944 In March GTPP

[John Sims]

Picked up March's GTPP and, for a change, it has taken me more than 10 minutes to read it.

There is even a double page spread on the Turbot as part of a "What Porsche can you get for £10K" article. They did laughingly print a double page of 3 stacks of £20 notes to "illustrate" the point. A bit of padding out there methinks? I'm no expert, but I wouldn't have thought the stack of £20's pictured added up to £10K - not more inaccuracy from GTPP? []

7 pages on testing a 928GTS for a month revealed nothing new and, aside mentioning that he had got the car sideways on several occaisons, the author was very uninspiring. Consider this - Would you lend a car to someone who claims that at the first roundabout he comes to he is applying "...a good armful of opposite lock..."?

 

[Fen]

ORIGINAL: John Sims
Would you lend a car to someone who claims that at the first roundabout he comes to he is applying "...a good armful of opposite lock..."?

Even on the way home after picking up my 3.2 Carrera many years ago I waited all the way from Henley on Thames to Dundee before I played at sideways on a roundabout.

Hang on, does that mean nobody is going to lend me their car now...?

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: Fen

Hang on, does that mean nobody is going to lend me their car now...?

....not unless you have a spare sump to leave as deposit [] sorry, couldn't resist

 

[Guest]

We are a bit behind on GTPP and 911&PW here in the states! I won't see that issue for at least another month![]

Jeremy

 

[John Sims]

Strewth! Something that we from "The Old Country" are actualy ahead of the colonials on.

I'm surprised GTPP and 911&PW are entertained in the States. I would have thought there were far more advanced Porsche journals available considering the number of cars and tuning outlets.

 

[Guest]

Believe it or not, I can't wait to get my copy of those publications each month. You are correct in the fact that we have a fairly large aftermarket for our cars here in the States, but seeing things on the other side of the pond often offers a fresh look at things. Plus, there are a lot of cars that are featured in the magazine that I will never see here in the states: 924 Carrera GT (and GTS/GTR), 968 Sport and Club Sport (yum!), 964RS (we have the watered down "RS America"), GT3 RS, etc, etc.

 

[Fen]

You'll like this months 911&PW then - 350bhp supercharged 968CS.

Nice enough car but what I don't understand is, if you're heavily into track days as the owner supposedly is, why would you fit loads of 'ICE' with t screen and amps in the boot to a CS?

Not sure about the cosmetics either (black wheels aside) and if I'm being critical the article was pretty light on anything technical about the SC conversion - and that was kinda the point, we've all seen 968CS's before.

I used to have a subscription to Excellence some years ago - I actually quite liked it, but it's a very different publication to the UK mags.

 

[Guest]

That sounds interesting! Superchargers for the 944/968 series cars are growing in popularity here in the states, but I feel that the 3 manufacturers that offer them have not got it quite right. There seem to be reliability problems. Well, I should say the "2" manufacturers, since one of them just closed shop recently due to bad financial management.

I have never understood why the CS was offered with a multitude of options. By it's very nature, it should be a lightweight, brutal bruiser. Add in a ton of stereo equipment and options, and then it only becomes a CS in appearance, not performance or experience. At that point one may as well have a standard 968 with colour-coded wheels and a large decal on the side, eh?

 

[Fen]

Absolutely.

The one in 911&PW was not a very good base car IMO. OK it was very low mileage but the guy paid a ridiculous amount for it and it has a sunroof (Yeeeeuuuuukkkkk!!!!) and no M030.

Personally if I was after a car with my choice heavily biased toward trackdays and I settled on a CS (I would buy a '44T anyway..) I'd have gone for a car with no sunroof and M030 - even if that meant LHD. I have a mate with a lovely Riviera blue LHD CS with a Matter half cage, M030 and air-con from the factory. OK the A/C may not be ideal, but it's a nice spec to use on the road.

Some of the cosmetics of the feature car are dodgy IMO and with the stereo kit I kinda suspect he says he's heavily into trackdays because it sounds cool whereas there's more to it than that. Who needs a feckin' TV screen or satnav in a track car?

http://www.chpltd.com/911_porsche_world/blown.html

 

[Guest]

Someone say no suroof and M030 [][]

 

[Guest]

I have often wondered about the sunroof thing. I know it is lighter to have the sunroof delete option. But I have spoken with two different teams that prep 944 series cars for racing, and they claim that the sunroof cars are actually stiffer due to the bracing involved. It's commonplace to seek out a sunroof car to prep and then delete the heavy stock roof panel and add a lightweight fiberglass one (and wire it shut).

Although it is probably really a moot point because I have seen a total of 2 944/968 cars here in the states (in person) that do not have sunroofs. I think a non-sunroof car would be nice to have just for the helmet clearance on track days.

I agree on the sat nav and video/audio in a track car. That is just insane. I have the crappy stock speakers and a CD player in mine so that I have something to listen to during staging, but then turn it off before I run. I really don't see the need for a hi-po system in a car like a CS.

Speaking of CS, I was just cheated today out of a deal for a set of CS seats (with red backs). I committed to buying it from someone and then next thing I know he sold them to someone else! I guess I was destined to keep the Forza's that I have![]

 

[Fen]

I wouldn't buy them anyhow - they're not that light from what I hear and they're pricey.

Slim has a late M030 Turbo with no sunroof, which is the only post '88 car I know without. The 'real' Turbo S cars didn't have sunroofs, supposedly because they were stiffer.

I'm seriously considering the Lindsey GRP roof panel at some point for mine, but it will be some way down the line.