Innehållsförteckning för No. 166 från Total 911

“We could see a rear mid-engined RSR in homage to the car used by Porsche motorsport” The 991.2 GT3 RS has finally been driven, with Kyle Fortune the lucky man to have pedalled the blistering new Rennsport on your behalf around the de-restricted roads of the Isle of Man (I wonder where Porsche GB got that idea from, considering our autumn road trip there in the 991.1 RS!). As ever, context and synergy is important, so on top of delivering the definitive first drive verdict on the ‘green lizard’, we’ve put the car back-to-back against the 996 and 997.2 GT3 RSs to see how the offering from each generation compares. As you’ll discover from the epic feature beginning on page 20, all are different, save for those fundamentals that make…

History and spec The car you see here was introduced for just one reason: so Porsche could go racing in the GT3 endurance category. However, even as a road car it was a hugely tempting – not to mention rare – confection. And it’s also unusual, it being the only GT3 model not to have a more focused RS variant sitting above it, further adding to the unique appeal. At its heart was the 3.6-litre, M96/79 Mezger engine that pumped out 360hp at a tantalising 7,200rpm. Dry sumped and featuring a raft of lightweight parts that included titanium connecting rods, it was impressively rapid, with the 62mph and 100mph benchmarks dismissed in 4.8 and 10.2 seconds. Flat out you’d have been knocking on the door of 190mph, and only the…

When Hans Mezger made the first drawings for Porsche’s flat six, the two-litre capacity was chosen, as this was considered to be the right size for Porsche buyers. However, sufficient margin was built into the design to accommodate later capacity increases: in 1969 it rose briefly to 2.2 litres before it reached 2.4 in 1971 and 2.7 (in standard production) in 1974. In fact, before the end of the decade it would reach 3.3 litres for the Turbo engine, and Ferry Porsche was prompted to remark that had he known in 1963 how much more capacity would be possible, he would have started off with a smaller, lighter unit in the first place: “Now I’m glad I didn’t!” he told his biographer John Bentley. Initial discussions in 1959 were on…

911s in the data file are organised in rows according to release date, beginning with the very first model in 1964. Many models were available in Coupe, Targa and Cabriolet forms, with the option of automatic transmission. Here, data has been provided from the Coupe variants unless stated. All data here has been compiled, where possible, from Porsche’s own figures. General valuations This reflects the general market trend for a model’susedvaluecompared to the previous financial quarter. The review for 2018 Q3 will be July. The review for 2018 Q2 was April. Ratings Each model is rated out of five in ourhalf-starsystemaccording totheirperformance,handling, appearanceanddesirability.…

New GT3 RS beats 918 ‘Ring time as deliveries are delayed Cars with Weissach Package put back due to supply issues Porsche’s new 991.2 GT3 RS is officially faster than the 918 Spyder hypercar around the Nürburgring Nordschleife after driver Kévin Estre completed a lap of the 20.6km course in six minutes and 56.4 seconds. The result means the GT3 RS is the third production Porsche sports car to post a time under the seven-minute mark. In ideal conditions of 18 degrees Celsius track temperature, Estre and development driver Lars Kern, who piloted the GT2 RS to its record-breaking time of six minutes and 47 seconds last autumn, took to the track in Weissach’s naturally aspirated Rennsport. Though both drivers regularly posted times under seven minutes, it was Estre who…

“It won’t be under seven minutes,” said GT director Andreas Preuninger when I asked him about a Nürburgring laptime at the 991.2 GT3 RS reveal in Finland earlier this year. He was wrong: it is, and comfortably so, the Lizard green RS lapping the ‘Green Hell’ in 6 minutes 56.4 seconds in the hands of Porsche works racing driver Kévin Estre. That’s 24 seconds faster than the previous GT3 RS, which is little short of incredible. It underlines the changes to the second-generation car, revisions which, on paper at least, look relatively insignificant. The engine is now that of the current GT3, albeit featuring a differing intake and exhaust. Its power creeps up – not leaps up – to 520hp, it revving to the same, glorious 9,000rpm. The increase is…

“The 911 for the next 25 years,” is how Heinrich ‘Heinz’ Branitzki, interim CEO, described the 964 Carrera when it was first unveiled. That, ultimately, would prove not to be the case. A cautious man, Branitzki had seen how the 911 had slowly evolved in previous decades, and saw no reason for that to change. The 964’s run would be short-lived, underlining a change in the mindset within the company. While the 964 was arguably a relatively radical departure from the G model that preceded it, the 993 that replaced it would take that further. For all the 964’s advances, the 993 moved Porsche’s icon into another era. Harm Lagaay, head of styling, admitted they started work on it as soon as he arrived in 1989, with Ulrich Bez heading…

Tyres aren’t the only thing that determine traction. For 30 years, Porsche has been utilising four-wheel drive in the 911, with the Porsche Traction Management system increasing in complexity in recent years to optimise power transfer. The system operates using two differentials (one for each axle). With the transmission mounted in front of the engine, the front differential is powered by a perfectly straight propshaft from the rear differential. This ensures that power is distributed evenly. Traction on the rear wheels is managed by PTV (Porsche Torque Vectoring). PTV is the reason Porsche no longer talks of limited-slip differentials. Torque vectoring not only transfers power from side-to-side, it also independently brakes the inside wheel to enable greater turn-in. PTV is mechanically operated unless the ‘Plus’ option is specified, in which…

Bad luck for factory RSRs at Long Beach Leading works 911 retires early in shortest race of the season After a dominant start to its IMSA SportsCar Championship campaign in the GTLM class, Porsche Motorsport North America had to contend with an early retirement after the #912 car of Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor suffered a broken suspension. Bamber was leading the GTLM field when he parked the works RSR in the pits with just 22 minutes of the 100-minute street race remaining. The sister #911 car of Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet took the chequered flag in sixth. Starting from the front row of the grid for the first time this season, Laurens Vanthoor promptly took the lead from lap one at Long Beach, defending the lead before handing…

997.2 C4S v GTS Dear Sir, Total 911 has been an educator, companion and friend to me for many years, yet I have never written in previously. However, I simply could not hold back kudos to your team with the superlative issue 164, which put together in one issue so many of my favourite Porsche chat topics. I enjoyed your feature on Andreas Preuninger; I consider him a rockstar in the Porsche or, indeed, automotive world, and his YouTube discussions on the GT cars often compete with the missus for my attention when I am home. So it was with much amusement that I learned he was a “freak for rock music” and collects guitars… But you also put side-by-side the feature on 30 years of 4WD and the 997…

If, like us, you’ve a keen eye on 911 values and auction results in particular, RM Sotheby’s recent Amelia Island sale would have made for a fascinating watch. While many Porsche struggled to build on their lower estimates, lot 167 reached well into seven figures before its frantic end, the sale transporting us back – momentarily, at least – to the explosive heyday of the Porsche auctions of 2014 to 2015. The car in question was a 964 RS that set a new record for the model by fetching an eye-watering $1.65million. This wasn’t any ordinary 964 RS though, but the rare, wide-bodied, 3.8-litre 964 RS. Achingly desirable having covered just 800km and looking stunning in Paint-To-Sample Ferrari yellow, the car is just one of 55 examples ever built by…

Like all retail therapy, buying a used Porsche 911 should get the blood pumping. It’s a good kind of stress – excitement and perhaps a little nervous anxiety all rolled into one. However, it’s unlikely the same can be said when the time comes to sell it again. The tyre-kickers, the no-shows, the joy-riders and the inevitable ridiculous offers can make selling your car a grim and frustrating experience. It’s probably not surprising that so many of us enlist the help of others to do the job. Specialist dealers and auction houses are two of the most commonly used methods. Having examined in the previous issue the pros and cons of buying 911s via each of these routes, today we’re turning the spotlight on the sellers. We wanted to look…

“Yes, it is road registered,” says the owner of this 1995 993 Cup in a surprisingly nonchalant way. “I always take it on a trailer to the track for race meetings, as a fellow competitor’s car might need a trailer after the event, and that allows me to drive the 993 back home.” The owner is one of the most knowledgeable Porsche enthusiasts in South Africa. He even helped Porsche with the management of the race team in the 1986 Le Mans event. But back to the 993. After the photography is done outside Johannesburg I am still trying to get used to seeing this Cup car on the road – what a sight it is! After helping the photographer take pictures of the car around the city suburbs, it’s…

Founder Jonathan Aucott First opened 1994 Location Tamworth, Staffs Standout car Buying his own 1973 RS Interesting fact about the business A number of sales cars have gone on to achieve awards on the show or concours circuit Contact +44 (0) 1827 288177 +44 (0) 7968 694448 www.avantgardecars.co.uk If you wanted to buy a 911, all over the UK there’s a whole host of small, regional independent dealers that offer a great service and turn up some superb cars. One of these is Midlands-based Avantgarde Classics in Tamworth, Staffordshire. Though the name may not be front and centre to Porsche owners in the UK, this small, established dealer has a knack for regularly sourcing exquisite examples of Stuttgart’s finest product. The man behind it is Jonathan Aucott, who has been…

“An intrinsic part of the 911… it remains a focus of interest for enthusiasts” Porsche’s overriding ethos has very much been one of function over form, and nowhere has that been more evident than on the 911. That’s not to say that it didn’t ignore the value of appealing aesthetics, which explains why the company decided to garnish the rear of the Neunelfer with a neatly styled reflector panel from 1974. Linking the rear light units, it brought a more cohesive look to an otherwise unused area of metalwork, and embellished with that famous Porsche script it soon became a trademark element of the overall design. It would make its first appearance on the 2.7-litre G-series models, making the rear of the car allegedly more visible at night. However, it…