911 & Porsche World Issue 333

The automotive landscape is rife with news stories and industry leaders telling us electrification is the future. Driven by government policy — and, very often, shareholder interests — these voices advocate getting rid of your old-fashioned four-wheeler and its oil-hungry internal combustion engine in favour of silent runnings in a battery-powered car. Questions regarding supporting infrastructure and the true environmental impact of electric vehicle assembly remain largely unanswered, but there is a growing number of automotive executives sticking their necks out to state their belief electrification is just one of many different solutions to the problems future generations will face when tackling climate change and rising levels of mobility. As we’ve reported on in recent issues of 911 & Porsche World, hydrogen is being looked at by many OEMs as a…

The GTS versions of the 911 are designed to appeal to you and me — enthusiasts who love the Porsche brand, its products and the very act of being behind the wheel. A roadgoing ode to driving pleasure, the GTS is intended to be a driver-oriented model sitting between its Carrera S and Turbo stablemates, but with less of a track-focused vibe than the race-bred GT3. By this logic, the GTS should follow a few basic rules. For a kick-off, it should come with a manual gearbox making you feel more in touch with the machine, rather than one of these fancy semiautomatic jobs. And it should certainly send its power to the rear wheels. Surely, no Porsche purist thinks there’s a place for driving the front wheels — even if…

EX-WORKS 904/6 ADDED TO GOODING & COMPANY AMELIA ISLAND AUCTION Make no mistake, it was far and away his prized Porsche. “It was my favourite because I designed it alone and I wasn’t under pressure to change it or make it ‘newer’. It was simply designed and finished. Time was very short. I didn’t have a free hand, but it had to appear as such soon after the clay model was complete. There was really no time for interference.” So said Ferdinand Alexander ‘Butzi’ Porsche, author of the sensuous form of the 1964 Carrera GTS, better known to all the world as the Type 904, a Porsche born to battle heightened competition among two-litre production GT cars and arguably the most beautiful Porsche racing machine assembled to date. The ground-breaking 904 was…

PALS AUTOMATIC EXTERIOR LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR 997, 987 BOXSTER/CAYMAN AND 955/957 CAYENNE SUV Bring the comfort and convenience of modern automatic headlight switching to your 997, 987 or early Cayenne with the homologated Pro Auto Light System (PALS) from Auto Light Systems. After simple DIY installation, your Porsche’s driving light (low beam headlight), cabin instruments and Porsche Communication Management (PCM) night mode are switched on and off automatically — irrespective of ambient brightness — at dusk, dawn and in sudden darkness, such as when travelling through tunnels. Simply leave the headlight switch in the ‘home’ position. Additionally, a high-speed driving function is detected by built-in GPS, triggering low beam lights to activate at speeds past 50mph. If you’re travelling slower than 38mph, the same lights are switched off after two minutes…

Tim Harvey is best-known for being 1992 British Touring Car Champion and for being crowned Carrera Cup GB victor in 2008 and 2010. He’s contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times, competed in British GT and currently serves as a presenter for ITV4’s extensive BTCC coverage. Find him at @timbo_harvey As we all know, there are two things a man doesn’t want to hear: that he is a bad lover and that he is a bad driver! My wife will confirm I’m at least half decent at one of these pursuits. With the motorsport season now in full swing and 2022 being the fortieth anniversary of the 956’s debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, I’m reflecting on just what makes a great driver. Ahem. Karl Ludvigsen’s account of…

Alex Manos is owner of Los Angeles-based classic car dealer, Beverly Hills Car Club, sourcing and selling some of the world’s most beautiful and unique vintage automobiles, including a wide range of air-cooled Porsches at pleasing price points. You can view the firm’s inventory at beverlyhillscarclub.com What takes a car from just a vehicle to get from point A to point B to this is the car I will tell my kids about? The answer is simple: love. A car you love will be in your stories for years to come. On average, North Americans spend just over four years of their lives behind the wheel. I truly believe it’s important to make sure that time is spent in a cherished vehicle. A Porsche is the obvious choice. Why wouldn’t you…