TURBOS ON TOUR 992 & 930 UNLOCK LONDON
BULLETPROOF 996!
Unique access to the world’s only fully armoured AND drivable 911
www.total911.com
THE
EXPERTS’
CHOICE
AIR-COOLED SUPERSTAR
Why the 993 C2S is the most wanted widebody
HOW WILL THE MARKET REACT IN 2021? HOW TO BUY IN A PANDEMIC INDUSTRY SECRETS & BUYING TIPS
INDUSTRY INSIGHT on the best-value Porsches to purchase RIGHT NOW
ERNST FUHRMANN
The rise and fall of Porsche’s misunderstood manager
ISSUE 201
DigitalEdition
TURBO S CUP 997
One-off road to race car: full build story
14 Cars to buy in 2021
The overs market is dead, and Porsches across the board are priced to sell – which means there’s never been a better time for the enthusiast to fulfil that lifelong dream of buying their ultimate 911. Whether it’s your first or next 911, or an addition to a larger collection, Total 911 presents – via the wisdom of industry experts – the best-value models to buy right now…
15
MARKET ASSESSMENT
2
020. Who knew? Buoyed with positivity at the beginning of last year, a global pandemic and a sub-optimal Brexit has impacted on the car market, though as Paragon’s Mark Sumpter says: “The honest answer from any car dealer is we cannot read the market presently.” That’s not to say it’s not moving, Sumpter adding: “This week we’d want to buy 2015-year 991s, because we sold three last week.” Brexit might not have been the perfect resolution, but all the specialists we’ve spoken to admit that at least with it done there’s a bit less uncertainty out there, the possible difficulties ahead because of it presenting more of a short-term chicane than a roadblock. Indeed, all our specialists admit that now it’s passed, there’s something of a pent-up demand from some buyers who’d been biding their time. Even with the huge impact of a global pandemic playing havoc with what was once normal, the trade
has adapted and diversified, meaning it’s certainly not a static or declining market; cars are selling, and selling well, crucially to willing, informed buyers. Karl Meyer of ThePorscheBuyer.com admits: “We expected it [COVID-19] to decimate the car market, but it just didn’t happen, people are still buying Porsches. A lot of people are bored, haven’t had holidays and are having a bit of a ‘what the hell’ moment and buying their dream cars now.” That’s also echoed by Jonathan Franklin of Jonathan Franklin Cars, who adds: “The market has had a bit of a correction, but it’s still busy. Porsche tends to buck trends, and as a manufacturer they are the safest cars to put your money in, so long as you pick the right one.” But what’s the right one in the current conditions? We’ve asked a range of specialists to pick from 911s in three different price spheres and advise on where to spend your money.
16 Cars to buy in 2021
THE SUB-£30K PURCHASE
A sub-£30k budget isn’t a barrier to 911 ownership; buy wisely and you’ll wonder why you’d need – or indeed, want – to spend any more…
996 C4S Coupe
Consistently the first car mentioned by all our experts when discussing the sub-£30k category, the 996 C4S is a hugely compelling package. “A good balance of being nice to drive, easy to use and good looking,” says Greig Daly of RPM Technik, adding it’s comfortably available under £30k. That’s difficult to argue against, and at under £30,000 they’re great value and also look sensational, too. Russ Rosenthal at JZM Porsche says: “The C4S manual is the right car in the sub-£30k market. Turbo-bodied, without the air intakes or Turbo’s rear wing, the reflector strip across the rear revived a classic air-cooled 911 styling signature and accentuated its shapelier, wider body, while under those extended wheel arches are the brakes and suspension from the Turbo.” With 320hp from its 3.6-litre flat six, 62mph arrives in 5.1 seconds and it’ll max out at 174mph, the C4S being the most loved of the non-GT 996 models and still a quick, exciting car to drive. Jason Shepherd at Paragon adds a caveat: “Make sure it’s the best example, as there are plenty out there that need a lot of love putting into them and doing that has a big number attached to it. If you can find a good car, grab it, as it’s a real sweet spot.”
17
996 C2 Coupe
Not everyone is seduced by the wider rump and Turbo-aping looks of the 996 C4S, and Ray Northway of Northway Porsche warns that all that Turbo gear underneath makes for higher running costs. His solution? A standard 996 Carrera Coupe with a manual transmission. “A late 996 manual Carrera 2 is perhaps the safest bet, you’ll get a nice one for £20k, I think they’re the best-value cars,” he says. He’s not alone here either, with Karl Meyer admitting that the 996 is having its day. “I’ve not heard a negative comment about 996s in the past 12 months and, quite the opposite, they’ve become cool.” We concur, indeed, the 996.1 coming up in our conversation with Singer’s Maz Fawaz when getting side-tracked during our DLS discussion for last issue. “I had one but I couldn’t stand it when it came out. And now there’s something to it,” the charismatic CEO says. Meyer adds: “For the last few years they’ve changed hands at unbelievably low money, but people have been spending money on them; they’re absolutely a classic 911 now, but still affordable. I’ve fallen in love with them all over again.” Finding really good ones is tricky, admits Paragon’s Jamie Tyler, but they’re out there, and there’s much more momentum for them. All this means prices seem to be rising as demand grows, so if you’re interested, get buying.
997.1 Carrera Coupe
A 997 for under £30,000 has been a reality for a while now, helped in no small part by the sheer volume of them built. Greig Daly says: “Get a straightforward 997 C2, non-S, manual Coupe and it’ll do everything. For under £30k, you can’t go wrong. A good daily-use car.” Northway’s a bit more circumspect, though: “I’d only consider getting into a Gen1 997 if it’s had an engine re-build including a modified intermediate bearing and the liners replaced. Unless it’s had a rebuild by us, RPM Technik, or any of the other recognised workshops, with an invoice showing it, then I’d avoid.” Sage advice, but buy wisely and the Gen1 997 represents a hell of a lot of car for the money. The Paragon team reckon they’re great value with the right history, Tyler going as far to say a Tip shouldn’t be overlooked if you’re predominantly city based. Shepherd adds that a Cabriolet shouldn’t be ignored either, especially if it’s an occasional, high days and holidays driver, saying: “I’m beginning to think there’s a wider appreciation of Cabrios starting from people who might not usually have considered them. With the modern cars, the compromises just aren’t there for the road. I think Cabriolets are on the up.” That’s true across the entire market. Buyer beware, then, but buy right and a 997 will serve you very well indeed.
24 Turbos to London
LONDON
C A L L I N G A road trip like no other: two Turbos descend on England’s deserted capital as the iconic 930 shows the new 992 around the streets it’s long called home Written by Lee Sibley Photography by Ali Cusick
25
34 997 Turbo S Cup
35
T U R B O
S
C U P
An enthusiast wondered what would happen if a 997 Turbo S road car was developed into a race car with the technical knowledge of Porsche South Africa. This car is the result… Written by Wilhelm Lutjeharms Photography by Peet Mocke
42 Bulletproof 996
T H E
9 1 1 B U L L E T P R O O F
It was a unique 1990s project to build an armoured 996. Today, Total 911 presents the world’s only bulletproof and fully drivable Neunelfer Photography by Damian Blades
43
50 Ernst Fuhrmann
E R N S T F U H R M A N N
P O R S C H E ’ S
M I S U N D E R S T O O D
M A N AG E R
Total 911 looks at the rise and fall of the man hired to lead the Zuffenhausen manufacturer out of day-to-day running by the Porsche family
T
Written by Kieron Fennelly Pictures courtesy Porsche Archive
he telephone rang. In the drawing room of his home in Teufenbach in southern Austria, Ernst Fuhrmann went over to answer it. The caller was Helmuth Bott. “Herr Fuhrmann, we have a proposition for you. Herr Piëch and I would like to come and see you to discuss it.” In October 1970 the Porsche and Piëch families had decided to relinquish control of their company and turn it into a limited company with professional management. To lead the new Porsche AG, Ferry thought of his former colleague. He knew that Fuhrmann had recently left his current employment and to see how interested his fellow Austrian might be in returning to Porsche, he had deputed Bott and Piëch to find out. They made Fuhrmann an attractive offer: Ferry would stand back to become chairman of the supervisory board of the new limited company and Fuhrmann would be technical director. As he told Randy Leffingwell in 1991, “They showed me designs for new cars. I had nothing else to do: the position was simple, easy to handle. It was nothing complicated.” So, 15 years on began Ernst Fuhrmann’s second stint at Porsche which, like the first, would last exactly nine years. A 28-year-old mechanical engineer from Vienna, he had joined Porsche at Gmünd in 1947. Described later by his assistant Tilman Brodbeck as a “total car nut”, Fuhrmann’s intelligence and commitment soon made themselves felt: he would work with Ferry on the dauntingly complex flat 12 Cisitalia and other major thirdparty engineering projects, and once Porsche was re-established at Zuffenhausen he masterminded the immensely powerful four-cam flat four: this had twin ignition and roller bearings for the crankshaft
and the connecting rods and was dry sumped, the start of a long production engineering tradition at Porsche. The prototype produced a remarkable 112bhp at 6,400rpm and the four cam became the backbone of Porsche’s competition successes for a decade. Fuhrmann was ambitious: it was said that if the factory would not give him the components that he needed for development projects, he would go out and buy them from his own pocket. But he began to feel underappreciated and when in 1956 Klaus von Rücker was appointed technical director, a post Fuhrmann believed that after a decade at Porsche should be his, he resigned. He would not remain unemployed for long: among the enthusiastic band of Porsche racing privateers he knew was Rolf Goetze, head of the piston ring and engine parts maker. Both Fuhrmann’s engine and the man himself had impressed Goetze, and he invited the Austrian to join his company where he would become technical director and by 1962, board member. When he returned to Porsche, Ernst Fuhrmann saw the company needed to maintain the impetus generated by its Le Mans and CanAm successes: that meant some sort of renewal for the now eight-year-old 911 and in the longer term, a new model to replace it. The 911 after all could not expect to have a lifespan much longer than the 13 years of its predecessor. Fuhrmann was always a racing enthusiast – numerous Porsche Archive pictures show him in the Le Mans pits or at hill climbs in the early 1950s and at CanAm races 20 years later, often with stopwatch in hand. He also liked to get involved in test sessions too and Mark Donohue was impressed to see him even wielding a spanner at a wintry Paul Ricard on one occasion. He saw first-hand the
51
RS S 56 Porsche Index: 993 Carrera
PORSCHE INDEX
993 CARRERA S
Mixing a wide body with traditional rear-wheeldrive, the Carrera S is a highly desirable 993. Here’s your complete dossier of information on this collector’s gem Written by Kieron Fennelly Photography by Damian Blades
9000
57
HISTORY AND TECH
I
n Porsche nomenclature, ‘S’ usually denoted sporting or ‘Super’ and its first application to a 911 was in 1966. The 911S would set the standard as the fastest 911 until the 2.7RS usurped its crown, and the S was demoted to second fiddle before it disappeared in 1976. Subsequently there was a 911CS (Clubsport) and a 911RS (Rennsport) and even a Turbo S, but a plain 911 with an S, in this case ‘Carrera S’, had to wait for the mid-term facelift 993 in 1996. The 993 was the evolutionary descendant of the 964 which had arrived at a time when Porsche’s financial woes were beginning. The 964’s disappointing sales led to a fundamental reappraisal of the 911: in the performance stakes it was still classleading,
but in terms of handling and refinement, critics felt it was falling behind competitors. Plans for the 993 were laid in 1989 as soon as new broom engineering director Ulrich Bez arrived and the objective, challenging given Porsche’s impoverished resources, was clear enough: refine the 911 to extend its appeal while reinforcing its ‘911-ness,’ that palpable collusion between driver and car which had so characterised the 911 from the outset. Porsche was barely profitable and plans to revise the roof line, countersink the exposed windscreen wipers and update the cabin never materialised. Nonetheless, Tony Hatter’s fared front wings and smoothed and subtly flared haunches met universal approval; all the road tests commented on the more secure handling endowed by the new rear suspension, the multi-link configuration which would underpin at least two more 911 generations, and above
all the much-improved ride and refinement. A systematic lightening of reciprocating parts and better breathing enhanced both smoothness and the 3.6’s power and torque; Japanese consultants brought improved manufacturing techniques and the 993 not only cost less to make than its predecessor, it proved more popular and started making profits again. Its success encouraged Porsche to reprise the Turbo-look 911 of the 1980s. The 1995 4WD 993 C4S used the wider Turbo bodyshell (without the spoiler), suspension and brakes and the Turbo’s leather interior, but the Carrera’s naturally aspirated 3.6. Capitalising on the very favourable response, a year later Porsche added a lower-cost version, the C2S, which also featured the Turbo body but otherwise used standard C2 running gear and interior, though it was distinguished by a striking split rear grille, a clever homage to the original (356) Carrera 2.