Innehållsförteckning för No. 176 från Total 911

Eyebrows raised as the hammer fell for Lot 215 during RM Sotheby’s Arizona sale. A 997 Sport Classic had sold for $654,000, setting a new record for the model. Was this a welcome change in the wind for prestige Porsche sales? The result deserves a little scrutiny and speculation as to its potential permutations. On the face of it, the news is positive. Values of prestige 911s have generally fallen over the last two years, perhaps illustrated most vividly by the fortunes of the 991 R, which has pretty well halved in value. 2018 was also a weak year for the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 and 997 GT2 RS, despite the fact just 600 and 500 models were produced respectively. After the boom of 2014 and 2015, we’ve entered a…

Air quality and vehicle emissions are under scrutiny like never before and, as legislation becomes ever tougher, car makers are under pressure to meet strict new testing standards. That includes Porsche, and a look at the economy and CO2 emissions of the 992 models announced so far reveal some notable differences. The last iteration of the 991 Carrera S Coupe equipped with a PDK gearbox claimed official figures of 36.7mpg and 174g/km; those same numbers for the 992 are 31.7mpg and 205g/km. And things are much the same for the Carrera 4S, changing from 35.8mpg and 180g/km to 31.4mpg and 206g/km respectively. So what’s responsible for these revised numbers? First, it’s worth pointing out that the figures between generations aren’t actually comparable – new testing regime aside, those 992s are…

Porsche performance stats – are they correct? Dear Sir, I enjoy your magazine, and reviewed the specs for Porsche in the back of your issue. I felt the need to pull away some of the illusion being created by Porsche marketing. As a marketing executive, I feel that I can do this. What initially caught my eye was the grossly understated times for the 2017 911 Carrera GTS PDK. I received one of two allocations in my region, and took delivery in October. The new GTS is a 3.0-second-flat 0-60mph sports car with an achievable top speed of 200mph. Everyday Driver has a YouTube video of the car achieving top speed. The performance times claimed by Porsche are always understated for most 911s and overstated for its GT3. I understand…

“Go for a drive,” said the Editor, not that I needed any encouragement to take a tour of the beautiful Cotswolds. It’s late January though, where darkness shrouds the early morning and returns again by the afternoon, the roads are filthy and, depending if there’s snow or ice expected, salty. It might not seem like the most sensible of ideas on paper, but since when has sensible been fun? I might be a Scotsman, but home’s Stratford-upon-Avon. Colloquially known as Shakespeare’s town, it’s slap bang in the middle of the country and, somewhat usefully for someone who tests cars and calls it work, rather well located for some fine driving roads. Equally useful is the location of the builders of bespoke-spec 911s, 911 Rennsport, situated just 18 miles from home.…

HISTORY AND SPEC As the last 911 to feature air-cooling, the 993 cemented its place among the pantheon of Neunelfer greats, but its talents run deeper than just acting as a historical milestone. For one thing it built on the modernity that had been introduced with the 964, not least by featuring the clever multi-link LSA (lightweight, stability, agility) rear suspension that finally banished the tricky handling reputation for good. It further improved the quality of the 911's construction in all areas that mattered, from an impressively stiff body – it was claimed to be 20 per cent stiffer in Coupe form compared to the 964 – to a richly appointed and hewn-from-solid cabin. A major advancement, much of the credit for its appeal should go to Tony Hatter, who…

Rob Clarke Bristol, UK @rob911_ltl @Rob996LTL Model 996.1 Carrera 4 Year 1999 Acquired February 2014 A few months ago I had new top mounts fitted, and since then the car has been rubbish. The only way to describe it is that it has a mind of its own; you are constantly wrestling with the car to keep it on the straight and narrow. The tracking was done when the mounts were replaced, but I sent it back to be redone and it’s still a battle. The next step was to get a full geometry. I went on some forums to see if there were any recommended places near Bristol, but everybody came back with one place: Center Gravity. It was running some special Porsche clinics in January on a first-come-first-serve…

Exclusive 911s get 2019 auction season off to a flyer Sport Classic fetches half a million at RM Sotheby’s Arizona sale; Speedster sells for $423,000 A barely used 997 Sport Classic stole the headlines at RM Sotheby’s Arizona sale as the first auction of the year reignited the presitge Porsche marketplace. No.2 of the 250 produced as part of a limited run by the Porsche Exclusive department, the Sport Classic had just 150 miles on the clock. The hammer price of $634,000 – some way past its estimate of $400,000 to $500,000 – comfortably set a new record for the model. Lauded by enthusiasts for its extraordinary levels of hand-made craftsmanship, the 997 Sport Classic has long been considered one of the most desirable 911s to acquire despite it not…

Brumos-liveried RSR secures podium at Daytona 2019 IMSA season up and running after challenging conditions in Florida Mother Nature did her best to thwart Porsche’s IMSA team from dominating the 2019 season curtain-raiser at the 24 Hours of Daytona, with harsh weather pushing the factory RSRs back to a finish of 3rd and 5th. Former Total 911 columnist Nick Tandy set the pace in qualifying, comfortably putting his #911 RSR with Frenchmen Patrick Pilet and Frédéric Makowiecki on pole. The #912 sister car of Earl Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor and Mathieu Jaminet started from 5th on the grid. Tandy, Pilet and Mackowiecki ensured their 510hp RSR, decked in the iconic Brumos Racing livery in honour of the Jacksonville concern’s unprecedented racing success with Porsche over five decades, extended their qualifying dominance…

Forty: one of the big ones, passing into the fourth decade tends to be a significant generational marker. To celebrate or commiserate, though? Porsche obviously decided to do the former – after all, producing a sports car for 40 years is an undeniably notable achievement. It was a while ago now, too. It’s incredible to think that with the 992 we’ll see the 911 tick over to 60. That’s in just four years time, so it’s been nearly two whole decades since this Anniversary model was introduced. Back then the 911 was the 996. Old enough to be in its second generation, Porsche’s awkward transitional 911 benefitting from the revised headlights that were introduced with the Turbo. As we all know, the 996 brought water-cooling to the 911, it igniting…

A race car with such a rich and decorated history should never end up abandoned in a barn outside San Francisco, useful for nothing except scrap metal merchants. However, this was the fate bestowed to chassis number 230 0538, its rusted carcass of a shell recognisable merely as ‘a’ 911, let alone the 911 to have lit up racing arenas around the world including Sebring, Daytona, the Nürburgring and Targa Florio. Have we mentioned it was also a class winner at Le Mans? Or that it was deployed as a camera car for hit movie The Speed Merchants? As you may well be guessing, this was no ordinary Porsche 911. Despite being found in 2011 with a nose from a G-series, chassis 230 0538 was in fact a long-bonnet 911,…

Porsche’s storied Rennsport programme is the stuff of automotive legend. A moniker conceived to take the company racing, it’s since created a 60-year legacy of triumph on the world’s most challenging stages. Victory on the race track has long bred success in the showroom too, and Porsche has no shortage of enthusiasts keen to indulge in the prowess of Weissach’s race-bred engineering for their own 911, which comes courtesy of the company’s acclaimed GT programme. The pinnacle for the road, as you well know, is the GT3 RS, best surmised as as damned near to a race car with licence plates as you can get. Above the GT3 RS there’s the track-only 911 RSR, sitting at the top of the Porsche performance pyramid. As we saw from our cover test…

Data File Full specs, ratings and market values of every 911, including the 996 and 997 models, can be found beginning on page 86 Plus Showroom Looking for a new 911? The classifieds from our independent specialist partners are the first place you should start your search Servicing & tuning Get the very best from your Porsche 911 with the help of our selected performance and maintenance specialists Porsche lifestyle Helping you make the right lifestyle choices to complement you and your 911. Don’t just drive Porsche, live the brand Insurance & finance Get your Porsche covered with the best insurance deals for road and track to ensure happy, safe motoring…

The year 1994 offered something of a step change for Porsche Motorsport. After multiple notable racing successes with naturally aspirated 911s such as the Carrera RSR and RS 3.8, the company once again turned its attention to turbocharging for elite GT racing. A new car was born out of the 993 generation, wider and wilder than ever before. The name given to this new high-performance 911 was simply the racing class it was to participate in: let us say hello once again to the now-legendary 993 GT2. However, these cars were badged ‘GT’ – as can be seen below its huge rear wing. To compete in this class Porsche had to manufacture and homologate a street version, which became available as early as April of 1995. Little did Porsche and…

As you’ll have seen in recent issues of Total 911, the eighth-generation 992 is here at last, very shortly arriving in showrooms laden with new technological hardware. Included in our initial exposé in the magazine, you may have spotted a mention of a development that might reasonably have sent a chill down the spine: electromobility. The soon-to-retire ‘Mister 911’ himself, August Achleitner, explained that the new model has indeed been designed to incorporate hybrid solutions, though “not for this generation, but most likely for the second part”. Achleitner’s sentiments were backed up by Matthias Hofstetter, director of Powertrain for the 911, who added: “We’ve made the 911 ready for hybrid.” For the moment that readiness involves providing space within the bodywork for batteries and equipping the 992 with an eight-speed…

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 2019 Q2 will be April. The review for 2019 Q1 was January. Ratings Each model is rated out of five in ourhalf-starsystemaccording totheirperformance,handling, appearanceanddesirability.…

There are few Porsche which offer a more visceral driving experience than a 911 GT3. A car built for the track, albeit carrying licence plates should you prefer your thrills to be road based, the GT3 is a loud, rev-happy, dialled-in version of our beloved 911. It’s simply the Neunelfer at its finest. The GT3 market offers a broad spectrum of values and is split in two between those which are tracked as intended, and those which are mothballed for collections. Even still, you’ll pay a significant premium for a GT3 compared to a requisite Carrera generation, so could a high-mileage example offer a cost-effective way into GT3 ownership? “You certainly shouldn’t be put off by a high-mileage example, particularly for a 996 or 997, which boasts one of the…

The new 911 is the first car in the world to feature an innovative system for recognising significant wetness on the road. It does so via its new ‘Wet Mode’ technology, introduced for the 992 generation and now standard on all 911 models. But what exactly is it, and how does it work? Wet Mode detects the presence of water on the road and suitably fine-tunes the car to best deal with the subsequent reduction in traction, ensuring safe motoring even in adverse conditions. It does this with discreet sensors mounted aft of the front wheels in the wheel arches. These acoustic sensors monitor for water sprayed or splashed up from the wheels before communicating with the ECU, which then responds in a number of ways. Firstly, the driver is…