Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2020 i GT Porsche

2020 marks exactly fifty years since Porsche’s most important victory in motorsport: winning overall honours at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sure, the manufacturer had achieved class wins from its very first outing at Sarthe back in 1951, but scenes of the bright red 917 short-tail (driven by Richard Attwood and Hans Herrmann) taking the top spot kick-started a major story of success in France, resulting in nineteen overall wins for Porsche before the brand’s exit from LMP1 in favour of Formula E at the close of the 2017 season. We’ve brought together an overview of Porsche’s most iconic Le Mans machines in this issue of GT Porsche, and though it’s fun to look back on past glories, it’s important for us not to lose sight of the…

Porsche owes a huge amount of its engineering success to Hans Mezger, who passed away on 10th June, aged 90. There's the air-cooled flat-six boxer engine, for a start, plus the overall construction of the Le Mans-winning 917 prototype (read all about this momentous achievement on page 76) and its mighty twelve-cylinder engine. As if that wasn't enough, Mezger also created the TAG Turbo Porsche Formula One engine and is responsible for overseeing many more of Porsche's most successful race cars and powerplants, including the 911 GT1-derived force-fed flat-six powering the 996 and 997-generation 911 Turbos, a unit given the nickname 'Mezger' in reference to the man himself, though it's important to note his career designing engines for Porsche stretched all the way back to the 1960s. Mezger was born…

In many ways, owning a Porsche is far more special than being in charge of a ‘regular’ car. Beyond a means of getting from A to B, Stuttgart-crested speed machines provide us with many different emotions and pleasures. Moreover, GT Porsche readers cover a wide spectrum of owners — some enjoy the process of a comprehensive restoration, others simply love being able to hit the road in their very own Porsche. Whatever your persuasion, the myriad sensations provided by driving and interacting with one of these sensational sports cars is what it’s all about. With this in mind, we’ve summarised our twelve top tips for getting even more enjoyment out of your car. And if you want to read any of them in more detail, you can order GT Porsche…

7 UNDERSTAND CORNERING The more you understand about cornering and how to do it well, the greater your enjoyment. We’re sure you’ve heard somebody proclaim you shouldn’t brake in corners. Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s not quite as simple as that. That said, as a general rule, getting your braking done in a straight line before a corner is usually the best way for most situations, and is certainly true on the road. The System of Car Control found in Roadcraft (the police driver’s handbook) and circuit driving techniques taught at beginner and intermediate levels make use of a structured process from the end of one straight to the middle or exit of a bend. This logical one-step-at-a-time approach pays dividends by easing your workload at the wheel, improving stability and…

For many 911 enthusiasts, the 964 is as good as it gets. Granted, the 993 was the ultimate evolution of Porsche’s original air-cooled 911 concept, and there’s no denying the technological developments the model brought with it, but it’s a softer design when compared to its predecessor, a 911 which strikes the perfect balance of performance, reliability and quintessential classic Porsche looks. And if you’re going to invest in a 964, then the one to have is the Carrera RS, right? Absolutely, but did you know the RS came in different flavours to suit different applications? As a case in point, the lesser spotted N/GT was the period’s truest race car for the road. Porsche achieved huge success in the FIA’s Group C motorsport category, a formula introduced in 1983,…

In the scenario we’ve just outlined, your primary escape route is the plentiful space ahead in both lanes. In less enclosed scenarios with lower speed differentials, a good car length or two between you and the stationary vehicle in front may be enough. Keeping an attractive verge or layby to the side as a pre-prepared escape route can make all the difference should something untoward develop. You may have heard the expression ‘tyres and tarmac’. It’s a mental picture to help remember space when in stationary traffic. If you can see all of the car in front, including the rear tyres and a strip of asphalt between them and your car, you should have enough space. This equates to at least one car length of free air. The gap protects…

The arrival of water-cooled flat-six powerplants for the launch of the Boxster and 996-generation 911 marked the biggest change in direction for Porsche since its inception as a sports car maker almost fifty years earlier. Beyond arguments concerning ‘fried egg’ headlights and ‘proper’ Porsches, however, were changes to the company’s GT-badged offerings, with the naturally aspirated 996 GT3 arriving in 1999 as a homologation model for cars entered into the FIA’s exciting (and enduring) GT3 motorsport category, which Porsche continues to dominate to the present day. Successive generations of GT3-derived 911s have become hot property, but back in the mid-1990s, Porsche was preparing to participate in the then new GT2 racing class. To achieve its goal, the 993 GT2 was launched and, as the FIA’s rulebook dictated, a small number…

Back in 1977, when Commodore was unveiling its PET all-in-one home computer and the world was having its ears beaten into submission by the Sex Pistols, Alois Ruf Jr was busying himself with the launch of Turbo Number One, the first of many Porsche-based production cars to roll out of RUF’s Pfaffenhausen workshop. Modelled on the ground-breaking 930 (911 Turbo), wearing Carrera RS 3.0 bodywork and dressed in dark green paint, Turbo Number One was a 930 on steroids — engine displacement was increased to 3.3 litres (well in advance of Porsche applying the same update to the 930), developing 303bhp at 5,500rpm, with 304lbft torque coming on song at 4,000rpm. Rolling on bespoke RUF rims and uprated Bilstein suspension, this mean green speed machine also upped the ante when…

State-of-the-art 911 with design elements carried over from the 1950s and early 1960s. This is how Porsche presents the 992 Targa 4S Heritage Design edition, the first of four special models from its Heritage Design programme. In short, historically significant exterior and interior design elements have been reinterpreted and combined with the latest automotive technology in a bespoke 911 package from Porsche's Exclusive Manufaktur department. Limited to 992 examples, "the renaissance of Cherry Red and corduroy" (yes, really) will assault your bank balance for £136,643, which is almost thirty grand more than a standard Targa 4S. So, what do you get for the extra spend? Well, there's the 992 Targa 4S Heritage Design edition chronograph, for starters. A mechanical watch with "an elegant and clean design, just like the car",…

It’s a moment of neck-snapping acceleration that truly puts the cherry on the Taycan’s kinematic cake. Rolling off the M4 and onto the southbound A34, there’s a brief 40mph speed restriction before the black-and-white striped national speed limit markers hove into view. Clear sighting, four lanes ahead, dry weather. Plant the throttle and… whoosh! We’re doing 70mph. In what feels like significantly less than three seconds, the Taycan Turbo has effortlessly punched its way through the air to cruising speed as if it were operating in a complete vacuum. It’s not so much the shockingly cultured sensation of the Taycan’s brutal-yet-smooth acceleration that astounds — anyone can predict a vehicle with 616bhp and near instant 627lb-ft of torque on tap will be seriously fast. No, it’s more the juxtaposition that…

This may come as a surprise to many of you, but the development of Porsche’s flat-four boxer engine predates the Adolf Hitler-driven project that, ultimately, resulted in the creation of the Volkswagen Beetle. While the four-cylinder air-cooled engine is a major part of the Beetle story, Ferdinand Porsche was responsible persevering with the unit from its much earlier beginnings, which we can trace back to 1931, when Zündapp (a major German motorcycle manufacturer) financed a project by Porsche to create a relatively small and affordable car. By the following year, three prototypes of the Porsche Type 12 were produced, each with a different engine — a five-cylinder radial design, a two-stroke two-cylinder and Porsche’s own four-stroke flat-four. Sadly, the project failed to progress any further, but it marked the starting…

1 STEERING GRIPS AND TECHNIQUES If you’ve ever played golf, you’ll know how important it is to address that oft-frustrating ball on the tee correctly. It’s the same with driving. How you sit in your car and where you set the steering wheel (in relation to your body) can make all the difference. Furthermore, how you hold the wheel dictates how effectively you can use it. Without considering all the muscle efforts and ergonomics here, the salient point to take away is that your distance from the wheel will affect your comfort when exercising certain grips and techniques. These, in turn, are responsible for how well you steer your car. It’s one of the most overlooked aspects of driving, but precision, smoothness, comfort and lack of fatigue are all a…

PLAN A OR PLAN B? Once you’ve identified the junction, you’ll know the change in speed required. Get the timing right and you may not need to stop fully after all. Here’s an example of how you can ask yourself questions to form a plan to deal with the situation: Junction spotted, but what’s the traffic density? Will any queue ahead be gone by the time I get there? Mirror check. Who’s at the rear? Are they close? Are there any high-risk vehicles (lorries, large vans or high-speed cars) closing in from behind? Maintain speed and aim to slow nearer the junction? Or should I ease off straight away and reduce speed gradually? How would these options interact with traffic around me and the timing of the lights sequence? This…

Porsche is the only manufacturer to have contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans every year since 1951. Sixty-nine years without a break is a remarkable achievement, and one rewarded by no fewer than nineteen overall wins and more than a hundred class victories. This unrivalled success in one of the world’s most challenging races has made Le Mans as much a part of Porsche as the world-famous three-digit nomenclature, nine-one-one. The first 24-hour event at Le Mans took place in 1923. Grand Prix racing was the dominant motorsport force in Europe, leading to the introduction of a different type of test for man and machine: the focus wasn’t on a manufacturer’s ability to produce the fastest car, but its ability to build the most reliable, achieved through the deployment…

The 944 enjoyed success as blistering as its sills. After the release of the S2 in 1989, factory bosses made plans to develop the model even further. The next-gen 944 was set to wear the S3 designation, but so extensive were the proposed changes, it became clear the resulting car would be more or less an entirely new Porsche. With this in mind, the decision was made to forge ahead with a path that followed the chosen route, but ended with a fresh model. Adopting its development programme codename, the 968 was born. Launched in August 1991 for the 1992 model year, the new sports coupe from Zuffenhausen comprised a mix of around eighty percent new parts and design elements when compared to its predecessor. Even so, lineage back to…

his year marks the 911 Turbo's forty-fifth anniversary. The model has come a long way since the 930 burst onto the scene in 1975, though what was once the ultimate 911 is now positioned slightly down the pecking order thanks to the introduction of the higher-powered 911 Turbo S. We published our review of the 992-generation Turbo S in the last issue of GT Porsche (order a copy at bit.ly/issuesgtp), and almost as soon as we'd gone to print, a super-secret memo from Porsche revealed the imminent launch of the new 911 Turbo, which you see on the pages before you. Where the 992 Turbo S pumps out a blistering 641bhp and begs its driver to make constant use of launch control, the lesser-powered Turbo uses the same basic powertrain…

From next year, the Dakar Rally’s organising body will be introducing a new category for classic vehicles. Vintage cars and trucks that would have competed in the Paris-Dakar Rally, as well as similar events held during the 1980s and 1990s, will be allowed to compete, as well as period-accurate replicas of classic Dakar rally machines. A less gruelling course will be presented than that laid out for new vehicles, but the same start and end points will be observed. If all goes to plan, the Dakar Rally will take place 3rd-15th January 2021. Keep 'em peeled for 959s!…

Andy Gregory, PR and Community Manager at Heritage Parts Centre, arranged a transaxle-only meet in the coastal town of Littlehampton, near Goodwood Circuit, not long before we went to print. With social distancing measures in place, the event saw ten 944s and a trio of 924s (including the twin-tone Turbo pictured) turn out for the afternoon. With lockdown measures easing — not to mention enthusiasts keen to enjoy seat and show time with their Porsches before summer reaches its end — Andy is already planning the follow-up transaxle meeting. He hopes 968 and 928 owners will participate. Search for @Stuttgart_South on Instagram.…

Many owners of modified motors think about taking their cars to a rolling road in order to discover how much power has been achieved after a series of engine modifications have been applied, but it’s just as important to get a reading in advance of any work being carried out. This way, you can be absolutely sure the car was operating without fault before you started tinkering. It’s also of vital importance to be able to compare and contrast dyno graphs (ideally registered on the same rolling road) before and after tuning has taken place, thereby giving you the opportunity to see what impact the changes you’ve made have had on the performance of your Porsche, where there might be room for improvement, and whether or not the results have…

4 VISION AND PLANNING Observation and anticipation starts with good vision – where to look, what to look for and when to look for it. Anticipation requires taking what you have seen and considering what’s likely to happen by drawing on experience or considering ‘what if’. Many of you will have heard of Advanced Driving, a higher standard of driving developed originally for the British police in the 1930s and, these days, available to the public through both books and training. Essentially, it’s all about improved vehicle control and safety by increasing how far you look ahead, thinking more about your driving in relation to hazards and a systematic approach to changing speed or direction. Here at GT Porsche, we consider it less ‘advanced’ and more ‘essential’ if you want…

All GT Porsche driver coaching articles published to date: JUL 2019 Seating, steering techniques, grips AUG 2019 Developing finesse for braking and changing gear SEP 2019 Mastering heel-and-toe and automated rev matching OCT 2019 Core cornering technique AUTUMN 2019 Rear and mid-engined handling NOV 2019 Electronic driver aids JAN 2020 RWD and 4WD 911 handling FEB 2020 Vision and planning for cornering MAR 2020 Learn to feel the limit of grip APR 2020 Safer overtaking technique MAY 2020 Understand trail braking JUN-JUL 2020 How to steer on the throttle AUG-SEP 2020 An introduction to defensive driving Order all GT Porsche back issues online by visiting bit.ly/issuesgtp…

When you think about it, some of driving is very similar to playing chess. This is a useful analogy — you can think several moves ahead for all potential scenarios which may play out. Just like in chess, you don’t want to get trapped into a potentially dangerous position. A good example would be the following high-risk situation: picture yourself stopped at the back of a queue of traffic on a high-speed road. You’re waiting, stationary, for a set of traffic lights at a junction ahead. Your side of the road has two lanes and a speed limit of 60 or 70mph. The closing speed of a vehicle coming up from behind could be as high as this. If that vehicle is heavy, even at a lower approaching speed, the…

1970 917K Hans Hermann Richard Attwood 1971 917K Helmut Marko Gijs van Lennep 1976 936 Jacky Ickx Gijs van Lennep 1977 936/77 Jacky Ickx Hurley Haywood Jurgen Barth 1979 935 K3 Klaus Ludwig Bill Whittington Don Whittington 1981 936 Jacky Ickx Derek Bell 1982 956 Jacky Ickx Derek Bell 1983 956 Vern Schuppan Al Holbert Hurley Haywood 1984 956 Klaus Ludwig Henri Pescarolo 1985 956 Klaus Ludwig Paolo Barilla John Winter 1986 962C Derek Bell HJ Stuck Al Holbert 1987 962C Derek Bell HJ Stuck Al Holbert 1994 Dauer 962 LM Yannic Dalmas Hurley Haywood Mauro Baldi 1996 TWR WSC-95 Manuel Reuter Stefan Johansson Tom Kristensen 1997 TWR WSC-95 Michele Alboreto Stefan Johansson Tom Kristensen 1998 911 GT1-98 Laurent Aiello Alan McNish Stephane Ortelli 2015 919 Hybrid Nico Hulkenberg Earl…

The introduction of the Cayenne in 2002 was a genius move by Porsche. The first V8-propelled product from the Stuttgart stable since the demise of the 928 GTS seven years earlier, the sensational SUV was based on a common VW Group platform (thereby saving on production costs) and appealed to emerging Asian markets, ultimately resulting in China becoming Porsche’s biggest export territory, a title held for decades beforehand by North America. The first off-road Porsche (though quite how many are used in this fashion is anyone’s guess) since the Porsche-Diesel tractors of the post-war years, the first-gen Cayenne was also the first production Porsche with four doors. Though the Cayenne is a rollicking great fourby, it was available to buy in Turbo trim from the off, providing Porsche-loving speed freaks…

OFFERED WITH NO RESERVE! NINEMEISTER 964 9m11ST Cast your mind back to the November 2019 issue of GT Porsche and you’ll remember the stunning 964-based 9m11ST featured on the pages within. The most accomplished 911 from the 9m custom build department of Warringtonbased independent Porsche specialist, Ninemeister, this perfectly proportioned reimagining of a classic 911 is no bigger than a 911 S, despite the major challenges involved in achieving such compact dimensions when dealing with a much larger base model (1991 Carrera 2). This goes some way to highlighting just how extraordinarily engineered the 9m11ST is, and that’s before you discover 400 hours were taken up with fabrication and a further 600 hours were invested in the beautiful blue paintwork. Final assembly in autumn 2019 required another 350 hours, which…