Antonio Silva
Last month Javier Romagosa called me on the phone and suggested that I write an article about the Porsche 911, with the aim of commemorating its 50th anniversary.
When I hung up, I almost immediately came up with an idea that, after giving it a bit of shape, I decided to propose. It was simple: carry out not a simple test, but a trilogy that spanned the four decades during which the initial concept of Porsche's flagship model remained in force with, of course, its air-cooled engine.
After weighing the pros and cons, this proposal was accepted and, thus, we will begin today our 911 trilogy with a test on the most reasonable and accessible of the classic models, the 3.2. In twenty days we will continue with a very special article about the first series, to finish, at the end of December, at the controls of the huge 964 Turbo.
Those who know me know that I am not exactly a sick lover of this car, and that I have one. Nor am I a detractor; I just think that his concept was obsolete, at least for a sports car, ten years after its creation. However, I admit that "Something will have the water when they bless it" and, therefore, I am going to try to put in writing the causes of the excessive fever that has always existed due to 911.
The birth of the myth
The jewel of Porsche was not created by Ferdinand Porsche -founder of the brand-, but by his son Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, known by the nickname of "Butzi".
At first, he wanted to create a car that would replace the 356, powered by the new engine that began to take shape in 1959; the initial requirements spoke of a coupe capable for four people, with a six-cylinder mechanics. On the other hand, the 911 was born as 901, but various legal problems with Peugeot finally made the geniuses of Stuttgart opt for the name that we all know.
The initial design of the 901 was of questionable beauty. Personally, I have been lucky enough to see it in the museum of the brand and, for me, it is simply ugly. However, Butzi's design team managed to straighten out the situation around 1963, finally finding the right balance between modernity and history.
As we have said above, about the initial versions of the model and its evolution you will be able to read shortly more information, specifically in the test of a 911 1972 S that we have prepared for you. So let's focus now on variant 3.2 that appears in the photos.
25 years after the 911 was created, it was already showing some wear and tear and Porsche could not find a clear way to replace what had long since become an automotive icon. They tried by introducing two models at the end of the 70s, the 928 and the 924/944, positioned as top of the range and access machine, respectively, but the public continued to identify the German house with the myth of the rear engine.
In the eighties there were other much more efficient sports cars on the market, some in-house like the 944 Turbo that we just mentioned. Today it costs less than half that of its brother but it has neither its glamor nor its line, nor does it sound as good, and its maintenance is more expensive.
Outside of Porsche we have other examples such as the Ferrari 308/328, more radical, more efficient and today more sought after. Lotus Sprit Turbo, Corvette ... All these cars highlight that in those years there were alternatives. Yes indeed, none as versatile and maintenance-free as the 911, reasons why it reached the status of legend and shone among all the others.
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A thoroughbred?
I get close to the gorgeous 3.2 metallic brown or dark greenish gray, I don't really know what color it is. And it is that depending on the light it seems to me one or the other. It is not the first time that I get on a 911, and for that reason I know that this unit is probably one of the best that is preserved in Madrid, with little -real- mileage, a history known and pampered by Álvaro, its owner.
The first impression you get when you get into this car is very positive: the interior condition is magnificent, including the tremendously comfortable black leather and cloth seats and with the typical text Porsche written in small letters all over the lined area. Sitting on these saddles you can do long rides without feeling tired.
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The dashboard is pristine, without a trace of the passage of time and with a classic arrangement of elements that would not change much until the 996 model, which shows its full validity in the eighties as well as the good initial work of ergonomics and interior design carried out by the Butzi's team two decades earlier.
Personally, one of the things I like the most about the dashboard of the traditional 911 is this arrangement, with all important information in full view of the driver. From left to right, the first thing we come across is a watch with the fuel and oil level gauges -the latter is very important in these theoretically air-cooled and de facto by oil, since their engines need more than eleven or twelve liters of lubricant to function.
A subsection: New owners of a 911 must know that the oil level must always be viewed hot, since when cold the probe marks at its minimum but as the propeller heats up it increases to its maximum zone. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that a lucky fan adds oil to his car to the maximum causing that when the engine gets hot, the oil tank overflows. Be careful!
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On the dashboard everything is at hand, especially the tachometer
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After this level clock, there is another one for oil temperature and pressure; then larger, simpler, with clearly readable numbers and the RPM indicator presiding over the dashboard. Already to our right, the speedometer and an hour clock.
Under the dashboard, on the left side, we find the controls for the lights, the ignition key and, somewhat hidden, the buttons for the electric sunroof. The whole is, as I say, quality, very complete and with a sporty touch.
Once inside, we realize the verticality of the windshield and how little extreme the driver's position is, being closer to that of a saloon of its time than to that of a pure sports car. Without a doubt, if there is an adjective to define it, it is comfortable.
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Six boxer cylinders are a guarantee of robustness and versatility
