“You’re so engaged in the driving, you’re not chasing speed” distilled into one sentence, the essence that’s missing from far too many modern cars! Another winner of a video Harry!
@@supraJZA80s Indeed. But you can buy an early Elise for a small fraction of the engine rebuild cost of this slightly ludicrous air-cooled 911. Let alone the full cost of the car. I've driven numerous early 911s, some of them beautifully restored. They're nice cars. But the driving experience doesn't come close to justifying the intergalactic values and the huge tax applied by specialist workshops. It's not that I'd argue something like an Elise is a better drive. The point is that it's comparable is purity and involvement are the goal. There are other good options that deliver just as much purity and involvement. What I'm getting at is that these old air-cooled cars ultimately aren't about purity and involvement. They're about fashion. it's that which drives the prices. Not the driving experience.
Having just spent two years refreshing a '73, what is most impressive about the 911 is the quality of materials, the preciseness of the fit and finish, the overall craftsmanship is of a value that exceeds modern cars- and yet weight is minimal (2300 US lbs). The design/fashion is beautiful- never looks boring. Yes, they're pretty nice cars.
@@flat6croc 'Drove an Elise once. Compared to my '69 911S the Elise deserves a girl's name. Banging up against the 7300 RPM Rev limiter in fourth gear is an experience that never goes out-of-fashion.
@@genesmith4019 I don’t have an Elise or an old 911, but have driven several of both. Closest thing to the car in the video I’ve driven is a 2.2S that has been subject to a megabucks restoration in the UK. Fun car, but for pure driving pleasure, I’d take the Elise. And by a decent margin.
I agree. At the ridiculously low cost end, I just love two stroke triples exhaust sounds under hard acceleration through the gears, changes being particularly sweet on the GT Suzukis (I’m biased). The Kwak 750 sound is also irresistible.
I love hearing the impressions of car enthusiasts who are not familiar with, or do not spend a lot of time with, these early Porsche 911's. It's very refreshing to hear your enthusiasm, your wonder, your sheer delight with the car. And they are, indeed, very delightful cars. I've had the pleasure (and privilege) of owning and driving my 1972 911 for some 20 years, and am now near to completing my second hundred thousand miles behind the wheel of this delightful little car. Sometimes I feel as though I might be getting a little jaded, and that it is in danger of becoming "just another car" to me, but then I run across something like this video. Harry, you have done a wonderful job of capturing the sheer joy of these little cars. "Driving fast slowly" really is the ethos and attraction of these cars. And I'm in love with mine all over again... thank you...
I agree completly with you, Sir. I have my 1989 - 911/964 Carrera 4 and I think nowadays it´s a previlege onwing cars like these. Like you, I had thousands of kms behind the wheel without any problem but gas, oil and filters and ordinary maintenance! Those were the cars that won the today,s fame for the Zuffenhausen boys!
I'm now disabled and can't drive..... generally I've accepted it...... but with cars like this I miss driving so much. Modern cars don't grab me...... apart from hearing that V12 in the T.50 mule.
@@IceFish. I'm glad you can still drive. I'm partially paralysed that stops me holding a license.But thanks for your words and reminding me of what I'm missing. It's like when a kind able-bodied person reminds me how nice a good walk is. I think 'how kind'!
@@markorchard2272 I can empathise with that - my disability stops me walking far, but I'm thankful I can still drive, even if I'm stuck with a Suzuki Grand Vitara...
I could happily drive that all day. Driving a car of any maker that puts a smile on your face, is one of life’s little pleasures. I’ve had a few, it makes the whole experience of driving very different.
It makes driving an event and studies have shown that its events rather than material goods that makes us happier. Obviously a car is also a material object.....but so many are like white goods...functional but boring.
The in depth engineering descriptions in that 911 book would definitely not be a negative in studying tractors either (and i guess you could compliment it with a book on Lamborghini's tractor design as well).
Your reading at college made me smile. In 80s we had to choose a book to be presented to us as our O level prize; I selected the history of Porsche; my mother and father weren't too impressed!
It wonderful to see how much joy Harry is getting out of this driving experience. Thanks Harry for making by far the best car review videos online. You really show us the car inside and out and take us with you on a driving experience. Much better than most of the other nonsense videos of people trying to take every car sideways and barely showing the actual car.
Great vid. Harry nails it at the end. Two thirds of my garage is now tuned 1960s cars. It was a golden era. You feel so connected, no electronics, the noise and you actually drive the things. Wonderful. No hybrids or EV's here.
It's a lot of money, you could get an Aston Martin V8 or a Jensen FF for that with extra cash to spend on fuel. It's still nice though, just not £400k nice.
@@redhammer92 Porsche is super over flated in prices. I think you will see values drop significantly with a little more time. That kind of money. Lots other cars would see my money even as nice as this is.
But you wouldn’t have this 911?? I would love any of those but the Aston and Jenson aren’t really in the same league as the Porsche. Just my opinion the only classic car I would take over this would be a Mercedes 300sl or a Ferrari 250
Epic sound track, music to my ears. What a great car, the essence of driving. I love the old car reviews they have so much more character than the modern cyber cars. Good work Harry.
"Pure very early car" is generally a euphemism for "riddled with design faults & way too expensive to build in production numbers ". Bit like the "Very late, last of line" which reads as "Whatever we have left with all the big issues sorted"! Nice vid as ever.
I don’t think I’ve seen Harry enjoy a car as much as this! And yes the induction sound is far better than exhaust sound… Alfa nord engine in a good state of tune the best example of induction roar
Agreed. Used to have a Ducati Monster that I fitted some Keihin flat side carbs to. They had this whoosh whistle sound on throttle that was so satisfying. The rider was the only one that could hear it, but it totally enhanced the riding experience. I thought, why aren’t more people taking about induction noise? I have a very nice classic 911 hotrod with fuel injection. It’s an amazing setup, but I’d still like to get into a classic 911 with good ol’ fashioned carbs one day to get that subtle induction noise.
Talking about induction noise reminds me of how much I love the glorious M3 CSL intake sound. I agree with Harry. I'll take induction music over exhaust any day.
In my opinion there are only a very few RU-vid channels that really capture the thrill of motoring. Petrolicious, Carfection, and Harry’s Garage. Thank you for the experience Harry!
You can add Iain tyrell to that list. Afterall, Harry trusted him to rebuild his Espada’s engine and since then he to has a youtube channel. The cars he reviews and his knowledge is incredible.
OMG! I felt intoxicated watching this vid Harry! 😍 (And that was before I had a nice glass of vin rouge!) wonderful car, just gorgeous...the SOUND! 👍🏻 Please drive more of these classics...suits you Sir! 👏🏻
Love the car and a great enthusiastic video. Harry seems to get more excited about this and tha Fulvia Zagato than some of the really fast stuff and I’m totally with him there. You can so easily end up doing highly illegal speeds in silly places in moderns That sound is fabulous -seriously thinking about converting my 76 car to carbs and keep the 350k extra for now:)
Lovely 😁 I know exactly what you mean by “driving fast slowly”. It’s the same with motorcycles. The moden ones got so much power and handles so well that in reality you just can’t use it the way it’s ment to be. An old 60’s or 70’s motorcycle of “the proper kind” handles so well and got just the right amount of horsepower to make you feel that it’s you who’s in controll of the bike and not the other way around. I’m thinking 900 SS Ducati or 850 Guzzi. Just enough power and the handling to please. And then the sound. 🥰 With the 911 you can enjoy the induction roar while we can enjoy the exhaust sound from the outside. Pleasing both worlds. 😊👌
Hi Kasper, like your comment as I have a '75 900ss and a '75 Guzzi T3. I also have later model air-cooled porsches, but at over 3 litres they don't have the same responsiveness of the early ones. Cheers
It’s very nice… but the price is “Ambitious”, to say the least. So many trying to ride the Singer bandwagon. At this price, it will never be enjoyed - just kept in a heated garage and sold for a positive ROIC. There’s no reason why this can’t be ~100,000GBP, other than greed.
"The heater on a Porsche and VW, was actually very good!" That took me flying back to my first ever car - a 1972 vintage Beetle which whilst the same colour and a left hooker, sadly had little else in common! My Beetle only did 70mph flat out if I was lucky but felt much quicker, teaching you how to read the road ahead to keep momentum and to avoid having to use the useless brakes! Who does not love the sound of an air-cooled flat-six?
Hmmm, back in the days: Just imagine you can buy a 4.2 litre E-Type 2 seater (not the ugly LWB!) for 2117 gbp. Or a tiny air cooled 911 2.0 for 3228 gbp (and not the tuned one, Harry showed in this video, just a production car). Make your choice. My choice is done.
We could get the E-Type for under 2,000 GBP because we lived in Germany and British Forces Germany could get UK cars tax free. I could never persuade my father to buy an E-Type, but he did get a couple of Mk2s.
Harry, now you`ve tried a very expensive resto modded 911.- Glorious soundtrack by the way- are you going to try the Alfaholics 105 Alfa coupe? They were in their day at the advent of the 911 head on competitors.
Having recently completed a 1300+ kms road trip with my 7 years old daughter in my 79 911sc, I cannot agree more about the joy of driving fast but not in high speed feel. It is so much fun to bond with these old aircooled cars in a longer road trip.
never worth £400k massively overrated. Had a 3.2 Carrera 1985 miles better but also very spartan inside. 993 is best version. and old ones like this look weedy. but that’s just my opinion. clearly in the minority - but with £400k to spend it would not be this on my shopping list sorry.
The old 1960s and 70s 911a are the best , i do not care how much faster the modern ones are , they are so boring compared to the original 911,s as all the modern tech in new 911s ruins the driving experience.
You are the man Harry. Thanks for bringing this bit of history. Sensory delight. Flaws = character. Today, most of the character has been engineered out.
50 mph feels like 100 mph in that car. One of those cars you drive with two hands on the wheel at all times and fully engaged. The complete antithesis of every modern car. And it sounds glorious.
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1405">23:25</a> whats the fastest car youve driven? "My austin a40 van. I can drive it flat out, and nobody notices!" - James Hunt.
Good lord, it's so beautiful, thanks Harry. Twin spark head, never knew that....but each plug ran individually from the distributer cap?... so the "other spark" is delayed slightly?... can anybody tell me where the plugs are situated in the combustion chamber? Not trying to be a smart arse, just very interested in this mad little car. Cheers me dears !
The second sparkplug was situated opposite the other one so as to get a simultaneaous and more efficient combustion. It was fired at the same time. I have had a few of these heads and the sound when you use both plugs is quite different from just using one. There were two different brands of double distibiturs. The first one was made by Marelli and then later by Bosch. They were used in among others the 911 RSR 1973 and later models. Not cheap to buy today.....
Harry, this has to be one of your best reviews yet. I was nodding in agreement in several parts. 'Driving fast, slowly', completely agree with you. Cars are fast enough, what matters for driving enjoyment is a manual transmission, induction bark, and exhaust sound, along with the unpasteurized feel from the wild steering and slight whiff of engine fluids. Fantastic review, appreciated all the technical details. Could you give us some more engine details?
Great video. Porsche or someone needs to make an affordable car that can do this.... that has more "soul" than say a BRZ or a Miata, as great as those cars are the 911 seems just to have something special. The Porsche dna or whatever.....wonder if Porsche just accepted a 200hp NA car. No auto anything....no screens. No electric seats. Minimal things by law....wonder if they could do it for 40,000 dollars or less.
Apart from the nostalgia of this lovely car which has been beautifully restored and a fun car to drive at the weekend if blessed with the wealth to support it.... I can't quiet get my head round the fact that for the same sort of money...a Taycan TurboS plus a 992 GT3.. is available...with enough money left over for running costs for a few yrs... I know which choice i would take.
Great work, I like this classic Porsche, however that price.. The total recommended retail price of a 2021 Shark blue 911 GT3 with Touring Package is only £ 130,345.00.
“Purest form”..Well, it looks original, but it’s far from original; engine, wheels, seats, steering wheel and probably the sound, too, are not like when it left the factory…
It would be so nice, and interesting, if someone (yourself) would drive an early 912. I would really like to see your comparison and if it had advantages over the ubiquitous 911, like not ending up in a ditch, maybe. Does it handle better, is it more forgiving , better balanced? Thank you.
I don’t think early 911’s automatically put you in a ditch? You had to do something daft to crash it still. I am sure a 912 would be better at this, but they have substantially less power and torque so I doubt it would genuinely be “better”
Woah, 90 grand just for the engine?! Hot damn. Having said that, if I had the money I would genuinely be tempted. It sounds amazing, and I think the power to weight ratio, road holding and handling is all probably more relevant today than it’s ever been. What a car.
i know, it doesn't matter, it's funny you say that lol, I drove a 1966 911E years ago and basically everything is louder and with more push along than an old beetle. I loved it.
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1040">17:20</a> I love the fact you let that engine do the talking. That noise as it accelerated away is just beautiful.
I am not sure I understand...this is stated as a pure early car, but a modified engine, ignition, and other changes. So it is not pure. Curious what the difference in value would be between this and a truly stock one.
its absolutely absurd what people will pay for these early porsches , they were so flawed there is so much out there that will give you so much more and the prices for parts 90k for a 4 cylinder engine rebuild you paid less for a espada v12 rebuild , its crazy
@@chadbarbaro pardon my ignorance , but my main premise stands, the cost of running these things are stunning, this is coming from talking to a friend that owns and loves a 64 posche for many years .I did premise my statement by saying early porsches, but i concede my comment was not proper
@@callumduncan6728Oh It’s you again Callum. Actually to answer your claim it’s expensive to run, a 911 costs very little to run, much less than say an Aston, Jenson.
I love these older 911s from the start of production to around the late 90s. It was after 2000 that I started losing interest in them. That air cooled flat 6 just has such a distinctive sound that you never grow tired of.
Car makers were still adding lead in the 80's, I've got an 85 Mugen Honda that has 20kg lead bar behind the radiator down low, keeps the wheels from spinning, sometimes, Rj in Oz
What a great video. My favorite videos from Harry is when you can see and hear how enthusiastic he is about a car. This video confirms that it’s better to drive a slow car fast, rather than a fast car slow!
These videos are a highlight of my Sunday. Love this car, just perfect (not too sure about the driver’s seat, though). Even the colour is just right. There is no need to deliver it I am quite happy to come and collect it! I recognise the F40 in the background, I remember the car from my past, it was owned by a gentleman in East Lothian in Scotland.
Wow , Thanks Harry , that video was the best I have ever seen , driving with style, vigor, , and best of all , done by someone who makes a lot of sense! Well Done . I am lucky enough to own a 1969 911E , 2litre , 5 speed manual , for 40 years , with a total mileage of 220,000 miles . I love it , my job , requires me to drive , new / used BMW , dai <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1521">25:21</a> ly . But, guess what ? At the end of the day , , out comes the 911 , and the total hands on experience starts ( my wife thinks I am mad) , and off I go , lost in a complete trance, of engine sound , handling , satisfaction !! Ps , open the back side windows , and really enjoy the 2 litres, flat 6 !! Thanks
I'd take that over any modern 911. Love that no-nonsens, pure driving focus the air-cooled cars had. When they started to get more bloated and full of luxury gadgets, the soul of the 911 was somhow lost.
@@clu4u - in my job at a car-wrapping company, I get to drive/move all manners of new and funky Porsches - but the one that really made me want it, was a 2004 Cayman. The new ones, as impressive as they may be, leave me indifferent...
Very nice video, but with such an early car it would have been nice to preserve the originality instead of making it a Powercar. Still, very nicely kept 😊
I'm a little late to the party as I've only just now watched this video. I have to say this is the best Porsche video on RU-vid. That sound! Incredible! This video could be the soundtrack to the movie Le Mans. Well done.
Harry, your description regarding the sound, the gear change, lightweight, having to "learn" the car, the seat seating position and so on applies to the Alfetta GTV6 in the same way as this 911. If you get one that is fully sorted then it is thrilling and visceral and you "change gears for the fun of it". Essentially, both the 911 and GTV6 have been sorted over the decades. You really should seek one out. Your review of your neighbour's GTV6 was a bit disappointing because it had not benefitted from the 40 years of refinement that has occurred.
thanks for reminding me I am getting closer to 60 than 50 🙄😒😒🙄.........your bang on about the induction noise being more for the driver I had twin KN's on a V8 in an MG ...right in front of the bulkhead 😀😀
like guitars, the older I get I've gone from100w fire breathing amps to a 5 w fender champ....cars are the same, 700hp monsters to small.displacement sports.cars.like the early 912's and 911's
Wonderful sound but 350k's worth, no, even if the engine cost 90k. It does look to be very well done, but at the end of the day it is simply the restoration of a 1960s vehicle which should don't cost that sum of money. Can we have an update on the completion of the Shadow please ?
I have to agree. These early 911s were shit and as Harry pointed out they have had 50 years of after market to get it right. Nothing mechanical is original, its £350,000-400,000 for a reason. What I find irritating is people see this or an E-type with a similar restomod and think they were like this from the start and any other car is not a match or alternative
Sorry to say mate but clearly on one of these cars you’re not up to speed on the amount of man hours that go in to a bespoke restoration on a classic Porsche, that’s not taking in to account the cost of parts.
+1. The reason we all followed the Porsche 911. . "Living Large" by definition is Mr. Harry Metcalfe. .. A very early production Porsche 911, where at the time an engineering head claims, "I quit". .. And I thought my original '98 Carrera S (993) was something special! .. Cheers, M/S
i bought a 911s LHD back from germany a long while back,,,,,drove it back in rain mostly on moterways the body had more holes than a culinder....at high speed in straight line in the rain it was ok, .....but it would not turn in even on moterway exits ,,,, i repaired and painted in celuose paint in them days ,,,,,, sold it for good money on a dry day ,,, i ran a 6r4 in later year a real safe supercar,,,,,the 911s was a death trap
Mine has 326000 miles on the clock, its the last of this shape 1990 and used alll year round every day they are bullet proof and so addictive, great video, cheers :)
Toyed with the idea of buying one a few times and just couldnt get past the bland interior and fan noise. Prices now are crazy so i wish did but i suppose its just not for everyone. My Alfa though.........
Just noticed your Panda 4x4 in the background there Harry. Do you use it around the farm much? I've got a 2007 one and absolutely love it, though living in Dulwich, London it probably doesn't get the use it deserves!
