Month: December 2018

If you think that the Audi TT is a sports car, a Morgan definitely isn’t for you. The car which has visually changed little since its introduction in 1936 is the closest thing you can get nowadays to a pre-war car which has the added benefit of being brand new. And no, it’s not “made of wood”.

I always wanted to drive a Morgan. Driving one in England, however, just seems right. It’s like watching a wild animal in its natural habitat, and not in a heartless zoo, or, worse yet, in a circus. And the way cars handle usually reflects the roads of the country or region where their prototypes were first driven by engineers. So I drove the current Plus 4 in London traffic jams, on bumpy roads in East Anglia and on the main thoroughfares of the South of England. And I’m ready to tell you how it went.

First of all, a four-wheel Morgan is not entirely made of wood. The three main materials used to build one are aluminum, leather and ash, but the ash is used in the same way traditional coachbuilders used it at the beginnings of the automotive industry: to serve as a shaping foundation for the outer body panels, handcrafted in aluminum. The main load-bearing frame of the car is entirely made of metal. Ash can be beautifully shaped, but it’s also light, sustainable, durable and creates a natural vibration-damping zone in the car’s body. And yes, it works, the level of secondary or tertiary vibrations is surprisingly low for an open-topped car. At speed it’s loud inside, especially with the tasty optional sports exhaust, but who cares: if you are looking for a Rolls-Royce level of silence, there’s something seriously wrong with you.

At low speed the ample torque from the 2-liter Ford GDI engine (154 hp) helps propel it forward, and third gear is useful for city driving, as the engine is flexible and the car only weighs 927 kilograms. Featherweight. Changing gear is easy, as the gearbox is sourced from Mazda, and the stick moves with a type of mechanical precision which perfectly matches the dynamics of the car. At highway speeds, just leave the transmission in fifth and the car will cover a full spectrum of speeds from 50 km/h to its top speed of 189 km/h.

The ride gets fidgety at speed, but grip levels are high and the Morgan feels entirely predictable on the limit, especially as the steering is unassisted and you know at all times what the front wheels are doing. That said, it loads up in turns in a similar manner to cars from the Thirties, and the front suspension skips a little like in the same cars, on uneven surfaces. The feeling of driving an underpowered 1930’s Grand Prix car is almost complete, minus the speed, of course, and the terribly inefficient brakes those cars had. The brakes on the Mog are unassisted, and you need skill to use them well (and to exploit the excellent Avon ZV7 tires).

The Plus 4 is built to order, and there are many tasteful and tempting options. The very idea of craftsmen building my car by hand appeals to me, especially in today’s world of plastic junk made in China. And it’s not a flimsy kit car either, where you always half expect the whole shebang to just annihilate itself and deposit you on abrasive tarmac unexpectedly. The sports exhaust sounds great, the optional seats are comfortable enough for long highway jaunts and the only option that makes close to zero sense is the Alpine radio/CD unit: you cannot reach it while driving, and the tinny sound from the speakers detracts from the aural pleasure of powering through the gears.

The new, beautiful people who are reared on computer games should keep away from cars of this ilk. They are not explosively fast in a straight line, between two sets of traffic lights (although the Plus 4 manages 0-100 km/h in a respectable 7.5 second), they need skill to steer, brake and correct slides, and they do nothing to help the driver. Nothing. No radar, no night vision, no autonomous braking, no stability control. Just brainpower and hand-to-eye coordination. The difference? Like that between an Internet porn site and real sex.

Yes, there are drawbacks, the heating sometimes makes it too hot, and sometimes it is too cold, but who cares? It’s real, and the kind of tactile pleasure it can provide, and the kind of satisfaction at getting a corner just right, are simply unequaled in the modern automotive world. Forget all the lofty claims from premium manufacturers: most of their “drivers’ cars” are as exciting to own as a dishwasher.

The Plus 4 Morgan is not a perfect car, but it transforms every journey, however mundane, into an event, even if it means adjusting to the undignified way of ingress and egress it forces on its occupants. People smile at it, wave and make gestures, but none of them are having as much fun as the driver. It’s a time machine, a much-improved 1930’s car without the bad bits, and with all the good ones. It looks like it should be playing Vera Lynn at full volume, but it can chase hot hatches cross-country very effectively… just don’t tell anyone.

Many good things in British history started with a wager. Even the fictitious trip around the world in 80 days, described by a Frenchman, began with a bet in a London Club. The Beaujolais Run, a distinctive motoring event, a cross between a road trip, a memorable adventure and a gathering of charity-minded friends, started this way, too.

On November 18th, 1970, at the Hotel Maritonnes, Joseph Berkmann and Clement Freud were sharing a dinner of ‘Coq au Vin’. Owner of eight London restaurants, Berkmann also ran his own wine distribution company and wrote a weekly column for The Sunday Times. Clement Freud was Director of the London Playboy Club, a respectable Member of Parliament and wine correspondent for The Sun. As bottle succeeded bottle that night, the germ of an idea took shape. Sometime after midnight, they roared away from Romanèche with several cases of Beaujolais in the back of each car, having challenged each other to be the first to get their cases to London in the first Beaujolais race™.

That year and the next, the race was a purely private affair between Berkmann and Freud. Berkmann won both times. Having taken potshots at each other, through their respective wine columns, word got around that something interesting was going on, and others rushed to join in: The Beaujolais Run® was born. In 1973, Alan Hall, columnist for The Sunday Times, published an article that threw down the gauntlet to Fleet Street to ‘Bring Back the Beaujolais’ offering a bottle of Champagne for the first to deliver a bottle of the new vintage to his desk. At that time the object of the exercise was speed, and this was brought to an end by the RAF, who later took up the challenge in a Harrier jump jet, and broke all records. In 2006, by kind permission of His Grace, The Duke of Richmond, The Beaujolais Run® made its spiritual home at Goodwood.

In 2018, the Run was organized in cooperation with the RAF Benevolent Fund (www.rafbf.org) which was to benefit from the money raised during the event. It commemorated an anniversary of Operation Chastise, the famous bombing raid on the dams in the Ruhr Valley, performed with great courage by the famous 617 Squadron. The Avro Lancaster bombers took off from RAF Scampton, and the 2018 Beaujolais Run began at the exact same air base, now home to the Red Arrows. It followed the route of the raid, and ended, as always, with the taste of the New Beaujolais wine.

The 2019 event will celebrate the anniversary of the renowned Steve McQueen movie, “The Great Escape”, and will focus on escapes, neutral countries, and rotary-wing aircraft. The route shall remain secret until late next year. All types of cars are welcome, as the Run has seen supercars, classic cars, race cars, SUV’s, hybrids… In 2018 there was a Lotus, an AMG-Mercedes, a very fast Corvette and a hugely powerful Cobra-engined Ford P100 pickup truck. More information: www.beaujolaisrun.com

911 Targa (1966-1973)

Many manufacturers were worried, and with good reason, that the American NHTSA would ban the sale of true soft-top convertibles with no rollover protection in the US market; the market where most of the car companies were raking in the biggest profits on this type of vehicle. Thus the British Triumph brand created the Stag with its integrated rollover hoop, and Porsche, for whom US sales meant the difference between survival and a quick demise, decided to drop the traditional convertible altogether, and to build a new bodystyle, which they christened the Targa (after the Targa Florio race, won multiple times by Porsche).

The car had a rollover hoop of 20 centimeters in width and, initially, a foldable soft plastic rear window, later replaced by a glass window. At present it is one of the most collectible Porsche cars ever made, in high demand and thus also a source of income for unscrupulous fraudsters. That’s why it is prudent to peruse our DRIVERSHALL Buyers’ Guide before you make a purchase decision. The car drives virtually the same as the Coupe version of the early 911, and retains most of its practicality.

912 (1965-1969, 1976)

In 1965 Porsche was still producing the 356 and a large gap appeared in its lineup between the ageing 4-cylinder car and the 6-cylinder 911, therefore it was decided to create, very quickly, a lower-powered, lighter version of the 911. It was equipped with the 1.6 liter engine from the 1600 SC, and cost as much as the corresponding 356 model. It was named the 912. In 1968 the model received an upgrade, with longer semi-trailing arms resulting in a 57 mm longer wheelbase, somewhat taming the car’s oversteer tendency. In 1969 the Porsche 912 was replaced by the 914. The 912 was produced in the same three body types as the normal 911, that is as a coupe (28 201 units), as a Targa with a glass rear window (2544 cars) and, the most rare of them all, the Soft-Window Targa, with only 967 units built.

The car sounded more like a VW Beetle, and was not a resounding success in period (except in the US), but pundits believed that on tight road courses it actually handled better than the contemporary 911 due to a different weight balance. This made it quite popular in professional motorsport, where, like the more powerful 911, it was extensively rallied (a factory rally kit was available, with anti-roll bars, special brake pads and a footrest to the left of the clutch pedal. Most people today, even 911 aficionados, are unaware of this, but in 1967 the Polish privateer driver Sobieslaw Zasada won the European Rally Championship for production touring cars in a Porsche 912, gathering more points throughout the season than the factory 911S of Vic Elford and David Stone, which had won the Monte Carlo rally! The 912 was strong, reliable and, in the right hands, fast.

In 1976 a partial and temporary resurrection happened, as the 912E was again briefly produced (2099 units) for the US market, using the engine of the 914 (or the VW411, with 90 hp and L-Jetronic injection) in a G-series body. It is the expert’s choice as a great driver’s car, but remains difficult to source.

For decades the 912 was neglected by collectors who despised its “cheap” engine sound, and still a few years ago it was possible to find one in Germany, in decent shape, for around 20,000 euros. That is no longer the case, as the car, especially the rare Targa iterations, has become very popular. It is much less intimidating to drive than the six-cylinder 911, with its more favorable front-rear weight balance, if you don’t mind the lack of outright speed.

Engine

Porsche 911 Targa

The targa bodystyle was available with all the same engines as the COupe version of the 911 in the same period, therefore the same purchase rules apply. From the start of production, the earliest 911 was equipped with a 2-liter engine developing 130 hp. In 1965 a version of the engine appeared, replacing the maintenance-intensive Solex carburetors with Webers. In 1968 the 911 S appeared with 160 hp, the 911 T with 110 hp became the entry model, and the base car was now called the 911 L. The engine block and the gearbox casing were then made of a magnesium alloy.

In 1969, when Bosch intake tract injection was introduced, the engines gained an extra 10 hp: the 911 E was the base model, and the S was the most powerful one, with the T retaining carburetors until the end of its production.

In 1972 the engine capacity grew to 2.2 liters, and later to 2.4 liters, with the final 911 S developing 190 hp. The most powerful factory engine was the 1973 Carrera RS with light alloy cylinders and 210 hp.

The main source of problems with the early 911 engines is the wear and failure of camshaft drive chains and chain tensioners. Cars with low mileage and irregular servicing are especially prone. Another problem area are the engine head bolts securing the cylinders to the engine block: these can fail catastrophically due to age-related corrosion, and this failure can have nothing to do with the mileage.

It is very expensive to replace a corroded exhaust heat exchanger: this has to be checked by a specialist in early 911s. As the Solex carbs used initially required frequent adjustment, these were often replaced in period with Webers or Zeniths, but original carburetors have a higher collector value. Magnesium engine blocks and gearboxes tend to leak oil. Cars sourced from the US often have the K-Jetronic Bosch fuel injection and are more expensive to fix, even though they seem cheaper to repair at first glance.

Porsche 912

The 4-cylinder engine is normally quite durable, but there are a few caveats. It DOES NOT like long runs at a constant high speed, like on the autobahn! Blue exhaust smoke means worn out valve stems and valve guides. Worn piston rings lead to increased oil consumption, which should not exceed 1.5 liters per 1000 km. US-sourced cars may look promising, but their engines are usually terribly neglected in terms of oil changes and valve clearance adjustment.

But the main problem is a lack of engine originality, as many 912s have had their engines replaced with Type 3 Volkswagen Transporter motors, or even VW Beetle engines with twin carburetors. This needs to be verified thoroughly before purchase! 

Gearbox

Porsche 911 Targa

Like most early Porsche 911s, the Targas are equipped with a 4-speed manual gearbox. Much fewer have a 5-speed or the Sportomatic semiautomatic transmission (the latter offered from 1967). The standard gearbox is noisy and requires a firm hand, but is quite durable. As of 1971 the gearbox was replaced with a 915-series unit, with a better shifting action.

Porsche 912

Gearboxes are generally strong, but suffer from damaged synchros and gearshift linkages.

Bodywork

The  is just as rust-prone as all the other early 911 variants, and will rust practically everywhere.

Most of these cars rust prodigiously around the headlights, front wheelarches and all the way to the base of the B-pillar. Suspension mounting points also corrode, as do the lower parts of the A-pillars. Another critical area is the special tube to which the rear suspension is attached.

Look for deformations in the inner body structure which can indicate hidden accident repairs! Leaking rubber seals of the rear and side windows mean water ingress into the hat shelf area, which in turn causes corrosionin the rearmost parts of the chassis longerons and the engine bay. 

If a car you wish to buy seems to have been restored/repaired/welded, you unconditionally need the help of a seasoned specialist. In the case of cars imported from the USA, often claimed to come from so-called “dry states”, the body repairs performed there are often of horrible quality, just cleverly disguised.

The main difference in this regard between the coupe and the Targa is the fact that corrosion at the base of the rollover hoop can cause distortion to the whole body, as the hoop contributes greatly to the car’s torsional stiffness. 

In case of the 912, the majority of the cars in the market come from the USA, where body repairs of horrible quality are the rule rather than the exception. Rust damage to jacking points is very frequent, and unoriginal parts are often used (Porsche originals are expensive). Many 912 Soft Window Targa cars have been converted to the glass rear window. A retrograde conversion is technically possible, but not cheap.

Chassis

The suspension of the early 911 was composed of longitudinal torsion bars and wishbones in the front, and torsion bars plus semi-trailing arms in the rear, and is no different in the Targaand the 912 (except for narrower tires in the latter). The rear arms were lengthened in 1971, resulting in a lengthening of the car’s wheelbase. The car had four disc brakes, later ventilated. At the beginning it has a single-circuit braking system, replaced by a double-ccircuit system in 1968.

It is crucial that the whole suspension system be in perfect shape, correctly maintained and adjusted, with parts replaced on time. The car is quite difficult to drive as it is, and with worn-out suspension it can become impossible to handle for an inexperienced driver. Low mileage is no guarantee of chassis condition. 

Look out for rotten shock absorber turrets and rusty suspension mounting points, as they will negate the effect of all other work performed on the suspension.

Interior

The rules for the Targa and the 912 are the same as for any other early 911-based Porsche. The interior needs to be as authentic as possible with no visible damage. Depending on where the car spent most of its life, look for water ingress traces and plastic trim cracked from excessive exposure to sunlight. Replacement parts are available, mostly from Porsche Classic, but are very expensive. Buy the best car you can find. Watch out for worn-out interiors on US-sourced cars, especially 912s.

The Story

1965: Porsche 912 launched
1966: Porsche 911 Targa introduced
1967: European Rally Championship won by a Porsche 912
1968: wheelbase increased, double-circuit brakes introduced
1969: Porsche 912 production ends
1973: Porsche 911 Targa production ends
1976: Second-generation Porsche 912E produced for US only

Specifications

Porsche 911 Targa
Power 130 hp 
Top speed 205 km/h 
0-100 km/h 9.1 s

Porsche 912
Power 90 hp 
Top speed 183 km/h 
0-100 km/h 13.5 s

The DRIVERSHALL Verdict

The 911 Targa is one of the most desirable classic Porsches, and a delight to drive (if the driver stays within his limits). Because it is so popular and so expensive, many cars are disguised disasters. If a car seems to good to be true, it is. A good-looking car can hide a completely rotten body. Fake restorations often disguise a lack of honest work. A 911 Targa with well-disguised corrosion and component wear will be a veritable money pit, especially as the bodyshell can crack due to the reduced torsional stiffness, especially if the base of the B-pillar is rusty. In the case of the 912, many cars are badly repaired units from the United States, and their recent popularity means that a hasty purchase, without the help of an expert, is a very bad idea indeed. If you bag a good one, it is often more fun than a 911!

Some people like to make noise, be visible, create waves. Others prefer to blend into the background, do whatever needs to be done, move without attracting attention. Well, it’s not really easy not to attract attention while driving a two-tone Rolls-Royce, but simultaneously this car is the opposite of all those gaudy, noisy supercars which are the equivalent of a bunch of peacock feathers stuck into a Victorian hat. It can do things none of them can, too.

Contemplating a long-distance trip? Thinking of using your Rolls instead of suffering the hustle and bustle of airports, and the envious stares of foreign officials when boarding a private jet? Why not, indeed. Two people can travel aboard it in cosseting luxury, and four in astonishing comfort. This example, like any modern Rolls-Royce, is entirely bespoke, built to a unique order. With a total price, excluding taxes, of £284,025, it not only sports the two-tone finish of Black and Arctic White, but also an interior trimmed in fabulously supple Purple Silk leather. Extras? Yes, there are some, including 21-inch part-polished ten spoke wheels, a camera system and a Bespoke Rolls-Royce Audio system. The two latter ones are worth their weight in gold, especially the audio. The camera system helps when pulling ouf of blind junctions, where instead of guesswork and of suddenly blocking someone’s way with the bulk of the Rolls’ bodywork, you can look at a a screen (which can also display a NightVision image when driving in poor visibility) and see all the oncoming traffic. The sound system… Well, it is the best I have experienced in a motor vehicle. The clarity and faithfulness of the sound image are stunning, and nowhere do my opera and jazz CD’s sound so lifelike. It is a true audiophile-grade system, with no useless controls to distract the listener, and the purest sound of a cello outside of Yo-Yo Ma’s living room.

And it is no slouch, either. The new breed of supercar drivers, those who abhor corners and thrive on traffic light grands prix, perhaps would not be satisfied, but who cares. The very large Wraith is capable of the 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.6 seconds, and can keep accelerating, effortlessly, all the way until its artificially governed 250 km/h top speed. It is much more aerodynamic than it seems on a superficial level, but nevertheless aerodynamics mean little hen faced with a turbocharged V-12 engine, developing 632 horsepower and 820 Nm of torque, driving the rear wheels of the 2360 kg machine via a silky-smooth 8-speed automatic gearbox. The transmission is helped by data from the satellite navigation system, and is able to predict corners and instances when it is necessary to hold on to a given gear. And it really works. The only thing it can’t recognize is gradients, and the data is included in the stream from a GPS receiver, so I still hope Rolls-Royce engineers will find a way to integrate it in the future. In terms of performance it’s a true GT, capable of staying with the fastest cars on Earth on a lengthy trip across the continent. The people aboard the Wraith will arrive unruffled. In contrast, supercar passengers will end their journey exhausted, deafened, shaken and stirred, the opposite of traditional grand touring. The Starlight Headliner, with its 1,600 LEDs sewn by hand into the fabric, provides an added touch of true luxury: dimmed down, it provides a subtle ambient light which the eyes never tire of.

Does it go round corners? You bet it does. Not in the way of a 911, and with noticeably more body roll, but body roll is good: it tells you what the car is doing. The steering is light, but precise and linear, and gives the driver enough confidence to press on. If you don’t forget the considerable weight, the braking will also be sufficient: in reality it weighs the same as a fully equipped Porsche Cayenne! Don’t act rashly, and the Wraith will help you go very fast indeed. The only thing I don’t like is the lane-keeping assistance which, on crowned and strangely cambered roads, imparts the sensation of vagueness in the steering around the straight-ahead position. Once the assistance is switched off (for instances by picking the Traction mode of the DSC stability control), the sensation disappears. It is a minor point anyway.

In order to test the Rolls-Royce Wraith’s ability to cover long distances with ease, I decided to travel to a location where it could meet one if its spiritual ancestors, the Merlin aviation engine. It not only powered the legendary Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane, but also the sleek P-51 Mustang, the Avro Lancaster bomber and many other Allied aircraft. Aviation piston engines have always been more advanced than car engines in terms of their power-to-weight ratio, and the technical solutions used to produce power. Aircraft engines therefore used supercharging and exhaust gas turbocharging very widely, in order to improve the performance at high altitudes, much earlier than car engines started to utilize those means of forced induction.

The Merlin is also a V-12 layout, like the engine of the Wraith, and it is turbocharged. The fuel supply to the cylinders is handled by carburetors in the Merlin, of course, and not a sophisticated fuel injection system with electronic engine management like in the Wraith, but a similarity, at least in spirit, exists. There is a considerable difference between them in terms of engine capacity, however, as the swept volume of a Merlin is around 27 liters, and the current Rolls engine is only 6.6 liters. The two companies are now totally unrelated, and only share a name, but back in time there was only one Rolls-Royce, and the name always stood for unparalleled excellence. Today, driving the Wraith to the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden Aerodrome (www.shuttleworth.org) I could not help thinking that there was indeed such a thing as beautiful technology. Things which simply look right, and work well. Shuttleworth maintains one of the oldest fleets of fantastic historic aircraft in the world, and works very hard to preserve them (and a lot of cars!) for posterity. The Wraith, standing side by side with their 1941 Spitfire Mk.VC in the livery of the 310 Czech Squadron, reminds me of all the attributes of modernity we take for granted. Including peace and freedom.

Many thanks to the wonderful people at the Shuttleworth Collection for their help with the production of this feature.

Automotive designer and engineer, Professor Gordon Murray has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2019. The award is in recognition of his ‘services to Motoring’ after a lifetime of devising and delivering creative and ground-breaking projects in the motorsport and automotive sectors.

Gordon Murray said: “It is extremely humbling to receive a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours. I’ve spent more than 50 years doing what I love, working with a wealth of highly-talented and creative people around the world, but primarily in the UK. From the competing during the heyday of Formula One, to designing the world’s fastest supercar, I’ve loved every minute. I’d like to dedicate this honour to all those I’ve worked with over the years and I look forward to an exciting new future for the Gordon Murray Group.”

Having designed his first car in 1967, Murray moved to the UK to join the Brabham Formula One Team as Technical Director winning two world championships (1981 and 1983), and then moved to McLaren International as Technical Director in 1988 where the team won three consecutive championships – 1988, 1989 and 1990.

After 50 Grand Prix wins in Formula One, he went on to establish a new company – McLaren Cars Limited. The Company’s first project was the renowned McLaren F1 Road Car. A racing version won two world sports car championships and the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1995. Murray guided several other successful projects at McLaren Cars, culminating with the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren programme.

In 2005 Murray formed a new British company for the design, engineering, prototyping and development of vehicles – Gordon Murray Design Limited. The Surrey-based company has a global reputation as one of the finest automotive design teams in the world and is responsible for an innovative and disruptive manufacturing technology: iStream®. More information: www.gordonmurraydesign.com

Many classic car collectors begin their racing adventures with a Jaguar XK. The reasons are multiple: it is user-friendly, parts are easy to come by, and there are specialists who have the necessary experience to prepare it. One of these is CKL Developments in East Sussex, UK, one of the world’s leading experts in Jaguar XK and E-type racing preparation. And I learned that inside one of their cavernous buildings they had a very special racing XK120 with a lot of history…

This LHD roadster, or OTS, as the British preferred to call it in period (the abbreviation stands for Open Two Seater), started its life in July, 1952, when it was manufactured and promptly shipped to the US of A. Actually more cars were made in LHD than in RHD form, as in the early 1950’s Jaguar, in order to survive and to secure rationed supplies of vital steel, had to export cars at all costs. Most of them went to the US, where the first production XK120 was delivered to Clark Gable, the world-famous movie actor. This one had been ordered by the Hornburg Jaguar dealership of Los Angeles: in fact the West Hollywood company started to sell Jaguars in 1947, and it still does! The sleek Jag was bought by one Mr. Stephen A. Bodensieck, a gunsmith who was also a car enthusiast, and loved to tinker with Jaguars and Ferraris. He enjoyed his British sports car, but his restless spirit probably made him move on to something else, and he sold the XK.

The second US owner was Mr. Dick Miladelaroca, who used the car the way its makers had intended: racing it on Sundays. He took part in a number of Vintage Auto Racing Association events. We don’t know how fast he was, but he must have kept the car in perfect shape, because records show that the XK120 had won a Jaguar Club concours d’elegance event while in the custody of Mr. Miladelaroca. Original photos of the car racing in the States exist, and it seems the British vehicle enjoyed itself away from its ancestral home. At some point CSK 303 (the car’s numberplate) was repatriated to the United Kingdom, and became a familiar sight at race events. Prepared by CKL Developments, it took part in HSCC meetings, and the JEC Jaguar XK Championship in the hands of a number of proficient drivers.

And now I am driving it. Much more slowly, of course. We are not at a racetrack, but on a public road in East Sussex. A twisty road, bordered with ditches, shrubbery, and unyielding trees. I am driving over 100,000 British pounds of historic racing car, and I am tempted to really put my foot down. The Jag has a freshly-built Sigma 3.8 engine, which started easily, but idled in an enchantingly lumpy way when warmed up, hinting at the competition-bred power within. As I wiggled my fat frame into the seat, I noticed some new instruments in the cockpit which otherwise had been left in a nicely patinated condition. This XK has been raced all its life, and it is ready to race now (eligible for the 2020 Jaguar Classic Challenge one-hour race, preceding the Le Mans Classic 24-hour event), albeit it carries a legal numberplate. The suspension is set up pretty low, and during my test drive I wince several times as the bottom of the rear muffler scrapes against the uneven tarmac, creating a modest shower of sparks.

That said, the chassis composure is truly reassuring and the steering feels taut and precise, making me long for a track session at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. In the meantime, however, I revel in the low-end grunt of the engine which seems to keep pulling whatever the rev level. The gearshift requires some getting used to, but the modified brakes feel fantastic, strong and positive. They are not the original drums of the year 1952, and the car does not comply with the strict FIA rules, but can nevertheless be raced in a number of race series. At the same time it is an ideal proposition for beginner race drivers, especially those with no previous experience of early cars, those requiring more skill. Once they have mastered this XK120, it will have given them a lot of confidence, as it is expertly set up to be fast, but not treacherous. I feel completely at ease in it, and, once I am used to the gearshift action, I can go faster and enjoy an almost total lack of the expected understeer. This is one composed sports car, certainly much better than when it was new.

Just a few minutes of driving this great XK immerses me in some sort of a daydream, in which I push the Jaguar to the limit, accelerating out of Tertre Rouge onto the long Hunaudières straight at Le Mans. And daydreams usually end abruptly… so does this one, when I have to slow down and direct the Jaguar’s long nose into the gate, and later into the workshop. As it cools down, making all kinds of minute noises, I reflect on what a perfect tool it is for a classic car enthusiast who started off in something like an MGB, and is ready to graduate to something more serious and much faster. Out of my reach, unfortunately. Nothing like a reality check to end an otherwise perfect day…

Our thanks to Rupert Manwaring and the helpful staff at CKL Developments (ckl.co.uk) for their invaluable help in producing this feature.

Overview

By the late 1950’s the Porsche 356, still very much VW Beetle-based, was becoming less and less competitive. The Porsche brand needed a new car, and a team led by Ferdinand’s son, Ferry, started work on it.

A wishlist written down by Ferry Porsche on squared notepaper included the following features: “2-seater with 2 comfortable jump seats. Rear view mirror integrated in the fenders. Easier entry”. At the same time, the Sales Department demanded the following: “Retain previous Porsche line. Not a fundamentally new car. Sporty character”. The development direction was therefore clear: evolution, not revolution (it remains the same today!). The same also applied to the technology. The drive principle – including a flat, air-cooled “boxer” engine at the rear – would remain intact, but the chassis would be modestly re-engineered.

A number of prototypes were built, including the true 4-seater prototype 754T7, penned largely by Ferry’s son, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. The board decided, however, to shorten the wheelbase and to change the shape of the rear of the body, doing away with the distinctive notchback, and creating the iconic 911 flowing form as we know it. Descendants of Erwin Komenda, namely his daughter, have claimed in a lawsuit directed at VW Group, that he was, in fact, the true author of the 911 body, and that he had never been fully compensated for his groundbreaking work.

The benchmark for the new Porsche would be the 356 with the so-called “Dame” motor of 1.6 liter capacity, the benchmark in terms of smoothness and vibrations. As the 4-cylinder Fuhrmann unit had reached the limit of its development, a new 2-liter 6-cylinder engine was developed.

The Porsche 901 in prototype form was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, but when it was displayed in Paris the following year, Peugeot vetoed the model designation: it had filed for trademark protection on all numeric car model names with a “0” in the middle. After 82 units had been produced (rare and much coveted now), the model designation was changed to the familiar “911”.

The car was criticized in period for its wayward handling, and to some extent this was justified. Very rudimentary suspension solutions plus period tires made the car very oversteery. Today’s tires tame the handling somewhat, and most owners tend to drive their cars very gently anyway. In truth, I believe the early 911 is not very pleasant to drive for the modern driver, as it’s quite physical and requires attention at all times. Once a slide begins, it’s difficult to catch due to the slow, unassisted steering. Most owners buy these cars out of nostalgia or due to their rising values, not as a means of delivering great driving pleasure.

This DRIVERSHALL Buying Guide covers all early 911s except the Targa and the 912, which will be covered by a separate installment.

Engine

At the start, the 901 was equipped with a 2-liter engine developing 130 hp. In 1965 a version of the engine appeared, replacing the maintenance-intensive Solex carburetors with Webers. In 1968 the 911 S appeared with 160 hp, the 911 T with 110 hp became the entry model, and the base car was now called the 911 L. The engine block and the gearbox casing were then made of a magnesium alloy.

In 1969, when Bosch intake track injection was introduced, the engines gained an extra 10 hp: the 911 E was the base model, and the S was the most powerful one, with the T retaining carburetors until the end of its production.

In 1972 the engine capacity grew to 2.2 liters, and later to 2.4 liters, with the final 911 S developing 190 hp. The most powerful factory engine was the 1973 Carrera RS with light alloy cylinders and 210 hp.

The main source of problems with the early 911 engines is the wear and failure of camshaft drive chains and chain tensioners. Cars with low mileage and irregular servicing are especially prone. Another problem area are the engine head bolts securing the cylinders to the engine block: these can fail catastrophically due to age-related corrosion, and this failure can have nothing to do with the mileage.

It is very expensive to replace a corroded exhaust heat exchanger: this has to be checked by a specialist in early 911s. As the Solex carbs used initially required frequent adjustment, these were often replaced in period with Webers or Zeniths, but original carburetors have a higher collector value. Magnesium engine blocks and gearboxes tend to leak oil. Cars sourced from the US often have the K-Jetronic Bosch fuel injection and are more expensive to fix.

Gearbox

Most early Porsche 911s are equipped with a 4-speed manual gearbox. Much fewer have a 5-speed or the Sportomatic semiautomatic transmission (the latter offered from 1967). The standard gearbox is noisy and requires a firm hand, but is quite durable. As of 1971 the gearbox was replaced with a 915-series unit, with a better shifting action.

Bodywork

At the beginning Porsche cars were not as well made as they are now, or have been since the 1980’s. Older early 911s rust practically everywhere, and most have been repaired, the question therefore is: how well?

Most of these cars rust prodigiously around the headlights, front wheelarches and all the way to the base of the B-pillar. Suspension mounting points also corrode, as do the lower parts of the A-pillars. Another critical area is the special tube to which the rear suspension is attached.

Look for deformations in the inner body structure which can indicate hidden accident repairs! Leaking rubber seals of the rear and side windows mean water ingress into the hat shelf area, which in turn causes corrosionin the rearmost parts of the chassis longerons and the engine bay.

If a car you wish to buy seems to have been restored/repaired/welded, you unconditionally need the help of a seasoned specialist. In the case of cars imported from the USA, often claimed to come from so-called “dry states”, the body repairs performed there are often of horrible quality, just cleverly disguised.

Chassis

The suspension of the early 911 was composed of longitudinal torsion bars and wishbones in the front, and torsion bars plus semi-trailing arms in the rear. The rear arms were lengthened in 1971, resulting in a lengthening of the car’s wheelbase. The car had four disc brakes, later ventilated. At the beginning it has a single-circuit braking system, replaced by a double-ccircuit system in 1968.

It is crucial that the whole suspension system be in perfect shape, correctly maintained and adjusted, with parts replaced on time. The car is quite difficult to drive as it is, and with worn-out suspension it can become impossible to handle for an inexperienced driver. Low mileage is no guarantee of chassis condition.

Interior

The interior needs to be as authentic as possible with no visible damage. Depending on where the car spent most of its life, look for water ingress traces and plastic trim cracked from excessive exposure to sunlight. Replacement parts are available, mostly from Porsche Classic, but are very expensive. Buy the best car you can find.

The Story

1963: Porsche 901 shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show
1964: launch in Paris, name changed to 911
1967: 911T introduced, Sportomatic gearbox available
1968: double-circuit brakes introduced
1969: engine enlarged to 2.2 liters
1971: engine enlarged to 2.4 liters, new Typ 915 gearbox introduced
1972: RS 2.7 launched, 1308 Touring versions built, 217 units of Sport, 10 prototypes and 55 of the RSR
1973: production stopped, 81 100 units built in total

Specifications

Porsche 901
Power 130 hp 
Top speed 205 km/h 
0-100 km/h 9.1 s

The DRIVERSHALL Verdict

If a car seems to good to be true, it is. The early 911s which have become very sought after are beloved by dark characters of the classic car world. A cosmetically beautiful car can hide a rotten body. Unless the car is perfectly documented and sourced from a known vendor, try to look for a vehicle which is a bit ugly, displaying an original patina on the body and inside the cockpit, as it is easier to detect traces of bad repairs and fake restoration work. A 911 with well-disguised corrosion and component wear will be a veritable money pit.

For me, a real Gran Turismo car must have a huge, normally-aspirated engine which permits it to accelerate without apparent effort. Without effort, without breaking a sweat, in an unruffled, suave manner. Other means of propulsion, including turbocharged engines, compared to a big atmospheric engine always seem so plebeian. In their pursuit of absolute, clumsy power they all lose any residual subtlety in the way they react to minute movements of the accelerator pedal. Can’t help it, that’ what I think. Italian cars which created the GT genre after World War II were all like that: able to cover lots of miles without running out of breath, without hysterically rapid gearchanging, without all the things which annoy people able to appreciate the quality of a Brioni suit and Salvatore Ferragamo’s Gancini Bit Driver loafers.

I believe the Maserati GranTurismo did not need to be visually refreshed for 2018, but apparently its maker thought otherwise: Sport and MC versions are available, as well as the SportLine pack. The car looks just as good as when it was first launched, a rare occurrence nowadays. It is heavy, agreed, but so what if I see echoes of the A6GCS in its shape? It looks fantastic, and the bulging fenders over the front wheels, very much like the teardrop shapes behind the headlights of the Porsche 911, help the driver place the car accurately in a corner. Granted, it’s not exactly small, but, driving it fast, I search for the expected understeer, in vain. In the dry, and at reasonable speeds, I search for it in vain.

It has an efficient navigation system and a very sophisticated stability control system (called MSPII) and other wonders of modernity. None of these features, however, are able to obscure the simple beauty of every drive in this very special car. The electronic devices are not there to mask engineering mistakes or calibration errors, they are simply a bonus. The GranTurismo is a bit like the crocodile. An animal which should have died out alongside the dinosaurs, but cared not a whit about the pressure of history and lives to this day without a care in the world. For me it’s one of the most pleasant cars built today with just one pair of doors. It’s like a date with an eternally young Sophia Loren, it’s like sharing a bottle of prosecco at a bar in Rome with an eternally young Marcello Mastroianni, it’s like watching Michelangelo paint something on the ceiling of a church. It’s a work of art. Get one while you still can.

The Maserati coupe is not a car for the computer game crowd, not at all. Not for the aficionado of the DSG gearbox in a company Volkswagen, nor for quarter mile racers. It is simply the last analog, neutral, so natural sports car on the market today. Never does it feel outdated or obsolete. Quite the opposite: it communicates with its driver with a zeal not found today in automobiles pretending to be sports cars. The 4.7-liter V8 with its Ferrari DNA produces 460 hp and 520 Nm of torque, but the numbers don’t tell the story. Its flexibility, its lazy and restrained power and the engine note do. After driving it, the fake engine sounds produced by BMW and Audi loudspeakers will just make you sick.

To be continued

The BMW 507 was so perfectly resolved in terms of design that only two stylists attempted to improve on the Graf’s work. One was Raymond Loewy, in 1957, but his creation was so ugly it is but a curious footnote in the history of the iconic car. But there was another designer who tried it, and his work makes much more sense. Giovanni Michelotti, so well known in Britain for his work on various Triumphs, from the Herald to the Stag, was a prolific designer who always sought ways to entice new customers. Hoping to win a new contract with BMW (he was already consulting on the BMW 700) he started sketching a more modern skin for the BMW 507 chassis in 1957. Michelotti bought a chassis via the Italian BMW importer, Alessandro Paolini of Casa dell’ Automobili, in 1958, and contracted the body panel work to Scaglietti in Modena, the builder of so many fantastic Ferrari bodies, and the assembly was done at the workshop of Alfredo Vignale in Turin.

This prototype, acquired by BMW in 2006 after a complicated life, is now called “3200 Michelotti Vignale”, and was originally presented publicly in Turin in 1959. Unfortunately for both BMW and Michelotti, the talented Italian was unable to persuade BMW to continue the production of the 507 with an updated body, built in Italy at lower cost. The car looks a bit like a Maserati, and has a completely different air to that of a standard Von Goertz 507. It also has electric window lifters and a cockpit more cramped than the regular one.

Having driven both a normal 507 and the Michelotti prototype over the same roads, I must admit that the latter proved more stimulating, perhaps due to its unique nature and complicated provenance. It is in fact heavier, probably due to its prototype nature and the abundant use of lead filler by Vignale’s craftsmen. Still, due to a different, less relaxed driving position and a different windshield vista, the placement of the car in corners seems curiously easier, and I was tempted to push it harder. A different exhaust note, much harsher and louder, also lends the car a different flavor. A redesigned dashboard looks right. Do I like it more than the standard car? In terms of appearance, no, but in terms of rarity and history, I have to give it the nod.

While being road-tested in the heat of an Alpine spring it suffered from the same ailment which many 507’s suffer from, namely fuel starvation resulting probably from fuel evaporation from the twin carbs efficiently heated in the vee of the V8 engine. At full throttle the car would run smoothly, and when the pedal was lifted, the engine would die no matter what speed you were traveling at and what traffic predicament you would find yourself in. If the speed was high enough, you could declutch, and then drop the clutch and the engine would catch. If you were going slowly, the car would stall and the driver would inevitably end up red-faced.

It happened to me too during a photoshoot, running up an incline in a picturesque Swiss village, right in front of a group of jaded British journalists… Much to their surprise I engaged reverse, pressed the clutch pedal and sped away downhill, backwards, propelled by gravity, on a very twisty road with only the inside rearview mirror for guidance. When I felt the car was moving fast enough, I released the clutch, the engine caught and I could drive back up in first, keeping the revs high. A risky move, I admit, but nothing very new to someone taught to drive in Communist-era junk. Perhaps that incident is one of the reasons I feel endeared to the befinned BMW-based Michelotti prototype?

I am not exactly a fan of the 507 as an icon, and of the gushing style used to describe it usually, but I see its importance in the grand scheme of things, especially as an incentive to view past failures as victories, with the benefit of hindsight. BMW can do that extremely well.

For starters, it is really beautiful in the flesh. In 1956 it must have been stunning, unless it was parked next to a Gullwing. The proportions are ideal, the surfacing superb, and the details timelessly elegant. The engine starts well enough when cold (totally different when very hot) and the gearbox action instils confidence. There is no American-style V8 burble, just a technical, clean, Germanic engine note which never becomes intrusive. So far, so good. It doesn’t accelerate as well as one may expect, getting to 100 kph in about 12 seconds from standstill, and its top speed is around 200 kph, but I doubt many current owners have experienced that. Steering is heavy and vague, and while the car can be hustled along a mountain road, it requires skill and doesn’t flatter the driver. At least the suspension is supple and soaks up bumps pretty well. The controls are nicely weighted, but that only serves to emphasize other, more negative characteristics.

Stodgy, clumsy, not exactly conducive to spirited driving, the BMW 507 is not a driver’s car, but as a poseur’s car, a cruiser, a boulevardier, it is quite credible. Yeah, I know Hans Stuck raced one and won his class at a hillclimb in 1958, but Hans Stuck had won hillclimbs in the deadly V16 Auto Unions, and he could drive anything with wheels on it faster than anyone else. So his sole win means nothing for mere mortals.

But the appeal of a sports car lies not in the fact that an extremely gifted professional driver can drive it fast, but that any buyer can feel like a hero while driving it. And in that respect the 507 is definitely underwhelming. The wooden brakes (all but the last few cars had four Alfin drum brakes) need a proper shove to decelerate the car, and at speed the chassis feels average for the period. Granted, it’s safer for an inexperienced wheelman than a Gullwing, but also because the Mercedes arrives at corners more quickly plus it overwhelms the senses with the abundance of stimuli. In comparison the 507 appears almost anaesthetized, and, to me at least, boring. Yes, the look over the hood and fenders compensates that to a degree, but it’s much worse to drive than to look at. Apologies if I shatter someone’s dream, but that is my opinion. A Gullwing, on the other hand, is much more challenging to drive, especially to drive fast, actually dangerous, but once you get into a groove in it, it feels better than the outlandish looks suggest. Haters, hate me all you want. (to be continued).