Factory Porsche 904 Crash Test!
April 24th, 2009
Sadly this photo did not scan so well, but I happened upon this image credited to the Porsche factory as their first ever crash test in 1966. Apparently they dropped a 904 from a crane to approximate a 50kph impact. This is not a situation in which to say “those were the days”. It might be more appropriate to say “times have changed” instead.
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The 3 reasons why we love old cars
April 23rd, 2009
I wrote my senior paper in college about the collector car hobby, specifically trying to answer the question of why we like old cars. I found that there are three basic reasons why we like old cars:
- Experiential aspects: This is basically the five senses (well except taste; I usually try to avoid tasting cars) and asking “what is it like to experience an old car?” This means looking at, driving, hearing, working on, and however else we relate to cars.
- Social aspects: This is the social events that go with old cars. From the Concours d’Elegance and prestigious rally …more »
For Sale: 1974 Porsche Carrera with 3.2
April 23rd, 2009
This 1974 Carrera is available for $25,000 on Craiglist in Seattle, Washington from Redmond European, a shop that does great work on Porsches. The very sharp will recognize Dane Burns’ spectacular 3.6 liter 911 that was featured in Excellence Magazine a couple years ago in the background of one of the pictures. This car is a great looking car nicely plays the Grand Prix White/Blue color scheme that will always been associated with the 1973 RS. It has some great stuff on it, including upgraded suspension, and beautifully finished fuchs alloy wheels in the desirable 7″ and 8″ widths. The car also has some other goodies such as 3.2 liter Motronic engine, …more »
video: entirely impressive e30 m3 rally driving
April 22nd, 2009
This is an entirely impressive bit of driving from the Isle of Man Rally (AKA Manx Rally) that reaffirms the idea that rally driving is some of the most demanding and impressive driving there is. Driver Patrick Snyers threads the car with consummate precision, even pulling on a young Collin McRae (RIP). Check out how the rear bias on the brakes (used to induce slides) gets the car so squirrely under braking in a straight line. The fast and narrow tarmac stages leave little margin for error and the level of vehicle control is accordingly high.
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Another new event at Monterey…from those nut jobs who came up with the 24 hours of lemons!
April 22nd, 2009
Great, another new event at Monterey. But wait! It’s from the same folks who brought you The 24 Hours of LeMons, a riotous endurance race for $500 cars. The Concours d’LeMons is another tongue in cheek (and it’s a very cheeky cheek) jab at the more high end events, and is a concours intended for the really bad cars that have been made over the years. You know, the Pacer and Citroen Ami etc. The site is a riot and is well worth checking out. My favorite award is for the Soviet class, the “Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Medal for Most Glorious Achievement in Transportative Advancement for Use Upon Billiard-Smooth Highways as Are Uniformly to Be Found Inside Workers’ Paradise”.
For sale: Mechanically sorted but cosmetically rough 911E
April 22nd, 2009
This 1969 911E Coupe on Ebay, while rough looking, is a very sorted car mechanically. We know the owner of this car and can personally attest to the fact that this car was used as a daily driver and has been a regular sight in the North and East San Francisco Bay Area for the last few years. The owner got the car after a long period (~20 years) of storage, which necessitated the complete rebuilding of the fuel system, from the tank to the injectors since the entire system was filled with bad gas. The brake system was also renewed at this time. The owner is very fastidious and detail oriented, so one can be sure that the work that was done was done well. …more »