Archive for Editorial

1967 Porsche 911S: Guest Post from Dallas

Note: Dallas is a fan of our site and wanted to contribute on occasion. Here is his first guest post. Please say hi in the comments! -dc

This one is described as a ““. For people that know even a little about vintage Porsches, this is like describing a vintage watch as a “Rolex Submariner 5513 5517″ – it’s sort of like nonsense. Just as there are “Submariner 5513s” (cool vintage Rolex watches) and “Submariner 5517s” (very cool incredibly valuable only-issued-to-the-Royal-Navy vintage Rolex watches), there is the “1967 Porsche 911 Coupe” (cool vintage car) and “1967 Porsche 911S” (very cool quite rare vintage car). Let me elaborate…

By 1967, Porsche was into the third model year of its seminal 901/911 series of rear-engined sports cars. For model year 1967 the factory introduced the “S” model as the range-topping version, featuring a hotted-up engine boasting 160bhp – 30 more than the base Coupe and Targa. The factory produced just 1,823 “S” coupes and 483 “S” Targas that year. Despite the power boost, some considered that the S models made inferior street drivers as the increased power was made partly at the expense of low-end torque. However, nowadays, S cars are highly sought after, and an original S can bring serious money. Which brings us to the car on auction…

First off, the car looks fantastic. I’d have left off the racing numbers as a matter of taste, but I think the white stripes and “Porsche” script look great against the dark green paintwork. The cosmetics of this car just look super, with nice Fuchs wheels (introduced on the ‘67 S) presenting the classic, iconic short-wheelbase 911 look.

Where things get a bit chancy with this example is in the description, and the question of whether the car is a real “S”. With collector Porsches, much of the price premium is based on originality – original engine and equipment in particular, and whether the car was originally built as the variant it is billed as, or converted later as a “clone”. Porsche will even issue, for a fee, a “Certificate of Authenticity” that confirms the original trim level, equipment, and paint colour of a vintage 911. The seller states:

“this car was born as a straight 911 homologated to an “S” back in the 70’s.”

When I queried the seller as to what this actually means (I asked point-blank “does the CoA issued by Porsche list it as an “S”?), the reply was rather unclear. The seller stated in an email that an S engine was installed in 1984 but the auction description states that the “homologation” occurred in the ’70s. It was apparently “born a 911″ (i.e. not an “S”) so I would place a caveat on the description accordingly. The fact that an incorrect VIN was quoted in the auction (and not yet corrected) doesn’t help the comfort level. Once the correct VIN is posted, all questions will be answered… a real factory 1967 “S” has an “S” suffix to the VIN.

A hallmark of this seller’s auctions appears to be extensive quotation of “factory history” information on the marque, but it’s unclear how this relates to the car in question. In particular, the seller quotes extensively regarding the special equipment supplied with the “S”, but doesn’t actually confirm that the car for sale (“born a 911 [non-S]“, remember) comes with the special parts.

I give the seller kudos for listing a telephone number for inquiries, and I hope that a prospective buyer will avail himself of the opportunity of speaking to the seller and clarifying these issues. While a minty real “S” might now bring ~$40K+ (notwithstanding the dreamers asking $100K or more), this car should be considered accordingly. I think an enthusiast would do well to acquire a totally-sorted turn-key (and beautiful) ’67 911 Coupe with non-matching engine like this one for ~$20-25K.

**Note that this car is listed for sale at the seller’s website www.myclassiccargarage.com for $42,500.

- Dallas

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Posted by Dan in Editorial, Porsche | December 28, 2009 | No Comments »

Cash for Clunkers Weekend Reading

You may remember my “spirited” post over the Cash for Clunkers program a little while back.

Well as a follow up here is the official government list of  cars sent to their deaths through the program.

Of note are the 63 BMW 6 series cars, including 13 635csi models, a 850i, a M3, and a M5.

Mercedes suffered as well, can you imagine over 100 560SEC s crushed? That is literally tons of usable parts from one of the greatest Benz engines gone. Looks like 11 Merc V12 engines also have made their last trip. No wonder parts are so expensive. A pair of AMG cars, a C36 and a C43, were sent away too and gasp a 500E.

A number of high end Audi models also are on the list and a sprinkling of Porsches.

Most surprising, though not German, on the list is the 1997 Bentley (listed as a Rolls Royce) Continental R and great oogley moogley a Buick GNX, listed under ASC. If that was a true GNX it could have been rolled and burned and still probably brought more than the CFC allowance.

Post your thoughts or interesting finds after you peruse the list.

~Evan

Posted by Evan in AMG, Audi, BMW, Editorial, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Resource Guide | October 2, 2009 | No Comments »

Cash For Clunkers CARnage

I figured this being a car blog it was somewhat necessary to at least give brief mention of the CARS Car Allowance Rebate System or Cash For Clunkers program. By now most of America is probably familiar with the deal. You readers as car folks also probably understand that upon turning your car in for a credit the car is scrapped, regardless of how much life is left in the vehicle. What I think is important to underline is that scrapped doesn’t mean the engine gets pulled out and parts reused. Jalopnik covered this issue. In this case the government insists the engines are destroyed using a sodium silicate solution (liquid glass), that is poured into the running engine after the oil is drained. This locks up the motor and makes salvaging it useless.

I don’t want to get preachy or go into more details here, there are plenty of other places online where you can do that, but I do find this program a shameful waste, full of economical, environmental, and practical pitfalls. I’ve seen a number of BMWs and Benzs meet their fate in this past week. Including several big bodied 500 series Benzs that easily were worth more than the credit given. The financial incentive has made less loyal car owners sacrifice fine automobiles or be forced into doing so by significant others. See this ad for a 1988 BMW M5 that needs saving for example.

Regardless of your own thoughts on the program or political views, below I give some examples of what this program has brought that should sadden you as gear heads and folks who are going to have to pay jacked up used part prices.

So pour out a quart of 40 weight for the fallen. If you find photos or videos of German vehicles to add to this hall of shame let us know.

I know this one isn’t German, I wanted to ease you into this post, give you a chance to back out in case you want to avoid the carnage. This does illustrate pretty well the nonsense of where tax payer money is being spent:

BMW 530i manual, so sad.

BMW 735i

BMW 525

1991 and 1992 525i

1986 Mercedes 300E

Fortunately their are some folks out there with good sense
Mercedes 1992 190E 2.3

There are many, many, other engine blow up videos like these from dealerships participating in the cash4clunkers program out on the net. Googler beware.

~Evan

Posted by Evan in BMW, Editorial, Mercedes Benz | August 4, 2009 | 5 Comments »