Retro 911 meets retro wannabe 991
991 50 Years Edition shamelessly riffs on 911s of old; PHer creates his own arguably classier tribute
Porsche's in-house at a retro-modern 911
Middle-age spread
More on that in due course. Parked alongside, both Alex and I can't help but be shocked by 50 years of 'evolution.' The new car suddenly looks gross and bloated beside the slimline original. It doesn't help that for this car Porsche used the wider Carrera 4 body, but in truth even a Carrera 2 would dwarf its great, great, great grandfather.
Not that the 991 isn't attractive. Far from it. It just suddenly looks a little heavy handed.
Alongside Alex's car it looks a bit of a brute
Rain starts play
So how did it come about? "I've always been a Porsche guy," says Alex. "I take after my mum. Years back when I was a kid she was driving me in her Orion on the A3 when a 930 Turbo suddenly flew up behind us. Downshifting for an overtake it passed us just as two orange flames erupted from its twin exit pipe. My mum said 'We've gotta get one of those!'"
And she did. Ditching the dull Ford she bought a 944 Turbo, followed by a 993, 996 and finally a 997 C4 S. You would expect a 60s 911 to be on his wish list then. But it wasn't and not even on his radar - until he went on holiday in December 2009.
Can you tell it was built by a rally man?
That's how, just a day after his return, he found himself in a remote dealership in a foot of snow digging out the car you see here. Back then it wasn't a 911 but a very sorry-looking 912. "It didn't look too bad. OK, it didn't look too good - but I bought it with a very healthy discount for £5,000 with the view I'd restore it back to new," recounts Alex.
Leaving his car with 911 and Hilman Imp (there's logic there) rally expert, Nuneaton-based Fenn Lane Motorsport, he entrusted garage owner Chris Flavell to give his new car a thorough look over.
Chrome spangle for the retro look
Two things saved the 912 from the crusher. First, the structure was still intact. And second? It wasn't original. The knackered old four-cylinder engine's numbers didn't match. This last point wasn't lost on Alex. If it wasn't original before restoration, it didn't need to be original post-restoration.
"I'm not a fan of those who take a perfectly good 964 and chop it up into something that looks like an old 911. Forget wide arches - my car is a narrow body car and that's what it should remain but, that said, when engine mounts are the only real difference between a 912 and the six-cylinder 911..." Alex trails off, gesturing to the engine bay of his car.
Started as a 912, has gained a couple of cylinders
In a stroke of luck at the same time Alex's car was being stripped, a customer of Chris's at Fenn Lane brought in a rotten Carrera 3 - too far gone to save. Chris bought the car for parts and Alex had his engine.
Sold between 1976-1977, Carrera 3s had a naturally-aspirated version of the 3.0-litre lump in aforementioned flame-throwing 930 Turbo, an engine itself a mild development of the legendary 2.7-litre motor that powers the '73 Carrera RS. Starting from scratch, Alex's 911 was Chris's first restoration and what he couldn't find he made, fabricating his own parts and panels in his workshop. The titanium wheelnuts and 917 wooden gearknob, for example, are all made by Fenn Lane.
Of course there were the occasional disagreements.
Alex picks up the story. "From day one I wanted Webers on the car, but Chris would say 'course you do, but I'm fitting Solexes.' Chris was always right, it was annoying really. I'd go away and do my research and realise Webers would completely ruin the car and Solex carbs were the only choice."
Finish and attention to detail is fabulous
"When I first saw it in the flesh I thought I'd made a horrible mistake. I hated it. But, again, Chris told me to relax and sure enough now I love it."
Modern perspective
From the period-looking bucket seats the 60s car feels instantly a world way from the expansive 991. Visibility is fantastic thanks to its pencil slim A-pillars and the driving position, with a gorgeous fixed Momo Prototipo wheel placed dead ahead, is decent.
Having swapped the original engine' s mechanical Bosch K-Jetronic injection for carbs the pay-off is scalpel sharp throttle response and a car that fires first time, even when hot. Selecting first in a 915 gearbox is always an amusing experience as it's not quite where you think it is - it's more of a push up, hook left, there-it-is motion. And the rest of 'box is similarly idiosyncratic but you quickly adapt.
Goes as well as it looks, which is to say well
With the 210hp and 188lb ft Alex's 911 matches the 2.7 Carrera RS for power but betters it for torque (173lb ft). With a kerbweight of between 800-900kg it is significantly lighter than the homologation special too. Throw in an engine that loves to rev and we'd be amazed if it isn't quicker too.
Like all old 911s the steering is what you begin focusing on. It dominates, bubbling with uncorrupted feedback, nose bobbing in sequence with the undulations. Even the dampers on this car aren't a limiting factor, keeping the body in check as we up the pace to a respectfully enthusiastic rate.
Predictably bigger and faster but still fun
Swapping back into the new 911 I attack the same road.
New dog, old tricks
What happens is the second surprise of the day. Pushed hard and the 991 sheds its relaxed GT clothes and becomes a real sports car. Never quite shrinking around you, it defies its kerbweight (over half a tonne heavier) and destroys the same road we travelled earlier. Braking later, accelerating earlier we're 50 per cent faster than the old car.
Even the electric power steering is precise enough not to ruin the experience, while the seven-speed manual is a revelation compared with the last version I drove, being both faster and with a better shift. Pushing further still and you begin managing the weight, just like you do in the old car, but the speeds by then are, let's say, substantial. It remains hard-wired into the old car's DNA though.
An irresistable pairing; worse days have been had
What could have been a harsh rally refugee has turned into the most useable, best-driving old 911s I've ever experienced - a credit to Chris's hard work and Alex's vision. And the best news is this is a car that will be used, day in day out.
"It's actually nice having a car I couldn't give a toss about the mileage. I'm going to use it as much as I can and that includes taking it to Spa next year for a track day. I think it will look better when it's nicely worn in and there are a few scratches on it."
Can't argue with that.
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Photos: Max Earey; thanks to Alex Smart
k do I need 7 manual gears for?"Seriously - isn't that just a pain-in-the-arse both in terms of finding a gear and never being in the right one - ever?
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