Innehållsförteckning för August 2023 från Classic Porsche

SUBSCRIBE TO Classic PORSCHE SEE PAGE 108 FOR DETAILS SPORTWAGEN ECKERT MODEL 300 WRISTWATCH This new 44mm wristwatch from Porsche parts and accessories retailer, Sportwagen Eckert, features a face mimicking a classic 911 speedometer, complemented by a minute hand presented as a speedo needle in red. Thanks to its black finish and white tip, the hour hand is discreet, as is the all-black second hand. Housed in a screwed base with mineral glass, the automatic movement is produced by Miyota, a brand of mechanical and quartz watch movements manufactured by Citizen Watch Company. Waterproof to a depth of five metres and carrying a motorsport-style perforated leather strap with red stitching, this limited edition timepiece is delivered in a “leather box” and is the latest addition to Sportwagen Eckert’s popular…

Buying a Porsche of any age is an exciting experience, but if you’re attempting to secure ownership through auction, then it’s essential to be able to place a bid unhindered. You’re unlikely to experience problems if you’ve taken up residence in the auction hall on the day of sale, but if you’re bidding remotely, then a variety of influencing factors can take the shine off what should be an enjoyable pursuit. For example, you could be monitoring the auction by cell phone, meaning intermittent network coverage could be the difference between a triumphant win and losing out on your dream drive. Alternatively, a distracting fight between a group of drunk tramps might have broken out while you’re trying to place your bid as the close of sale draws near. Wait.…

It all started with a Special. Working as a salesman and mechanic at Seattle Sports Car, a Porsche and Volkswagen distributor in the Pacific Northwest, Gerard Carlton ‘Pete’ Lovely decided to build his own race car. He was not without experience of the genre – in the early 1950s, not long after his twenty-sixth birthday, following time in charge of a Jaguar XK120, the sandy-haired and genial Lovely raced a German Porsche, Italian Giaur and British Singer, chiefly in West Coast motorsport events. AT A FACTORY CEREMONY IN 1954, THE LOW-SLUNG RACER, NOW A BESPOKE BLUE AND WHITE, WAS HANDED OVER TO JOHN M. FOX JR Casting his lot with Volkswagen and Porsche, Lovely decided to build a car of his own to highlight the virtues of both brands. Seattle…

Sunny Silverstone Circuit. There’s a furious queue of traffic on every approach to TRAX, an event billed as Britain’s biggest performance car show. Early birds are already on site, setting up club displays, trade stalls and polishing their motors free of the dirt they’ve picked up en route to “the home of British motor racing”. A multi-marque gathering attracting owners, enthusiasts and industry specialists from far and wide, this annual party of automotive poke provides a good opportunity for fans of contrasting marques to see the modified sports machines taking up residence in different pockets of the automotive world. AS IT ROLLS INTO VIEW, IT’S CLEAR TO SEE DAVE HAMMOND’S 911 T RESTOMOD HAS ALL THIS AND MORE It is, of course, difficult for a car to make itself known…

As I’ve said in these pages many times before, there is an almost cult-like adoration of Porsche’s air-cooled sports cars, a love crystallised by Luftgekühlt, an annual celebration of Porsche’s air-cooled history. The name literally translates as ‘air-cooled’. Event organisers, Patrick Long and Howie Idelson, have staged several Luftgekühlt meetings around the world. At first, their intention was to bring together a few fans of vintage Porsches, but the idea quickly grew. Indeed, by the third event, more than 450 classic Porsches were on display, amounting to the biggest air-cooled Porsche show in the United States. Of course, the 964 Carrera RS America is a fine example of the air-cooled 911. In fact, this is a classic Porsche I have loved for a very long time. It’s so tasty, so…

Ferdinand Porsche’s first grandson, Ernst Piëch, was born on April 7th 1929. His father was Vienna lawyer, Anton Piëch. His mother was Louise Porsche, Ferdinand’s only daughter, sister of Ferry. Until 1943, Ernst lived with his family in Vienna, completing his education in the field of manufacturing engineering six years later. With the Piëch and Porsche families close, young Ernst had many opportunities to spend time with his famous grandfather, who he recalls in this exclusive account. THE TANK CONTINUED ON ITS WAY, BUT IT WAS A HUGE AND HEAVY VEHICLE PERCHED AT FORTY-FIVE DEGREES AND WE WERE INSIDE Ernst worked on Porsche’s post-war projects, including a tractor design for Allgaier, with which the Piëch and Porsche families rebuilt their business careers. In 1959, he married Elisabeth Nordhoff, daughter of…

Sometimes a pal forwards a photograph featuring a derelict Porsche or, worse, a group of derelict Porsches, buried in the undergrowth of some godforsaken wilderness. Your first thought is to wonder who would be insane (or callous) enough to abandon such gems. Your second thought is to determine whether any of the cars pictured are worth saving. IN TYPICAL OUTLAW MODE, THE BUMPERS ARE GONE AND SMALL PLATES COVER THE ASSOCIATED BOLT HOLES Fortuitously, for one such derry, Ian MacMath is a Porsche buff with the patience, resources and talent to resuscitate a neglected classic. Bearing in mind what it costs to restore any vintage vehicle, and regardless of market values, where do you draw the line and simply walk away? At what point does pragmatism kick in? As we’ll…

When Ferdinand Porsche and Albert Prinzing met New York-based European sports car importer, Max Hoffman, at the Paris Salon in October of 1950, they were well aware a powerful new personality was entering their world. “I was not one hundred percent for Porsches — I was a thousand percent for Porsches!” Hoffman announced. He was ready, willing and able to commit his considerable resources to the new 356’s success in America. PROMINENT ART CRITIC, FRANZ ROH, AUTHORED A SOMEWHAT WORDY INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPETITION BROCHURE Hoffman’s involvement came at a price, though — he was a never-ending source of comments, criticisms, suggestions and recommendations to the Porsche folks in Zuffenhausen, whether they liked it or not. As we now know, his deep enthusiasm for and knowledge of the car business…

Donald Hall’s Irish Green 912 is in beautiful condition. He and his wife bought the car as a Christmas gift to themselves following relocation from London to Manhattan in 2011. He’d owned a couple of 911s here in the UK, but unlike his wife, was unfamiliar with the four-cylinder ‘baby 911’. “She turned me on to 912s,” he admits. “When I relocated to the USA, which is where she hails from, we decided to start the search for a 912 to call our own.” After a year of looking, this one popped up on eBay. PROVIDING YOU’RE ACQUAINTED WITH CLASSIC CARS IN GENERAL, THE 912 IS AN UNCOMPLICATED VEHICLE TO DRIVE The car was being offered by a high-end classic car dealer in Connecticut. As Donald discovered, this particular seller…

For myriad reasons, the 959 is a remarkable car, not least because in rally trim, it can survive more than fourteen thousand kilometres in the deserts and savannahs of Africa without hesitation. The 959 in our pictures mastered the gruelling rally from France to West Africa in 1986. Its drivers, Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur, finished second behind the winning French team of René Metge and Dominique Lemoyne, who were driving an identical Porsche. The Ickx/Brasseur machine, however, is now ready to be driven once again. THERE WERE AROUND 18,000 KILOMETRES ON THE CLOCK OF THE ICKX/BRASSEUR 959 FOLLOWING THE 1986 PARIS-DAKAR The recommissioning has been carried out over the course of the past few months by the Porsche Heritage and Museum team, supported by their colleagues at Porsche Classic.…