Total 911 No. 207

As the saying goes, the Porsche 911 is the do-it-all sports car for all occasions. But is it? Recently I’ve been tentatively pondering another 911 purchase after deciding my 1998 Carrera with its GT3-spec ride height and damping is ever more at odds with the idea of comfortable daily driving. I’ve no intention of selling my Carrera, mulling over adding another 911 to the Sibley stable instead. This got me thinking: lots of people I know own more than one 911, with a model for different occasions, let alone lifestyles. So why is the 911 viewed as the ultimate all-rounder when, whisper it, that might not be the case? “There are no less than 21 different iterations available from the current 992 generation” We all know Ferry Porsche’s famous quote (that the…

Mansour Ojjeh 1952-2021 Mansour Ojjeh, who has died aged 68, was a central figure in Porsche’s rousing return to F1 in the mid 1980s. Total 911 looks back on the partnership Mansour Ojjeh had a French mother and was largely educated in France, finishing his studies in the US with a degree in business administration. His Syrian-born father, Akkram, who had made a fortune brokering deals between the Saudi and foreign governments, set up Techniques d’Avant Garde, TAG, in Geneva in 1975 in order to diversify from public sector contracts such as defence and armaments. He installed Mansour as director and it was clear that one of the missions of TAG was public relations, to present the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (then a mysterious oil-rich state) in a more open, positive light.…

996: the lesser-known (but very big) problems Dear Sir, I am an avid Total 911 reader, listener of Road to Redline, viewer of That Nine Eleven Guy and also a fellow 996 owner. I have a 2000 Carrera 2 and sadly just before lockdown a big end bearing failed, without warning, resulting in catastrophic damage. Listening to your recent Road to Redline podcast you touched on the cost of rebuilding 996 engines and the option of a replacement short block from Porsche. From my research your figures were out of date and the cost is closer to £9k now. My car has been sat with Steve Bull Specialist Cars in Devizes since the engine went. I bought the car from them and they had maintained it for the previous owner so it has great…

Scott Gardner Job title Technical Director, Bahnsport Porsche experience 15 years Dear Sir, I’m thinking about modifying my 997.1 Carrera S for a few track days a year as well as for weekend road driving, what would you recommend as essential mods to carry out? Kim Li Being a track day enthusiast myself, there are a few essentials I would recommend – Porsches are already very capable machines but they can still be refined further, a good example of this being the brakes. A good set of upgraded brake pads that can still operate efficiently at the higher temperatures consistently along with a racing brake fluid are crucial to enjoying your track day without getting a soft pedal. I would then advise a good, sticky tyre with the pressure set at the correct hot temperatures and full geometry setup…

“The 3.6-litre engine is quick and responsive, the steering light and so rich in detail” The lunacy of the situation isn’t lost on me. Following Mark Sumpter of Paragon Porsche, he approaches a roundabout, there’s a gap in the traffic and he exploits it. We’re on a mission to meet photographer Pullen, and Sumpter’s enjoying the drive. Sumpter’s got masses of space, and he’s through. I’m a few car lengths behind, for good reason, and briefly have to wait for my opportunity to catch up. Not that there’ll be any missing him, as the 964 he’s in is painted in hellgelb, that’s ‘pale’ yellow apparently, and there’s a sizeable wing on the back. A 964 couldn’t be more obvious, its tall rear wing joined by Turbo bodywork, some 18-inch Speedline split…

“With full torque from zero rpm, the sudden shove hits you straight in the solar plexus” Air or water cooled, naturally aspirated or turbocharged, a flat six engine has been the beating heart of our favourite sports car since 1964. Transplant it for an electric motor and do you still have a 911? More pertinently, perhaps, can it excite petrolheads like you and me? Justin Lunny thinks so. The CEO of Everrati prefers the term ‘motorhead’, but his passion for cars isn’t confined to EVs. “I’ve owned plenty of 911s over the years, most recently a 991 Carrera S and 991.2 GT3 RS,” he reveals. “My daily driver is a Taycan Turbo S, but this car is lighter, more agile and simply more fun.” Lunny’s lightbulb moments both happened close to home. “I…