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Re: [OM] IMG: Seen at the Airport

Subject: Re: [OM] IMG: Seen at the Airport
From: ChrisB <ftog@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2020 12:29:10 +0000
Unfortunately, yes, Jim.

I remember the older models when hitching around Europe when I was 16/17.  They 
made the most gorgeous scream as they came up the autobahn slip roads, totally 
ignoring my friend and me with our thumbs out :-)

Chris

C M I Barker | Gamlingay


> On 2 Mar 2020, at 00:04, Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> On 3/1/2020 2:20 PM, ChrisB wrote:
>> It’s a very pretty Porsche, Jim!  I’ve never driven one, but I think I’d 
>> prefer one from the 70s if I had a choice.
> 
> I had a '71 911T, 2.2L. for several years, starting in maybe '74. It was both 
> fun and surprisingly practical. I drove it to work, the supermarket, and so 
> on.  It was perfectly happy in traffic. It had a very "grabby", instant 
> clutch, to which I adapted a finely honed left foot. When it needed 
> replacement, Horst, my German mechanic, pointed out that something had been 
> installed backwards, and afterwards, the clutch was quite nice.
> 
> The small jump seats worked for my kids. Flop the backs down and six grocery 
> bags fit nicely. Most of its performance was attributable to light weight, 
> not prodigious power or outstanding handling. Fortunately, I'd spent many 
> hours avoiding going to church and driving around back roads like a madman in 
> my dad's '56 VW. That prepared me well for the rear end eccentricities of 
> these early Porsches.
> 
> The were not luxurious cars. I drove our German Division second in command to 
> a dinner one night. He asked me why anyone would drive such a noisy, 
> uncomfortable car. He, or course, drove a Mercedes; I've been on the Autobahn 
> @ 140 mph with him driving.
> 
> The Porsches of those years were really very simple cars. SOHC flat six with 
> mechanical tappets that required regular adjustment. Horst would go on about 
> how he had adjusted them to a 'loose' or 'tight' gap and ask me to listen to 
> the engine after he tuned it. I would nod and agree. :-)
> 
> Carburation was basically six 2" single barrels that were stuck together in 
> threes and shared float chambers (Webers, then copies.). Adjusting them 
> absolutely required a Unisyn to get them balanced, and was mildly 
> entertaining. At that, though, no worse than the twin SUs common on fours in 
> Europe at the time. Fortunately not required often. About the most 
> sophisticated thing about them was the dry sump oil system. It was both for 
> ground clearance and to avoid oil pressure on the pistons in hard turns. Like 
> VWs, it was not only air cooled, but also oil cooled, with an oil radiator as 
> part of the return system. Slightly later models moved the oil cooler up 
> front.
> 
> Build quality was wonderful. Where wiring went through bulkheads, there was a 
> double sided female, multi contact plug and the wiring on each side plugged 
> into them. Never seen anything like it. Having later needed to fix burnt 
> wires in a harness that went through the firewall of an Audi 500CS Turbo 
> Quattro, I really missed the Porsche design.
> 
> I imagine today's 911s are almost entirely different cars, other than being 
> small and noisy, :-) I have no interest in one today. The Maserati 
> convertible and Mercedes AMG GT convertible are pretty attractive, though.
> 
> OTOH, I drive a 24 year old convertible that actually has a trunk. 3.4L, 
> DOHC, 24 valve V6 in a chopped top American coupe. Body flexes and handling 
> is limited, but I sure like it. :-)
> 
> When it reaches 25 years, I'm thinking of having it "restored".
> 
> Last year, we rented a Camaro convertible to drive around Southern Utah. 
> <https://www.olyendomike.com/Utah-White-Pocket-AZ-2019/i-z2Sgw2H/A> The only 
> way to see that country, IMO. And Chevy has a MUCH smarter way of handling 
> drop top and trunk space than the Europeans. You may note the back "seat" 
> full of luggage. With the top down, only one modest suitcase fits in the 
> trunk. But with it up, it all fits. And we did have rainy days.
> 
> Open Air Moose
> 
> -- 
> What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
> -- 
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