Category: Porsche

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Chicane News Porsche

Reunited and it Feels So Good

A few weeks ago we posted about a Richie Ginther trophy that was being sold on eBay. The auction identified the trophy as the 1956 Santa Maria Road Races trophy pitcher that Ginther was awarded for his first place finish in a Porsche 550. I got an email that evening from Andrew that runs the magnificent type550.com, saying he reached out to Porsche 550-09’s current owner. The trophy was quickly purchased and is now reunited with the very car that helped Richie Ginther claim that victory 59 years ago. Andrew sent along these photos and I couldn’t be more pleased to share them here.

Porsche 550-09

It’s things like this that keep me excited about The Chicane after doing it all these years. I love that this can be a place where these kinds of connections are made and re-made. Fantastic… And thanks Andrew!

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Porsche Video

The Porsche Museum is Restoring 901 #57

The oldest Porsche 901 in the Museum’s collection is undergoing a complete restoration which they acquired following a long-neglected stay in private hands. I hope there are periodic video updates released as she starts to come together.
Via Total911.

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Porsche

Happy Holidays

Don’t let the winter get you down—let’s bring this back. I think this could make a comeback as a winter hillclimb with uphill skiing. Fire up the Porsche 356 and grab your skiis.

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Porsche

I’m Only 37 Years Late for this 911R

911R #11899 005R in the 1969 Tour de France

This ad for a Porsche 911R for sale in the October 1977 is one of those astonishing pieces of text that you have to read several times before it quite hits you. Daniel Cole sent this in after he uncovered the clipping during a Porsche Club of America history project he’s working on.

$12,500 in 1977 is $51,235.34 in 2014 dollars. I don’t know the last time that the ex-Siffert 1967 Porsche 911R #1899 005R changed hands, but I’m guessing it was a touch more than $50 Grand.. More than 10x that I’d imagine—maybe 20. Maybe I should phone up the current owner The Collier Collection’s Revs Institute and make an offer.
Thanks for sending this in Daniel!

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Porsche

Collecting a Porsche 356 at Baggage Claim

I only leave home with the essentials.
Via I Love Porsche.

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Porsche Racing Ephemera

To Build, or Not to Build…

I’m glad this isn’t mine. I would agonize for months over whether I should build this or not. Intellectually, coldly, logically I know that this should never be assembled. I know that tearing these pieces out of the bag and glueing them up would never result in something as beautiful as it is now. But then I would wake in the night, dreaming of it, and have to fight hard to not reach for the Testors.


via Gmund 356

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Event Porsche

Porsche SA buys Kyalami

Here’s a round of auctioneering you don’t often see. Watch the bidding floor as Porsche SA purchases Kyalami for R205Million.
Thanks, Porsche for keeping Kyalami out of our Lost Tracks series.

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Automotive Art Porsche

Malte Dorowski's Lego Martini Racing Porsches

Malte Dorowski's Lego Martini Porsche 911 Carrera RSR
I’m consistently amazed at what Lego builders can do with nothing more than their ingenuity and a handful of Lego bricks. Somehow those little blocky chunks of plastic can be massaged into the most beautiful contours. Malte Dorowski has put together a fairly complete Lego garage of Martini Racing Porsches (and transporter… and support vehicle), but it is probably no surprise that his take on the Carrera RSR is my favorite.


Malte Dorowski's Lego Martini Porsche 911 Carrera RSR EngineLook at those iconic bulbous arches around this thing. Coming up with this collection of bricks and assorted bits and bobs and deciding that they can come together to create that arch is mind boggling. Malte didn’t just get the general shape nailed down and call it a day though—the details are where this model really sings. The peek through the door at the gauge cluster; the way the windscreen wiper is perched; the steering wheel’s center button: They all come together and get that RSR just right. Absolutely beautiful work.
Malte Dorowski's Lego Martini Porsche team
More at Malte Dorowski’s Flickr gallery. Thanks for the heads up on this one, Ryan!

Categories
Classic Sportscar Porsche

How Does This Happen?

I’m just going assume that this is fake and that photoshop, not neglect, is to blame for this Jaguar XK and Porsche 356 racer rusting away amongst the trees.
Update: Ugh. A few emails from readers and Frederik’s comment on Facebook have confirmed that these are indeed authentic. One of whom pointed me to this article about a German who purchases vintage cars and allows them to rust in his “garden” as a sort of art project. What an asshole.

Categories
Historic Racing Photos Porsche

The Less Than Palatial LeMans Garages of 1972

1972 Porsche LeMans Garage
Porsche’s 1972 LeMans garages were a buzzing environment with cars being tuned and prepared, and busy 1970s technicians with 1970s hair. Porsche’s star was bright indeed coming off of two straight years of wins and the factory was shining.
Wait a second. This doesn’t look like the workshop of a winning endurance racing team. These are the garages of the rag-tag up-and-comers in over their heads playing on a stage too big for them. These are the facilities of underdogs. I have been in lone racers’ shops that were better equipped than this.
Just look at this. This could be your garage. There’s no precision instruments here; not even a flashy (albeit utilitarian) immense tool chest larger than a kitchen counter. Just shove that table out of the way, maybe stack the chairs on it to clear up some floor room. Pull that 55 gallon drum over here so I can pop the engine up on it. Let’s start turning some wrenches.
This. This right here is why I love vintage racing. Looking at these guys, you almost get the sense that anyone could do this. That you could hatch a scheme to race in next year’s LeMans and June would roll around and you’d be there. And this is Porsche we’re talking about. Repeat this for Cooper Garages (or Lotus.. or BRM…) heading into Formula 1 and you see that the pinnacle of the sport in every corner was more likely to be filled with dedicated hot-rodders than aerospace engineers.
via Le Container