911 & Porsche World issue 217

991 UK DRIVE LIKE A 911 BUT NOT A 911

914 GOES V8PURISTS LOOK AWAY NOW!

’74 CARRERA 2.7EMERGING FROM THE RS SHADOWS

JZM PORSCHE CUTTING EDGE SERVICE

996 ENGINE BUILD PROJECT ENGINE BACK TOGETHER

964/993 DIZZY BELT FIXFIX YOUR TWIN DISTRIBUTOR DRIVE

April 2012 www.911porscheworld.com

911 EVOLUTIONTHIS IS THE MODERN

WORLD: 996, 997 AND NEW 991 GO

HEAD-TO-HEAD

TARGABUYERS’GUIDEWhy the 3.2 Targamakes for a versatileroof off classic

£4.50 US$9.99 CANADA $12.95

No.217 www.911porscheworld.com

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50 911 & PORSCHE WORLD

Words: Adam Towler Photography: Antony Fraser

911 EvolutionThe 911’s modern era started with the water-cooled 996Carrera in 1997. We trace the 15 year evolution through997 to the new 991. It’s come a long way

“It seems logical togather some water-cooledancestors together to see

how far Porsche has movedthe 911 in 15 years”

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911 GROUP TEST: THE MODERN ERA

51911 & PORSCHE WORLD 51

Areception party is required for the new 911,something to put it into context; somethingto help us judge just what kind of 911 thisnew car really is. Following our first drive ofthe 991 in America towards the end of last

year, all of us on the magazine have been champing atthe bit to drive the car on roads we know well, desperateto see if that brilliance is transferable to the UK.

And so it seems logical to gather some water-cooledancestors together to see how far Porsche has moved the911 proposition on in the last 15 years. What exact modelswe should gather together has been made easier by ourchoice of 991: this is also our first chance to drive the new,super-efficient, ‘downsized’ 911 Carrera with its 3.4-litreengine. On that basis the choice of the original, 3.4-litre 996Carrera seemed all the more relevant, and that also meanswe’ve gone for the ‘junior’ 997 Carrera with its 3.6-litre flatsix. It’s a Gen1 model, as after all, the Gen2 997 effectivelyshares its engine with the new 991. This way we get somegood clear air between each of our three choices.

There’s no point going over yet again the technical side ofthe 991, but some figures on the new Carrera do makeinteresting reading in comparison to the other cars here.Let’s consider their respective power outputs, a nicevariation band of 50hp across equal increments (how veryPorsche…). So we have the original 996 with its impressivesounding (for the time) 300hp; the Gen1 997 Carrera with321hp and the new 991 Carrera with 350hp. You’d expect apower progression given the years that separate the cars,so no surprise there. Look a bit closer though and it’sinteresting to note where the peak power sits: an identical6,800rpm for the older cars, but much, much higher in the991 at 7,400rpm. That might tell us a lot later on.

Then there’s the torque – a pretty even progression onceagain with 258lb ft for the 996, 273lb ft for the 997 and287lb ft for the 991. The peak of the curve is interestingthough, with 4,600rpm for the 996 but only 4,250rpm forthe 997. The 991 is much higher again, at 5,600rpm.Obviously, if we had access to the power and torque graphsthat would tell us a lot more, but even so, given the info

above, if you feed those numbers into your head and tryand picture the sort of characters these engines mighthave, I would suggest that the obvious conclusion you’regoing to draw is about right. The 996 is Mr Smooth, wellrounded, a nice guy: revvy but not too racy. The 997 is MrFlexible, unstressed and a bit mellow while still producingthe power, while the 991 – well, the 991 is Mr Angry. Andthen some…

Their top speeds are so close together as to beacademic. The 996 tops out at 174mph according toPorsche, while the 997 will strain on for another 3mph to177mph; the 991 will do just 1mph more with the PDKgearbox fitted – as this particular car has – although amanual will just breach the 180mph mark. Their 0-62mphtimes would have a delicious symmetry to them as well, if itwasn’t for that PDK gearbox again: 5.1sec for the 996, fivedead for the 997 and 4.8 for the newcomer – that is unlessit has PDK (4.6sec) or as here, PDK with Sport Chrono, inwhich case it gets down to a fairly scintillating 4.4 seconds.

Weight-wise, it’s the 996 that remains the flyweightcontender here, the official figures suggesting that itweighs ‘just’ 1,320kg DIN. By comparison, the 997 tops thescales at 1,395kg to the same standard, but it’s a measureof the advanced technology that has gone into the 991that despite being larger in certain directions, with a muchmore luxurious cabin and a stiff, safer ‘shell, that a manual991 weighs less than the 997 at 1,380kg. Adding PDK bringswith it a 20kg penalty (less than in the 997 era) so thisactual 991 is probably the heaviest car here (hard to say forcertain given the optional extras added to each car) at1,400kg DIN.

Finally for the number crunching it’s the eco stuff. Thereare no C02 figures for the 996 but I doubt the Green Partywill be using them as campaign transport. The 997 Carreraemits a fairly unremarkable 277g/km, which wasn’t a lot fora car like this until manufacturers started to drasticallyreduce their emissions (and better understand how to acethe tests, one might say). The 991 is down at just 212g/km,or a slightly surreal 194g/km if fitted with PDK. Just pauseto consider that for a moment if you will – it’s comparable

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Words: Adam Towler Photography: Max Earey

The 911 Carrera 2.7 has for too long been in theshadow of the ’73 RS, but its time is now as RSs riseever higher in value. It’s no pale substitute either aswe discover with this subtley modded version

Sounds of the ’70s

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2.7 CARRERA DRIVE


Rasp. Crack. Gurgle. Next gear, and again:rasp, crack, and gurgle. Accelerating hard outof a tight, second gear corner and upthrough the gears to fourth, the 2.7 Carrerais emitting the only noise it knows how to

through the twin, slim exhaust pipes that protrudehorizontally from the centre of the car. If you reallyknow your 911s you’d probably be able to tell,blindfolded, that this was a 911/83 engine, exhalingout of the ‘naughty’ pipes rather than the saner,quieter, single side job. You’d think much the samefrom behind the ‘wheel too – it could only be an early911 of the angry variety: the sensitive controls, thegearbox that demands an expert hand, the sounds, thesmells. As you ripped the blindfold off you’d smile andsay: “it’s a 2.7 Carrera RS, right?” And you’d be wrong.

You have to know your 911s to understand thesignificance of this car. For years the 2.7 Carrera haslived in the shadow of its competition-focusedforebear, but the cars are very similar under the skin. Ineffect, this is a G-series version of the RS from theprevious season, and although a different car to a fully-

fledged RS Lightweight, at only around 25-50kg heavierthan an RS Touring, the differences in performance arealways going to be slight. Indulge in too many pies, orpig out over Christmas and you’ve gone some way toblurring the difference anyway...

The period 1973-1974 was a pivotal moment in timefor Porsche. The family had withdrawn from the day-to-day running of the firm, Piech had left, the 911 neededupdating, the fuel crisis appeared and vehicle safetywas a hot topic. The glorious years of racingdomination from 1969-1973 were at a close, anddespite the tremendous successes the company’saccounts reflected the enormous financial burden ofsuch cutting edge racing activity. Porsche wasn’t goingto walk away from racing, but the rally program wasshelved, and all further motorsport activity wascentred around the 911 – specifically, the developmentof turbocharged technology. In time, that would takePorsche to the very top again, but for now it meantrunning in the shadow of the outright prototypesportscars with the 2.1-litre Turbo Carrera RSR.

Into these changing times arrived the G-series 911,



Words: Nigel Grimshaw Photography: Matt Howell

EIGHTINTOFOURWILLGOPurists hate it while petrolheads adore it. BobStephenson’s V8 914 combines the weird and thewonderful in a package that has fun written all over it

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914 V8 IN LA


You instinctively know when somethingfamiliar is somehow different. It’s a sense, avibe, a feeling inside. You still sit 914 low,legs stretched out ahead of you. Out in theLos Angeles traffic Godzilla-like SUVs

lumber past, hubs lethally level with your forehead. Nochange there. At the lights an 18-wheel Kenworth slipsalongside like some crazy ocean liner; mortality is not a word I care to dwell on but it seems appropriatein this company.

Bob Stephenson’s 914 shimmies as it waits for thelights to flick from red to green, rocking gently on itsrubber as an unfamiliar rumble seeps from behind myhead. The last time I shimmied and rumbled like this wasback in the early ’90s. I was sat in a 911 Covin kit car witha front-mounted Chevrolet 350ci V8 motor running a

very potent set of Brodix aluminium cylinder heads andany number of other expensive, and equally capable,tuning goodies. The sense of déjà vu is alarming.

But that was then and this is Los Angeles 2011. Thelights change and Bob hustles away from our front row,pole position. There is torque in every gear and at whatseems like any revs – huge, ocean liner size torque.Over my shoulder the engine belts out an unfamiliar,for a 914, all-consuming boom. It’s bigger, heavier and scarier than the usual tune. More Motorhead than Stuttgart Symphony.

‘I’ve had this car for six years,’ says Bob as we headdown the Ortega Highway, one of California’s mostbeautiful and fun to drive routes. ‘I’d been looking for a914 V8 for about two or three years but couldn’t find acar that had been done how I wanted it to be done. A car



Words: Steve Bennett Photography: Antony Fraser

theREALthing?Forget the international launch and a snatched drive hereand there - what really counts is what the new 991 model911 is like on real world UK roads. Time to find out


NEW 911 UK FIRST DRIVE


Time to welcome the new Porsche 911 to thereal world. The international launch is longgone and with it the words and firstimpressions of wafting this 991 model 911along the Pacific Coast Highway in the

California sunshine. Sure we learnt some stuff, but justabout everyone came back from the experience withmore questions than answers. One thing that wasabundantly clear, however, was this: New 911 does notdrive or feel like the 911 that we know and love. Badthing or a good thing? That’s what we really need toget to the bottom of and it’s going to require someserious miles and some proper, nasty UK roads, thesort that German chassis engineers loathe.

So this is the main course and now that we’ve startedthe dining/food analogy California was, of course, thestarter. But actually to confuse things Porsche has laidon something of a tasting menu because in betweenwe’ve also briefly driven the 911 C2 S at Silverstone onroad and track, And the new 911 Cabrio in Gran Canaria(full drive next month). And still we’ve only scratched the

surface. Why? Well Silverstone was a washout both ontrack and on the road. Torrential conditions revealedimpressive grip, stability and ability to carry massivespeed despite roads that had become aquatic, but therewas a reluctance to really push it. Meanwhilecomplications in the schedule, narrow roads taken overby training cycling teams, and just a lack of driving time,ensured that Cabriolet experience was more wind in thehair than a further opportunity to engage with the newcar’s seemingly secretive dynamic abilities.

Which brings us back to the real world again. And justto make it even more real world it’s mid Feb and bang inthe middle of that cold snap that saw snow andtemperatures plummet across the country. The UK is nota kind environment to any machine, but that saidanything that excels on our unique mix and mish mash ofroads and dubious surfaces is generally a prettyexceptional car. And of course the 911 is a prettyexceptional car for these very reasons. It has always feltlike it belongs here, which is why it’s always been thedominant sports car force.



The Targa has been the butt of too many jokes for too long – it’stime this practical all-rounder was given the respect it deserves!And with values holding firm, now’s the time to buy a Carrera 3.2

LET THERE BE LIGHTWords: Keith SeumePhotography: Michael Ward

BUYERS’ GUIDE


3.2 TARGA BUYERS’ GUIDE

81911 & PORSCHE WORLD

The subject of which is the bestPorsche for a first-time buyer isone that frequently turns up inour mail bag (OK, e-mails). For along time the answer was simple:the 911SC. Today, though, theobvious choice is the laterCarrera 3.2.

Launched in 1984, the 3.2 wasthe first Porsche to carry the‘Carrera’ name since the demiseof the Carrera 3.0 in 1978. Theuse of the moniker upset some asit had always been reserved forlimited-run high-performancemodels – now it was being appliedto the mainstream 911.

But, while the Carrera 3.2 may

have been the backbone of thePorsche range, it was far from arun of the mill car. It was, as manyowners will atest, a brilliant all-rounder – a car without vices,reliable and well built.

The Carrera 3.2 looked littledifferent to its predecessor, theSC, but under the skin there wereseveral significant changes, all ofthem for the better. The enginewas, to all intents and purposes,a normally-aspirated version ofthe 930-series Turbo, featuringthe same 95mm Nikasil cylindersas the outgoing SC, but the74.4mm crank of the Turbo, togive a displacement of 3164cc.

The Carrera was available as acoupé, cabriolet or a Targa, asshown here. Our studio model is asuper-low mileage example thatwas on offer at Paragon in Sussex.

The Porsche 911 Targa is amodel which tends to divideopinion yet, viewed in its ownright, it’s a great car in everyrespect. It’s more convenientthan a full cabriolet, yet more funon a hot summer’s day than acoupé. Combine these benefitswith the bulletproof nature ofthe Carrera 3.2 and you have theperfect all-rounder.

And, of course, you’ll generallypay less for a Targa than a coupé…

Look, let’s get one thing straight: youcan’t keep comparing the styling of aTarga with that of a coupé. They are twototally different cars, aimed at differentmarkets, OK?

The side profile is, admittedly, lessharmonious than that of a coupé (look,we just said no making comparisons!)but somehow it works with the morechunky styling of the post-’73 impact-bumper 911s. It’s all very 1980s, withoptional add-ons here and there in theform of front lip spoiler, rubber-edgedrear whale-tail and big ‘flag’ mirrors.

These features are, of course,emphasised on a car in Grand Pix White,like ‘ours’, but choose a darker colourand they blend into the background. Youwon’t find a spot of chrome on theCarrera 3.2, either Targa or coupé – it’sall very stealth-like, you know…

The bodywork was fully galvanisedand, from 1986 onwards, Porsche evenoffered a 10-year anti-corrosionwarranty on the Carrera 3.2.

There was a total of 76,473 Carrera 3.2sbuilt between 1984 and 1989, of which35,670 were coupés, 19,987 werecabriolets and 18,468 Targas. So thereought to be plenty to choose from, then.

There were several different modelsavailable, starting with the Sport (or ‘SE’as it was known from 1987), which camewith uprated suspension, 16-inch Fuchswheels, a large rear wing and frontspoiler as standard. Then there was the‘Turbo-Look’ or ‘Super Sport’, which wasa Carrera 3.2 with the styling of theTurbo – it was equipped with the Turbo’sbrakes, stiffer suspension and 7J- and9Jx15 Fuchs wheels.

You could also by a Club Sport versionof the coupé: it’s a lightweight, no frillsmodel with beefed up suspension and amildly-tuned engine. Only 340 were builtbetween 1987 and ’89, of which just 53were right-hand drive. But sadly therewere no CS Targas…

If it’s rarity you’re after, 300‘Anniversary’ models were built tocelebrate the 250,000th 911, all finishedin Marine Blue Metallic. Most werecoupés, but we are led to believe therewere a few Targas, too.

Stop trying to compare the Targawith a 911 coupé and look at it as amodel in its own right. More practicalthan a convertible, a Targa makesthe perfect all-rounder

CARRERA 3.2 – THE PERFECT PORSCHE?

STYLING ANDBODYWORK

PRODUCTION AND MODELS


Documents

911 & Porsche World issue 217