Hi Everyone,
I hope you have all been keeping safe and well. I recently received an email from Kieron Fennelly, someone who used to write for Total 911 911/PW. He had come across a book, written by a die-hard Dutch enthusiast, he wanted to share a review on the book and I thought I would share here as who doesn't like some interesting reading in these times of lockdown, especailly about our beloved 964's and a book which would look amazing on any coffee table
Book Review: Porsche 964 The Modern Classic
Paul Koebrugge
Book available from www.porsche964themodernclassic.nl / porsche964@ziggo.nl
Built from 1988-93, the Porsche 911 Typ 964 is usually seen as the bridge between the original 911 and the later and subsequently water-cooled versions. Owner and enthusiast Koebrugge calls the 964 with some justification the modern classic: using essentially the same shell, air cooled engine and trademark ‘frog eye’ headlights, the 964 was nevertheless the first 911 without the torsion bar suspension and the first to offer a 4x4 version, standard-fit ABS and power steering and an automatic transmission option.
The author sets out a brief history of the 911 before introducing the 964. He covers its development story as well as the various versions of the 964, Targas and cabriolets, the Turbos and homologation RS and RSRs and short-production models such as the Speedster and Turbo-look cars. Commendably he even includes Ruf’s contribution, the CTR which, because Ruf is classed as a manufacturer, did not carry a Porsche badge, but is worthy of inclusion because once again Ruf was demonstrating direction in which a more advanced 911 might develop.
Thanks to the author’s collaboration with Benjamin Dimson, the lead exterior designer of the 964, one of the highlights of Porsche 964 the Modern Classic is undoubtedly its chapters on styling: the many previously unpublished pictures of sketches and designs which were discarded, often for being too radical, are part of a fascinating narrative and the 911 fan will spot a number of styling cues which would appear on the 993 as well several ‘what might have been’ Speedster designs. Equally interesting are the sketches of alternative forms for the widebody and open 964s. Koebrugge points out that one of Porsche’s objectives with the 964 was to reduce the drag coefficient of the 911 which in 3.2 guise stood at 0.40 and he indicates that this was reduced to 0.32 thanks to the 964’s smoother coachwork and the panelling-in of the underside by Porsche’s master aerodynamicist Norbert Singer. Porsche even produced a table indicating the percentage of drag reduction for each component of the body. Singer redesigned the 911’s chassis to accommodate four-wheel drive which entailed replacing the archaic torsion bars, a mise à jour which Porsche engineers had wanted to carry out for years. The new suspension configuration is well illustrated by underside pictures taken on the production line which clearly show the struts and the rear semi-trailing arms which were attached directly to the body.
Enthusiast though he his Paul Koebrugge admits in his closing chapter that the new management which took over at Porsche in 1989 was less enamoured of the 964 – the ride quality partly the result of the semi-trailing arms rendered the 964 less comfortable than competitors and as he points out, work on the 964’s successor the 993 began immediately. The author acknowledges that the 993 was seen as a better car (75,000 were constructed over four years compared with about 50,000 of the 964) but adds that today the 964 is regarded as a highly desirable classic 911, a more uncompromising, traditional sports car than the more refined 993 and in this he is certainly correct: no air cooled 911 sounds better than the deep, barrel-chested baritone of the 964’s single-outlet exhaust.
A superbly illustrated work with a wide and largely original selection of photography whose author writes with a fluency which is both engaging and informative. A book that offers an involving read for any Porsche fan and an absolute must for all 964 owners.
No affiliation to anyone here but I have one on the way!
I hope you find this of interest.
Thanks,
Mark
I hope you have all been keeping safe and well. I recently received an email from Kieron Fennelly, someone who used to write for Total 911 911/PW. He had come across a book, written by a die-hard Dutch enthusiast, he wanted to share a review on the book and I thought I would share here as who doesn't like some interesting reading in these times of lockdown, especailly about our beloved 964's and a book which would look amazing on any coffee table
Book Review: Porsche 964 The Modern Classic
Paul Koebrugge
Book available from www.porsche964themodernclassic.nl / porsche964@ziggo.nl
Built from 1988-93, the Porsche 911 Typ 964 is usually seen as the bridge between the original 911 and the later and subsequently water-cooled versions. Owner and enthusiast Koebrugge calls the 964 with some justification the modern classic: using essentially the same shell, air cooled engine and trademark ‘frog eye’ headlights, the 964 was nevertheless the first 911 without the torsion bar suspension and the first to offer a 4x4 version, standard-fit ABS and power steering and an automatic transmission option.
The author sets out a brief history of the 911 before introducing the 964. He covers its development story as well as the various versions of the 964, Targas and cabriolets, the Turbos and homologation RS and RSRs and short-production models such as the Speedster and Turbo-look cars. Commendably he even includes Ruf’s contribution, the CTR which, because Ruf is classed as a manufacturer, did not carry a Porsche badge, but is worthy of inclusion because once again Ruf was demonstrating direction in which a more advanced 911 might develop.
Thanks to the author’s collaboration with Benjamin Dimson, the lead exterior designer of the 964, one of the highlights of Porsche 964 the Modern Classic is undoubtedly its chapters on styling: the many previously unpublished pictures of sketches and designs which were discarded, often for being too radical, are part of a fascinating narrative and the 911 fan will spot a number of styling cues which would appear on the 993 as well several ‘what might have been’ Speedster designs. Equally interesting are the sketches of alternative forms for the widebody and open 964s. Koebrugge points out that one of Porsche’s objectives with the 964 was to reduce the drag coefficient of the 911 which in 3.2 guise stood at 0.40 and he indicates that this was reduced to 0.32 thanks to the 964’s smoother coachwork and the panelling-in of the underside by Porsche’s master aerodynamicist Norbert Singer. Porsche even produced a table indicating the percentage of drag reduction for each component of the body. Singer redesigned the 911’s chassis to accommodate four-wheel drive which entailed replacing the archaic torsion bars, a mise à jour which Porsche engineers had wanted to carry out for years. The new suspension configuration is well illustrated by underside pictures taken on the production line which clearly show the struts and the rear semi-trailing arms which were attached directly to the body.
Enthusiast though he his Paul Koebrugge admits in his closing chapter that the new management which took over at Porsche in 1989 was less enamoured of the 964 – the ride quality partly the result of the semi-trailing arms rendered the 964 less comfortable than competitors and as he points out, work on the 964’s successor the 993 began immediately. The author acknowledges that the 993 was seen as a better car (75,000 were constructed over four years compared with about 50,000 of the 964) but adds that today the 964 is regarded as a highly desirable classic 911, a more uncompromising, traditional sports car than the more refined 993 and in this he is certainly correct: no air cooled 911 sounds better than the deep, barrel-chested baritone of the 964’s single-outlet exhaust.
A superbly illustrated work with a wide and largely original selection of photography whose author writes with a fluency which is both engaging and informative. A book that offers an involving read for any Porsche fan and an absolute must for all 964 owners.
No affiliation to anyone here but I have one on the way!
I hope you find this of interest.
Thanks,
Mark
