My new (old) 911

Despite all the talk of recession, some of us have never been so busy. I talk to a lot of people in the course of my work and, without recent exception, their workloads are all healthy, with folk spending money on cars and houses, companies bringing suspended projects back to life, more hiring than firing and everyone looking to ‘be there’ as the new growth starts to happen. Many of us feel that the time is right now to step up and take advantage of whatever motoring opportunities can still be found, as things continue to pick up.

It’s my aim to be a writer, Racing Man entrepreneur and sometime valuation consultant, and that goal gets closer every day. I do have other goals, and one of the big ones has always been to drive my own Porsche 911 in California. That dream will soon come true.

Combining one dream (911 on Highway 1) with another (more freelancing) was an easy sell to myself, as our first trip to CA was an organisational disaster that left me wanting more. First off, United Airlines cancelled our direct flight from Heathrow, forcing us to fly through Chicago. Immigration there was a two hour nightmare with another hour to get through security at our transfer terminal, during which time we missed our connection. We finally arrived in Pacific Grove (where we should definitely NOT have stayed) at 09.30 UK time, having been awake forever.

Day two was good fun, but we got lost on the way to Cambria, so didn’t get in until 10.30 US time, by which stage most people still awake were somewhat hammered. No talking to owners until day three. Managed to sort a pair of cars to shoot (yay) but then transpired that a fellow writer felt he had priority over one. The owner insisted there was no agreement and wanted us to do the car. I have lost cars to other mags when there has been a guarantee and it’s not a nice feeling, but with nothing agreed and the fact that our mag is from another country with a tiny crossover at best, I followed the owner’s lead and my play-fair radar and we shot the feature. It is probably my favourite piece yet, so I’m glad we did it. I also promised to hold off publication for a couple of months to allow them to ‘get there first’, so my conscience is clear, though the upset did leave a taste.

Outside of the crap planes and crossed wires, the weekend was A1. California was beautiful, the Gruppers I met were an ace bunch of guys and Jamie (Lipman) and I laughed from Heathrow to Heathrow. Once home, we knew we were going back soon, we just needed a reason. Monterey Historics looked like being that reason, but then August is busy for Jamie and me too, with both work and the wife and kids’ holidays to factor in, so that was a non-starter. We needed another plan.

American forumites are forever saying that cars are out there ready to be bought for sweet Fanny Adams. I started looking into these claims and decided the guys were dreaming. Under $10K, the pickings are slim at best. Porsche scrap dressed up as projects and idiot sellers aplenty, but rustless examples of SC and earlier cars go for proper money. A Porsche buddy in Holland switched me on to Jaxed, a scraper for eBay and Craigslist which eventually turned up an SC Coupe that seemed to have potential. It was a two-owner car from a good home, with the last owner running it for 20 years. Up on the miles, with worn synchros and faded paint etc, but properly rot free: a great project base compared to what I would get here for the same money. The very nice seller and I batted some emails back and forth and eventually agreed a deal: I had bought it. Never mind asking why – the current rationale is why not!

Jamie and I return to CA in late September/early October, when we’ll drive it from San Fran to LA for export. Can’t wait!

Buying a Car at Auction

The latest Glass’s Guide podcast is live. In this edition, Tim and I talk about buying a car at auction: what to do and what not to do.

Auction buying is an interesting topic. Our podcast recording went from a planned ten minute quick starter course to almost half an hour of good discussion (after editing) with many things still uncovered – they’ll have to wait until next time! But the main points are all there, so some people will find it interesting.

People often ask me what’s the most important thing about buying at auction. I think the main point is to be relaxed. You cannot count on making a good decision if you are stressed, and a bad decision at auction can be an expensive one. Even if we are only talking about a few hundred quid, the time and energy involved can make it an emotional exercise, so be sure to cut down on as much uncertainty as possible before bidding. Read more ›

Clean and Green: 3.2 Carrera in 911 & Porsche World

Not everyone is inspired by the contents of modern day car showrooms. Some enthusiasts identify more strongly with the cars of yesteryear. John Glynn meets a well-heeled Porsche fan with a passion for the recent past.

I remember the 1970s as a bright and exciting time. Starsky and Hutch ruled the TV, the first Irish Motor Show in 1976 opened my eyes to all manner of automotive exotica in vivid primary colours, and I graduated from a canary yellow Raleigh Chipper to the legend of the Chopper, in vibrant Vimto purple. This was a world where everything was funky, and where Crayola colours coated the objects of our desire.

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Real Racers: 924s in 911 & Porsche World

The Porsche 924 Championship has been transforming Joe Public into Porsche racing drivers for over eighteen years. John Glynn went to meet some of the newest recruits.

We probably all know the story of the 924. The brief version is that it was a product Porsche were employed to design for Volkswagen. VW then decided against production in the wake of a management change, so Porsche bought the rights to the car and put it into production for themselves.

The 924 was a sales success, with over 120,000 cars produced between 1976 and 1985. Thanks to VW’s cost-conscious design brief, relatively low retail prices made Porsche ownership accessible to a much wider audience, bringing an entirely new demographic to the Porsche brand.

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More Landcruiser fun

I travelled to the May IB Midlands meet in the Landcruiser, as the kids were off to Eire with Mum, so needed a lift to the airport, and Tea Boy had picked up some drains for me that I had won on eBay, so I needed space to bring them home. The meet was a success as ever, loads of guys there having a craic and the table soon ran out of room. As last to leave, I took off from the pub with a satisfied feeling, only to find that suddenly evaporate as my headlights didn’t work.

I tried to drive down the local lanes on hazards and sidelights, and quickly realised that I would either die or be locked up if I attempted to make it the 35 miles home like this. I pulled into a filling station to see what we could do. Checking for the box of spares and tools in the boot, I remembered it had come out to make room for airport bags and drainage systems. Damn and blast!

I gathered the available tools – also known as my house keys – and set to work. What followed was a night of drama and excitement! Or at least what passes for drama and excitement to a 41 year-old part house husband who lives in the sticks. Read more ›