About a year ago I was on a bit of a
911 odyssey around California
chatting with the likes of Magnus Walker, Singer and numerous owners of hot-rodded Porsches. And while the cars were in isolation lovely things the abiding memory was chatting with David Bouzaglou from long-time Porsche resto shop TRE Motorsports and seeing the slightly wistful look in his eyes as he recalled how three decades ago he was modernising then unfashionable 70s 911s into replicas of widebody 80s Turbos and flatnoses. And now he's doing the exact opposite.
Hot-rodded Porsches can still be tasteful
Fashions change and if the customer wants it the customer gets. But I can't help shed a tear for the SCs, G-series 3.2 Carreras and, now, 964s that have been butchered to resemble something they're not.
The arguments for are easy enough to understand of course and pretty much impossible to dispute, especially when you've got one of Singer'screations before you. I have to confess, given a six-figure budget and an old 964 I'd be on the phone to Rob, Maz and the guys and telling them to go mad with the angle grinder and carbon fibre additions.
Preservation order
And that huge interchangeability of parts - original and aftermarket - across the generations is what makes the 911 such a unique template for the imagination of all fans, be they dreadlocked fashion entrepreneurs from downtown LA or clean cut investors eyeing up the next collectable derivative.
Customising, updating, backdating - they're all part of the Porsche story too. When I put it to Harris he just said it's about making old cars drive better and more usable. And it's hard to argue.
Indeed, who wouldn't want a car like this?
Singer's appetite for 964 project cars isn't ever likely to put a serious dent in supply of original examples but that doesn't mean there won't be others inspired to do so in larger quantities that might. And for someone for whom a standard manual 964 Carrera coupe would do nicely but is rapidly disappearing from anything approaching easy reach that gets me worried. Dip into the PH classifieds and you'll still see 964s for less than £20K. But by the time you strip out the cabrios, Targas and Tiptronics you can
add another £10K
to that and a rate of inflation matched only by Home Counties semis in a desirable school catchment area.
We all crave the S/Ts, the Rs, the RSes and their lookalikes. But what happens when we turn around and find there are suddenly no nice, original SCs, 3.2 Carreras or 964s around?
Original is best?
It's not just Porsches of course. How many more 'Lotus' Cortinas are there now than there once were, likewise Escort Mexicos. And how long before all the K-Series Elises go pop and transplanted Honda or Duratecs make up the majority? Is there such a thing as an original RX-7 or R32 Skyline? An LS-engined TVR sounds like a giggle but shouldn't someone be devoting themselves to keeping one alive with a Speed Six engine still in place?
The point at which Dan's argument looks shaky
Should I be bothered? Someone's got to be. But I've got a solution that'd keep everyone happy, at least in Porsche's case. And it's a lesson they could learn from the American muscle car scene. Rare for Stuttgart to miss a trick when it comes to developing new income streams but as an alternative to chasing people for trademark infringement there's a more positive solution. One that could bring in a few more euros.
Indeed, it was experience of an LS-engined TVR that got me browsing GM's Chevy crate enginescatalogue. And it's huge. Whether you want a modern supercharged LS9 or a retro carbfed 350 small block GM will sell you it off the shelf, no questions asked. There's even a Camaro body in white you can buy - part #19243374 if you're interested. Ford, meanwhile, has also introduced 60s era Mustang bodyshells along similar lines. Want to build your own vision of your ultimate resto-mod Mustang? Fill your boots, and no need to carve up an old one to do so. See also Japan, where you can buy a GT86 with unpaintedbumpers and steelies, ready to hand over to the tuner of your choosing.
Given a G-series shell (and cash) and this'd do
It would require a fundamental change of mentality at Porsche of course. The idea that any Tom, Dick or Harry could order a bunch of factory bits and build an 'RS' is enough to have the lawyers trembling in their double-breasted suits. Thing is, folk are doing it anyway. At the detriment of the pool of original cars for those who want to preserve them the way they were. And I think the Porsche brand and 911 legacy is strong enough to accommodate support for the custom scene too.
Make the bits expensive enough that building a Singer-like car would require Singer-like expertise and money. G-series or 964 bodies in white, G50 gearboxes, Mezger-based engines in a variety of capacities and tunings with the whole vast range of aftermarket Porsche tuning parts and expertise to hang it all together. Just imagine the possibilities! Sure, there are probably a heap of legislative and other regulations I've not fully thought through or considered but I'm already lost in a mental spending spree in an online Porsche catalogue the equivalent of GM's or Ford's.
That way when funds allow I can have my (imagined) original SC or 964 Carrera 2 AND my personal vision of a resto-mod 911 while keeping a clean conscience and letting the collectors who want to spend the millions on the originals as investments do just that. After all, those who obsess over matching numbers and a factory history will always pay a premium for the dwindling supply of 'real' cars. Let them. Those of us who want an ultimate 911 for driving and enjoying can have that too, Porsche gets a cut of the action and it's down to the people like Singer, Autofarm and the rest to actually build them.
Literally, everyone's a winner.