Innehållsförteckning för No. 139 från Total 911

“What factors allow a customer to know a car is even coming to market?” Our cover car last issue, the new 911 R, stirred up a torrent of correspondence from many of you passionate Porsche enthusiasts all over the world, irate at one small yet crucial detail as to the car’s availability. Namely that, right from its launch, it wasn’t available at all. When the embargo on the R was lifted, Porsche Centres were inundated with excited if curious calls from customers wishing to put down a deposit and snap up a precious example of this limited-numbers 991. However, these calls were met with besmirched responses from staff who had to explain time and again to disappointed customers that allocation of the new 911 R was complete before details of…

R for “Really?” Dear Sir, I am a big Porsche fan from Sweden and I enjoy reading your magazine (which, by the way, is great). But lately things are happening which are not so great and it has caused me to wonder about the direction of Porsche’s future. Porsche is born on the track and is famous for its victories there. Not for its “driver involvement on the road.” I have had a number of Porsches over the years, using them to take part in track days as well as racing them for eight years in Porsche Club Sweden’s racing section. In the beginning, the cars were air-cooled with manual transmissions but lately I have made the switch to the latest PDK-equipped 911s. I now read about the Porsche “enthusiasts…

“From dead ahead, the front was certainly striking but the aesthetics made it more of an exotic oddity” Foot flat to the floor in third gear, I’m still waiting to make any meaningful progress around the high-speed test track, the location for today’s latest Total 911 drive. As the orange needle on the VDO tachometer sweeps past the 3,000rpm mark though, the whistling that had previously been but a mere mumble through the cockpit grows to a more pronounced shriek. The flat-six sound track swells, too, in unison, growling angrily as the aural experience combines with an old school dollop of single turbo boost. The pace has switched from ‘pedestrian’ to ‘brutal’ in the blink of an eye, the 911 Turbo galloping forward with indecent haste as the tree trunks…

It was bigger and heavier than the 997 GT3 but by heck did the 991 version make up for any dimensional issues. It arrived in 2013 sporting a naturally aspirated and direct injected 3.8-litre flat six, with 475hp and a race-ready 9,000rpm redline. It guaranteed searing performance with the 0-60mph benchmark dismissed in an organ-rearranging 3.5 seconds, and while not everyone was impressed with idea of PDK as the only transmission, it was mighty effective and featured an unusual ‘paddle neutral’ mode; pulling both paddles disconnected the two clutches and you could re-engage them at standstill or on the move with spectacular results. Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV Plus) took care of traction and there was electromechanical rear-wheel steering for supreme agility. Oh yes, and there was that recall business over…

One of the key benefits of a bespoke motorsport simulator is providing a cost-effective means for drivers to practise their trade. According to FIA WEC racer, Ben Barker – a driver coach for Position One Motorsports’ simulator – to get the most out of your time in the virtual cockpit, you need to have a clear plan of action. “A key factor of using a simulator is about having the right guidance,” Barker explains, “but the guidance is different for different people.” For example, thanks to the work Barker and Gulf Racing’s other drivers have put in developing the simulator’s realism, someone with less racing experience can use it to gain a basic understanding of car dynamics. However, for professional racers this is second nature, meaning that their work needs…

964 RS v 993 RS Ultimate air-cooled battle as the 3.6-litre 964 takes on the 3.8-litre 993 RS on our fast road head-to-head test GEMBALLA TURBO’D GT3 Lairy test drive in this crazy 996 Gen1 GT3 with 600hp and rear-drive only! TECHNICIANS’ TALK! Four long-standing technicians take you behind the scenes at a service centre HISTORY OF THE 911 SUSPENSION Know your LSA from your PASM with our full history of the 911 suspension…

At the launch of the new 911 R, Andreas Preuninger admitted the GT department had plans for more Weissach-fettled road cars before the 991 platform is grandfathered (expected to be in 2018). After the admission, Total 911’s spies in Sweden caught evidence of this on camera, spotting what we believe to be a new 911 GT2 RS undergoing winter testing. The test mule doesn’t give much away aesthetically thanks to the near standard 991.2 Turbo Gen2 bodyshell, however, there are a few clues that suggest this is the basis for the next widowmaker. The most obvious is at the rear where the prototype features a unique quad exit exhaust system. The setup is no doubt intended to help the heavily boosted GT2 engine breathe better and includes unusual perforated tips.…

Ahead of the 2016 Amelia Island auctions, Jerry Seinfeld’s collection, from which 17 cars – including seven Porsche 911s – were consigned to Gooding & Co’s auction, wracked up numerous column inches. However, when the final hammer dropped in Florida, there was no let up as the American comedian’s collection realised a total of $21.2 million (£14.7 million). While some observers felt that the collection as a whole under performed in the sales room, the same cannot be said of his Porsche 911s, which fetched a combined $5.8 million (£4 million). Leading the way was the genuine 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR IROC, selling for an incredible $2.31 million (£1.59 million), which is nearly double its original estimate price. It was one of three 911s from the Seinfeld collection to…

Porsche AG has revealed that 2015 marked the most successful fiscal year in the company’s esteemed history, with sales revenue hitting €21.5 billion (£17.1 billion), a rise of 25 per cent compared to the previous year. Operating profits also grew last year by 25 per cent to €3.4 billion (£2.6 billion), the fifth consecutive year in which Porsche has broken its own financial records. The figures are the result of a record-breaking year for sales at Zuffenhausen, with Porsche delivering more than 225,000 vehicles in 2015, a growth of 19 per cent. At the presentation of the financial reports, Chairman of the Executive Board, Oliver Blume, pointed out that these were “extraordinary results, even by Porsche’s standards.” As a result of the most successful year in the company’s history, Porsche…

When the email and accompanying pictures came through, I had to double take. At first the car on screen appeared to be a 964 RS N/ GT: with only 290 units ever produced, the car is a fairly rare find by Porsche standards, accounting for around 12 per cent of total 964 Rennsport production. However, I’d soon realise this isn’t an ordinary N/GT. An extra special and substantially rare sub-production model straight from Weissach, just 20 examples of this car were made, each finished in a different colour. Its story is both enthralling and peculiar (though positively credible), the sort of Porsche legend that perpetually excites both writers and readers of this fine publication, and the perfect start to our ‘rare 964s’ double bill for issue 139. First though, a…

Like the Sultan of Brunei, if you’re fabulously wealthy and an extreme automotive enthusiast, you can get Porsche to do almost anything (for a suitably excessive price). This was how, in 1983, Zuffenhausen came to build the very first flatnose 911 Turbo for Mansour Oijeh, head of TAG Group, the company putting its name to the Porsche-developed V6 engine used in McLaren’s Formula One campaign. Oijeh tasked the Exclusive department (at the time known as the ‘Sonderwunsch’ programme) with developing a street legal 935. However, when Rolf Sprenger – head of Porsche’s personalisation requests – realised that a 935 could not meet German road regulations, his team decided to modify a 930 instead, fitting an early 935-style rear wing and the ubiquitous Flachbau front end. Under the decklid, the Special…

“Reaching 0-60mph in under eight seconds and with a top speed of 140mph, almost no other volume production sports car could touch it” Announced at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, Porsche’s new Coupe, initially named prototype number 901, did not enter production for another year. Nevertheless, by early 1965, enthusiasts were already racing the standard 130bhp car, now renamed the 911, and Porsche’s thoughts turned to a tuned version. Porsche had defined the final shape of the 911 some time before it decided on the engine configuration. An air-cooled flat six rather than the 356’s flat four would clearly offer greater refinement and performance potential and, initially, technical director Hans Tomala proposed an overhead valve, wet sump arrangement, effectively an extension of Porsche’s VW-derived flat four. Fortunately, at this point…

“The rear of the RS squirms as the driver tucks its nose into the corner” I feel slightly jittery. This is, after all, a top-tier Porsche 911 endurance racer – and its owner has just made sure I’m properly strapped in with the six-point harness, handed me the steering wheel and quickly said, “Enjoy” as he shuts the wafer-thin door firmly; the high-pitched ping as it closes reverberates throughout the cabin. I flip the ignition switch to its middle position, press the red button above it, and then push the starter button to the left of the steering wheel. The flat-six engine turns immediately and instead of the usual engine noise, the naked race cabin is infiltrated by the rough and raw clack-clack-clacking sound of the flywheel as I test…

Essential info LOCATION: San Elijo Hills, San Marcos, California COORDINATES: 33°04’23.6”N 117°09’53.6”W TOTAL LENGTH OF DRIVE: 9 miles POINTS OF INTEREST: Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve, www.olivenhain.com/ elfin-forest-recreational-reserve FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION: Epoch Kitchen and Bar, 1231 Elfin Forest Road, San Marcos, CA 92078 www.epochkitchen.com; Cape Rey Carlsbad, a Hilton Resort, www.hilton.com Such are the number and quality of roads on offer in San Diego, it’s easy to wonder if the Great Roads in the county were designed for 911s. Porsche owners are spoilt for choice. Deciding which one to drive depends on your mood; are you up for a challenge or a leisurely meander? This lightly travelled, nine-mile road fits both bills and is hidden in the rolling hills east of the Pacific Ocean. It has 40 curves of varying difficulty…

Italian driving shoe craftsman, Piloti, has announced it is returning to the UK market with three distinct ranges: ‘Casual’, ‘Performance’ and ‘Luxury’. The former features the Prototipo and Spyder designs, which both feature the tyre tread sole rolled smoothly over at the heel with the ‘Roll Control’™ design to provide the perfect action when you’re working all three pedals at once. The Performance range is all about the FIA approved Competizione race boot, a high-cut lace-up boot with a single Velcro ankle strap. Available in a range of colours, it features a dynamic side profile design and reinforcement panels on the outside edges to provide protection when heel-and-toe downshifting. The Luxury range consists of three styles, led by the classic Officina, a traditional driving loafer featuring the signature tyre tread…

Works 911 RSR takes podium at 64th 12 Hours of Sebring US factory squad salvages third place at rain-affected endurance classic The no. 912 Porsche North America Racing crew continued their solid start to the WeatherTech United SportsCar Championship by securing their second successive podium of 2016, finishing third at the 12 Hours of Sebring after a faultless run in the demanding Floridian endurance event. However, like Daytona, there was more disappointment for the sister no. 911 entry after an accident forced it into retirement around the halfway mark. After focusing on race preparation during the 15-minute qualifying session, the two US factory Porsche 911 RSRs started towards the back of the GTLM field and were initially running on the fringes of the top five when rain started to fall…

“The engine is an immensely strong unit that, unless used for pounding endlessly around the Nordschleife, shouldn’t give any problems” The launch of the 991 version in 2013 marked the latest in a line of GT3-badged Neunelfers stretching back to the 996. The Mezger engine had gone and not everyone was happy with the PDK-only transmission but it was as beguiling to own and drive as ever. However, the car we’re interested in here, the second-generation 997 model, is considered by some observers to be the most accomplished of the breed. Launched in 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show and with a reassuringly high £82,000 price tag, it boasted more power and torque than the Gen1 GT3 and some very impressive performance numbers, including a 0-62mph sprint cut down to…

We drive up the cobbles into the square below the castle. Tourists stare fascinated, spurning the delights of dramatic Renaissance Schloss Wewelsburg for a moment as they contemplate two of Porsche’s finest from the early 1970s. Two red cars that, to the uninitiated, look similar. But we know different, and here’s why. We’ve come to Lippstadt, in north Germany, as guests of PS Automobile’s Dirk Sadlowski, a time-served Porsche enthusiast and racer who has created his own backdate, dubbed the S/T in appreciation of the 911 race car from 1970/71. He’s taken a pair of original 911s out of his showroom of road-race exotica for us to shoot, a 1973 2.7 Carrera RS Sport Lightweight and a 2.7 Carrera from 1975. But first of all, a bit of background to…

Divan Luzmore, founder and owner of GT Clubsport in Cape Town, runs and maintains most of the 911 Cup cars in the Western Cape. He gave us insights to the technical and engineering differences between the 996 Cup cars and this 996 RS: “Everything is designed to be stronger and to last longer – how it should be for an endurance race car. For instance there are, in some cases, more back-ups for certain systems compared to the Cup cars. Apart from the bodywork, which is wider to accommodate the larger wheel and tyre combination, you will notice that at the front the radiators have been turned. The airflow is different as the bumpers and radiators have been turned to minimise the chances of being punctured by stones or debris…

With PDK gearboxes now mandatory in the latest GT-badged 911s, Porsche enthusiasts have had to turn to early variants to get their self-shifting thrills. This has had a knock-on effect on the market, with values of 997 GT cars rocketing. The undisputed king of this rise has been the 997 GT3 RS 4.0, marketed by many specialists as the last manual performance 911. However, then Porsche decided to launch the 991 R, so has the RS 4.0 had its day? “Unless you would like to sell your RS 4.0 to me right now,” jokes Paragon Sales Executive, Jason Shepherd, “I think that if you have one of these cars it may be best to sit tight for a little while.” Shepherd doesn’t see any major movements in the RS 4.0…