My guest columnist article from TOTAL 911 issue # 98
STOCK VS HOTROD…
The question often gets asked, do I keep it stock or hotrod the car.
Like all Porsche questions there is never one straight answer & this one has lots of variables.
Back in the good ol days when early 64-73 911s were just another old Porsche the modification choice was perhaps a bit easier.
Fancy a slant nose wide body conversation Miami Vice style in white?
No problem let’s find the oldest cheapest car possible to be the donor, how about that 65-911 in the auto trader for $1500 –that will work right?
Today things are a little different-that 65-911 hiding under a 80s wide body slant nose conversation is a highly desirable car…
How times, trends & styles have changed..
Now I hear that the purists have always been around & rightly have their place in the PORSCHE world, but what about the guys that want a little more performance & something a bit different,
Well all those 73RS carrera inspired cars proved that people do like to be inspired by the PORSCHE icons of years past.
We have all seen early cars become a lot harder to find & prices have doubled if Not tripled in the past few years, so my question is what does this do to the VALUE of the car.
Does an early “S” give you 3 times the thrills of the same year “T” that the current price tags REFLECTS?
I am sure there are lots of hotrodded S cars out there with mismatched parts & engines, infact at one time owned 5-67 S cars at the same time & only 2 were #S matching….
So here is my point I have a fondness for the 72 year model –one year only oil filler on the right rear qtr,first year of the 915 & 2.4 motor make it a unique car that I always look for.
Almost 2 years ago I stumbled across a numbers matching California 72- 911T,
This was in fact my 6th 72 car
Yet My choice to Hotrod the car was made before I had even taken delivery of the car ,
The choice was simple another 72STR inspired build with a Hot rod short stoke 3.2 MFI motor,
Built on a 3.0 SC case with great suspension & lots of cool details.
Now with most parts interchangeable I was soon well on my way.
My goal is just to build what I like, enjoy the process, have some fun incorporate a few R & ST Details into the car along with some back dated early SWB bits such as wipers, chrome faced gauge bezels, window cranks, add some sport purpose racy bits such as bucket seats, roll bar,5 point harness ,drill some holes in the door handles add some louvers, drill more holes where ever possible ,add some lightness & make it the best I can with my own personal flair..
Would the decision have been the same if the car was an S ?
Who knows, what I can say though is what I ended up in my mind is my current ideal car,& best build to date
It took almost a year to complete with countless hours of time, energy, decisions & a fair amount of money.
I did incorporate the original metallic blue paint into the final color scheme & the gauges & a few other bits are original I added 2 more colors & some gold rims & script & called it done!
It is certainly quicker than a stock 72- 911T, drives a little better & gets a bit more attention also
With all restorations it’s all about the details & time management, perhaps restoring back to stock may have been easier & quicker ,as with all modified cars-nothing just bolts right together & my car has a few unique mods…!
I am currently 631 miles into my 1000 mile shakedown process driving some of the best roads in Southern California fine tuning & adjusting as I go, along the way the car gets a lot of attention where ever we go & the smiles per mile are endless
So what about my car now that its finished-its white & has a wide body
did I de value the car or is it more valuable as I hotrod?
Is the current trend of ST –RSR inspired cars the slantnose of today?
Only Time will tell….
At the end of the day the choice is all down to the individual & personal preference,
If other people like it..Well that’s great also.
I do have the original motor sat on a pallet just in case tastes change !
Hey it can always be put back to stock-right?
Cheers from Sunny LA
PEDEL TO THE FLOOR.
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