Long - Porsche 911: the definitive history, 1987-1997

First printed in hardback format in 2004. First published in eBook format October 2011 by Veloce Publishing Limited, Veloce House, Parkway Farm Business Park, Middle Farm Way, Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 3AR, England. Fax 01305 250479/e-mail info@veloce.co.uk/web www.veloce.co.uk or www.velocebooks.com.

eBook edition ISBN: 978-1-845844-59-2
Hardback edition ISBN: 978-1-903706-39-8

Brian Long and Veloce Publishing 2011. All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purpose of review, no part of this publication may be recorded, reproduced or transmitted by any means, including photocopying, without the written permission of Veloce Publishing Ltd. Throughout this book logos, model names and designations, etc, have been used for the purposes of identification, illustration and decoration. Such names are the property of the trademark holder as this is not an official publication.

Readers with ideas for automotive books, or books on other transport or related hobby subjects, are invited to write to the editorial director of Veloce Publishing at the above address.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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Introduction & Acknowledgements

This is the fourth book in a planned five volume set covering the full history of the evergreen 911 series and its derivatives. It will ultimately build into a comprehensive reference work taking in the best part of 1000 pages, with contemporary photography and advertising - most of it in colour - used throughout.

This project is a very special one for me, as Ive always harboured a soft spot for the 911 ever since I was a young child. In asThis particular book, covering all of the worlds major markets, looks at each of the 911 models and their derivatives from 1987 (1988 MY) up to and including the 1998 model year. This volume continues the story of the 3.2 litre Carrera series, briefly covers the 959 production car, and then looks in depth at the last of the air-cooled 911s. It also deals with the various specials and competition cars from the period.

This book - and all the Porsche titles Ive written before it - would not have been possible without the help and support of Klaus Parr, the custodian of Porsches archives in Stuttgart. As a symbol of the friendship we have built up over the years, I would like to dedicate this five volume series on the 911 to Klaus and his charming wife, Ursula.

Most of the illustrations have been sourced from the factory, as I am a firm believer in using contemporary material. That way, the reader is not just presented with a selection of stunning pictures, but a useful reference guide for restoration and authenticity, too. Period advertising, mainly from the authors collection, adds interest.

In addition to Klaus Parr, I would like to sincerely thank his able assistants, Jens Torner and Dieter Gross, and acknowledge the superb research facilities at the Japan Motor Industry Federation building in Tokyo. Thanks also to the staff at my uncles Porsche garage in Chiba - Nobel (formally known as K3 Works) - for coming to the rescue on the technical side.

Brian Long

Chiba City, Japan

Chapter 1: A brief history of Porsche

During his career Professor Ferdinand Porsche had worked for Lohner, Austro-Daimler, Daimler (which soon after became Daimler-Benz) and Steyr, and had an unrivalled reputation in Germany as a designer.

After leaving Steyr, Ferdinand Porsche felt the time had come to establish his own company. Registered in April 1931, a design studio was set up in Stuttgart with a team of handpicked engineers and designers. This team included Porsches son, Ferry, who was then just 21.

Porsche advertising linking the Stuttgart marque to the Volkswagen Beetle and the highly-successful Auto Union racers.

Ferry Porsche (centre left) discussing the finer points of design with his father.

Ferry Porsche inherited much of his fathers natural flair for engineering, although he wanted to become a racing driver. His father soon put a stop to his ambition, perhaps fortunately for, without him, the Porsche company, as it exists today, would never have evolved, and neither would the vehicles recognized as the true Porsches.

As Germanys Chancellor, Adolf Hitler was naturally very supportive of German industry, and financed the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union racing programmes to show the world the strength of German engineering. The highly successful Auto Union V16 Grand Prix car was a Porsche design, of course, but it was the Volkswagen project that provided the basis for the Porsche success story. The Volkswagen was also financed by the Nazi Party; a blessing at the time which caused problems later.

Just as Hitler was passing the final plans for the Volkswagen, the Second World War broke out. During the hostilities, Porsche and his team were moved to the Austrian village of Gmnd, where they produced many designs, including those for a number of tanks. Because of his links with the Nazi leader, Professor Porsche was arrested and interrogated by the Allied authorities after the war, but was promptly released. He went to Renault and, whilst there, Porsche and his son-in-law were arrested and imprisoned by the French on war criminal charges, with a ransom of one million francs. (Ferry Porsche had also been imprisoned for a short time, but his sister had managed to negotiate his release.)

However, the Porsche offices in Stuttgart were occupied by the United States Army, and Ferry Porsche had little chance of raising the ransom money by repairing ex-Army Volkswagens. By an amazing stroke of luck, Porsche was approached by Carlo Abarth (the famous engine tuner) and Piero Dusio, a rich Italian industrialist who, among other things, wanted to build a Grand Prix car.

The Cisitalia, as it was known, drew heavily on prewar Auto Union designs, and was very complex. Sadly, the project was destined to fail, as escalating costs put a potentially successful car out of the reach of even Dusios wealth. It did, however, provide Ferry Porsche with enough money to free his father. The Professor was allowed back to Austria in August 1947, but died less than four years later. His health was never the same following imprisonment, but at least he was able to see his son develop a new car bearing the family name.

The legendary 356

Design work on the Type 356 sports car had begun in Gmnd after Ferry Porsche decided that his small company should construct a vehicle based on Volkswagen components. Fortunately, the British had managed to revive the VW factory after the war, and the first drawing was dated 17 July 1947, just one month after the project was instigated.

Porsche Number One. While this roadster was mid-engined, the closed car that followed adopted the traditional VW rear-engine layout, with the gearbox and transaxle in front of the powerplant. This was a key feature of the Porsche road car line for many years.