Innehållsförteckning för No. 144 från Total 911

“Breaking the £100k mark now offers the most choice” While we’re well known at Total 911 for mega tests of Turbos, Rennsports and Carreras, as well as our annual collectors series, it’s important to assess the Porsche field from the perspective of a certain budget, too. This is because the 911’s dexterous model lineup can throw up some surprising choices for consideration (see the picture above!) and, of course, some models offer better value than others. So, why £100,000 we hear you ask? The answer is twofold. First of all, if you sit down to discuss the purchase of any new 911 Carrera derivative at your OPC of choice, you’ll quickly realise how easy it is for the total sum to reach six-figures once you’ve specced your desired options. This…

The ex-Dick Barbour Racing 935, driven by Paul Newman, Rolf Stommelen and Dick Barbour to second overall at the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, sold for $4.8 million (£3.6 million) at Gooding & Company’s 2016 Pebble Beach Concours auction. Part of the annual Monterey Car Week, the prestigious sale saw a number of ‘blue chip’ 911s on offer, with the hammer falling on the Hawaiian Tropic-liveried car firmly within its estimate. Many of the other 911s at Gooding’s sale (renowned for attracting new auction records) were not so successful though, as many Porsche lots failed to make their lower estimates. Among this number was a 964 Turbo S 3.6 Flachbau, expected to fetch over $1,400,000, that sold for a still respectable $1,100,000 (£840,000) and a rare, one-of-one, Irish green…

The simple joy of driving Dear Sir, I enjoyed reading Lee’s ‘Living the Legend’ entry in issue 142 describing his Scotland tour. I agree with him that there is a lot to be said for driving what may be a more ‘ordinary’ 911 across the exciting roads of Britain (most of them found in the quieter areas of the country). This year I had a great time in Wales in particular, driving the B4518 up from Rhayader through the centre of the country before enjoying the Elan Valley perimeter road. I drove the latter on a sunny weekend in May, which proved a bit busy, but a return visit during the week provided a better day to enjoy the car and the road itself. My circular route took me right…

911E 2.4 Forget the 911S, the 2.4E offers up all the classic Neunelfer thrills you’ll ever want Model 911E 2.4 Capacity 2,341cc Power 167hp @ 6,200rpm 0-62mph 7.5 secs Production numbers 4,406 Lowest current value £85,000 Highest current value £129,000 Driving a 2.4-litre Porsche 911E, you’d never guess that it was, in the current market, nearly half the cost of its more illustrious S-badged brother. In fact, of all the cars assembled for our £100,000 showdown, the 2.4E possibly represents the best value for money when put in the context of its peers. E and F-Series examples of the 911S currently seem to sit somewhere between £150,000 and £200,000, while an entry-level 2.4T (a far lesser Neunelfer) would unburden your wallet by only £20,000 or so compared to the Einspritz.…

“The changes for the Gen2 997 C2 began at the back where the chain-driven 3.6-litre flat six boasted improvements in both power and torque” Ever since the 964 arrived back in 1989, there has been a decision to make before signing on the dotted line for a new Neunelfer, and that’s whether to choose a car driven by two wheels or four. Capable as it is, the latter usually brings with it a penalty in terms of weight and complexity, so if all-weather security isn’t a priority and you prefer an arguably purer 911 experience, then rear-wheel drive it is. Fast forward 20 years and that decision brings us to the 997 Carrera 2 in Gen2 form, a model launched for the 2009 model year and one that was to…

For the enthusiast, a car is defined among other features by its exhaust note. TVR is one of the best examples of this. The mass manufacturers historically fitted the cheapest mild steel pipes they could obtain and this gave rise to a huge aftermarket for companies like Peco or Speedwell, which sold chromed tailpipes and larger bore stainless steel componentry in their hundreds of thousands to owners seeking more noise and (often misguidedly) performance. At Porsche, things were slightly different. The rear engine meant the exhaust was much shorter and more convoluted and the 911’s exhaust, like the rest of the car, was properly engineered to duct away waste gases without compromising performance. Few Porsche fans complained that 1970s or 1980s 911s were not loud enough! Indeed, the apogée of…

Porsche Exclusive’s latest creation has been unveiled at the Nürburgring’s annual Oldtimer Grand Prix. The latest in a succession of limited edition 911s built during the Exclusive department’s 30th anniversary year, the new 911 Targa 4S Exclusive Design Edition represents one of their more reserved offerings. Most of the Targa 4S Design Edition’s visual appeal comes from its Etna blue paintwork. Originally a standard colour for the 356B in 1960-61, the hue is a perfect match for the retro-styled Targa bodyshell that returned to the 911 in 2014. Using the turbocharged 991.2 Targa 4S, the new car eschews performance upgrades for a number of aesthetic touches from the Exclusive department instead. The model badges on the decklid and roll hoop are painted in the solid body colour (as is the…

USCC success once again slips through Porsche’s fingers Porsche returns to battling at the sharp end but goes winless at Elkhart Lake thanks to high drama late drama in the race After a barren season in the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship so far, Porsche North America Racing’s fortunes seemed on course to change at Elkhart Lake, only to see its winless streak extend to five races when Nick Tandy was spun out of the lead battle with just three laps to go. The US factory squad last visited victory lane back in April at Long Beach but, after a succession of poor races (many of them due to a raft of unfavourable BoP changes), the 911 RSRs were back on form at Road America as Patrick Pilet qualified the no.…

If I told you that one of Porsche’s most iconic cars arrived at its motor show debut more than 40 years ago fitted with wooden components, would you believe me? It may be a far cry from the polished concept cars seen at today’s auto expos, but this particular Neunelfer’s introduction to the world was far from ignominious. The 1973 IAA in Frankfurt was the first chance for the public to see the new impact-bumper 911 but talk around Porsche’s stand wasn’t about these newly festooned Neunelfers. Instead, it was a show-stopping prototype that had captured the attention of passers-by. Visually, it was hardly a surprise. Starting life as a 911 2.4S chassis, Dick Soderberg’s team in the Porsche design studio had fitted flared front and rear RSR-style arches and…

Despite values changing on an almost monthly basis in the current market, there are still ways to experience the magic of the Porsche 911 without substantial investment. The answer for many buyers is a 996 or Gen1 997 fitted with the M96 and M97 engine respectively, yet while these cars offer terrific performance for the money, there’s also plenty of extra potential just waiting to be unlocked. And no matter which aspect of your car you’d like to improve, there’s an absolute wealth of choice out there. It needn’t be a prohibitively expensive exercise, either; whether you’re looking to spend a few hundred or a few thousand pounds, you can make changes and adjustments to the engine, exhaust, brakes, and suspension that will transform the way your cherished Porsche 911…

“Porsche Motorsport developed the 996 GT3 RS Road Challenge specifically for the Belgian Championship” It must have seemed like a brilliant idea: a one-make national rally championship using 911s. Certainly, the director of Porsche Motorsport, Harmut Kristen, was not alone in thinking so – after all, Porsche wouldn’t even have to design a car: the template already existed in the shape of a specially built 996 GT3 that Walter Röhrl had driven to great acclaim as the ‘hare’ in the 2001 Deutschland Rally. As was later revealed, this car was the very first GT3 off the line in 1999, and it was kept by the factory and later turned into a rally demonstrator by the Motorsport department. The man behind the one-make scheme was Belgian Gérard Magniette, an entirely plausible…

The 911R was developed out of a need to go quicker; to go racing. But the Porsche factory was slow off the start line to develop a hot version of the 911. Only in 1965 did the factory field a works 911 in the Monte Carlo Rally. Prior to 1965 it was left to privateers to fly the 911 flag and they continued to do so thereafter, with Günter Klass winning the European GT Rally Championship in 1966, and Eberhard Mahle the European Hill Climb Championship. 1966 proved to be a good year, as Jacques Dewez and Jean Kerguen secured a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in their 911S which, incredibly, they drove both to and from the track. Then came the 911R, the brainchild of…

Serendipity, they call this. It is the hottest day of the year in Britain, the 911’s on-board thermometer showing a scorching 34.5o C, and your favourite automotive magazine team are out on road test with a delectable double of 991.2 Carrera Cabriolets. Basking in the sun’s intense glare, both 911s are topless, their four-panel roofs stowed neatly under the curvatures of their respective posterior. I can’t help but feel lucky to call this ‘work’. Aside from the favourable bright sunshine beating down on Josh, my Features Editor, and I, our 991.2 Carreras are delivering the full accoutrement of the 911’s traditional Cabriolet experience, namely a positively visceral auditory of the hard-working internal combustion engines behind us. In 991.2 guise this means that, as an overtone to the snarling and popping…

Tony McGuiness San Diego, USA Model 997.2 GT3 RS Year 2011 Acquired February 2011 Model 991 GT3 Year 2015 Acquired December 2014 Nowhere in the world has a car culture like Southern California. Cars are a necessity in this part of the world. Without one, getting around is very much a hardship. While this part of the globe has a form of public transport for all intents and purposes it is very limited in its geographical reach and only serves a small percentage of the population. Unfortunately, the reality is that most people who live here would never ride public transport unless they absolutely had to. Unfortunately, it’s a sad fact of this car-mad society. Because the region is so expansive, cars in Southern California are simply a way of…

We’ve caught RPM Technik’s sales director, Greig Daly, reminiscing: “I remember being sat at a table five years ago and one of my partners said, ‘3.2s will never go up.’” The tide has well and truly turned though, with RPM currently selling a 3.2 for close to £50,000; that exact car was last in the specialist’s showroom in 2012 when Daly sold it for £25,000. Despite being built in significant numbers, an abundance of 3.2 Carreras hasn’t dented its investment potential. So could the equally popular 996 Carrera eventually hit similar heights? What once seemed far fetched now doesn’t seem so crazy according to Daly and Autofarm co-owner, Mikey Wastie. “Ultimately, I think there are 996 Carreras that could reach £50,000, but that would probably be for a special car,”…

Essential info LOCATION: Rouen, France COORDINATES: 49.3354 N, 1.012 E TOTAL LENGTH OF DRIVE: 6km POINTS OF INTEREST: Rouen Cathedral; Jardin des Plantes de Rouen www.rouen.fr/jardindesplantes FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION: Hotel de Bourgtheroulde www.hotelsparouen.com, L’Auberge de la Pomme www.laubergedelapomme.com You’d think that the site of Porsche’s solitary Grand Prix success would be easily identifiable. Today, all that marks the old Rouen-Les-Essarts track is a bus stop sign near to where the start-finish line used to be. But you can still follow in Dan Gurney’s wheel tracks; the circuit may not exist but the public roads can still be driven. Situated between Calais and Le Mans, you want to be heading east along the N138 in order to drive most of the track. Take the slip off onto the D938 (the…