RE: Driven: Autofarm Porsche 911
Discussion
Fittster said:
Really don't like the way they dress up one car to look like another.
Business pure and simple. The original spec cars are lovely but there are still plenty of immaculate ones in circulation - most Porsches are cherished and most of them are the same as they were new some 20 years later.The 'clones' still fetch twice what a normal specified model does. Look at the Carrera RS or ST clones; they can fetch £40k, while an original will fetch literally what someone is willing to pay ie £80k and upwards. It is possible to build a virtualy new car from reconditioned parts and this is big business hence the reason they 'dress them up'.
LRdriver II said:
Pretty as it is, the problem is that the entire Porsche world is filled with rip-off merchants and other freeloaders who are mooching off the brand. Hence you see insane prices for what is a body kitted 911. Everybody seems to be an expert and when in doubt they simply up the value to sell it to all the new-money idiots.
Crooks the lot of them..
Crooks the lot of them..
No-one is forced to buy a bespoke car, so why be rude?
I'd guess you've never seen a restoration in progress and that's why you don't understand the work involved. As for "Everybody seems to be an expert" - Autofarm have been doing this sort of stuff since 1973 so would probably qualify by now
This type of car isn't aimed at everyman, and most of the "new-money idiots" you so eloquently identify will probably choose the latest new 911 in preference as it's more likely to impress onlookers. They aren't competing against an original 2.4S etc either IMO, as I'd hazard a guess that quite a few clients for this kind of car will have a rare 911 tucked away for special occasions too. The idea of an as-new condition, older-style 911 which will benefit from more contemporary EFI, brakes etc sounds like fun to me....
Proof, if it were needed, that the classic 911 shape is a thing of true beauty. Unfortunately it has just got too fat over the years the 997 may go like stink but in terms of looks it's a pastiche. The last proper 911 is the 964 (in terms of shape) after that whether it was safety legislation or the desire to accommodate the inflated arses of it's target demographic it's the size of a bloody Mondeo now.
Interesting concept, though I'd still prefer a restored original even at the expense of reliability and ultimate performance (actually, I'm of the opinion that a properly maintained 70s/80s 911 can be pretty reliable)
Interesting concept, though I'd still prefer a restored original even at the expense of reliability and ultimate performance (actually, I'm of the opinion that a properly maintained 70s/80s 911 can be pretty reliable)
Im not a modern 911 fan, but I do like this.
Plus it is narrow enough to really make driving britains narrow back roads a treat.
It is V.expensive but then so are all these modernised and heavily modified classics (E- types & Jensen Interceptors to name 2 Ive seen recently) are all close to £100k.
Plus it is narrow enough to really make driving britains narrow back roads a treat.
It is V.expensive but then so are all these modernised and heavily modified classics (E- types & Jensen Interceptors to name 2 Ive seen recently) are all close to £100k.
Harry Flashman said:
Same price as a brand new 997?
Erm, I'll take the 997, thanks. Or a perfect 993 and change, more likely.
Lovely, but far too expensive for what it is.
I actually think that the Autofarm car is actually very well priced given the labour / love / and time that has gone into its creation.Erm, I'll take the 997, thanks. Or a perfect 993 and change, more likely.
Lovely, but far too expensive for what it is.
Given the choice of this or a brand new 997, then I'd take the autofarm car personally.
The last word of my last sentence, "personally", is exactly what these kinds of engineering companies (can we call them manufacturers? I know Ruf is) are about, and what their customers want.
A 997 will obliterate the Autofarm car in any tangible road or track situation, whether that be in terms of performance, reliability, comfort, economy etc etc etc etc. It's the "explain it to an alien why the old, slow, unsafe, uncomfortable, thirsty, unreliable alternative is best" concept. It's the impossible to define the feeling that these cars give which is so valuable, and so important to preserve in our modern motoring. It's also so so difficult to engineer.
Writing the paragraph above, just makes me want one even more!
Renn Sport said:
I cannot describe the joy of driving air-cooled 911. They are just amazing, involving and evocative driving machines.
More then a sum of its parts.
I love mine, which is a similar spec (and colour) to the one above (not as shiney though
)
Not sure what they did to squeeze 250bhp out of the engine though. They are 231bhp from the factory... Mine is only pushing 244bhp but I few more horses to come after a few more mile are added and the engine loosens up.
Think you may have missed that the engine is from a 964 not a 3.2 so 250 bhp not 231 bhp.More then a sum of its parts.
I love mine, which is a similar spec (and colour) to the one above (not as shiney though
)Not sure what they did to squeeze 250bhp out of the engine though. They are 231bhp from the factory... Mine is only pushing 244bhp but I few more horses to come after a few more mile are added and the engine loosens up.
Bogracer said:
Why have a replica when for very little more you can buy a pretty much concours RHD 2.4S, which are going up in value?
Agree. These bastardised creations seem to fall between two stools. They look like but are not based on the early models and with the later engines won't benefit from the lighter, free-reving nature of the earlier units, which is a big part of the appeal of an early 911. They may be more usable but no more so than a good 3.2 and as many people have pointed out, you could have a concours 3.2 for a third of the price. I'd rather have a proper, original car and use it less as that would keep or increase in value plus give the proper driving experience or have a concours 3.2. Actually, I tried a 3.2. It was great for solo runs on country lanes but found I wasn't using it enough. Have now got a 993 C2 that seems a perfect compromise between old school 911 feel but modern enough to be usable whenever I want. Of course, I still hanker after a 911 S or 2.7 RS but can't justify a car that I would probably only use in the summer.Lovely car but too expensive.
Depreciation will be huge and the car will never appeal to the purists.
As others have said, better to restore it as it was when new : it would be perfectly useable but thirsty.
With this kind of budget available, a slightly used modern 911 would be a far better bet in the long term.
Depreciation will be huge and the car will never appeal to the purists.
As others have said, better to restore it as it was when new : it would be perfectly useable but thirsty.
With this kind of budget available, a slightly used modern 911 would be a far better bet in the long term.
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