Earlier in the month I showcased my attempt at carving the likeness of a Porsche into the face of a Pumpkin. Like most things, the results looked much better in low-light. After experiencing first hand the difficulty in getting my Porsche to glow I thought of offering up a challenge to anyone who could do better. All I asked was for you to carve your own Porsche pumpkin and share with me the results (hell, I even supplied the porsche pumpkin carving template). The winner would receive a hard cover copy of Porsche The Road From ZuffenHausen.
Many of you commented on the story and it ran around the net like wildfire. About 20 of you wrote in saying you were game and planned on carving your very own Porsche Pumpkin. Not surprisingly, of the 20 who took the time to write in only four (I received one last minute entry) of you actually submitted a carving. The winner: Adam Person. Adam is obviously some type of pumpkin carving savant. See the picture below and you will understand.
To the others who participated, don’t feel too bad, YOU SIMPLY DIDN’T STAND A CHANCE! Adam’s pumpkin was far and away superior to my crappy carving, any of the other submissions and anything else I’ve seen on the net (Porsche ot otherwise.) Not only does his pumpkin look great, but he made his very own stencil, using a side-profile and then hand carved it over the course of hours and hours. Even if the result wasn’t as good as it is, he deserves the book just for his efforts. Don’t you agree?
Congratulations Adam! Enjoy the book and Happy Halloween.
I like to consider myself a Porschefile. What’s that you ask? I define it as someone who is knowledgeable about the brand with a good handle on the cars offered, the company history and most things Porsche related. I know I’m not a Porsche expert, not yet anyway (not compared to guys like Pete Zimmerman, Bruce Anderson and Sam Cabiglio.) Even still, it came as no small surprise the other day to find a Porsche that I knew little to nothing about and that was even more rare (in terms of production numbers) then certain famous Porsches like the 550, RS 60, ‘73 911 RS, 993 Turbo S, and of course, the Porsche 959. What is my super sensational find?
The Porsche 968 Turbo S.
Front-engined, water-cooled Porsches were first introduced with the 924 in 1976 as an entry level replacement to the Porsche 914. The model line continued and improved in 1982 as the Porsche 944 and again in 1992 with the 968.
The Porsche 968 was produced from 1992 to 1995 with total world-wide production numbers (across all models) just shy of 13,000 units.
Here’s a quick Porsche Factoid for you. The 968 went out of production at the same time as the 928 (the only other front-engined Porsche of the time.) Both the 928 and the 968 were the last front-engined Porsches produced until the introduction of the Cayenne in 2003.
Hidden within those 13,000 normally aspirated 968s are fourteen to sixteen (the numbers vary by source) 968 Turbo S cars built by Porsche’s Customer Sport department in Weissach.
The Car Itself
The 968 Turbo S is a forced induction version of the normally aspirated Porsche 968 Club Sport. Visually similar to the lesser 968s, the Turbo S is easily identified by the two NACA front air ducts in the hood, the adjustable rear wing with Turbo S script, 3 piece 911 wheels from the 964 model, with the same name, and the aggressive front spoiler.
The 968 Turbo S was 20mm lower than the Club Sport, had firmer springs and dampers and thicker anti-roll bars. Not only did the 968 Turbo S borrow its wheels from the 964, it also adopted its four-piston alloy calipers and cross-drilled rotors. This extra breaking power was needed to help manage the increased power derived from the single KKK turbo charger.
In order to mate this beefy turbo with the 968s normally aspirated engine, Porsche utilized an old eight-valve head from the inter-cooled 944/951. With the turbo charger set at 1.0 bar horsepower was increased to 305, almost 70 HP over it’s forced air deprived little brother.
Like most Porsches purpose built for speed and performance, luxury and comfort items were ditched in an effort to save weight. The lightweight ME30 Club Sport interior was used in lieu of the heavier and more luxurious interior on the base 968. Most electric convenience equipment was ripped out (gone were the power windows, central locking system, stereo, alarm, etc.) Porsche even went so far as to remove the rear seats and replace the steering wheel with a lighter, 3 spoke wheel from the Club Sport.
Porsche’s weight saving efforts paid off. Coming in at 1300 kg or 2865 lbs, the Porsche 968 Turbo S was 44 lbs lighter than the Club Sport and more than 70 kg (154 lbs) lighter than the standard model. Combine the lighter weight with increased horse power and the performance specifications are nothing less than spectacular.
Performance of the 968 Turbo S
0-60mph: 4.5-4.9 seconds 0-1/4 mile: 13.0 @ 112 mph Top Speed: 175 mph, at least
With these types of numbers it is no wonder Porsche made so few of them and never imported them into the US. Forget about costs, forget about safety factors, Porsche could never have a lesser model upset and outperform the flagship 911. This same problem runs true today and is evident in the frustration of many Cayman owners just begging for a Turbo version (more on this later.)
While researching for this post I spoke to quite a few 924/944/968 fans and owners on rennlist and other on-line forums. I want to thank all of them for their input. Also, a special shout out to Elie Arab from my Porsche facebook group who gave me the idea for the post in the first place.
If you’re looking for one in the states, I would highly recommend reaching out to Richard Sloan of SloanCars.com as my previous talks with him have proven he has a good handle on rare cars like the 968 Turbo S.
Besides this car, what other rare Porsche models are out there that I may not know of? I would love to hear from any of you on Porsches you would like me to know more about.
When Ferdinand Porsche first said “I couldn’t find the sports car of my dreams so I built it myself, he couldn’t possibly have known how well that statement would stand the test of time. Today, more than 60 years later, I find myself more and more entrenched in the world of Porsche motorsports each and every day. I’m fascinated with the history of a company that has consistently produced some of the most winning race cars in motorsports history.
Here’s a brief look at some of the combined accomplishments of Porsche’s motorsport efforts.
Makes and Team World Championship
14
Long Distance World Championship
8
IMSA Supercar-Series
3
German Racing Championship
6
European Hill Climbing Championship
20
Formula 1 Driver-World Championship (McLaren with the engine designed and built by Porsche for TAG)
3
Formula 1 victories (McLaren with the engine designed and built by Porsche for TAG)
25
Formula 1 victories (together with the victory in Rouen in 1962)
2
Daytona (24 Hour Race)
20
IMSA Supercar-Race (USA)
15
Le Mans (24 Hour Race)
16
Sebring (12 Hour Race)
18
Targa Florio
11
Rallye Monte Carlo
4
Paris-Dakar Rallye
2
I’ve been fairly vocal about my choice for a favorite Porsche race car: The Porsche 917 and it’s many variants. What about you? What are your favorite Porsche race cars and why?
Drum roll please… Okay, that might be a bit much. Introducing the Porsche Factoid segment on 993C4S.com. This new monthly segment will be a list of unique and hopefully interesting facts exclusive to Porsche and various Porsche models. For a few of you Porchephiles in the audience some of this information may be as familiar to you as the build sheet/specs of your favorite Porsche. For the rest though, this is a great way to learn interesting and fun facts that contribute to the exceptional history and heritage that makes Porsche so special to all of us.
If you have a Porsche Factoid that you want to share, please email it to me at porschefacts@993C4S.com. Let’s get things started.
Porsche Factoid: PDK Transmission is over 20 years old.
While today’s 911 PDK transmission is a far cry from the original, the technology is a direct descendant from the PDK transmission introduced as an option on the factory race prepped Porsche 962 C in 1985. Derek Bell, who won the World Championship in a 962 with PDK in 1986, gave a great interview at automobilemag.com about his experience with the car the the transmission.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. When it comes to Porsche, I’m a purist. I like my Porsches stock, straight from the factory. It’s not that I don’t appreciate modifications and the extra performance (or in this case utility) that comes with them, I just prefer things the way Porsche meant them to be. That’s why creations like Harry Thomas’ Porsche 928 pick-up seem to bowl me over with their audacity.
Thomas is a collector of all things fast. Unlike some, he’s not a one marque collector, as the Ferrari’s, Merecedes and Lamborghinis in his garage will attest to. Even with all these, arguably, unique supercars at his disposal. Harry still yearned for something dfferent, something that would stand out on the street (Ferrari’s and Lambo’s don’t stand out?) Taking a page right out of the Porsche history books, when he couldn’t find what he was looking for, he decided to build it himself.
Modifying a Porsche 928 GTS
Take one very rare, late model Porsche 928 GTS (world-wide there were only about 2800 produced), a grinder and some cutting tools, one extra axle and a twisted imagination; combine with some extra HP and hi-quality fabrication and what do you get? Harry Thomas’ one-off dual axle Porsche 928 pick-up that he claims, based on engine mods, will perform as well as the original. My favorite quote from the video:
When you put a grinder or a saw to a car like this, it hurts a little bit…
Dohh, you think so?
Here’s the video for you to judge for yourself. What do you think of this type of mod?
Surprisingly enough, his 928 pickup doesn’t stand alone. There were/are at least two other 928 pickups I found while searching. Here are a couple of pictures for you.
What are some of the strangest Porsche mods that you have seen?
Looking back it seemed like a good idea, maybe even a great idea. Now, I’m not so sure. I’ll let you be the judge. I was surfing around the other day and I saw this post over on CarDomain.com (for those of you that don’t make the jump, it’s a post about pumpkin carving and cars) I thought, hmmmm, I wonder if I could do that with a Porsche? Man of action that I am, I fired off a quick email to Paul Chenard asking if he could put something together for me (Paul’s the artist that designed my new logo and built that gorgeous Porsche 934 Turbo RSR I posted about the other day.) Paul responded almost instantly saying “no problem” and a couple hours later the design below arrived in my mailbox.
Perfect, I thought! Let’s put my pumpkin carving skill (or lack there of) to the test. Following the instructions, I printed out the template, pasted it to the pumpkin and began to transfer the outline onto the skin of the pumpkin using both a push pin and a pen. The design is a simple negative; cut out the black areas and leave the rest. If done correctly, you get a nice carving that you would proudly display in your garage. At least that’s how it’s supposed to go. I rapidly realized that I possibly bit off more than I could chew.
The design, while a classic pumpkin carving negative, is quite intricate. Having never done this before I thought my little pumpkin carving kit from the local hardware store would be just fine. What I didn’t count on was a pumpkin skin tougher than titanium and thicker than well… my head. Regardless, I decided to push ahead. If you decide to try one for yourself, I would highly recommend some type of rotary tool. Looking at the finished product in the light, I didn’t think I had done such a great job. See for yourself.
Thankfully, just as people tend to look better in candle light (or after a few beers) the same can be said of my Porsche Pumpkin Carving. See for yourself below. What do you think?
Carve a Porsche Pumpkin, Win a Porsche Book
Here’s the deal. Try carving one yourself by using this template and the instructions at the end of the post. Once you’re done, leave a comment on this post and I’ll send you an email address to send me a picture of the completed pumpkin carving. All entries must be received no later than 3:00 pm EST on October 30, 2008. An independent panel of judges (my wife, dogs and a few friends) will decide which Carrera carving is the best and declare a winner on Halloween (complete with the winning picture.) What do you win? How about a copy of Porsche: The Road from Zuffenhausen. This lavishly illustrated hard cover history of Porsche has a $75.00 cover price and is currently selling on Amazon for $47.50. Good luck and have fun carving!!!
Porsche Pumpkin Carving Instructions
Purchase a pumpkin large enough to manage the stencil. In my case I had someone else pick it out and deliver it.
Have your wife, girlfriend or significant other cut off the top and clean the pumpkin
Ask very nicely and she might just clean, bake and salt the pumpkin seeds for you
Print out the template and tape to pumpkin as securely and as flat as possible
Use a pin or pen to trace/outline the black areas. Remember you are only going to be cutting out those areas in black
Remove the template
Using a pumpkin carving kit or a rotary tool carve the template that you have outlined above
Clean up all the mess on the inside leftover from your carving
Put a small candle inside, light and put the top back on
Turn out the lights, take a picture of your latest creation and enter to win a great Porsche book
Just like their cars, Porsche offers calendars in varying models and price ranges. Released earlier yesterday, from the home office in Stuttgart, Porsche announced the availability of their 2009 Calendars and Date Planner. Not content to offer a single 12 month “one-size-fits-all” model, Porsche provides owners, enthusiasts and fans with with four different calendar themes to choose from (including one suitable for framing.)
The official Porsche Calendar for 2009 shows twelve detailed views of high tech components to which Porsche sports cars owe their efficiency. Whether double-clutch gearbox, Variocam Plus or direct fuel injection – the larger-than-life close-ups of technical devices, standing for lower fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions, provide a fascinating back-drop for the current Porsche models. Following tradition, the calendar, in the format 59 x 55.5 cm, incorporates a collector’s coin and costs 35 Euro including VAT.
The Porsche historical calendar for 2009 with the title “Mathematics 2009 – Game of Numbers” presents the origin of the sports car manufacturer’s language of form. As in previous years, the photographer Frank M. Orel has undertaken the artistic composition of the historical calendar. A vertical spiral binding centrally divides the calendar, which measures 30 x 42 cm (60 x 42 cm when opened out). Stowed in its accompanying slipcase, it will retain its interest as a photographic collection way beyond the year 2009. This calendar is also priced at 35 Euro inclusive of VAT.
For the first time, this year there will be an exclusive wall calendar edition of the historical calendar in DIN A1 format. The pictures of the biggest Porsche calendar ever will tempt purchasers to frame them for themselves. Printed on top quality matte natural paper, the edition is limited to 2,009 items, to match the year it accompanies, and each calendar is sequentially numbered. The price is 99 Euro including VAT
The Porsche designers from Weissach once again created the “Style Calendar” for 2009, which is entitled “affinities – Verwandtschaften”. In this calendar, too, the focus is on the Porsche Type 64. The drawings highlight the affinities between the expression of form in the Type 64 and in the current Porsche automobiles. Included with the calendar, which measures 70 x 50 cm, is a CD-ROM with a striking screensaver. The calendar costs 57 Euro including VAT.
The spiral bound date planner offers a refreshingly low-tech escape from your smart phone or BlackBerry.
The luxuriously produced date planner for the coming year features photographs illustrating the rally history of the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer from 1950 to 2008. Spirally bound in DIN A5 size, it costs 38 Euro inclusive of VAT.
The four calendars and the date planner can be ordered over the Internet at www.porsche.com/shop and will also be available from Porsche centers. While some of these products may only be for sale in certain countries, you can always pay the extra freight to bring one home to yours!!
Email
Earlier in the month I showcased my attempt at carving the likeness of a Porsche into the face of a Pumpkin. Like most things, the results looked much better in low-light. After experiencing first hand the difficulty in getting my Porsche to glow I thought of offering up a challenge to anyone who could do better. All I asked was for you to carve your own Porsche pumpkin and share with me the results (hell, I even supplied the porsche pumpkin carving template). The winner would receive a hard cover copy of Porsche The Road From ZuffenHausen.
While researching for this post I spoke to quite a few 
Drum roll please… Okay, that might be a bit much. Introducing the Porsche Factoid segment on 993C4S.com. This new monthly segment will be a list of unique and hopefully interesting facts exclusive to Porsche and various Porsche models. For a few of you Porchephiles in the audience some of this information may be as familiar to you as the build sheet/specs of your favorite Porsche. For the rest though, this is a great way to learn interesting and fun facts that contribute to the exceptional history and heritage that makes Porsche so special to all of us.
Looking back it seemed like a good idea, maybe even a great idea. Now, I’m not so sure. I’ll let you be the judge. I was surfing around the other day and I saw 
