To be fair, the review is by a professional stock car driver (Bobby Allison) — but it is nevertheless revelatory reading these less-than-glowing remarks about any 911 when, in this day and age, reviewers up and down the automotive food chain almost uniformly sound like they’re beholden to Porsche.
Some choice bits:
…At low speeds, city traffic and brisk marches through winding lanes, a 911 is supremely agile. The steering is quick and the car instantly changes direction with only the lightest touch. It feels for all the world like a civilized formula racer and gives great pleasure. But the Porsche’s personality changes drastically as you approach its limit. Then the tail swings heavily, and the car responds to an unpracticed and unsubtle touch with a vengeance. Moderate street drivers never learn of this; the venturesome ultimately will find out…
…we found no circumstance in which any of the 911s fit our, or Allison’s, definition of neutral. In skid-pad testing, they all understeered heavily when under power. And if we lifted abruptly without correcting the steering, they all spun in little more than the length of the car. It was like having a choice of power-on understeer, lift-throttle oversteer and nothing in between…
…When you get used to a Porsche, you can make it do some pretty amazing things. But the idea of evading emergency situations by applying power is so unnatural for most drivers that it is unreasonable in a car intended for street use…
Some photos:
And here’s the period review (conducted at Pocono Raceway) from 1974:
To paraphrase Bob Dylan, though, there’s no reason to get excited— BMW Technik GmbH made exactly one static example, and it was constructed not out of metal, but wood, plastic, and clay.
It’s nevertheless a interesting harbinger of clown shoes things that would later come.
Recurring contributor Mike recently sent in these photos of a friend taking delivery of a new-to-him BMW E28 M5. We know the feeling – as do many of you who love old (or even not that old) cars and are crazy enough to go to great lengths, literally and figuratively, to get them – and it is unlike any other. Judging from the photos, we think Mike’s friend has bought well— his is one of just thirty examples that were offered in the US with black leather interior from the factory (as opposed to tan in all the others). We wish him the best in his ownership adventures.
Thanks for sharing, Mike!
(Technical details: images taken on a Canon AE-1 and Kodak Ektar 100 C-41 color negative film.)
Which to choose? They all look superb, even the ones we never thought we’d love (we’re looking at you, gold). Just need to see one now – track-prepped – in Highland Green.
Images by Adam Swank
Reader (and very fine photographer) Yergen Diesel was lucky enough to spend some time with the new Alfa Romeo 4C recently— not under ideal conditions (cold, wet, finite), but still not an opportunity to be turned down. Here are some photos that he shared with us.
Thanks, Yergen!
You can see more of Yergen’s work here.
Checking in on MCB Japan correspondent Skorj and his latest travels— let’s see what’s going on on the other side of the globe:
Neat stuff, as usual (and lots of red cars).
Motoring Con Brio 