Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2024 i Classic Porsche

PORSCHE AIR-COOLED CLASSICS BOOKAZINE During more than five decades of production, Porsche’s now legendary air-cooled sports cars afforded the Stuttgart brand a reputation for delivering formidable racing machines capable of dominating motorsport. Away from the track, the manufacturer’s road cars were just as impressive, bringing automotive technology developed in the heat of battle to the world’s dealer showrooms. In this chunky 164-page celebration of air-cooled classics, the makers of 911 & Porsche World and Classic Porsche magazines chart the design and evolution of Porsche’s air-cooled sports cars, from events leading to the development of 356 no.1, all the way to discontinuation of the 993. Along the way, we get behind the wheel of key models, delve into owner stories, explore ground-breaking engineering and salute racing success. Essential reading (and a…

This fine summer’s day offers a treat on two levels, maybe even three. First up, an early morning, cross-country run to Bicester Heritage, Oxfordshire, from my Suffolk sticks locale. For the keen driver in me, this is number one. I don’t even mind the endless roundabouts through Milton Keynes, each one an opportunity for apex-clipping fun and sneaking down the inside of dawdlers. Number two? Bicester Heritage itself. Number three? The rather lovely Irish Green 1967 911 S on these pages. We’ll come to this shortly, but considering I’ve just swung through Bicester Heritage’s main gate, I want to take a moment to enjoy being back at this automotive nirvana, somewhere I haven’t visited since before the pandemic. What a facility. Hardly surprising, given its Royal Air Force wartime roots.…

Last month, we showcased a stunning black 964 Carrera 2 backdate authored by Finnish air-cooled Porsche restoration and sales business, Carrera Classic. Powered by a 3.8-litre flat-six and borrowing styling cues from the F-series range of 911s, this wide-arched road rocket is the first of the company’s signature builds (another is in progress) and follows a series of concours-quality restorations spanning a decade. As we outlined in the article documenting the black beauty’s design, development and subsequent build, Finland isn’t the first country springing to mind when thinking of Porsche restoration hotspots, but while this Nordic domain’s 911 ownership headcount is low, it’s also incredibly dedicated. Not that Carrera Classic serves only Porschephiles in its homeland — the extraordinarily high standard of work invested in every Carrera Classic restoration has…

The International Race of Champions (IROC) was the brainchild of three far-sighted Americans, namely Roger Penske, Les Richter and Mike Phelps. Their vision of a standalone series of races for identical sports cars prepared by one team and piloted by some of the world’s most successful racing drivers (taken from the fields of Formula One, NASCAR, Indycar, Can Am and Trans Am) caught the imagination of Stateside motorsport enthusiasts. IROC would “sort the men from the boys”, and with 911s taking centre stage, would ensure the most highly competitive racing yet devised for Stuttgart-crested cars. In 1970, Porsche had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 917 short-tail, repeating this success in 1971 with another 917, this time entered by the Martini Racing team. A 917 had also…

There’s a first time for everything. This is certainly a first for me. It’s the first time I’ve driven a 356 Speedster. On the hallowed asphalt of Goodwood Motor Circuit, no less. Sitting at the end of the pitlane, waiting for the green light, it occurs to me I’m not really dressed for the occasion. Come again? I’m thinking of the Speedster’s California connotations and legendary owners of the model. Y’know, James Dean, Steve McQueen and the like. I should at least be wearing a cool pair of shades or a leather jacket. MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE JAG AND WAY PRICIER THAN OTHER BRITISH DROP-TOPS, SUCH AS THOSE FROM AUSTIN-HEALEY Or both. I clearly haven’t thought this through. Still, at least it has stopped raining. The sun is out and…

The Carrera 3.2 was introduced late in 1983 for the 1984 model year, replacing the 911 SC, whilst inheriting the older Porsche’s body-chassis unit and gaining a number of detail improvements. The new model was available in Coupé, Targa and Cabriolet format, with intriguing Flachbau, Speedster, Club Sport and Super Sport spin-offs. You thus had a choice of configurations in which to enjoy the experience, open to the elements or not. The small increase in capacity to 3,164cc lifted horsepower from 204bhp to 231bhp, providing a torquier response in the process. What’s become evident — and appreciated — more recently is how the Carrera 3.2 range was better built than the foregoing SC and the subsequent 964, manifest in a certain solidity of componentry and controls, and reflected in rates…

Porsche and luxury watchmaker, TAG Heuer, share a rich history, an independent and powerful set of brand values and dedication to design and engineering excellence. For more than fifty years, the paths of both companies have constantly been meeting on and off the racetrack, though it’s true to say the lasting bond between them is built on the foundations of motorsport. One of the strongest common features is the Carrera nameplate, inspired by the infamous Carrera Panamericana road race (a two-thousand-mile enduro across Mexico running five consecutive years from 1950 and regarded as the most dangerous race in the world) and adopted by both brands for their respective products. Against this backdrop, plus Porsche Design’s already established foot in the world of premium wristwatches, Porsche and TAG Heuer deciding to…