Alex
Nordschleife
- Joined
- 6 Mar 2014
- Messages
- 22,172
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 :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 ) 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:
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 :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 ) 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: