Pic post: 2003 Porsche GT3 RS

Back in May I made the trek down to Georgia for Southern Worthersee, a VW / Audi car show held in the picturesque mountains north of Atlanta. It was a decent show, but like most car shows a little dull as far as cars sitting in a field not providing much in the way of a visceral experience. Yeah there were lots of nice cars, but nice cars alone do not make for much excitement if they're not doing anything.



On the way south we managed to pop through the shop at Lufteknic and see what was new, as always, there was a lot to ponder, but what caught my eye was one of my own personal favorite race cars of all time, a 996 GT3 RS. For the uninitiated, Lufteknic is a Porsche specialist located in Richmond Virginia, handling any and all things Porsche, from service to race, restoration and more.



Robert and Lufteknic have had a significant impact on this car's life thus far, having run the car with Hazardous Sports in the American Le Mans series, before arranging it's sale to one of his own customers once it was officially retired from competition. 



The bright-orange pumpkin-colored GT3 RS looks more or less exactly as it did when it was campaigned, with one rather significant exception. Rather than the old sponsorship stickers or some completely new, dubious color combo that people seem to throw on race cars with reckless abandon, the owner saw fit to bestow a proper old-school art-car livery by Brazilian artist Patricia Secco.



The effect is significant and perfect. Flowing with the lines of the 996 while having something to say on their own as well, the color pallet both compliments and uses the base bright orange paint as a key component. And if it happens to piss off the purists, all the better.



Unfortunately we had to hit the road all-too-soon and didn't get a chance to talk shop or take in any of the other sights while we were there, but with any luck I'll be back down soon to continue documenting the wild array of cars that roll through the doors there each day. 

_WRS

Pic Post: The G&W Jenniferfund RSR

Our intrepid reporter on the inside of most things Porsche, Robert from Lufteknic Porsche, sent these pics over to me last week, of the Jenniferfund / G&W Motorsports 993 RSR. My favorite 993, and a car significant to both Robert and myself, in its way.  You see, Robert was crewing for G&W Motorsports back in 2000, and this car placed 3rd in the GTU class that year - the little aircooled 911 that could. After the vast majority of the then-new 996 GT3Rs dropped like flies with engine failure after engine failure, this little Porsche kept on going. Of course, after 24 hours of battle on the track it looked a bit different...

Pic Post: The Gold Cup Historics at VIR

A few weeks back I made the trek down to southernmost Virginia - and the classic track that is Virginia International Raceway - for the Heacock Classic Gold Cup Historics. It was my first time to the once abandoned, now re-opened circuit, and I have to say I came away thoroughly impressed. It very much has the vibe and layout of an old-school track. It reminds me a little of Lime Rock but it's significantly longer with a lot more elevation change. It's awesome.


 

It has been a very busy last few months, and with VIR lying about a five hour drive it made for a very early morning on Saturday. And with temperatures dropping into the 30s overnight, it made for a very cold sleep in the trailer. It was all well worth it. The chance to help out Alan and get my feet wet for 2012 with the IMSA GTI was fantastic, and it left me really looking forward to next year...

Full selection of pictures after the jump...

Pic Post: Mini in Virginia

It's not everyday that you see a beautiful Mini in America. It's even less likely to find one having just rolled out from a heavy-duty truck repair shop, owned by the shop's painter, but that's the beauty of the automobile. The most unlikely of individuals can become a dyed in the wool fanatic. This is one of several Minis which the painter owns, and he's as hardcore as anybody I've met when it comes to his cars. 

More pics after the jump...

Pic Post: Porkers at Sebring

Ever felt like you had way too much to do and couldn't seem to gain traction on any of it? Well that's been the story around here lately. Simply way too much to do and not enough time in the day, or perhaps motivation / brain power to go around and make it all happen. So because of this, I've been a little slow for updating. It's not for lack of wanting, just for lack of time.



I've got a few things in line, waiting to be posted, the most interesting of which is almost certainly the IMSA GTI, but that will wait until next time.  First I will finally dig in a little more to Sebring. The event itself is so far in the past I hardly think it's worth re-telling the event itself, but why not throw up an all-Porsche post. Despite Audi being back in 2011 the Porkers are still my favorite,

Read on...

Pic Post: Your basic Porsche 911 SC

It's amazing how little the early Porsche 911 needs to look 'right.' I suppose that's why it is the classic design, destined to last the ages, but I think it's pretty clear that the newer models will never be able to age this gracefully.



This 911 SC is at its newest almost 30 years old, but the Super Carrera (that's what SC stands for) really remains timeless. It was manufactured and sold at that pivotal point in time when imagination, technology and sheer willpower all combined to make interesting, fun and reliable cars of all sorts.



The more modern 964 would probably also qualify for this status, but defintiely not the 993. By that point technology had creeped in entirely too much, ruining the whole thing. One thing leads to another, and the next thing you know you have 2-ton "sports cars" (I"m looking at you E9x M3) that need way more power to get going and will never be as rewarding to drive.



It's a shame. I don't think I'll ever be able to own a "new" car ever again really. Good thing I like turning wrenches.

_WRS

Pic post: (super rare edition) Alpine GTA Le Mans

Don't feel bad if you've never seen one of these...there aren't too many of them out there. And probably none in the USA. Alpine is a French brand, currently owned by Renault, and currently out of production. Plans to revive the brand were recently scuttled unfortunately, but they made some rather nice cars over the years, the A310 and the GTA in particular. This is a rare GTA Le Mans edition, which roving photographer Josh Brown captured when he was in Paris last week. With its turbocharged rear mounted V6 motor cranking out a tad under 200hp, 16x8" front / 17x10" ACT 3-piece wheels and widened fenders it's got a lot of presence, and a lot of class. Don't think you'll find one very easily however, they only made 349 of these beauties and the narrow body cars aren't nearly as handsome.


_WRS

Pic post: Flying Lizard Porsche

Less than one month to Lime Rock...

_WRS

Pic Post: (Sebring flashback edition) - SVRA Porsche 911 RS / RSR

I've been having irrational day dreams about owning / buying / restoring an older 911 the past couple of days. I blame the latest book I've been reading, From R to GT2
The Racing Porsches: 911 & 930 by John Starkey. So far I'm up to the 1975 3.0 RSR (the car pictured is not a 3.0 RSR however, probably a replica or an early 2.7 RS) and well, they're just such awesome cars. Perfect, in a word, and I know that is very common knowledge but they just are. Simple, with everything you need and nothing you don't: CIS injection, lightweight, no ABS, no power steering, pretty much bulletproof. This is an RSR:



As long as I'm living in NYC however, that's never going to happen. Even if I could manage to afford the car, I'd never be able to afford the extra parking space (which would have to be a garage naturally), not to mention the fact said garage would be underneath of or behind someone else's house. Plus any mid 70s 911 which I could scrape together the cash to buy would likely be a project, and once again, I'm not about to leave thousands hundreds of dollars of tools out of sight and out of reach, several blocks away.

So until the day comes when I have millions of dollars, or I leave NYC, that dream will just have to wait. At least I have a lot of research and learning to do in the meantime.

_WRS

Pic post: Mk3 GTI 16v from Germany

That does it. Or should I say this car does it. I'm lowering my car more, (just a little!) putting on the flares that I've been sitting on for the past year and change, and getting some texture top bumpers. I've been sorta headed in this direction anyways, but VW Vortex user denisgeu posted some pictures of his incredible Mk3 GTI 16v and I am forced to take action.



My Mk3 is already sorta halfway there with the textured sides, smoked lamps and the like, and I was playing around with the idea of painting the grill slats black and getting either smoked Hella dual round projectors or some smoked e-code headlights when I was at Dubs at the Beach this past weekend, but this car pretty much overcomes any doubts I had.



I mean really, what's not to like? 286 cams, KW Coilovers, Porsche Cup 1 wheels with R32 brakes. This for me is the perfect Mk3. Low enough to look good but clearly still a decent performer and not a total fashion victim. I first saw this car in the 'stance' thread, but for me this is the opposite of stance. It is functional and can be put to use, something those garage and show queens can't do.



Thread here.



And the car get's time on the 'Ring? Consider the Wolfsburg Rennsport Mk3 officially put into "track" mode from here on out...

_WRS

(The coolest) Pic post: Momo 935, Laguna Seca 1981

Image66
Originally uploaded by ehfone2007

You simply cannot get any cooler than this. Momo / Penthouse sponsored Joest Porsche 935 with a matching red / yellow livery on their Rabbit pickup support vehicle. Laguna Seca, 1981. I wonder where that pickup ended up? I've seen it in a video, Mosport 1981, but that's about it. Pure awesome 80s to the fullest.

_WRS

Picture: ehfone2007 via Flickr. Click the pic for larger / original image.

Pic post: Stuffed

Apologies for such limited posting these past few weeks. I was busy getting married last weekend, so my time has been predictably scarce to say the least. I have a very brief respite from the crazy, and then head back to Maryland and then on down to Dubs at the Beach for the weekend of 5/29 & 5/30, so I can't say I'll be writing any books, but at least there will be plenty of fresh photos from the show. By the way, I would like to place the phrase "Dubs" anything on moratorium when it comes to show naming...I'm getting too old to keep everything straight. Anyways, as I have probably alluded to previously, I'm not so big on shows, mainly because I have to work like a crazy person for the entire time. Ocean City is never all bad though, so it will at least be worth a few laughs and some good times between all the work.

Here's a shot of Drew's 911 with the oh-so-fresh 3.8 VarioRam motor in place, an example of the perfect hot rod formula. A small, lightweight car with minimal flash, solid underpinnings, and a big powerful motor. Sign me up!

Thanks to Ed for the pic.

_WRS

Pic post: Brad's A4

As usual when things get slow around here, it's because I'm (as Brad would say) MEGA-BUSY elsewhere. I'm back at the shop this week helping fill in the gaps while the boss is on vacation, and as usual making good use of access to the lifts, and perhaps more importantly, the knowledge of the guys in the shop. Nothing too serious going on, just some loose ends before the next inspection. Carmen (you remember our Corrado project right?) is a little worse for wear, but that's almost to be expected. I'm trying to figure out a better place to store the car but coming up blank. The guys at the shop are naturally helpful, usually in the manner of low ball offers to take her off my hands, haha...

Anyways, here is a pic of Brad's A4. As is pretty much the case with every car there, if the wheels need refinishing, they end up powder coated black...

_WRS

Pic post: Brooding Bimmer

The Rahal Letterman GT2 M3 awaiting it's time on the track...

In the paddock: Part One

There's something particularly magical about the paddock at a race event. They are virtual beehives of intense activity for hours at a time. Then empty. Like a ghost town after the gold rush ended.



Areas are secured, custom tractor trailers are position and unloaded, and home base is established. Mechanics, drivers, managers, owners and media of all sorts are coming and going at all times. You never know who is going to be standing 5 feet away...



There are hundreds if not thousands of near misses between go carts, race cars and pedestrians. It's like Times Square at New Years, but with millions of dollars of equipment strewn about. Body work that is probably work more money than I make in a year is placed, if not carelessly, somewhat haphazardly on the ground.





Cars in various states of disassembly dot the garages and look nowhere near close to race ready.



Eventually though it clears out, and that is when it becomes magical. The light is just right, the day is perhaps drawing to a close for some (but definitely not for all) and the cars maneuver like sharks in the ocean. Slowly at first, then on the attack as they near the track entrance.















Then all that hard work...



Finally pays off when the car hits the track.



Part two coming soon. Check out the full size pictures, and MANY more, over at Der Wolfsburg Rennsport Flickr Page.

_WRS

Pic post: SCCA World Challenge from days gone by

From the archives...more where this came from. Turner Motorsport BMW and Champion RS6.

_WRS

Sebring 2010 - Day one, part one

As it turns out, traveling thousands of miles, walking tens of miles, shooting thousands of images, hardly sleeping, all while soaking in as much of the experience as possible and then trying to bring them all together in a cohesive manner for a fairly short blog post is somewhat of a daunting task. That clumsy run-on sentence pretty much sums up our Sebring experience. Long, packed with info, and the feeling that while you know you can clean it up and trim some fat, you fear leaving out something crucial or particularly memorable. So where to start? The beginning is usually a good place to do so.



As regular followers know we left the city that never sleeps at around 10:00am on Wednesday, with the plan to drive down straight through, with about a 3-hour layover somewhere along the way.



First stop was the Maryland house (or was it the Chesapeake house?) and things were going quite well. Traffic was minimal and we were making really good time. A drive past the old home town of Baltimore made me thirsty for a nice cold Natty Boh, but we had no time to stop...the miles need to be chased down!



Second stop was Lufteknic down in Richmond, to talk a little shop with Robert and stretch the legs a tad. As usual, there was some eye candy on display. More on this 930 in the near future...



Lunch / dinner at Kitchen 64 made for a rather extended stop, but it was worth it. The sandwiches there are pretty tops at all times. if you're running through and need a quality meal, there are worse choices to be sure.





1997 stopped by in the form of this classic east-coast styled Honda Civic. Stock steelies up front, 17s out back, cut springs and not much else. Was this style popular everywhere, or just in the Mid-Atlantic? Cars like this were all too common back in the day.



Somewhere in South Carolina...



We eventually crashed out for some much needed rest just outside of Georgia. Two things should be noted. One, Mk5 GTis have the LEAST comfortable seats for sleeping in the world. My Mk1 GTI was more comfortable than this thing. The bolsters which make the car so nice in the turns make it nearly intolerable as a bed. The other thing is that if you do sleep in a fairly deserted rest area, maybe don't park by the creepy picnic tables. I woke frequently from my thin slumber to visions of Zombies shambling towards the car. I was quick to volunteer to drive as long as it meant we were far from this place.



A few hours later and we encountered the great Daytona Beach interchange of I95. This marked the furthest south I had ever driven up until now. Immediately past here we jumped on I4 and went through Orlando, and encountered our first traffic, (boo) and a bunch of prostitutes in between Orlando and the Florida turnpike. I mean really, who picks up a hooker at 9:30am?



We drove the deceptively long way down to our hotel accommodations in lovely Okeechobee, Florida. We cleaned up, drank our 10,000th redbulls and headed to the track to pick up our credentials and get a look at the ALMS cars during practice, and the SVRA enduro.



The crowds were pretty thin, and we didn't see any security keeping people from above the pits, so we headed upstairs for a better view. We were naturally confronted by a man demanding a level of credentials that we did not possess, but after some smooth talking by Josh we were issued permission to take a look around, snap some pics and enjoy it while we could, as we 'Most certainly were not going to be allowed up there on race day.' (Sadly he wasn't lying.) The view was pretty awesome.



It was pits...



and track!



Pits...



and track!



It was a full practice with all classes. A pretty large number of cars were taking part, including several of the new LMPC Oreca cars. Powered by 6.2 liter push rod V8 motors, they could add a real sense of power to the events, but they're neutered with mufflers that take all the edge off.



GT2 was where my main focus of interest was, and there was plenty to see. Both BMWs, Flying Lizard 911s and Corvettes were out in force, plus the Falken Tire RSR.







The Autocon Lola prototype looked good in bright orange paint, but this would prove to be one of the only times we would see it out on the track. They did not have a good weekend.



There were a bunch of GTC cars (Porsche Cup cars) out as well, and like the LMPC cars they suffered from a lack of auditory volume...



The big boys were clearly in charge however...the two Peugot 908s glided around the track with a presence that none of the other cars could muster.



Perhaps my favorite livery is the striking Tequila Patron sponsored Ferrari 430s from Extreme Speed Motorsports. Great looking cars.



Our final view of the day, from our exclusive view point saw the whole field streaming down pit lane, no doubt ready to make final preparations for qualifying, set to begin the following afternoon.





Job well done...



But before we get to qualifying we have a whole lot more to cover. The SVRA enduro followed up the ALMS practice, and we needed to walk the track to check the best viewpoints for the big race. Part two coming soon!

For full size pics just click one of them or head over to the Wolfsburg Rennsport Flickr page.

_WRS