Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i Classic Porsche

Classic Porsche|September 2023

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

Across the course of my career as editor of various magazines, I don’t recall having quite so many significant anniversaries to report on as I’ve been presented with in 2023. For the majority of automotive enthusiasts with a passing interest in Porsche, the 911’s sixtieth birthday ranks at the top of the list, but for those of us more immersed in Porsche culture, seventy-five years passing since the first Porsche road registration carries even greater weight, marking not only the beginning of the company as we know it, but also the birth of the 356, a hugely influential sports car informing all Porsche production to the present day. With this in mind, across the following pages, I’m delighted to present the first of a two-part mini-series documenting the design, development…

2 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

PRODUCTS

SUBSCRIBE TO Classic PORSCHE SEE PAGE 108 FOR DETAILS STUTTGART CLASSICA THROTTLE BODY KIT Supplied fully assembled and ready to bolt directly to your 911’s cylinder heads, Stuttgart Classica’s comprehensive throttle body kit includes aerospace-grade billet aluminium ‘shaftless’ individual throttle bodies, aluminium trumpets (suitable for ducktail and whale tail models), throttle position sensor, billet fuel rails, thermal insulation gaskets, a throttle linkage system connecting directly to the OEM cable pick-ups, a choice of 42mm or 44mm inlet ports, fuel injectors, fuel pressure regulator (with gauge), fuel lines, fuel hoses, oil breather system, a Megaflow air filtration system with foam filters and pre-drilled filter backplates, a heater ducting system, all required fasteners and an Emerald K6 ECU loaded with a base map. In addition to improved power, this kit offers a…

9 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

BLACK BEAUTY

These days, it’s considered almost a criminal act to abandon a classic Porsche, but restoration can be financially daunting, whatever the model, and in the case of resuscitating a 356, the work is hugely complicated. Luckily, we’re in good hands — model expert, Paul Smith, is owner of 356 specialist, PR Services. The 356 B he’s showing us around belongs to Max Richardson, whose father, Adam, was Paul’s first customer. There’s a nice backstory to explore. Bear with me, because it sets the scene for the black restomod. “More than three decades ago, renowned engine builder, Barry Curtis, prepared a 356 race car for Adam to compete with,” Paul remembers. “In fact, he raced a couple of 356s very successfully, winning the European 356 Cup three years in a row.…

12 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

CREATING THE PORSCHE CAR

During August of 1947, Ferdinand Porsche returned to Austria from his detention in France. He was a shadow of his former vigorous self, his health irreparably impaired by confinement. “He took an interest in everything,” said his son, Ferry, “but didn’t have the energy, nor that inexhaustible vitality he once possessed.” Though well able to offer advice to his son, daughter and their associates, the Professor was no longer physically capable of directing design work. Nevertheless, his views carried immense weight. After an initial flurry of activity in mid-1947, work on the ‘Volkswagen Sports’ mid-engine roadster stalled as 1948 drew near. This was an in-house project, to be used for make-work purposes. The Cisitalia jobs (and other legacy Porsche projects showcased in recent issues of Classic Porsche) were keeping the…

21 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

HIT THE GAS

Tucked discreetly between the glitzy showrooms and sprawling forecourts of its Lamborghini, Jaguar and Land Rover main dealer neighbours, Gaswerks Garage is an independent Porsche specialist not needing to shout for attention. Look closely, however, and you’ll spot the firm’s distinctive circular logo adorning an otherwise nondescript personnel door at the rear of the Lamborghini dealership’s premises. A single roller shutter suggests the presence of a workshop, but even this does nothing to hint at what lies within. Located in the suburban commuter town of Paramus, an affluent borough of Bergen County, New Jersey, Gaswerks Garage is the East Coast’s premier destination for the repair and restoration of classic Porsches. Recognised for the highest levels of workmanship, the company’s reputation belies its relatively brief seven years of trading, more so…

9 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

MIDDLE CHILD SYNDROME

Picture the scene. A gravel driveway leading to a nineteenth century farmhouse. A spring day scattering sunlight onto a garden full of classic Porsches. Converted barns housing an engine room, a spray booth and a trim shop. A beautiful wife pouring fresh coffee. The happiest dog in the world. What I’m describing may sound like the stuff of dreams, but this is Mike Champion’s reality. Regular readers will be familiar with his name from recent articles showcasing finished restorations to roll out of independent classic Porsche restoration and maintenance business, MCE Porsche, which Mike established following time spent working as an engineer for Aston Martin, Cosworth and Jaguar Land Rover. We’ve returned to his Oxfordshire base of operations to sample an exquisite 1981 Minerva Blue 911 SC. Is the SC…

14 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

TIM NEELY

Growing up in the 1990s, despite being attracted to the aesthetic of the period’s European sports cars (chiefly the Lotus Esprit and Ferrari F355), I was a Porsche sceptic. Could the 911 really be as good as everyone suggested? Well, yes, as it happens, the 911 really is that good. I’ve driven thousands of miles in every generation of 911 since. Highlights include a 1969 911 T powered by a built 2.7, a 964 RS America (which I topped out, just to hear that visceral scream for a few moments longer) and a 991 GT3 RS, which in my opinion, produces one of the best noises of any street-legal sports car. Each generation of 911 is blessed with the ability to make every apex or rev-matched downshift an experience worth…

4 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

RALLY THE TROOPS

Located on the outskirts of the leafy Oxfordshire village of Greatworth, just a stone’s throw from the high-octane motoring centres of Banbury, Brackley and Silverstone, lies the premises of independent Porsche specialist, Greatworth Classics (greatworthclassics.co.uk), a true one-stop shop for maintenance, repair and restoration of your coveted air-cooled classic. Angus Watt established the business back in 2012. Originally from Frome in Somerset, he cut his teeth in motor mechanics by tinkering with the wide variety of vehicles found on the farm where he grew up. As his skills with a spanner and welding torch improved, he was drawn to the burgeoning kit car scene, where his heart was soon set on building a Beetle-based Beach Buggy. SIGNIFICANTLY LESS CORROSION THAN THEIR EUROPEAN COUNTERPARTS AND CONSIDERABLY CHEAPER “I bought an abandoned…

11 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES

Another 912 in the pages of Classic Porsche? Absolutely! We make no apologies — long gone are the days when the 912 was dismissed as little more than a 911 wannabe, two cylinders short of the full flat-six. The 912’s time has come, and not just because classic 911 prices have gone stratospheric. No, the 912 has found its place because, put simply, it’s the real deal. A proper Porsche, complete with its own brand of performance and handling dynamic — a groove appealing to a discerning demographic of Porsche enthusiast, one arguably a little less precious about originality and likely to use the 912 as a platform to exercise their own take on the cult of Porsche. THIS PARTICULAR MODEL’S HOT ROD HERITAGE RUNS DEEP, WHETHER HOME-BREWED OR PRO-MODDED…

13 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

VARIOCAM COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION OF Classic PORSCHE ORDER BACK ISSUES AT bit.ly/issuescp Variable valve timing (and control) was the must-have car technology of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Japanese manufacturers appeared to be leading the way, which must have displeased brass at Porsche no end, especially when high-tech sports cars from the Land of the Rising Sun were beginning to muscle in on Porsche’s production sports car stomping ground. The German marque was quick to act, launching its catchily titled take on the idea, VarioCam, in time for the start of 968 production in 1991. The system is still in use today, albeit a in much evolved form. Before we delve into VarioCam design and its development through the years, it’s worth refreshing…

11 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

LIVEWIRE

COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION OF Classic PORSCHE ORDER BACK ISSUES AT bit.ly/issuescp GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED MARKS PORSCHE’S SEVENTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY This year’s Festival of Speed was the event’s thirtieth anniversary, neatly coinciding with the seventy-fifth anniversary of the first Porsche road registration, marking the beginning of the company as we know it. As the honoured marque at the highly anticipated gathering in Chichester, Porsche wowed attendees with a wide variety of historic road and race cars. “We’re delighted Goodwood gave us this brilliant opportunity to share our passion with Porsche enthusiasts here in the UK,” says Krishan Bodhani, Porsche Cars Great Britain’s recently appointed CEO. This was the fourth time Porsche has been the Festival of Speed’s showcase manufacturer, an honour including the construction of a bespoke sculpture…

10 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

ROBERT KELLER

PMO Induction carburettors were born out of a need and desire to fulfil a void in the marketplace and introduce a superior product specifically for air-cooled Porsches. Weber Italy went through several rough years as the market shifted to fuel injected cars in the late 1980s, causing IDA triple replacement carburettors and parts to become increasingly scarce or, worse, altogether unavailable. This led PMO founder, Richard Parr, to embark on not only re-creating the triple Weber IDA, but significantly improving the design. Utilising only aerospace-quality castings and machining tolerances for venturis, throttle plates, velocity stacks and throttle shafts, the resulting PMO products delivered improved performance and precise air metering, making tuning much easier. A switch to Weber IDF jetting and float technology corrected fuel slosh and starvation issues known for…

3 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

ROLLING BACK THE YEARS

Reversion diversion. It’s the contemporary fixation with backdating 911s to resemble models from the past and is wrapped up in an obsession with all things classic. Sod evolution, old is somehow better. Take a perfectly innocent 911 SC or Carrera 3.2 with its less than graceful impact bumpers and fit the car with panels from a Carrera RS 2.7 or an ST. Hey presto! You’re now driving a nod to an icon. Let me remind you of a time when people forward-dated their not-so-elderly 911s to look like something more recently out of the box. Quite logical. Sod the mechanicals, ditch the long bonnet, sling on the concertina bumpers and the wraparound rear reflector. Instant state-of-the-art. Some folk went the whole hog, while others, like a previous owner of our…

11 min

Classic Porsche|September 2023

TAKING CHARGE

WHAT IS A TURBOCHARGER? A 1915 patent submitted by Swiss engineer, Alfred Buchi, is often cited as the birth of the turbocharger. The design was for an exhaust-driven engine featuring a turbine and compressor mounted on the same shaft. The intention was to counter the loss of power experienced by aircraft engines at high altitude, but the prototype proved unreliable. Ten years later, however, Buchi successfully installed turbochargers on ten-cylinder diesel engines adopted by the German Ministry of Transport for passenger ships. Power was increased from 1,750hp to 2,500hp, leading to successful licensing of the design to a high number of manufacturers serving the marine, aircraft and railway industries. Turbochargers would be put to use in aircraft operated by the United States Air Force in World War II, though it…

19 min