Innehållsförteckning för No. 147 från Total 911

Most modern suspension upgrade kits tend to provide uprated coilover dampers, making them perfect for contemporary Porsche 911s. However, for owners of classic torsion bar-equipped 911s, these kits require a costly strut conversion in order to be fitted, something that KW Suspension’s latest dampers – specifically developed for G-Series cars – avoid. Using the firm’s well-proven Variant 3 dampers, the package works with the standard torsion bar setup to provide improved performance, helping to tame the sometimes daunting handling of classic Neunelfers. Developed and tested on an F1-grade, seven-post ‘shaker’ rig, the V3 dampers should function perfectly straight out of the box. At their heart is the KW’s patented valve technology, which allows you to separately adjust rebound and compression settings, enabling you to perfectly tune your G-Series 911’s handling…

Porsche has filed its Q3 results for 2016, with both worldwide vehicle deliveries and the company’s operating profit seeing significant increases. In the first nine months of the year, the Zuffenhausen manufacturer delivered 178,314 cars internationally, a three per cent rise over the same-period figures for 2015. Of this, the 911 accounted for 25,993 of the deliveries, the face-lifted 991.2 line-up helping increase Neunelfer numbers by five per cent compared to last year. Buoyed by strong sales, Porsche’s finances have gone from strength to strength – despite the ongoing fallout from the VW Group’s ‘dieselgate’ scandal. The manufacturer’s operating result has risen by 12 per cent to €2.9 billion, with an increased turnover of €16.5 billion. Having set out to increase its profit margin to 15 per cent in early…

1935 Birth of F.A. ‘Butzi’ Porsche Ferdinand Alexander Porsche III served an apprenticeship at Bosch and studied for two terms at Ulm Institute before joining the Porsche-Piëch family firm in 1957. He worked in various departments and under body engineer, Erwin Kommenda, who shaped much of the Beetle and 356. It was an interesting time: Porsche was seeking a replacement for the 356 just as design, not yet referred to as styling, was coming into its own. Ferry was pulled one way by Kommenda and another by his son. Butzi’s ideas won and an automotive icon was born. Butzi would also style the closed RS 61 racer and the 904, but his interest in design would take him beyond Porsche. In 1972, he returned to Austria and founded Porsche Design…

Blow up in Bergamo Dear Sir, It can be a very expensive business being father of the bride (but, of course, very enjoyable too). Halfway through my recent trip to Italy was not such an enjoyable time however. Just north of Florence the engine on my 997 blew up. There was a big bang from behind me followed by a cloud of oil smoke. We managed to coast into a lay-by behind a motorway service van, the driver of which called a low loader. Meanwhile, I got on the phone to the AA and my friend who had disappeared up the road. A little while later, the truck arrived at the same time as our friends in their AMG Merc coupe. After the AA approved the breakdown service, we squeezed…

“Many 2.7 Rennsports are consigned to the garages of exotic car collections, with few being driven in anger today” The history of the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera RS of 1973 is as lengthy as it is fascinating. Introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show in October 1972, it was a typical example of early 1970s motor trends, ushering in a brave new outlook on life, characterised by loud and colourful products. The RS was a motoring pioneer from launch, its illustrious reputation carried forward with distinction right to the present day, where it is regarded as one of Porsche’s most iconic 911s. It is remarkable, then, to think that initially Porsche was worried about selling even the first batch of 500 cars: in their calculation of expected market…

“The 997 GT3 RS 4.0 is a car intended to enrich the flavour of the final 997 model” As the captain announces that we will shortly begin our descent to Geneva Airport, I stare, again, through the small aircraft’s window for a number of minutes. The Alps look splendid… all year round. They are partially covered with snow and I picture how a Carrara white 997 GT3 RS 4.0 will look on these mountain roads with snow around it. Some of us might prefer to picture and drive such a car on track, but for me, there are few things more enticing than matching such a focused and highly enjoyable car with a perfectly twisty road, on which you have never driven before, replete with spectacular scenery. It is a…

Essential info LOCATION: Nürburg, Germany COORDINATES: 50.3341°N, 6.9427°E TOTAL LENGTH OF DRIVE: 12.9 miles POINTS OF INTEREST: Karussell; Flugplatz FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION: Hotel am Tiergarten & Pistenklause restaurant www.am-tiergarten.de/en; Dorint Am Nuerburgring Hocheifel & Cockpit Bar hotel-eifel-nuerburgring.dorint.com/en You may be perplexed to find a track as our latest Great Road, and while we’re happy to concede to slightly stretching our ‘rules’ here, we remain within the spirit of them as on Touristfahrten (public driving) days, the Nürburgring is a de-restricted one-way toll road, open to all. It’s the single greatest 21km of road in the world, a modern day mecca for petrol heads. Starting at the toll barriers on the Döttinger Höhe Straight (it’s €29 a lap), the anticipation builds as you wait. Then the barriers raise and 12.9 miles…

In our latest batch of spy shots, a de-camouflaged 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 has been snooped being put through its paces on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Prior to this sighting, August was the last time we caught a Porsche 991.2 GT3 prototype out testing, when our spy photographer’s snaps all but confirmed that Weissach is planning a manual version of the trackday Porsche 911. Spotted during an on-road evaluation, that particular test vehicle sported a rather elaborate shroud, right where we would expect to find a gearlever for the rumoured six-speed transmission from the 991 R. Now, the latest mule has given us our best look yet at what to expect from next year’s naturally aspirated Neunelfer. Since then, sightings of the face-lifted GT3 had been rare, although last month at…

Mid-engined 2017 Porsche 911 RSR unveiled in Los Angeles Weissach’s Le Mans GT contender retains natural aspiration but engine is ahead of rear axle Porsche’s radical new 2017 911 RSR has been officially unveiled, with Weissach choosing to give the new racer its public debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. For 12 months, since confirming that it was working on an all-new version of the RSR, there has been a near-constant stream of rumours about Porsche’s latest LM-GTE class contender, many of them suggesting that Weissach would switch to a mid-engined layout. With the launch of the new car in LA, Porsche has officially confirmed these rumours with the 2017 RSR becoming the first 911 since the Le Mans-winning GT1-98 to feature its flat-six engine ahead of the rear…

1 Porsche 911 model engine £145 Available through Porsche Club GB, this model engine is based on the 2.0-litre 901/01 flat six fitted to the original 911 of 1964. The impressive kit allows you to build a fully functioning quarter scale engine in just a few hours, with a working valvetrain complete with miniature valves, valve springs and camshafts. www.porscheclubgb.com 2 Tamiya 934 RC kit £199.99 (kit) /£295.97 (RC bundle) Forty years ago Tamiya released their first radio-controlled car, a Vaillant-liveried Porsche 934 kit. Now they have relaunched the 934 RC car in the iconic Jägermeister colours, and the short-wheelbase, wide track ‘TA02SW’ chassis gives the model a realistic stance and allows enthusiasts to fine-tune the car’s handling. www.modelsport.co.uk 3 GoPro Hero5 camera £349.99 (Black) /£249.99 (Session) Since its foundation…

History of the 993 turbo Development of the Neunelfer has always been viewed as evolutionary, but since the 1984 launch of the 3.2 Carrera, Porsche was determined not to let the grass grow under the 911’s wheels. That model was replaced by the substantially redesigned 964, a car that introduced modernities such as power steering, anti-lock brakes and four-wheel drive. By 1993 it was all change again, Tony Hatter’s interpretation bringing a smoother look and the promise of a body that was 80 per cent new. More rigid and boasting new VarioRam-equipped engines and a sophisticated multi-link rear axle, the 993 proved hugely popular and was a fitting curtain call for the air-cooled era. But for the best part of a year, the range had lacked a crucial element, one…

“It’s a 1993 993 Turbo,” I was told over the phone. For a second, that crucial year of production didn’t register as erroneous. “Wait a minute,” I said. “You say it’s a 1993 model year, so surely you mean it’s a 964 Turbo, right?” I asked. “You better come out to Germany,” was the candid reply. It’s not often at Total 911 that we’ll swap countries on the mere whim of a phone call but in the interim, I’d seen evidence to prove the person on the end of the line was correct. And so, a couple of days later, I found myself just outside Frankfurt, stood in front of what is undeniably a Porsche 993-generation Turbo – and a very special one at that. On reflection, the last air-cooled…

In 2017, the Porsche Supercup celebrates its 25th anniversary. The one-make series has, alongside the various national Carrera Cup Championships, used its level playing field to allow the best up-and-coming racers to rise to the top. Two decades before the Supercup was even formed though, Porsche was involved in another one-make series, one with a unique aim: to find out, across the worlds of Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar and sports cars, who was the greatest driver of all. For North American readers, IROC will likely be more familiar in Chevrolet or Pontiac circles, while in Europe, the International Race of Champions enjoyed little publicity over its 30-year run. However, before the succession of Camaros and Firebirds, the first series was actually run using 15 identical Porsche 911s: the IROC RSRs.…

996 GT2 The original ‘widowmaker’. With 468hp, a nigh-on 200mph top speed, and little in the way of electronic driver aids, the GT2 is perfect for those wanting to swap the 993’s luxury for more hard-core thrills. 997.1 GT3 RS Boasting the legendary Rennsport badge, it’s more than a decade younger than the 993. But while it brings plenty of modernity, this may be a bit too track-focused for some. 930 Turbo Rear-wheel drive and a laggy power delivery makes the original Turbo a challenging proposition, though not short on performance or excitement. Unencumbered by the 993’s electronics, it’s a pure driving experience.…

In the beginning, the Gmünd Coupes used unmodified suspension and running gear directly from the VW Beetle. By 1951 the Porsche-developed VW flat four was beginning to overwhelm non-synchromesh VW cogs and so Porsche designed a four-speed Typ 519 gearbox with Leopold Schmid. This unusual application placed the five-speed constant mesh gearbox between the engine and the final drive and featured Porsche Synchromesh. Ferry’s engineers applied this to the Typ 519, which they offered to VW but were turned down by Wolfsburg in favour of the Borg Warner design used by Opel. The gearbox became the first major component that Porsche had to find elsewhere. It turned to Getrag in Ludwigsburg, a builder of truck gearboxes, who initially struggled with the miniaturisation required for cars, so Zuffenhausen had to construct…

I" wasn’t expecting that,” exclaims photographer Steve Hall, as he pulls up outside 911 Rennsport’s premises in Moreton-on-Marsh, England. Referring not to my arrival on a bicycle – Rennsport being close to home and the weather fine – but instead, to the Slate grey 911 sat outside. Just 24 hours earlier Steve and I had been in the company of a selection of cars for the £100k heroes feature, and our photographer was perhaps expecting the 930 he was shooting today to look much the same. Clearly it’s not. Having visited Rennsport previously, I had an idea of what to expect, though talks with Editor Lee beforehand did have us questioning what a 930 Turbo RSR might be – after all, no such car exists, the only official Turbo RSR…

Let’s face it, the used 911 marketplace is a complicated and often bewildering prospect, punctuated by the basic rules of supply and demand with a number of factors, from international currency fluctuations to occasional speculators, all thrown into the mix. But is the used market driven more by auction results or dealer forecourt prices? During the price boom of two years ago the former seemed to be the case, certainly at face value at least, with dealers known to have been storing air-cooled Rennsports away from the public eye during those particularly ‘heated’ months. This was for fear of selling themselves short week-to-week off the back of another spectacular auction result. So does an auction house really have such sway on values? Will Smith, sales manager at Silverstone auctions, claims…