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General Interest

Fishy Tales (The Ones That Got Away) – Part 2

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What next?

Ah yes… the perfect, red, 944 S2.

This one came close. A bloke in Templestowe had owned it for most of its life. And cherished it. When I rolled up to view it he opened his garage door and there it was. Well, as far as I could tell. There was a 944-like shape under a custom made car cover. With the Stuttgart crest and all. I’m not entirely sure why he needed a cover. His roller door had a specially designed compressible rubber dust strip on the bottom…and on the sides…and there was one around the single door to his back yard too. In that garage there was not a speck of dust to be seen.

The car as immaculate – Bright red; cup wheels. I was almost reluctant to get in lest my jeans mark the black leather interior.

He finally agreed to let me drive it…which is where the relationship faltered. After 10 minutes or so he decided that I’d had enough fun at his expense and suggested that I turn around and head back.

My big mistake was to turn in to the entrance to a sports ground car park…which was unsealed. Big mistake. It was tantamount to running a key down the side of the car. He demanded that I slow down (from 5 kph) and wanted to know why I would take such liberties with someone else’s car. Huh? What liberty? I was merely driving the vehicle on a road that was designed…for vehicles, ya muppet.

The upshot of all this is that I offered to buy the car – at the asking price – but he refused to sell it to me. Honest. He was convinced that I would not look after it properly. I think I ended up suggesting that he attempt an unnatural act upon himself then wished him good luck with the rest of his treatment.

So the quest continued.

Next I think was a far less pristine 944 S2 Turbo. With a big chip and MO30 suspension. It was manic. I am not sure exactly what the owner had done to it but the turbo lag was epic! Putter, putter, putter…BANG! Turning from High Street, Glen Iris onto the Monash freeway on-ramp in the rain is etched into my psyche. I put the foot down to catch a gap in traffic and … putter, putter, putter…BANG! Sideways! This thing had an LSD and unlike the race bred 911 that tried to kill me it had that fabled 944 balance. The owner and I both got a big kick and giggle out of looking through the passenger side window to see where we were headed. And unlike the precious owner of the precious red 944, this guy laughed like a drain! Anyway, I decided against it on the grounds that it was to be one of my daily drives and was a bit “out-there” and also that it was too far from standard and therefore wouldn’t keep its value (Haha – if we’d only known). And all this coming from the bloke who has done his level best to make his Boxster as far from standard as possible. But then again, I’ve probably ADDED to its value!!

The last instalment (I bet you can’t wait) involves a lovely 3.0 Ice Green 911 SC, a 944 Cup car and an Alfa 105 GTV Coupe (and more acts of idiocy/procrastination/conservatism/marque loyalty on my part)…

By Robbo (Ian Roberts)

Ready for Summer Holidays?

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It’s getting warmer and Christmas is just around the corner… if you’re planning on going cruising these summer holidays, just a heads up that NINEAUTO will be closed for 2 weeks from Friday the 22nd December, and will reopen again on Monday the 8th January.

So if you have any car concerns that you would like checked out, or if your Porsche simply needs a bit of mechanical TLC before you partake in some summer touring, please book in… It can get busy over December and we don’t like to disappoint.

Fishy Tales (The Ones That Got Away) – Part 1

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Because I am incorrigible and like to bore people with tall tales and true about my sparkling automotive history, and having read Max’s tale of “Ones That Got Away” or “If I Could Turn Back Time” (oh that film-clip – a young man’s fancy and an old man’s dream!) I decided to risk my mental health by reflecting on opportunities lost.

This is the first installment…I can’t promise that the tales of woe will be sequential, but then again, they don’t need to be.

First off… 911 Race car – I believe my first foray into the concept of Porsche ownership was when I was alerted to an imported, skinny bumper, BRIGHT ORANGE (sound familiar?) 911 with cage and Bilsteins and seats and stuff, going for a song. Given that I had recently sold my DOHC, 4-wheel disked, LSD’d, caged but untamed rally car I was hankering for something different. I therefore wandered out on a Saturday afternoon to a near deserted factory complex in Bayswater to have a look at this thing … and got all slack-jawed. I wanted it….Until it injured me…. then tried to kill me.

You see some months earlier I had fractured a couple of ribs (long story…) but was now mended, or so I believed. Whereas I was quite used to clambering into a roll-caged rally car I was not used to clambering over side intrusion bars in low-slung Porkers. In an attempt to contort myself appropriately, I twisted awkwardly only to hear a muted snap followed a split-second later by a shooting pain in my side… which was a rib breaking! This caused me to straighten reflexively, which in turn made be bang my scone of the top of the roll cage, very nearly concussing myself. The bloke selling the car laughed so hard he needed a change of socks.

Notwithstanding the pain in my side and the fog in my head, I was determined to redeem my dignity and resolved to somehow get in and drive the thing. Finally working out how to seat myself without passing out from the pain, we set off around a “race track’ that was the quiet industrial-complex streets. The thing seemed quick. Really quick. And twitchy! After a couple of “laps”, with confidence growing, I became ambitious. Coming around a blind-ish corner I was confronted by a stray neighborhood dog standing in the middle of the road. He wasn’t fazed by the sight of a howling, orange beast coming at him (I suspect he was inured to it all judging by the collection of tyre marks left by the local V8 boys) so he didn’t move. I’d never driven a Porsche. I didn’t know about the pendulum effect so I slammed on the brakes. And the bloody car tried to kill me!! It swapped ends faster than I could say $&^#@$%!

From that point, for a long time, I swore off rear engine cars of all descriptions.

Until…. The 930 3.3 – James, first born son and principal heir to the title of “Boofhead”, feigned illness one day when he was about 10. Having received the call from the school, with my wife away at the time and being the dutiful parent, I left work at lunchtime to collect the ailing young-un. Sick? Rubbish. I couldn’t take him back to school but he didn’t need tending so to keep myself entertained I got on the computer and started feeding my fancy (for Porsches, not Cher). Calling out to me was a nice silver 930 3.3 for sale at about $60,000. Really? So I grabbed the Boofhead and headed out to have look. The abiding memory for both of us is taking off from the Grange Road roundabout up St Georges Road with a Heavy Wellie and realizing I needed this car. A phone call to my wife at her parent’s farm soon quashed any ambitions. She reminded me that funds would be better used in the new business rather than to feed my addiction….(sigh).

But wait…there’s more…

To be continued.

By Robbo (Ian Roberts)

If I could turn back time…

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My hope is this could be a regular post where enthusiast tell their stories about that Porsche that got away. The title of these posts could have been inspired by all the fishing tales about the one that got away! But instead I decided to take my inspiration from Cher’s dodgy late 80’s song “If I could turn back time” with the unforgettable video clip. I thought this analogy was apt as Cher’s outfit and antics are a vivid and uncomfortable memory… perhaps similar to the mixed feelings of a Porsche that got away!

In the early 1990’s my then boyfriend and now husband Tim bought his first Porsche. On a bit of a whim, a red 1968 Californian converted 912 was purchased from Shannon’s Auction Rooms on Warrigal Rd. This acquisition could only take place with some assistance, and so the always charming Tim secured $8K of the $12K purchase price from me his super generous girlfriend.

It’s a long time ago, but I think Tim’s winning sales patter appealed to both head and heart. ‘I’ve always dreamed about having a Porsche, plus it’s going to be an awesome investment.’ Young love is truly a beautiful thing, so at the age of 21, I lent Tim the majority of my savings to buy his dream car. If that wasn’t enough, he then proceeded to store his Porsche in my garage whilst I parked on the street! Reflecting back, perhaps this storage location was a smart move, as it did give me some security against my loan.

Whilst stored in my garage, the 912 did receive some TLC from an enthusiastic but fairly cash strapped Tim.

So fast forward a year after purchase, and young love turns into a marriage proposal from Tim… Unsurprisingly, a marriage proposal comes with some serious commitments and expenses! So here is where Tim gets some tough love, and a reality check from his Fiancé. ‘The 912 needs to go!’ Tim dutifully sold the 912 for the same price as he purchased it for, and my $8K went into the marriage kitty. Did Tim therefore ever pay me back? After 23 years of marriage, this is a question that still remains unresolved, and continues to fuel some fun banter between Tim and myself!

Tim still bangs on about what the car would be worth today if I hadn’t made him sell it. He saw the car advertised around a year ago for $80K, and still argues it would have been an excellent investment. I’d argue keeping your soon to be wife happy is an even better investment decision… (plus the compound interest on $12K over the last 25 years is probably more than $80k!) However I am reliably informed by many Porsche enthusiasts that I’m really missing the point of the story!

In the interest of making these posts more interactive, I’m offering a prize to anyone who can correctly guess how many years we were married before Tim made his next Porsche acquisition.

If you have a ‘If I could turn back time’ Porsche story you’d like to share please get in touch… learning from Tim’s experience, I think lots of sharing with a supportive audience can be quite cathartic.

Holiday snaps

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Spending some time in northern Italy at present where nearly all cars are small urban run-abouts that have their share of battle scars. Here and there have been cars that stand out.

One night in Stressa this cute little Fiat was parked among the normal curbside riff raff and looked very classy.

Strolling through the streets of Verona there was this nice looking C4S soft top that someone had maneuvered along the very tight laneways and left parked in the middle of the flood of tourists.

Today in Milan I just had to capture this “outstanding” Panamera. I thought for sure the little dog was going make his mark for a great snap, in the end he just moved on as if it wasn’t worth his attention.

In the museum at Sant’Agata there were lots of remarkable cars, this SUV  show car from a couple of years back makes my Macan look incredibly plain. The wheels were huge, surely 24″ or more.

While being shown around the factory and looking over the Huracan and Aventador production lines our guide advised that the work space will be changing shortly, the Urus is being delivered after Xmas. These cars will be on the street for less than 200,000 Euro + taxes.

By Gordon Johnstone

10Khop Transformed! – The 5th Report

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It’s back.

After a month or so of me mucking about and trying to decide what I wanted to achieve and where I wanted to go the ever-patient Stuart has transformed the 10Khop from a cheap and cheery entrée to Porsche ownership to a pocket rocket that is raw, visceral and downright grin-inducing! Here’s what’s new…

• VERY healthy 3.4 911 motor with Gemballa exhaust

• New clutch

• New IMS bearing

• New short-shift kit

• Completely new full adjustable coil-over suspension

• New brakes with competition pads

• Refurbished 17×8 and 17×9 deep-dished Fuchs

• Bolt on flares

The photos tell a bit of the story.

BEFORE
AFTER

I seem to recall that my last missive suggested we were considering something different. I may have mentioned IROC. I had intended to have the car wrapped in a BRIGHT orange, but I might pause for a bit and see how I feel.

IROC 911

It has a lot more attitude than when we started but the fluro orange may be a step too far. I’m still up for it – I’d be happy to hear everyone’s opinion!!

So far I haven’t had the opportunity of getting it on the track (Phillip Island here we come) but the driving experience bears little resemblance to the former car. It’s a bit rowdy, the suspenders are quite firm and everything is tight and tidy.

I haven’t yet found a corner that poses any sort of challenge, although I have become far more aware of speed bumps and curbs! It certainly communicates each imperfection of the road’s surface, but the beauty of the new suspension is that, whilst you’re aware of what’s going on, it’s never uncomfortable and seldom jarring. The occasional “jiggling” sensation is a very small price to pay for the planted-ness!

A set of black wheels for the track will bring it back to 2017.

It now sounds like a “proper” Porsche (perhaps a bit too much … Mrs Robbo claims she can hear me double declutching two streets away from home, a full two minutes before I arrive!) At full noise it sounds sensational. It pops and crackles on the over-run and down shift and wails past 5,000. Trouble is, at freeway speeds the Gemballa does have a tendency to drone. There’s a specific rev range where it pounds away at the skull and blurs the vision! May have to look into that. It’d be a pain all the way to the Island or Winton or Broadford.

And guess what? It’s still warm and water tight. It’s still air conditioned. It still starts with the first twist of the key. I still don’t care where I park it. It has big enough boot(s) to carry the shopping. It’s cheaper to insure than my wife’s Lexus. And the roof comes off – I know that I have said that I am not a fan of soft tops, but I must admit that a blat up Mountain Highway to the Sky-High restaurant (or whatever it’s called) on a 14* day, with the roof off and the heater blasting warm air out through the dash vents was a hoot!

The down side…? It’s a bit rattly on corrugated dirt roads – but then again so are most cars with 170,000ks on the clock, let alone soft tops. There’s no rear window demister. Dark blue is a bugger to keep clean and hot in warm weather (for some reason 4 out of 7 cars we presently own are white, 2 silver, 1 dark blue).

And it hasn’t cost me a bomb.

Job done.

The next step is a proper competition seat, steering wheel and harness.

And maybe a wrap…

By Robbo (Ian Roberts)

964 – The now popular 911

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A little over 10 years ago, I was searching for my first 911. I had always looked forward to the time I could at to splash out a little and buy my dream car. I researched quite a number of models and I remember narrowing the search to the 964, 993 and 996. All of which could competently tick the box of a daily driver and handle the occasional track day.

At the time, I recall the 996 and 993 prices were on par and the 964 prices were hovering at only 50-60% of its modern siblings. I weighed up the options and eventually settled on a low km near new series 2 996. Whilst I have loved the 996 (and still continue to) for all these years, I have watched it depreciate, at the same time the 964 climbed in popularity and price, until now when the top end cars are as expensive (or more) than the equivalent 993!

As major design changes go, the 964 was a big leap forward for the 911. Introduced in 1989, the 964 was significantly more high tech than the 3.2 Carrera before it and featured significant changes and options that were never offered previously. Externally, the 964 looked almost the same as earlier models above the bumper line and internally the interior looked similar save a few additional knobs on dash and centre consol. The biggest changes were the suspension, transmission options and engine.

With the introduction of 4WD, both the front and rear suspension were redesigned. Out went torsion bars in favour of coil springs over the struts. This significantly improved the neutral handling of the car. Braking and handling under braking was also improved with the introduction of ABS. The 964 was also the first 911 to feature tiptronic automatic transmission on the two wheel drive variants. The manual G50 box was also uprated to comfortably handle the increased power from the new engine.

The 964’s engine capacity was increased to 3.6, producing 250 bhp (approx. 19 bhp over the previous 3.2). It was a development of the previous unit but the heads were redesigned with two spark plugs per head requiring a new dual distributor ignition. More reliable power and improved torque range.

For quite a long time, the 964 was not in favour amongst the enthusiast due to the electronic aids and many were quick to criticize the issues of dual mass flywheel failure and engine oil leaks. By now, just about every 964 has had the dual mass flywheel replaced and many have had their engines resealed to stop the leaks.

Personally, I think the 964 is an absolute hoot to drive. It is such a great blend of old school driver’s car with reasonably modern handling and braking. I’m not sure why the 964 was not the loved 911 it is now. There is nothing more fun than taking one for a quick blast through the Dandenong’s around the tight twisty roads. Lower the windows, give it some throttle and the enjoy the flat 6 rasp!

By Tim Rout

How to preserve your battery

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For many enthusiasts, we save our Porsches for a weekend blast or holidays. Many cars are stored for days or weeks before we have time to enjoy them. Over time, your battery will lose charge and then begin to struggle to hold full charge. When you do find time to enjoy your ride, the battery might be flat and won’t hold charge even if you attempt to charge it over night.

Modern cars (Porsche’s included) can also suffer from batteries with low charge. I have had issues with my 996 where accessories do strange things when the battery is low or nearly dead. Even when stopped and locked, modern Porsches do continue to use the battery to maintain their systems and alarms. Some cars may lose programming if the battery is completely dead.

The best way to preserve your battery when your car is not regularly run is to hook the battery up to a trickle charger. Modern “smart” trickle chargers have circuitry to cycle on and off to maintain the battery charge at its optimum. The charger can sense the battery condition and will not overcharge the battery. Some also have the added features to recondition flat batteries if they have been run flat for minimum period of time.

With modern trickle chargers and batteries, you can simply hook up trickle charger and leave it until you next use your car.

Things to consider when using a charger:

1. If you have a light under the front or rear hood, and have the hood open to charge the battery, consider removing the globe to prevent continual battery drain or premature failure through being constantly on.

2. The charging process gives off hydrogen and some older batteries require ventilation to prevent the build up/concentration of the flammable gas.

3. We have heard of car fires from use of fast chargers (Note: little heard with low amperage trickle chargers) Recently, in nearby Brighton, there was an older car that caught of fire in the starter motor explained through excessive charging of the battery and poor wiring. Rare but worth noting! With older cars that do not rely on the battery to maintain systems, you may consider disconnecting the battery terminal before charging for long periods.

Little Known Porsche Facts

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A300 Cockpit

No doubt a quick Google search can uncover some fun facts about Porsche. Here are some interesting ones that you can throw into a conversation with other enthusiasts. Everyone knows about the Porsche tractors but do they know…

1. The Porsche Crest – As the story goes, it was Porsche’s US importer Max Hoffman who suggested to Porsche that a crest would be a way to help sell the Porsche brand in the US. Apparently, he sketched the design on a napkin at a lunch meeting and handed it over. The crest first appeared on the 356 in 1952.

2. Most early 356 bodies were actually made by Recaro known as Reutter Carrosserie Werke (RCW) back then. RCW manufactured car bodies and interiors and were contracted by Porsche to make the 356 bodies. Porsche bought the body division in 1960 and the rest of the company changed its name to Recaro.

3. In 1899, Porsche designed and built the first hybrid internal combustion/electric vehicle. The motor was actually the generator for the electric motor. The car was also the first to feature brakes on all 4 wheels. The aftermarket exhaust apparently did nothing to improve the exhaust note.

4. Porsche’s R&D facility in Weissach design forklifts. Porsche have a close association with Linde forklifts and have designed lots of the manual handling equipment. This could explain the forklift races when the warehouse foreman isn’t watching.

5. Along the way Porsche have designed the odd aeroplane cockpit. For those pilots among us, the A300 cockpit was designed by Porsche.

6. Harley Davidson have engaged Porsche Weissach to design engines. Harley’s racing division engaged Porsche to design the V-Rod double overhead cam engine… (the Hog/Porker ‘tie in’ kinda makes sense!)

7. The 1986 944 was the first car sold with a steering wheel airbag as standard equipment (and subsequently removed by Stuart in race car conversions?)

8. Over a number of decades Porshes have been used by the German Police.

The ultimate barn find…

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Everyone loves a story about a “barn find”. Someone hears a tale about a long lost sports car that a local farmer may have stored in his shed. The owner has since departed this world, and the immediate family lost interest years ago. Then that someone goes searching the local farms and finds the lost treasure under a tarp covered in dirt and hay… possibly doubling up as a chicken coop.

While travelling around the UK on a recent work and holiday trip, I had my own barn find experience…well, sort of…! Through an acquaintance, I met a guy named Tony (named changed to protect his identity). “Tony” was a well to do banker in a former life, and since retiring, he has discreetly indulged in his passion for 911’s, especially some rare racing ones. After a few phone calls, Tony agreed to show me his collection. Due to the rarity of some of the cars and his desire for discretion, Tony gave me directions to a country pub where we would meet up the following day, and he would drive me to his cars.

At the appointed time, I met Tony at the “Fox and Hounds” in a remote country village. (Remote for the UK). I jumped in Tony’s car and he took me a on the scenic route to his collection. After sufficient disorientation around county lanes, we turned off down a dirt track and slowly navigated our way across a field crest until we came to a series of refurbished barns. Tony jumped out and preceded to the security panel next to one of the barn door to disarm the high security system. The barns were cavernous old army barracks used by British troops and American GI’s during the war, they have since been restored to house Tony’s 40 plus 911’s!

We wandered through aisle after aisle and Tony lifted car covers to unveil gem after gem. Graciously, Tony allowed me to take snaps of some of his favourites. Among the more notable cars:

  • A couple of 996 RSR’s. The first one was campaigned at LeMans and the other had been campaigned across the US at Sebring etc. Tony’s plan was for he and a friend to re-commission and race them.
  • 964 Cup Car – Restored to race ready
  • 73 RS – Fully restored
  • A couple of 964 RS in the process of being restored
  • 993 RSR – Race ready.

After an hour of ogling his beautiful collection, (not nearly long enough) it was time to go.  With me still somewhat awe-struck by the incredible collection of Porsches I’d just seen, Tony secured the property and we took the winding scenic tour back to the pub.

By Tim Rout