Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 157 i Total 911

“Porsche had seen enough, and is switching to all-electric racing in Formula E” Well, we saw it coming, didn’t we. Those who read my editor’s notes from issue 155 will recall my questioning of the validity of an overall victory in the 2017 Le Mans 24-Hours, when in reality the fragile LMP1 class fell apart. While I’d like to think the hierarchy at Porsche were dialed in to my comments from two issues ago, the reality was the writing was on the wall the moment the chequered flag was waved at La Sarthe back in June (above). Porsche had seen enough, and is switching out of the WEC in favour of all-electric racing in Formula E. Porsche says plans for its move to Formula E are already some way down…

It is just before 5am in downtown Los Angeles, and the roads are quiet. The sun is yet to rise: only the gentle glow of street and traffic lights punctuate the darkness. It won’t be long until these metropolitan roads get busy and the City of Angels galvanises itself for another day (this will come before any sunlight) but for now it seems the entire district is fast asleep. All, of course, except for one of DTLA’s more well-known incumbents, Magnus Walker. Magnus is up and ready to rock for an early morning rendezvous with Total 911. Our early start was suggested by the Urban Outlaw to make a clean exit from the city and reach his favourite twisties by the time first light breaks. The ‘twisties’ in question are…

APorsche marketing poster, released at the time of the 996 Carrera 4S Cabriolet launch in 2002, states ‘The hours a Porsche spends parked. You don’t get those back.’ It’s a wonderful piece of advertising that should perhaps make a comeback, given the propensity today among buyers to acquire a 911 and then park it in the hope of making a buck some day in the distant future. Historically speaking, the concept of a Porsche being left motionless for a prolonged period of time isn’t unheard of, though more often than not this was due to financial burden, not investment. The 911 just wasn’t as valuable a sports car as today’s markets would have you believe. If a used example developed a major problem, this could easily signal the end of…

Considering the popularity of the Porsche brand in the States today, it is incredible to think the company managed to keep traction with buyers at all. As we know, the territory has been endlessly denied some of Zuffenhausen’s best 911s over a sustained period of time. This curious facet to Porsche’s history began with the notable omission of the company’s first 911 Rennsport in 1973. This was before the design of Butzi’s evocative creation spawned impact bumpers for all models worldwide, to satisfy US safety standards, in 1974. Even then, the top spec, G-series Carrera lost 35bhp and its manual fuel injection in favour of a K-Jetronic system, in what was Porsche’s first major Stateside revision in the face of strict emissions regulations. Then, while the rest of the world…

First introduced on the 964 in 1989, the Porsche 911’s power steering has traditionally been hydraulically assisted. This system forces fluid to help turn the steering, thanks to pistons within the rack itself. The fluid is pressurised by an engine-driven pump. Moving to the 991, Porsche changed to a full electric-assist system developed in conjunction with ZF. The new system uses an electric motor, mounted on top of the rack, to help force the steering around when the steering wheel is turned, thanks to a second pinion gear. Compared to the hydraulic system, the 991’s EPAS is much simpler. It removes the need for an engine-driven pump and the rear-to-front plumbing needed to force the pressurised fluid to the steering rack. Moreover, the electric motor doesn’t use any power from…

The 2.7RS is an icon in itself. However, the rear of the 2.7RS plays home to an iconic design that’s gone on to shape the world of motoring creativity since. The ‘bürzel’, or ducktail, that sits atop the engine lid is widely credited as being the first rear spoiler fitted to a production road car, stemming from Ernst Fuhrmann’s desire for racing success. Porsche had already proved the aerodynamic worth of fitting a front air dam to the Neunelfer, but the job of taming handling behaviour at the rear fell to young engineer and aerodynamicist, Tilman Brodbeck, who would go on to head Porsche Exclusiv. Working under the watchful eye of Helmuth Bott, he developed the famous ducktail profile. While it looked remarkably simple, the work involved in perfecting it…

Singer reimagines the flat six Collaboration with Williams yields 500hp air-cooled engine Singer Vehicle Design has taken its re-imagination of the 911 another step further by revealing a new 4.0-litre, 500hp engine after linking up with Formula 1 supremos Williams engineering. The vastly reworked air-cooled engine, which has four valves per head, four cam shafts and revs to a heady 9,000rpm, bears the fruit of Singer’s collaboration with Williams to achieve a new level of design that it says focuses on ‘high performance and lightweight services’. Additionally, the new engine project has been overseen by one Hans Mezger, the famed Porsche engine designer and engineer assigned as a technical consultant. Singer’s modified flat six features innovative side window intakes flowing air into a carbon fibre airbox, dual oil circuits, a…

What’s in your race car? Dear Sir, Please can you pass this on to your ‘Living the Legend’ racing driver, Richard Higgins? I read in Total 911 issue 154 about your 996 race car. I run a 997.1 Carrera S in the French Porsche Club Championship. My question is: where did you put the oil cooler on your car? Is the oil temperature really decreased? Oil temperature on my 997 reaches 125-degrees Celsius, especially when very hot on our southern tracks here in France. Many thanks guys, keep going on the best Porsche magazine! Jean Pierre Le Coq Richard says: The oil system consists of a take-off plate to our specification that bolts on to where the standard laminar cooler is fitted on the engine. This is tapped one side…

The story behind the 997.1 C4S Subjecting the 996 C4S to our Porsche Index microscope in Issue 155 revealed a Neunelfer that’s not only highly desirable with a strong reputation amongst marque experts, but one that represents terrific value. But, for some buyers the degree of baggage attached to the 996 generation proves too much to ignore, making its successor the logical next step. By any measure Porsche played a blinder with the 997, its arrival in 2004 rapidly restoring Zuffenhausen’s reputation for quality and reliability. What we’re interested in here though is the C4S that was introduced for MY2006. According to our expert specialists – Jason Shepherd from Paragon Porsche and RSJ’s Darren Street – bagging a very good example of the Coupe requires parting with around £35,000 (you’ll…

“This is pure RS territory in the way Sharkwerks’ 964 is appealing to the senses” As we now know, the 964 Rennsport never did make it to the United States, the territory instead having to make do with the divisive credentials of the 964 RS America. However, some 25 years after its release, there could now be a 964 worthy of the RS moniker finally gracing Stateside roads, courtesy of one of Total 911’s most respected Porsche modifiers, Sharkwerks. Over the last 15 years Sharkwerks has carved out an envious reputation as one of the world’s leading tuners of modern, water-cooled Neunelfers, the pinnacle of which was the 4.1-litre 997.2 GT3 RS (our cover star of issue 122). More recently though, the ingenious quartet of Alex, Dan, James and Joan…

911s in the data file are organised in rows according to release date, beginning with the very first model in 1964. Many models were available in Coupe, Targa and Cabriolet forms, with the option of automatic transmission. Here, data has been provided from the Coupe variants unless stated. All data here has been compiled, where possible, from Porsche’s own figures. General valuations This reflects the general market trend for a model’s used value compared to the previous financial quarter. The review for Q4 will be September 2017. The review for 2017 Q2 was June. Ratings Each model is rated out of five in ourhalf-star system according to their performance, handling, appearance and desirability.…

Porsche to leave WEC’s LMP1 class in November Weissach announces switch to Formula E for 2018/19 season Porsche has announced it is withdrawing from LMP1 competition after the final 2017 race in Bahrain. The November race will be Porsche’s swansong before it turns its attentions to participating in Formula E from 2018/19. The decision was made in a board meeting at the end of July, when Porsche opted to realign its motorsport direction in line with its ‘Strategy 2025’, which sees the company develop fully-fledged GT vehicles, plus pure-electric sports cars. Porsche’s withdrawal means Toyota is the soul manufacturer competing in the WEC’s forlorn LMP1 prototype class as of next season. In a statement, Porsche’s Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development, said: “Entering Formula E…

It is ironic that in the week Porsche delivered to me a 991.2 Carrera GTS for testing, the UK government announced it is to ban the sale of all internal combustion-engined vehicles by 2040, following in the footsteps of our French governmental comrades which introduced an identical deadline for the final sales of gasoline-powered cars. Meanwhile, Porsche itself has been busy making significant inroads towards production of electric-only sports cars, recently announcing it is to pull out of the WEC LMP1 class in favour of a venture into the electric-only Formula E racing series. This is part of its motorsporting mission to develop sports cars of the future. There’s no question the end is nigh for the internal combustion engine then, and therefore the motor vehicle as we know it.…

“No fripperies, no unnecessary distractions – just vital information for the driver and nothing more” Dashboard instruments rarely merit much in the way of thought by drivers. They are simply there to do a job: imparting information and warnings. While every car maker has their own take on the arrangement, Zuffenhausen’s approach has been rather more individual. No other manufacturer can claim to have retained broadly the same design for more than half a century – the clarity and logic of the layout standing as a testament to function over form. No fripperies, no unnecessary distractions – just vital information for the driver and nothing more. Aside from 901 prototypes that featured a pair of large dials, the five-dial layout adopted by production 911s reflected Porsche’s racing heritage and engineering…

2.7 RS BROTHERS IN ARMS Learn the difference between the Touring and its Lightweight brethren 911T IN THE FAMILY Incredible story of the one-owner 1969 911T… and why it’s time to sell PORSCHE’S FORGOTTEN RS The history of the forgotten Rennsport which paved the way for project 959…