are likely to be well past it, but I will buy a good runner with a test and a knackered body and swap what I need over, fitting power steering at the same time.
I am looking forward to getting this on the road, looks great and deserves to be in use – early 944s have to be worth keeping when in this sort of condition.
by John Glynn | Jan 23, 2008 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods
Mention carbon fibre to most Porsche fans, and their thoughts turn to prototype racers like the RS Spyder. But Rainer Armitt’s outwardly standard SC hides an enviable selection of secrets up its significantly lightened sleeves. John Glynn reports.
Once upon a time in Leverkusen, Germany (1997 to be precise), an early 911 SC Coupe was bought by one Michael Roock, of Porsche tuners Roock Sportsystem fame. The car was quite superb, with fewer than 50k careful miles covered in 19 years. The initial intention was a simple valet, to bring the car back to showroom condition. But within a few days, the urge to improve had triumphed, and the spotless SC had been stripped for an almost complete rebuild.
Though manufactured in 1978 (the year the SC won the Monte Carlo rally), this 911 is a 1979 model year car, an excellent choice of base vehicle. Firstly, it had a fully galvanised shell, so the bodywork was in great shape. Secondly, it had been delivered without a sunroof, not an easy thing to find post-’78, and a perfect starting point for a lightweight special. Finally, buyers’ guides of the time had short-sightedly labelled the early SCs as ones to avoid, so they were relatively cheap, even in immaculate condition. Anything the Roock brothers did was likely to be regarded as an improvement.
The earliest SCs were down on power compared to later models (180bhp as opposed to 204bhp from the 1981 model year), but the rated output of the first SCs was more political than mechanical. The management of the time had decided to phase out the anachronistic 911 in favour of the 928, and the run-out model could not be seen to be faster than the more expensive V8-engined flagship.
The early SC shares most of its motor with the preceding Carrera 3.0, which produced an easy 200 bhp. The SC engine uses a slightly bigger 9-bolt 3.3 Turbo crankshaft, but almost everything else is the same. Revised cam timing meant power was down against the Carrera, but this somewhat devious device gave the new arrivals better torque lower down the rev range, making them irresistible driving machines. (more…)
