Indholdsfortegnelse for No. 235 i Total 911

A de-winged GT3 RS with manual gearbox, lightweight flywheel and short-ratio gearbox. For many, such a sentence would neatly describe their ideal, fantasy Porsche 911. Yet this is no fantasy. With the new 992 Porsche 911 S/T, such a specification has become gorgeous, unbridled reality. This issue allows you to soak up every detail on the new car, as well as a definitive history of the original S/T. There are a couple of key facts that were left unsaid from the new S/T’s launch, however, which are worth pointing out. The first is there will be no ‘60 Jahre’ 911. Although the new S/T isn’t badged as an ‘Anniversary’, unlike the 30th, 40th and 50th Anniversary 911s of decades prior, Porsche has made it clear that the S/T is a…

It is well-established now that Porsche’s survival can be attributed, in no small part, to Wendelin Wiedeking inviting Japanese kaizen practitioner Chihiro Nakao to sort out the company’s production inefficiency. Overly complex, non-standardised parts; an inventory of 28 days’ stock; Nakao’s remark “A terrible plant, but there is hope”; and the company’s subsequent adoption of the famous Toyota Production System offer a perfect example of how a failing business can be turned around. It’s one that’s still referenced in countless business texts to this day. In the early 1970s, long before Nakao set foot in the Porsche factory, another significant Japanese visitor had been to Stuttgart. Shunsaku Tamiya from Tamiya Model Company had asked Porsche if he could view the build process on its 934 race car. It wasn’t Tamiya’s…

Stymied financially to a worrying extent by the Arab oil price hike of the early 1970s and the subsequent recession, Porsche needed to adapt and – to an extent -re-launch. There had been talk of replacing the 911 altogether with the 928 – but, thankfully, sensible thinking won out. Accordingly in 1974, while essentially retaining the same timeless profile, the Porsche model line changed to the more marketable 911, 911S, and 911 Carrera. It was still a sensational car, but now a more mature, refined version: taut, smooth and brimming with vitality, with greater performance power permanently available. It had a longer wheelbase, tougher bumpers, and a robust, powerful engine with a top speed of 130mph. There were significant engine changes for sales to the USA. In 1974 the engine…

Boom time for bespoke 911s Several Porsche specialists have revealed bespoke 911s over recent weeks, suggesting an increased appetite for unusual creations… The reimagined 911 is certainly nothing new – and yet the Porsche world never fails to impress with fresh ways to reinvent the cars we know and love. One of the longest-serving creators of bespoke 911s isn’t so much a Porsche specialist as a manufacturer in its own right. RUF shot to fame in the 1980s when its first CTR – the Yellowbird – became one of the world’s fastest production cars. The family-owned Bavarian powerhouse has long since been a benchmark for 911 engineering excellence – and its latest offerings, revealed at The Quail during August’s Monterey Car Week, are no exception. Described as a celebration of…

Could this be peak 911? Certainly, the specification for the new 911 S/T suggests so. Porsche has done here what it’s always done well: curating elements from a number of already special cars, and gathering them under a different badge. This time the badge is S/T: a nod to Porsche’s pre-RS S/T racers, which were produced in the early 1970s for people to take racing. Porsche took the then-biggest-engined model, the S, added parts from the simpler T range, and applied some racing department magic to create a highly competitive racer. While GT department boss Andreas Preuninger states of the new S/T, “It’s a car for the street; it’s set up to be fun at road speeds,” it follows that original S/T recipe, taking the 525hp 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six…

It’s a favourite occupation in our house on a wet Sunday afternoon: crank up the log-burner, uncork a bottle of red, bring down the crate of maps, and plan the next 911 road trip. We have a simple rule: no idea is too crazy to at least consider, especially when the wine is flowing. When I suggest Iceland, though, Iris’ initial reaction is understandable. “Really? But this would be for Total 911, right? Not Total Extreme Off-Roader…?” A fair point. But, like many Malbec-fuelled ideas, the more objections that are put up, the more attractive it somehow becomes. Vague notions of a car ferry from Scotland are soon dispelled. If you want to take your own car to Iceland, there is only one way to do it – and that’s…

Nick Jeffery Surrey, UK @npjeffery @npjeffery Model 991.1 GTS Year 2015 Acquired AUGUST 2022 Model 997.1 GT3 Year 2007 Acquired NOVEMBER 2019 It has been a busy month again since my last column. I attended the Flat Six Show at Goodwood and found myself reunited with my first Porsche: a seal grey 996 Carrera 4S! In January 2020 I sold the car to Paragon, who did an excellent job as always, fully refurbishing the car prior to sale, including a total respray. The car is now on its second owner since then, and looked simply stunning parked up by the pits, totally belying its age and its 103,000 miles! It was great to see it again – and…

One of the interesting features of Le Mans is that it is one of the few opportunities private teams had to race against works teams. Today, the vast expense and sophistication of racing at this level mean that such teams are professional, but it was not always so. In the 1970s, Group 5 and 6 sports car racing was dominated by turbocharged 911s, the 934 and 935. These off-the-shelf, relatively uncomplicated racing cars offered well-heeled amateurs with $150,000 to spare the chance to compete at the top level – and where better than at Le Mans? The 1979 edition was a case in point – and the pleased-looking trio in the picture almost pulled off the first victory for a private Porsche team. On the left is Californian hopeful and…

Dry ice-blasting: is it worth it? Dear Sir, Ice-blasting is a new fashion among detailers and their customers alike – but according to some, it does more damage than good. Porsches used to come out of the factory with a layer of (arguably not terribly pretty) Cosmoline - an ugly-looking veneer over the metal parts that protects the metal from corrosion. People have taken to removing (by ice-blasting) the Cosmoline off their cars’ undersides, thus removing the protective layer applied by the factory. I’m not sure this is a good phenomenon. Also, cars without Cosmoline raise questions about their authenticity and the level of any repairs or crash damage that may have been fixed. I appreciate that the stock undercarriage may be ugly, but it is as the Porsche engineers…

The roots of the original 911 S/T can be traced right the way back to near the start of 911 production. The advent of the ‘B series’ 911 (1968) opened up more possibilities for Porsche’s race engineers: the longer wheelbase and scope to use the wider competition tyres that were available would do much to improve the 911’s circuit handling. But while the production cars had a capacity of 1,991cc, Porsche could not build a bigger racing engine. This in part explains a period of intensive development of the flat six where, over four years, no fewer than four new production capacities would come off the production line. Since Vic Elford’s legendary inaugural victory at Lydden Hill in 1967, the 911 had enjoyed a very successful rallying career, scoring three…

Porsche 930 S road test See what you think,” says Harry Metcalfe, the owner of this 930 Turbo S. Harry’s one of us, having set up the magazine Evo back in the day. The farmer, turned journalist and publisher, turned YouTube channel presenter on Harry’s Garage (and still farmer), has got it bad for 911s. At agricultural college, his textbooks on animal husbandry and crop rotation were joined by an anomalous copy of Paul Frère’s seminal book Porsche 911 Story. Harry’s particular interest was the 930. With a Lamborghini Countach and a Ferrari Testarossa occupying one of his farm buildings, the 930 is the 1980s hat-trick for the Athena poster generation. Harry has had a number of interesting 911s, but the 930 Turbo’s always been the car that’s resonated with…

Data file Full specs, ratings and market values of every Porsche 911 model from 1963 to 2023 can be found starting on page 80 Plus Showroom Looking for a new 911? The classifieds from our independent specialist partners are the first place where you should start your search Servicing & tuning Get the very best from your Porsche 911 with the help of our selected performance and maintenance specialists Porsche lifestyle Helping you make the right lifestyle choices to complement you and your 911. Don’t just drive Porsche: live the brand Insurance & finance Get your Porsche covered with the best insurance deals for road and track to ensure happy, safe motoring…