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Hartech oversized engine testing with 911&Porsche World.

Alex

Well-known member
Joined
6 Mar 2014
Messages
22,079
Baz Hart recently contacted me and asked if I'd like to come over to Hartech for a day of road testing & comparing their latest oversized engines vs. standard units. 911 & Porsche world would be there to do some testing, take a look at the figures, interview owners who'd been invited and also do a photo shoot. Well......how could I resist! :drive:

The cars:

996 Carrera 2 coupe 3.4 with manual gearbox bored out to 3.7
996 Carrera 2 cab 3.6 with tiptronic box bored out to 3.9
987 Cayman S 3.4 with manual box bored out to 3.9

The comparisons:

My 996 Carrera 4 cab 3.4 with manual gearbox
996 C4S 3.6 with tiptronic box
987 Cayman S 3.4 with manual box

The plan was to let owners of standard cars and Steve Bennett from 911 & Porsche world test drive the standard and modded cars back to back, do a photo shoot, brief interview with each owner and then some motion snaps of the modified cars.


After a brief meet at Hartech Towers we set off out in the sticks to Delph sailing club who kindly allowed us to use their facilities to host the event with both Grant & Tobias on organisation duties. Once the photo shoot was done I quickly jumped into the driving seat of the 3.7 996. I'd been in one before but it hadn't been mapped to suit the increase in displacement, unlike this one.

Both Steve & I then went for a reasonable drive in each cars to feel the difference. I'm impressed!! Similar to what I reported last time - more torque! Felt like much more torque than the last one I went out in but that was still on the standard map. This felt more like the 3.9 Tobias took me out in last time. Imagine lowering what a 3.4 does above 4.5k rpm down to 3k rpm. I noticed the first time I progressed through 3rd gear after only a couple hundred yards. Then when we swapped motors and I drove my 3.4 the 4 miles back to sailing club, what a let down. Felt like i was trying to drive back with the handbrake half on.......flat.....just flat.

The other guys who attended then also went through the same process with Steve in one car and them in the other. Quick report back to Steve from all of us on what we thought and then a spot of lunch.

Once fine refreshments had been served and devoured I had to help out with the motion shots. Roof down on the car, our cameraman hanging out the back whilst Steve followed in each Hartech car......that was fun, good job nothing came the other way :eek: :grin:

Before heading back to base I just had time for a blast in the star of the show - the 3.9 987 Cayman S

What a car!!!!

I soon realised why the other guys were grinning like Cheshire cats after their spin it. Talk about fun! and responsiveness! and Torque! and Power! and more Torque! Ignore everything I've said above, go out and buy yourself a Cayman S, then get these lads to work their magic on it......nothing else in life matters! :lol:

Within seconds I was addicted as my right foot instantly fell in love with that point and press accelerator pedal. I don't think I took it past 5k rpm, I didn't need to, all the fun I wanted was right there, between 2.5k & 5k. ......and I think Grant will confirm I wasn't at all taking it easy :)

I think everyone else there will also tell you what's now top of their Christmas present list to Weihnachtsmann. Talk about fun!

I'll not waffle on anymore about what a great day today has been......and as usual what a fantastic operation and show Baz & the lads have put on. Grant & Tobias did a flawless job of looking after us all and showing us what a great time you can have if you bunk off work for the day and bob over to the best in the business Porsche specialists.

:thumbs:

No doubt the multi-page spread in November's issue will cover a lot more detail than I have here and there should be plenty of wizzy photos too (if the motion shots are blurred - sorry :oops: ) so don't forget to order yourself a copy.

Also great to meet everyone today - what a great set of guys!! :thumb:

Just a few I managed to snap in between all the excitement:


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MtDLUmg.jpg
 
Would love a 3.9 Cayman...

That good, yeah?

Any ideas on cost the rebuild a cayman to 3.9?

:thumb:
 
I've never driven a Cayman before so can't comment on the handling, but the power delivery was just spot on. I reckon performance wise is probably somewhere between the GT4 & GTS.

I think Grant was telling me though it was more costly than the others as it has a larger crank. May be wrong though. :dont know:
 
Nice write up Alex. Handling wise, a Cayman is superbalanced. Great fun to drive
 
Did you get booked in for an upgrade then Alex :D
 
My wallet said not yet :grin:

Still buzzin about that Cayman. Shame Grant's nails are now imprinted in the dash.
 
Great write up Alex, When I was talking to Baz about my poorly car thats sitting at Hartech towers he was telling me about this 3.9 cayman and what a beast it was , am I a bit envious that you got to drive it :nooo: well :grin: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
 
Glad you enjoyed your day with us Alex and appreciate the write up - very well written - a hidden talent!


Just to point out though that in a way - allowing you all to drive the Cayman S - has taken a bit of the focus off the others - which is a bit if a shame because the 3.4 to 3.7 and 3.6 to 3.9 - both showed immediately noticeable improvements and much better performance over standard (something I hope will come out of the editorial). Perhaps we should have saved that for another day?


The Cayman S 3.9 being lighter than a 911 variant and with a capacity increase of 500cc compared to 300cc with the others (and with different gearing) is a very quick car but so are the others now.



You are right that the Cayman S requires a different crankshaft as well as pistons and cylinders - so will be more expensive than the others. However the 3.2 Boxster S to 3.7 (currently in build) retains the std crankshaft and is also a 500cc increase in a light car - so might be very quick as well (and they are less expensive to buy)


It has cost us a lot to develop these conversions especially involving so many cars - but we will try and retain ownership of them all and may be able to arrange that serious prospective customers already owning their own 3.4, 3.6, 3.8 or Cayman S can drive them at some future date - but I am hopeful that the editorial will do the job for most as we will not have time for all and sundry to go out in them.

It was really enjoyable to spend a day with you and our customers and the enthusiastic journalists and photographer from 911 and Porsche World - as well - a nice change from the daily grind churning out rebuilt engines.

p.s. Grant has had a change of underpants now!



Baz
 
:oops: :grin: apologies to Grant.

Sorry Baz, I didn't mean to dub down the excellence of the bored out 3.4 996 - it is a great improvement performance wise over the standard engine.

Just one other thing I failed to mention - the sound improvement! Suppose the best way to put it is they all sound like an M97 3.8 instead of the 3.6 engine. Very nice and deeper, thicker sound. :thumb:
 
No apology needed Alex and Phil, I think that if we do what we are considering to your 3.8 Gen 2 - you will not be envious anymore of the Cayman S and anyway you can have a drive in it when you visit!

Baz
 
Like the sound of a Boxster S with extra oomph. Always felt mine a little lacking.

Might be a silly question but do the cars sounds noticeably different? The noise is an important thing for me and just wondering if these capacity increases change the sound overall?
 
Can you hear the difference between a 2.7 and a 3.2? If so, apply that difference to a 3.7 vs. 3.2
 
Fantastic write up Alex, sounds as tho it was a great day , look forward to seeing the full article
 

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