by John Glynn | Mar 9, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Had a good email from friend of Ferdinand, Patrick, down in Christchurch, New Zealand. Patrick won a Jagermeister 934 print in one of our Porsche print giveaways a year or so ago and has kept in touch. Here’s his print hanging on the office wall:
He also sent some pics of a nice early car, recently unearthed close to home. It’s one of the last ’73 models, fitted with CIS: an efficient and economical set up that is easy to drive and maintain. WEVO Hayden has a similar car in San Francisco, cherished mainly for its fuel efficiency. I’ll let Patrick take up the story:
“Thought you might be interested in my latest acquisition which joins the 944 Turbo race car in my garage. This 1973 911T was sold new in California, USA and was brought into NZ in the mid 90’s. Done 120,000 miles but runs very strongly as it it is a 73.5 with CIS fuel injection.
“This car had been hiding undercover in a quiet street only a few blocks from my home. Having been without a 911 since I sold my 964 C4 two years ago, when my mate Charles phoned me to say the owner was thinking of selling, I didn’t hang around too long.
“The car is very sound & is a keeper. I intend making a few subtle mods, but will keep the narrow body look. It is LHD, but I prefer it that way (even though we drive on the same side of the road as you UKers) as there is no offset on the pedals. Photos are from Wanaka, about 350km from home, on a recent trip down to Central Otago to watch motor racing at the new Highlands Motorsport Park.”
Kudos Patrick: wishing you many happy miles in the new arrival. Great to see our photo hanging on the wall! Keep in touch with Ferdinand by email at mail@ferdinandmagazine.com.
by John Glynn | Mar 2, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Been meaning to uncover my Carrera 3.0 for a while and stick the battery on charge. Did it this evening and found a big surprise hiding under the cover. The roof, rear arches and scuttle are peppered with microblisters. What a pain in the arse!
It’s not a huge deal, as the guys at Racing Restorations have some Porsche rust & bodywork repair work to do for me: repairing the dents I made over the driver’s door in Monaco, and sorting a bodged repair from before my time on an offside rear quarter replacement. So we’ll have to paint lots of the the car anyway, as matching this custom Continental Orange mix won’t be easy.
While we’re chopping about, I might get them to make a nicer job on the oil cooler nose box (done before me), and change an inner rear wing where it’s been hammered out in the past, so they might cut the rear quarter panel off for that. I’ll find Rob’s boys some other stuff to do: maybe chop the sills open to look for any rot. Tuthills have some nice carbon 935-style mirrors coming through on a new build, so maybe I’ll switch to those too. And fit a Safari roof vent! (might be just kidding)
I suppose this only really bugs me as there was nothing wrong with the paint when it went under cover, and the cover is not some cheap blanket affair: it’s a supposedly breathable genuine Porsche Tequipment accessory.
But I’m not blaming the cover and I don’t blame the car. I’ve neglected the Orange for long enough, so will just get it fixed. First thing to do is drag it out and run it to for an MOT when the battery’s charged. That’ll clean the mildew off the throttle.
by John Glynn | Feb 21, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
Another fun email exchange this week was with Jim in Down Under, concerning his 1967 Porsche 911 Soft Window Targa.
“The Targa is almost complete: all very good gaps, road registered and all electrics work. Only real problem is bad rust in a difficult spot around the pedal box area, fiddly to fix but will happen. Interior is so good that I plan to detail it to within an inch of its life and leave as is.
“About the only thing missing is the ash tray and they are a bit hard to find unfortunately (email if you can help – JG). Even the Targa top which needs full restoration is absolutely complete. The early cars had a lot more thin metal detail trim than later cars and they would be impossible to find and a nightmare to make, so good that it’s all here on my car.”
The left-hand drive Porsche came to Australia from the US (left hand drive cars over thirty years old are OK in Australia) and sat in a barn for twelve years. Jim bought it from the importer and send it to Autohaus Hamilton for recommissioning, with instructions not to disturb the patina. Hamiltons flushed the fuel tank, cleaned the lines and rebuilt the carbs, sorted some failed bushes, a dud master cylinder and brakes, and it was ready to go.
Too many people would sand and repaint this car, without savouring it as it came. Kudos to Jim for sticking with his patina-rich classic 911 Targa: it snaps, crackles and pops!
Got a Porsche project you want to share with the world? You know what we like to feature: doesn’t have to be a 911. Send us some pics and a couple of words: mail@ferdinandmagazine.com.
by John Glynn | Feb 3, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
Excellent email from a Ferdinand reader in Brazil, who shares this picture of his family’s Porsche 356 Speedster. This 356 Speedster was originally owned by Ferry Porsche.
Bought by his dad in 1981, the car came via a young Brazilian Porsche racer who was sadly killed at Le Mans, then a local businessman and through a series of family friends. Eventually found unloved and in need of restoration, the Speedster was brought back to life and has been enjoyed as a living, driving entity ever since.
“It’s not a concours car by any means,” says the owner, “but it is in good shape. We like to drive it on weekends, and go to our local events, so we prefer to have a road-going car, than just a piece of art standing still.”
I’m getting a few more details. It’s an early chassis number for the Type 2 models, shown on the Porsche Kardex as a “Versuchwagen” fur T-2 (T2 prototype), and listed as first owned by Ferdinand Porsche Junior (Ferry Porsche).
Absolutely super cool. Colour changed from Aquamarine to Red somewhere down the line, but easy change it back if you consider that important. Ferry would be happy that it’s still in use and bringing joy.
by John Glynn | Feb 2, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Former BFG Porsche 962 motorsport PR chief Michael Hodges has returned to his desk following an inspirational trip to the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, and sends details of a classic 1968 911 coming up for sale at Brooklands Historic Auction next month (March 8th).
“Restored by the current vendor to a very high standard, this fine example should whet the appetite of any serious Porsche collector,” says the auction description. “This is, without doubt, one of the finest 911’s we have seen for some time.”
I note that Silverstone Auctions also has a 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Targa in their Race Retro sale, on 22nd-23rd February. Originally a Silver Sportomatic, it is now McQueen Slate Grey with a manual gearbox.
The early car is estimated 42-48k, but who knows what might happen on the day. The C3 Targa is no reserve, but I wouldn’t expect it to be cheap, as it looks good in grey on 15″ Fuchs. 90k miles too, which is roughly same as my engine with a few snapped head studs.
Targa paint is pretty recent so have a good look at the body. The interior looks original and is super rare. Please don’t change it if you buy the car: that is very cool. Consider going back to Silver and don’t be too worried about the Sporto. Our friends at Racing Restorations are very good with Porsche paint and body restoration.
