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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.
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by John Glynn | May 24, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Road Trips
Tripped over these pictures from our shoot of the original Singer Porsche 911 on Pacific Coast Highway. I remember it as a very good day, but was amazed to find it was almost five years since I did this job with my partner in Porsche, James Lipman.
Back then, I was still working for motor trade publishers, Glass’s Guide, and Jamie had yet to fully establish himself amongst the favourite photographers of Rolls Royce, Bentley and the other top brands he now shoots for. I was just out there on a busman’s holiday, having fun in a twice-yearly visit with friends on the west coast, enjoying the Porsche scene and blogging it on the Internet.
This trip in November 2009 was a bit special. Singer’s Rob Dickinson had pinged me a few weeks previously, asking if we wanted to be first to shoot the Singer before it went out to a wider audience. Of course I was up for that and booked the cover of 911 & Porsche World. We did a few day’s work up in San Francisco before driving to Ventura for the Porsche show there, and dropping down to LA’s Mulholland Drive for the Singer shoot one Saturday afternoon.
Suffice to say, it did not run quite to plan. Mulholland was a challenge as the car was not a happy bunny. The famous road is a rat run in rush hour (which it was when we started) and there were few obvious spots for us to shoot it on the move. In the end, the light passed and we still hadn’t managed a cover shot.
We stayed late in the car park at the Bel Air Presbyterian Church on Mulholland, where Jamie shot some of the most shared Singer pictures on the Internet with just one light (above), but we were missing the drama of the car in motion. Not much chance to do it like this – find the car in this pic:
Next day, were were back down near LA to meet Bata Mataja at his house in Malibu and shoot his 356 Speedster. There might be a chance to shoot the Singer in Malibu on Pacific Coast Highway – also known as Highway 1 – at the end of the day. We all really wanted that shot, so Rob would try to get the car out to Malibu and we could have a go at doing it.
Even before meeting Bata, I knew the 356 would be a long day. After we started talking, it was almost the whole day: we had a fantastic time with an amazing character. This left precious little time to do the Singer.
After meeting at the famous Neptune’s Net (stunning seafood shack), we had a quick coffee, wiped the dust off the car and got going, driving down the legendary Highway 1 out of Malibu. As the sun began to set on the Pacific, Jamie hung out the window of my Craigslist-purchased 911 to grab some of my favourite Porsche pictures ever.
When you’re in the middle of a job, it’s tough to stand back and enjoy the moment as the focus is just on doing the work. Now I can enjoy the pictures, I remember the sun on my face, the wonderful golden light, the noise of two flat sixes and that feeling of driving my own 911 in such a fantastic part of the world.
People often ask how Jamie did this in Photoshop, but this is how it just about looked on camera. Rollin’ with the pros!
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.
by John Glynn | Apr 8, 2014 | Art and Books, Classic Porsche Blog
I’m about to jump in the Cayenne and head for Earls Court and the 2014 London Book Fair with our latest project. Cayenne is running well, the first Cult of Porsche book looks great, sun is out. The perfect Tuesday!
Edit: Creative Review has just reviewed the Cult of Porsche book. Read the full review below!
Silk Pearce has designed a stunning book for Ricoh Europe celebrating the enjoyment of classic Porsche cars and demonstrating the exceptional print quality and impact that publishers can achieve using the latest advances in digital print technology, paper and finishing.
“The Cult of Porsche: In the Beginning” showcases original Porsches, as well as owner-modified classics and is the first book in a planned trilogy to be written by long-time Porsche journalist and blogger John Glynn. The text has been richly illustrated with lavish photography by James Lipman, the internationally-renowned automotive photographer.
“Silk Pearce’s in-depth experience of design for print and knowledge of paper has enabled Ricoh to produce a beautiful digitally-printed book with a quality that rivals traditional offset printing. ‘In the Beginning’ demonstrates Ricoh’s advanced digital printing technologies, combined with traditional finishing techniques and we believe the exceptional end product will impress and delight publishers looking to create unique, short-run books for niche specialist markets, as well readers interested in creative design, photography and Porsche’s unique engineering vision,” said Andy Campbell, printing innovation manager at Ricoh Europe.
For further information on ‘The Cult of Porsche’ trilogy, please contact John Glynn: mail@ferdinandmagazine.com
by John Glynn | Apr 4, 2014 | Art and Books, Classic Porsche Blog
Less than 5 days to go to London Book Fair 2014. Version 1 of our Cult of Porsche book has been printed and bound, and I’m off out the door to Ricoh’s print finishers in Milton Keynes to watch them trimming the book down to size.
Bonus is I am driving my Cayenne there – picked it up yesterday following its gearbox rebuild. Running perfectly, but the bill is higher than expected and I have a different tyre on one front wheel. That is bad karma for someone.
I’m also meeting some book publishers and a literary agent at the show. Am totally new to books, so anyone wants to give me a few pointers then drop me an email to mail@ferdinandmagazine.com. Here’s our press release with Ricoh UK:
London, 8 April, 2014 – A digitally printed coffee table book celebrating the ownership and enjoyment of classic Porsche cars, illustrated with lavish photography, will be launched by Ricoh and its publisher The Cult of Porsche at the London Book Fair (LBF) at stand R505 on April 8, 2014.
The book, titled The Cult of Porsche: In the Beginning, documents beautifully preserved classic Porsche cars and inspiring owner-modified machines that pay tribute to Porsche’s unique engineering vision. The book was written by long-time Porsche journalist and blogger, John Glynn, with pictures by internationally renowned automotive photographer, James Lipman, and designed by Silk Pearce. ‘Ferdinand: The Cult of Porsche’ is John’s curated Porsche news blog with a massive global readership of nearly 250,000 unique users.
“In the Beginning is part one of our first classic Porsche collection,” says John. “Spread over three volumes, the first Cult of Porsche book trilogy traces an emotional line entwining true Porsche enthusiasts. It showcases wonderfully original cars as well as beautifully modified classics, to honour the legacy of Ferdinand ‘Ferry’ Porsche.
“Doing justice to James’ incredible photography has always been a Cult of Porsche priority. When the opportunity arose to print a beautifully designed book on Ricoh’s digital print machinery, we jumped at the chance. Our work was the ultimate test for Ricoh’s technology and this exceptional end product will delight readers, while doing justice to the material.”
The Cult of Porsche: In the Beginning is digitally printed and delivers the impact and quality that until now has been associated only with offset printing. It provides a practical example of the benefits digital printing can bring to publishers: a cost effective route to market and; a fast and straight forward way to produce short-run books and those requiring frequent updates. It can also benefit authors who want to print their own work with an affordable printing method, and the opportunity to collaborate on bespoke solutions.”
Gareth Parker, strategic marketing manager – production print, Ricoh said: “Collaborating with John, James and Silk Pearce to create this beautiful book has been an enormous pleasure. The project has enabled us to demonstrate the first class results publishers can get by printing digitally to create unique, short-run books. As readers’ habits change, publishers must change their mindsets to embrace the capabilities of digital, and the sellable impact it can offer. By adopting new technologies today, publishers can start to transform their businesses for the future.”
