Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 149 i Total 911

Steve McQueen’s legendary Le Mans film helped to turn the 2.2-litre Porsche 911S (and the Gulf-liveried 917K) into an icon and the film has now inspired an eye-catching graphic novel by artist Sandro Garbo and the team at Garbo Studio. Following the storyline of the original film, Garbo uses a bold and vivid style to transfer the plot to pages in Steve McQueen At Le Mans, capturing the iconic feel of the cult hit in each individual cell. A process that took nearly three years to bring to print, Garbo’s graphic novel received the blessing of the ACO (the organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans), the French authority ensuring that the graphic novel’s design provided an accurate portrayal of the 1960s Circuit de la Sarthe event. “I don’t…

1973 911 wins Daytona 24 Hours Even before its homologation papers were completed, the 911 2.8 RSR won on its second outing. The Brumos-entered RSR driven by Gregg and Haywood and the Penske RSR for Donohue and Follmer dominated the second half of the Daytona event after Mirage, Matra and Lola prototypes fell by the wayside. Ultimately, the Penske RSR lost compression and retired, leaving victory to Brumos. But it was the start of a season that saw the RSR score more points than any other in the 1973 World Championship of Makes. A year earlier, things looked much less favourable. New FIA rules limiting capacity to 3.0-litres ruled out Porsche’s all-conquering 917s and a minimum weight limit was introduced to penalise the 908. While the open regulation Can-Am championships…

Nineteen sixty-three: the first time the GTS badge appeared on a Porsche, not a 911, but the 904 Carrera racer. Gran Turismo Sport has appeared sporadically in the Porsche line-up since, though not as a badge related to Porsche’s most iconic product. Instead, the GTS badge would see service on the 924, 928 and more recently the Cayenne. A badge without portfolio, really, Porsche applied it to a 911 for the first time with the 997, late in its life, positioning GTS as a bridge between the Carrera S and the GT department’s GT3. It was a harder-edged Carrera without quite the track-focused car’s compromises. More cynical commentators suggested at the time that the GTS was created to give 997 sales a boost late in its lifecycle, pointing at the…

“Option M491 represented a complete package for the 3.2 Carrera instead of the usual catalogue of add-on options” The G-Series 911s had an unprecedented production run of 15 years. This was partly the result of the success of the basic design, sustained by discreet updating, which had established a growing niche among sports car fans, and partly because Porsche’s concentration was diluted by the 959 project. It was not until April 1984 that the Board authorised a new 911, Typ 964, which meant the impact-bumper series would, at last, be replaced. This allowed Porsche’s marketeers to introduce a number of ‘run out’ 911s. The focus of this was several highly specified and immensely profitable Turbo 3.3 models. Among ‘nonstandard’, naturally aspirated 3.2s, between 1987 and 1989, Porsche produced 2,000 Speedsters…

There’s a rich, smoky haze filling the air in the Pistenklause Restaurant. All around me, the yellow walls are overawed by trinkets of automotive memorabilia, from framed pictures of notable racing cars or drivers to stickers and scrawls from all manner of privateer teams, forums or magazines, all desperate to leave their mark. Standing out among the Sharpie-clad expediency, a slogan on the back wall says: “Who hasn’t been here, hasn’t been to the Nürburgring.” The fiery sizzling from my ‘steak on a stone’ dinner brings my focus back to the table, and it’s at that point I realise Total 911’s photographer, Steve Hall, is grinning at me. “It’s a cool place, hey? Steak on a stone at Pistenklause is a right of passage for anyone who’s been to the…

LOCATION: Western Cape, South Africa COORDINATES: 33°55’31.0”S, 19°08’30.5”E TOTAL LENGTH OF DRIVE: 15 miles POINTS OF INTEREST: Franschhoek Motor Museum; Wine tasting at various wine farms; Hiking in Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve; Huguenot Memorial Museum FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION: La Motte, +27 (0)21 876 8000; Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa, +27 (0)21 876 8900; Solms-Delta Wine Estate, +27 (0)21 874 3937; Eikehof Wine Estate, +27 (0)21 876 2469; Roca Restaurant, +27 (0)21 876 3384 Franschhoek is synonymous with wine, farms and fine dining. But when it comes to a truly great driving road, all motoring enthusiasts will immediately point you in the direction of the famous mountain pass, or Lambrechts Road (R45). Almost every month South Africa’s motoring media will head to this pass to sample the latest sports cars. It…

RM Sotheby’s annual Parisian sale – held this year on 8 February – will be headlined by the unique Porsche 901 Cabriolet prototype (the cover star of Total 911 issue 130). The Anglo-Canadian auction house’s incredible consignment will help to “provide a thrilling start to our 2017 auction season,” according to Peter Wallman, managing director of RM Sotheby’s Europe. The second oldest surviving Porsche 911 chassis, the Cabriolet prototype was one of just 13 pre-production 901s, of which it was the only example to trial the open-top concept. Thanks to their expertise with 356 Cabriolets, Karmann was chosen to perform the transformation. However, when Porsche instead decided to pursue the Targa design, chassis no. 13360 was subsequently used to trial and develop the iconic roll bar. An incredible piece of…

A Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS, which was laid up for over ten years, has been discovered in France by renowned independent specialist, Autofarm. Part of an impressive collection of Neunelfers that had sat idle for nearly a decade, the original Rennsport only resurfaced when the widow of the original owner passed away last year. This led to an 11-month negotiation period that, now finished, has seen the UK-based specialist finally acquire the Touring spec car. Originally Sepia brown, the now Gulf orange 2.7 RS competed in the Tour Auto and Corsica’s Rallye des 10,000 Virages 20 years ago, before going into hibernation. After completing the car’s purchase, Autofarm proprietor Mikey Wastie had originally intended to lightly recommission the 2.7 RS in France before driving it back to the UK.…

Modular matters Dear Sir, There is no doubt that the main news story in the last issue of your fine magazine (issue 148) has ruffled the feathers of a fair few Porsche 911 enthusiasts. After all, announcing that the next 911 could share its chassis with a mid-engined car is nothing short of sacrilegious (depending on your outlook). Does this mean we’re going to see the end of the truly rear-engined Porsches? Well, if the flat-six engine does indeed move forward, it would ape the move on the latest RSR. I know that Dr Steffen Walliser has been on the record to state that the road cars will not follow suit but you always have to take what senior management says with a pinch of salt, especially in this day…

That Ferry Porsche was a visionary is not in doubt – the Gmünd coupe was, after all, the sports car he built himself because he couldn’t find anything else like it. But he was also a consummate delegator. So he surrounded himself with like-minded individuals like Albert Prinzing, a brilliant economist who would later occupy top posts in German industry. Prinzing advised Ferry on finance and masterminded the whole Porsche sales operation at a time when the banks would not lend to the firm. Another Ferry recruitee was Richard von Frankenberg, a former motorcycle racer and reporter who took on the role of press communications and advertising: “Ferry was very suspicious of advertising, preferring personal contact,” says Archive manager Dieter Landenberger. “He was therefore happy to delegate it.” Von Frankenberg…

Across the diverse world of Porsche, there are many varied motivations that drive the desire for 911 ownership. Throughout the marque’s long history, Porsche 911’s have been raced, rallied, collected, adored and used as daily transport. And, of course, modified. No other car enjoys such a diverse range of sub genres and sometimes, they don’t all see eye to eye. For every owner who loves to detail their car and win Concours awards, there is another who thinks nothing could be better than sitting on a rally stage startline as the marshal calls “three, two, one!” before launching through a forest stage collecting stone chips. For others, the combat of motorsport is an obvious path to take in enjoying the 911. But there has been no Porsche genre that has…

Under the Volkswagen Group banner, Porsche has signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see it become partner in a new project intended to create the highest-powered vehicle charging network across Europe. In an unprecedented collaboration, Porsche will be partnered in the joint venture by BMW, Daimler, Ford and VW stablemate, Audi. Like its associates, Porsche is currently pushing ahead with plans to launch a fully electric car before the end of the decade (while the next-generation 911 range is expected to be bolstered by a hybrid variant) and the plan to construct a comprehensive charging network is a move designed to encourage mass market EV adoption. Planning to provide power levels of up to 350kW – significantly faster than the current range of public charging systems – the manufacturer-backed…

New 911 RSR tests at Daytona Porsche test the new, mid-engined 911 RSR ahead of its debut at the 2017 season opener Following the unveiling of their latest LM-GTE class contender at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Porsche’s GT team has undertaken testing of the 911 RSR ahead of its race debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona on 28-29 January. We revealed in-depth details of the new car in Issue 141 but to recap, the latest RSR features a 4.0-litre normally aspirated engine located ahead of the rear axle. The mid-engined layout is a result of rule changes in 2016 that allowed teams to increase downforce levels via a larger rear diffuser, something that Porsche can now take advantage of thanks to moving the engine forward. With a striking…

If we told you the genesis of Porsche’s racing 911s wasn’t the iconic ‘R’, nor the even more fabled 2.7 RS, would you believe us? No? You’re going to think our marbles are well and truly AWOL then, if we assert that it was actually the humble 911T, introduced into Porsche’s line-up for the 1968 model year, that ultimately began the ascent of Stuttgart’s rear-engined sports car to motorsport stardom. Your eyebrows may well be raised but it only takes a quick peek at period race results to see the 911T was often one of the top performing Neunelfers, taking class wins at Le Mans and the Tour de France Auto (among other major events) during the late 1960s. How could it be though that the entry-level Porsche, complete with…

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a car like this crops up. Of course, it is not unusual for Total 911 to showcase delightfully rare Porsche exotica – it’s all part of fulfilling our duty as the only magazine in the world dedicated to the 911 sports car. What is unusual, however, is for such a car to hail from the Porsche factory itself. Our pictures show you what appears to be a 993 Speedster, itself a very rare car indeed (it is alleged Porsche made only two through its ‘Special Wishes’ programme, with one known to be built for Ferry Porsche and the other for Jerry Seinfeld). However, that only tells half the story here, with clues to be found chiefly in that timely Amethyst paintwork and…

Lee Sibley Bournemouth, UK Model 996.2 Carrera 4 Year 2004 AcquiredFebruary 2016 @lee_sibs In case you don’t recognise it, the gleaming Basalt black 996 C4 above is the same car that’s previously been known to belong to your humble Total 911 Editor. You may remember last issue I dropped it off at Poole Accident Repair, one of just 15 Porsche Approved elite repairers in the UK, for a renovation of its tired exterior. We’d sanded down the bodywork for painting and scotched the headlights, but in the weeks since, the car has been totally transformed. Let’s start with the headlights, which after thorough treatment with a mini DA and ultra-fine sand discs, received a healthy layer of lacquer before curing. Back in situ between the bumper, bonnet and front wings,…

Political and economic turbulence during the summer meant that 2016 proved something of an uncertain time for those involved in the buying and selling of cars. To many observers it seemed like the 911 market was slowing, but was that true and what does 2017 hold for those wanting a 911? “Look at the Porsche Indices from HAGI [the classic car investment data produced by the Historic Automobile Group International],” says RPM Technik’s Sales Manager, Greig Daly, “and it shows that Porsche prices had been rising during 2016, which is good news for the market. And while things were certainly steadier than in 2015, we saw a definite pick up as the year went on since the turmoil last summer.” It’s a view that’s broadly echoed by John Hawkins from…