![]() 05/03/2015 at 10:50 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
Behold an all-original 1971 Porsche 911 RS at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that will cost you a half a million dollars to purchase.
Of course, I’m only joking. Nobody would be dumb enough to hand me the keys to a car worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This is actually a replica of sorts designed to be a tribute to the 911 RS. It is a 1971 Porsche 911T with a replacement 3.0L motor and various other tweaks made to the car to replicate the look and style of the RS.
This 44 year-old Porsche is so much fun to drive.
But be warned!
Forget about texting anyone or checking your phone while driving because this car will most certainly require your full attention.
This is driving at its simplest and rawest.
Here is what it’s like to drive modern day automobiles:
Output = Input x 3^34 x 3e / 2 + 778 / 5xr +2 * 32^74.45
If the nerdy formula doesn’t make sense to you, basically what I’m saying is that if you’re the input (you know...with the steering, braking, accelerating and such), the computer takes whatever you provide, does stuff with it like figuring out what the car should do in terms of applying power to the wheels, how the engine should run etc., and spits out some behavior on the roads that you will actually find tolerable or even pleasing .
In most modern day cars, enough tweaks are made to where no matter how crazy of a maneuver you intend to execute, the car can generally take your insanity and turn into a relatively manageable output.
With the 1971 Porsche:
Output = Input
This means that there is nothing to save you. If you do something crazy while driving.. oh well! You must suffer the consequences because there is no formula to apply to your ridiculous input to keep you and your car safe.
So if you don’t know what you’re doing ( like myself ), I would recommend taking it easy. Even though this ’71 Porsche isn’t putting down a ton of power to the ground, I imagine you could still find yourself in trouble fairly easily. The motor is generating somewhere in the neighborhood of 250+ hp but the actual output is a mystery.
The Quirks
As I was getting ready to take the car out for a spin, I found out that the seat belt was kind of a mess. It was this long, unwieldy strap that was so tangled up that trying to undo it all became a lengthy process. This was even worse for me because I’m terrible at undoing knots and so my frustration hit peak levels while trying to straighten out all the straps. I can’t even deal with twisted up headphone cords.
After I figured out the seat belt mess, I stumbled across these two levers by the handbrake: what do these do?!
There were plenty of other mysteries, but I didn’t take the time to figure all of it out. The reason is because I had more important things to do – like watch Game of Thrones to find out who gets killed.
The seating position was awkward mostly because I couldn’t push the seat back as far as I needed to. So, instead I reclined my seat to achieve a level of comfort to the point where I had a “gangsta lean” in the works jamming to Justin Bieber - using headphones, of course. I would never embarrass myself by blasting it on the speakers.
But once I started driving the Porsche, I forgot about all my troubles and right when I thought I was all settled in, I realized….
No power steering!
Dump any notion of driving this car with one hand; you need to powerfully grip the steering wheel with both hands at all times, especially at low speeds.
This made me realize that I really need to bump up the weights the next time I go to the gym. Instead of curling my usual 5 lbs, I need to move up to 10 lbs – actually, that may be too ambitious – 7.5 lbs might be better.
After you get used to putting muscle into steering, you can finally….wait… there is one more thing.
Now, you might be looking at this and thinking that it’s just a gear lever, so what’s the big deal?
But take a second to visualize this.
You’re cruising down the road when all of a sudden you decide to show the Civic in front of you how awesome your Porsche is and step on it. You want to row through the gears but you find out that the throws are so long that unless you move the lever quickly, it will be tough to keep up the acceleration.
And very soon you’ll find out that driving this car is a workout!
But if you’re thinking that it’s mainly an upper body workout, don’t worry. Your legs aren’t ignored – your right leg anyway.
In today’s cars, all you have to do is tap the brake with your big toe and you grind to a halt. Not with this one. You have to use all of your leg muscle to shove the brake in to come to a stop. Trying to slow this car down made me realize that I need to throw squats into the mix. I probably should only start with 10 lbs., however, to make sure I don’t injure myself.
That’s right; it takes an entire leg movement to get this 911 to a standstill – not just a slight wiggle of the foot.
Finally!
Once you get used to all of what I mentioned (which really only takes about 30 seconds), you will love driving this car. You will instantly be reminded of why it is you enjoy driving in the first place.
It is so raw, loud, and provides so much feedback. The power this car generates doesn’t even matter in this car because you feel like you’re going much faster than you actually are.
Most of the the gauges have needles that flail around so much that you really have no idea about how fast you’re going or where your rpms are but that isn’t such a bad thing after all. This just guarantees that you’re focused on the road.
This 1971 Porsche was quite the experience. It’s hard to explain but with cars like this I think you can really develop a bond. There is so much interaction and effort required in driving that in return you get a rewarding experience that’s hard to replicate.
If you happen drive one some day, be sure to load up on carbs the night before. You’ll need all the energy you can get!
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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is about exploring my fascination with cars; I’m always on the lookout for things that interest me in the car world. Like !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and follow !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !
![]() 05/03/2015 at 11:05 |
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Reminds me of driving my car, except not 250+ hp. Extremely involved, unless you’re cruising on the highway. No power anything, and a long-ish throw.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 11:14 |
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Dat duck tail tho!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 12:17 |
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What is this behind the Go pedal ?
![]() 05/03/2015 at 12:34 |
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Awesome car and write up?
![]() 05/03/2015 at 12:57 |
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These old Porsche’s really are absolutely insane to drive. In the best way possible, of course. I’ve driven a real Carrera RS and it was one of the greatest driving experiences of my life. I was followed by an undercover cop for 15 minutes. The entire time I was freaking out because I a) didn’t know the speed limit and b) was trying to figure out what the conversion for kilometers to miles was. Thankfully I didn’t get pulled over because, as my uncle told me later, the registration and proof of insurance for that car were sitting on his desk at home... Oops.
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![]() 05/03/2015 at 13:04 |
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Hah! That sounds about right!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 13:06 |
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Haha, thats how you accelerate! Use the pedal to push that thing..
![]() 05/03/2015 at 13:35 |
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SON OF A BITCH!!!
damn
![]() 05/03/2015 at 13:43 |
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![]() 05/03/2015 at 13:45 |
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Going to The Vintage in a few weeks. Will take plenty of photos to share. Found a few small oil leaks, and a few other things, so I’ll have a few projects before I go.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 13:49 |
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Man I really wish I had hung onto my 1968 911L. It was in perfect condition and they went up so much recently. I think it’s worth about 60K now!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 13:49 |
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Yea probably!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 13:52 |
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I don’t care what anyone says. 1980’s whale-trail porsches > duck-tail porsches.
I know right now the duck-tails are worth more money, especially the RS ones, but the whale-tail ones are when the 911 became more than a sports car for those who couldn’t a Ferrari (especially the 930 versions).
![]() 05/03/2015 at 14:23 |
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I looked at a few 911's in the mid 80's when they cheap....like, 5-6K dollars cheap....and the newspaper in Houston had tons of them.
I found them too much like a hot rod volkswagon and passed on ownership to the club.
While I KNEW they were a good deal, I just didn't think they would EVER climb in value like this. Heck even in the early 00's I saw a non-runner for 5K.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 14:31 |
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These 911 prices have to be a bubble, right? Will it pop before the e30 prices?
![]() 05/03/2015 at 15:19 |
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I am very jealous. I wish I could make it, but I’ll be in Washington... Or Oregon. Not sure which dates I’ll be where yet. Definitely looking forward to living vicariously through your photos though. Ahaha. One day I will park my 2002 next to yours and we’ll take the most badass classic BMW photo ever to grace Oppositelock. One day!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 15:27 |
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It will be glorious, but get the damn thing on the road first, lol. The best thing to do is drive them.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 15:36 |
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Oy. I’m trying. It’s been sitting for so long that I’m going to have to go through everything to make sure its not about to fall apart. The body shop originally quoted me at $1200, not including a new hood. I was okay with that. The work is basically done, and they said it took more than they expected so its going to be $2000. Now I’m trying to pull an extra $800 out of my butt. I’m working full time starting in June, so that is my only hope to get it back on the road before next fall.
I won’t lie, I’ve seriously considered selling her twice. But I can’t/won’t sell her. I named her, for crying out loud.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 16:04 |
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Those seats look genuinely awful.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 16:24 |
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It’s a limiter
![]() 05/03/2015 at 16:37 |
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I have never wanted anything more in my life. And I have never thought that lime green was the perfect color that all 911RSs should come in until now.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 16:58 |
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They look worse than they are - you get used to it after a bit.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:05 |
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You said this is a half a million dollar car right? With those seats I’m docking a quarter million.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:09 |
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Saw this a couple weeks ago at the Copperstate 1000. There was also a green Carrera non-RS
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:09 |
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sigh. Youngsters.
Those red tipped levers, young padawan, are how you get some heat from the hot thing in the rear to the cold occupants and windshield in the front.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:10 |
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I dunno if anyone fell for predator blood green being an original color.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:10 |
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very nice!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:10 |
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oooh, good call!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:11 |
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hahaha..well who knows what the original seats were like. These may have been changed out.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:15 |
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Dat duck fin.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:16 |
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Haha, isn’t that actually the “metal”? It’s the stop so you don’t break the throttle cable by pushing the pedal to far, isn’t it?
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:18 |
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Oh yea! You’re probably right...didn’t think of that
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:26 |
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Those levers next to the handbrake are heater controls. And yes, driving vintage 911s is an amazing experience unlike any other car.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:39 |
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Uh, WTF? An “all-original 1971 Porsche 911 RS”, that’s actually a bitsa replica?
Sorry, not the same thing at all. Fun, for sure, but c’mon, this isn’t even close.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:40 |
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I really think everyone should either learn how to drive in a car, or own a first car, that is unassisted. No being saved by a computer, just input = output like you described the Porsche. Not a high power car that tries to kill you. Just enough power to pull wheelspin if you feel like an idiot at the trafficlight. Teaches you to have a feel for the car and makes you understand what you are actually doing. Know and respect the limits of yourself and the car and don’t rely on the tech to save you if you drive like an idiot.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:44 |
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That is one expensive crack pipe.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:45 |
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Get used to hanging if you hang long enough. These cars are way over rated.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 17:53 |
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It looks so good
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:00 |
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It is...green.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:00 |
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Once, I accidentally a Ferrari. The whole thing.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:11 |
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Hey, Floyd Mayweather here. Is, uh, 1/2 a million bucks a good price for this car? I just got a 100 million bucks last night and I’m trying to figure out what to buy. Don’t worry—I don’t drive any of my cars.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:12 |
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One of the best post on oppo I have read. Thank you. And for your time
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:14 |
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Is the steering really that heavy? I've always found rear engined cars to have pretty light manual steering. I can drive me corvair with my pinky.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:16 |
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I really appreciate it your kind words! Thanks for reading!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:17 |
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Only when the car’s not moving. Normal driving it’s not really that big of a deal.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:18 |
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I just stepped out of mine as I read this. You really nailed it. It’s not fast. It’s not comfortable. However it makes you really work for it and rewards you with one of the best driving experiences that can be had on earth.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:22 |
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Awesome! How long have you owned yours?
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:31 |
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DON’T SELL. Named mine too. It’s an expensive hobby, but once I graduate, I know I should be fine. Keeping an old car in college is extremely difficult, but worth it.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:32 |
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My first go fast car, and third car overall, was a 1971 911 T that I bought for my 21st birthday for about $6500 (1996). Wow what a fun car, but your article points out everything about these older cars in that they need constant attention. I immediately installed dual Webers for a HP boost, and from that day it took a good long time to get used to the rear end sliding out from under me on anything resembling a curve.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:33 |
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Sounds like driving my 1971 Brazilian VW type 3, but without the horsies. It was my daily driver for 6 years here in Brazil and it does all actually become automatic after a while in respect to how the body handles the absolute lack of power everything. The muscles learn and the driving the car is all the exercise you will ever need.
As for the gearshift and throw, shifting any old VW type box that has been well driven is like shoving your hand into a box of cornflakes and hoping for the best when it’s time to shift.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:36 |
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Aircooled Porsche is my goal, honestly.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:38 |
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My brother had an 89, still the same body, still air cooled, great driving experience, except I am old enough to remember when power steering and brakes were not standard on every car, and FI meant fuel injection.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:44 |
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Very cool! Thanks for sharing the story.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:46 |
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Assuming its the same as a VW of similar area, and that I remember correctly, I believe those levers near the emergency brake are for the little flaps on the heater vents. Floor and defroster I think.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:47 |
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Yea someone else pointed that out!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:49 |
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Just spent 1000 miles bombing around northern and Southern California in. 72-T upgraded to s - specs
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:50 |
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Oh man, that’s pretty!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:55 |
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That sounds a lot like the Toyota pickup I had, except for the horsepower.
No power anything, except brakes. Long throw shifter, and it was a bit tail happy (on a wet road).
![]() 05/03/2015 at 18:58 |
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No way I’m driving this when it’s wet!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:06 |
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Doubt those are the original seat cushions in there. Old car seats were horrible. I remember them well.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:07 |
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Of if you’re going slow. Or transitioning from fast to slow, or slow corners, or anytime you have to turn past halfway, or etc. In short, manual steering sucks ass.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:18 |
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That tail design was referred to at the time as the "sugar scoop" tail, not the "duck tail". From driving my'67 for 19 years, I can say that those seats were some of the most comfortable for long (many hours) drives that I have ever had. The Porsche 5-speed gearbox was a very fast and easy shifter. Even with the outstanding Porsche synchros, I double-clutched my downshifts - possibly one of the reasons that it lasted so long. The steering was no real effort while the car was moving. To call driving one of these cars a real workout shows how spoiled people are from power steering.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:25 |
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A few years. Got in before prices went nuts. What’s funny is I’ll let pretty much anyone drive it. Once they do, they get “it”.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:25 |
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Alright Rod. F You. First Dougs Ferrari now this beautiful Porsche. At Least we know Rod’s last name now.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:34 |
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I had the pleasure of owning a 911SC back when I was a teenager (early 2000s). Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t spoiled or anything, it was just a rusty bucket. But I gave my hard earned $2000 to the guy and drove it home. It took all summer before senior year to get that piece in some sort of presentable shape and it certainly didn’t put my gf at the time’s father at ease, but man did I think I was cool when I drove it. I ended up keeping it through junior year of college and slowly fixed it up probably putting another 2k into it before selling it on for 9200 bucks. That was when my dad gave me his old Acura TL (2nd gen) and I spent most of that 9200 figuring out how to make a Honda J engine sing.
Now a days? Give me a 996, all the drama and theater of a 911, very few headaches and MUCH easier to drive.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:42 |
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180 before taxes
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:43 |
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It should be for all of us, really.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:46 |
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Do it. I drove my 912 this morning and it was awesome.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:51 |
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Google Viper and Conda Green Porsche. There were a lot of ‘chemicals’ going on in the 70s.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:53 |
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The red one is the Air. The smaller black one is a hand throttle so you can give it some gas (and hold revs) while waiting for everything to come up to temperature. How civilized.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 19:55 |
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Oh, good! Someone confirmed my experiences. One of my managers at work had an 86 911 but modded up a bit, really nice Recaros, and the front brakes were the back brakes off some insane Porsche race car from like 80’s era LeMans.
I could barely steer it around town, but what shocked me more was how hard I had to step on the brake pedal.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:05 |
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A wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:12 |
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Thanks for the nice words!!!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:13 |
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I pity the fool who actually spends half a million dollars on that.
It’s a cool car, and all, but... Half a million? You could almost buy a house in Austin for that much.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:16 |
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Actually, the red lever is for diverting heat blown over the heat exchangers into the passenger compartment (which smells amazing if you love a little oil smoke mixed in with your heated air on cold winter nights, and what early 911 owner doesn’t?), and the other lever is to set a high/cold start idle on fuel injected cars? I dunno, it came on my 73.5 911 T with original CIS but was converted to webers when I bought it so it does nothing. Floor and defroster air is mixed with the dash lever.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:19 |
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The hardest thing for me, driving a friend’s 80’s 911, is the floor mounting of all of the pedals. It feels really weird to push in and down... so strange
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:36 |
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Points for the 71!. points for the colour and points for driving her
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:36 |
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Those and the old whale-tails were the best!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:46 |
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Duck tails... Wooo-oo!
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:48 |
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Those seats along with the manual belts actually hold you in pretty tight.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 20:54 |
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Great article. My father’s 1970 911t is built to pretty much these specs. I learned to drive stick in it at age 12. The power to weight ratio should run high 12’s. With 250ish HP this lime green one should be mid 12’s. You’re article is spot on. I love the non-power everything.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:08 |
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She sure is pretty.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:21 |
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For me it was something like this:
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:26 |
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Price is ridiculous
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:28 |
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I know that feeling. When it comes to Ferraris, I just can’t.
But whale trail Porsches, on the other hand, are a whole different story, assuming this is what you’re talking about:
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:31 |
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5-6k for a 911 in Houston i dont believe you, considering I am in Houston and looking for a old 911
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:33 |
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Might have just brought me back into the market for a 911...
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:36 |
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Great writeup of a wonderful car. I really thought I was a good driver on street and on track. Then I started tracking a spec miata and I bought a 1991 NSX. Both cars require a lot of concentration when driving at the limit... but as you mention the most important thing is that it reminds you of how much cars do to make you a better driver.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:40 |
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Those mystery levers are well known to air cooled VW/Porsche owners, those are your heat/defrost and temp levers.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 21:50 |
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I was digging this car till I saw this....I’m not a purist nazi, but this is flat out wrong. its an RS replica, so stick an RS badge on it. Or you can do what I’m doing and put no badges on it since it’s not a specific model
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:00 |
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Bumper regs man...
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:01 |
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Yeah - I think I tend to agree with you there.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:02 |
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Thanks for the compliment! Much appreciated! The art of driving is slowly disappearing unfortunately...
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:03 |
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These older Porsches definitely aren’t cheap.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:04 |
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Whale-tail4lyf
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:07 |
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that’s the crazy trend right now. The prices for many vintage cars have skyrocketed within several years. Back when I was finishing up school (~2011), I would daydream and look up on cars that I could buy for myself as a gift when I finish training. A Dino could be found for ~$100k. Not bad. Last week, I saw an example of Dino on ebay for $500k.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:12 |
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Awesome.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:13 |
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I’d love a 912.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:15 |
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I never said there weren’t green Porsche's.
![]() 05/03/2015 at 22:18 |
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Looooove gold metallic! There’s a gold ‘71 T Sporto driving around Dallas that I’m secretly stalking.