I bought a car online, having never driven it. A very odd experience. I did a bunch of research first, read buyers guides, and tried to learn my way around the various features and foibles of one of the worlds great accidental race cars. (arguably the best, if we're honest). A "spicy Volkswagen" to some, its roots are always showing; from the iconic air cooled engine in back to the torsion bar suspension and overall shape. Even the unibody owes a lot to the older cars. I had driven a friends years ago, and had "the experience"; the epiphany that this is what I was missing in every other car.
I grew up with what is popularly known as the "G-Body" cars; the 911 that Porsche made from 1974 until 1989. Basically my formative years. Pendants will ensure you know that the letter codes tie out to the years, so only 1974 was truly a G. By 1988, we were on to the U's? But say G-body, Carrera 3.2, impact bumper 911 or G50 Carrera (named for the new 5 speed) and folks will understand anyway. As a dear friend noted, it is "peak 1980's". Fender flares, fog lights and a whale tail. They definitely left a mark on me.
After spending a fair amount of time wrenching on classic cars and being around them I knew a few things I wanted to try and do, budget allowing:
Find a clean original example that did not need bodywork
" " that did not need any major mechanical work (you are 100% going to have minor work. One specialist told me 'they all need $25k in work'. It has been > 34 years so...)
Something that had been driven would both save me money on purchase, and also help with the overall condition of the car. Sitting is not good for any car.
Once I fixed my sights on a "G", I made a rubric of the various features & fixes from each model year as well as rated HP and weight. For power, I wanted a 3.2 liter. For the chassis, a coupe for the fewest problems and more desirability. Sunroof delete coupes bring the highest values but I really wanted a sunroof. For the most mechanical fixes, a late example with a G50 transmission and a hydraulic clutch would be ideal. So that narrowed it down to October 86 through the end of production in 1989. I saved money getting a sunroof coupe with over 100,000 miles that needed some TLC but was solid mechanically.
What you are then getting into is:
The better 5 speed (G50, Getrag with Borg Warner syncros, used on the 964 as well)
The most highly developed engine, 3.2 liters, 217HP US (230HP ROW)
The 3.0 & 3.2 have better head studs.
A car that was still hand assembled in building 2, where the 356 was made.
Galvanized chassis (since '77)
Bosch fuel injection (simple, and excellent)
Better oil cooler with electric fan
A bigger clutch (post '83)
Revised cam chain tensioners (since '84)
The Aluminum engine case/crank from the turbo. Did I mention super reliable?
Very low production numbers for the coupe, 24,253 combined with a final run in 1989 of only 4,688 cars. My 1988 was one of 6,076. That is about a 1.25 week's production of a regular car. With an initial population of 24,253, and assuming a 70% survival rate that leaves 16,977 G50 coupes in the world.
Very low weight - 1250kg, about what modern GT3 race cars weigh. 11.9 lbs/HP.
I looked for car that wasn't red or black (the most common colors). I found a Grand Prix white example. Not rare, but less common.
Air-cooled classic goodness, with no modern equivalent.
Old enough it should hold its value (at least. Per my insurer, it has already gone up)
I located one at a dealer in California. I hired a local 911 guru in California to go drive and and inspect it - a Pre Purchase Inspection or PPI. When nothing terrible was wrong, I had it trailered back to CT. It had some common issues, the steering bushing was bad, tires were old, etc. If you need to transport a car, use an enclosed trailer, they are the best value and protect your car. My PPI noted it had an unusually nice interior which was good news.
I was originally going to fly out and drive it back, but I would have been hit with sales tax for both California and Connecticut if I drove it off the lot. (7.25 + 6.35%, or a whopping 13.6% of the sales price) That got a hard pass. Plus I didn't really know the complete condition so driving 2,500 miles on old tires and who knows what else was also a pass. Brakes? Steering? Fuel lines? Who needs those anyway? I traded the romance of a road trip with the adult caution of taking measured steps. Crawl, walk, run, right?
A pretty nice interior after 34 years. I just added a new shift knob, floor mats and a new radio. New door seals are on the roadmap.
Now that is here, it eats a bit of oil, and leaks a tiny bit. Fellow racers have advised that unless oil consumption gets crazy I should just drive it. The mistake they say, is opening the engine. Interesting advice. The Bosch ECU is simple and unflappable. There is nothing to set or adjust. No modern nannies, not even ABS brakes. There is a rev limiter, thankfully.
It is a time machine. The lack of electronics is striking, as is the rawness and noise of the driving experience. Their horsepower can look almost comically low compared to a modern sports car. Their tires are relatively narrow. A modern VW GTI has bigger wheels and wider tires - and more horsepower! A Honda minivan has more horsepower. But these 911s are wonderfully light; the 3.2L is roughly 800 lbs lighter than my 2 door Audi A5. It is lighter than a McClaren. It is about 500 Lbs lighter than the current special lightweight Porsche Turbo S and 200-300 lbs lighter than a GTI. All in, putting power down to one small tire it still beats my A5 to 60 mph which has more power, more torque, AWD, traction control and huge tires. Physics: you can't beat it.
You know what else is 1250kg? A Carrera 3.2 with A/C & power leather seats !
Hanging the engine behind the rear axle gives them a lot of traction on acceleration. Great for getting on the gas early coming out of corners. Thanks to its low mass, its fundamental physics and despite a gearbox optimized for fuel efficiency it still rips off a 0-60 time in the upper 5 second range. It can often maintain higher cornering speeds than its modern brethren and can stop on a dime with lower torque brakes. Top speed is around 150mph, so I am told. <cough> And did I mention the sound? That glorious mechanical symphony when you stand on the gas pedal? Putting the "Oh!" in OMG since 1964. One of the great engine notes of all time.
(Photo: Our first DE day at Lime Rock with the SCDA, Feb 2022. Photo: Stephen Klucik)
When they do have a bad day, it hurts because some parts can be expensive and the engine is among the most complex to build. Every new section is built on top of the prior one, so any mistakes are compounded.
Many procedures require the engine to be removed for access, or at least lowered in place. Dramatic, but not very complicated in the scheme of things. Still, rocket surgery compared to my old Triumph where you tilt the front of the car open and sit on a front tire to remove the cast iron cylinder head while you sip a beer.
I had worked for a short time as an auto mechanic at a restoration shop, when they needed an extra hand so I generally feel ready to tackle most normal jobs. Plus I have torn down and rebuilt nearly every part of my old Triumph.
Interestingly we worked on nearly every kind of car from Pontiacs, Fords and Desotos to Jags, Astons and Ferraris. We never saw a single Porsche 911 though. They are both very reliable and they seem to engender fanatical devotion so specialists usually get the work.
Net net, I have zero experience working on them. It's a little intimidating. Other cars have tasks, Porsches have Procedures. You really need to RTFM. Twice, because the thing you missed is coming to bite you. Thank heavens for Robert Bentley. XXOO
So, this 34 year old car showed up and I started getting to work on it. 113,000 miles and missing records for the past few years. So many ideas, so many goals. What to do first?
Naturally I washed it. Then our cars all get names, & my younger daughter decided we should name it after a cartoon character from Kim Possible. And away we went.
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