"If only you were nearer" Back on track! Apologies...

They are fitted on the delivery shots @automatik, just the lighting and the subtlety of the graphics makes them hard to see!

Epic thread Bruce, some stunning photography and looks like one hell of trip. Eagerly awaiting updates

///never mind - someone already pointed it out

Judging from a video I saw very very recently, some of you are going to like the next few updates

*n

rational

• /ˈraʃ(ə)n(ə)l/

based on or in accordance with reason or logic.

Synonyms: logical, reasoned, well reasoned, sensible, reasonable, cogent, coherent, intelligent, wise, judicious, sagacious, astute, shrewd, perceptive, enlightened, clear-eyed, clear-sighted, commonsensical, common-sense, well advised, well grounded, sound, sober, prudent, circumspect, politic;


What is it about being a petrolhead that allows rational thought and wise decisions to go completely out the window when it comes to cars? Common sense has no place when anything automotive is allowed the time to be questioned or considered. This is a cold hard fact.

For example, I could have simply arranged for my 912 to be transported to the shipping agent in Toronto. It would have been one phonecall, a follow up email, a cost of around £200 and I wouldn't need to leave the house.

But instead, I buy tickets to fly to the other side of the world and move it myself. A cost much, much greater than £200 is incurred, the organisation behind the trip was astronomical compared to making one call and sending one email. And I had to not only leave the house, but leave the country for some time.

Where is the rational in that?

There isn't. In any logical sense, I would have, and should have, gone with option A. Being pragmatic, it was the only real option and in light of the fact that there really, sensibly, isn't an option B, it means that option A isn't actually an option. After all, an option implies there is more than one outcome.

So, being a petrol head, I completely bypass option A and create option B. It makes absolutely no sense in regards to time, money, hassle, everything....but it the ONLY outcome I can picture given the scenario of me buying a car the other side of the world. Why be sensible when I have the word 'roadtrip' rolling around in my little mind?


Let's leave that train of thought for a moment and focus on that phenomena of remembering exactly where you were/what you were doing when a significant moment occurred. The classics are things like remembering where you were when JKF was assassinated (I wasn't even born then) and what you were doing when Elvis Presley died; I was five so hopefully excused from having to remember this one? Probably playing with some toys or eating slugs and broken glass in the greenhouse (true story!)

I remember vividly what I was doing and where I was when Lady Diana died. 1997, I'd just completed my teaching degree and was about to start my first term as a teacher. I awoke that Sunday morning, extra early, to head to Ikea in Birmingham (the one in Bristol didn't exist) with my girlfriend. We were just having some toast and a cuppa before heading off and I switched on the TV to see what the weather was doing 'up North' in the Midlands. There was no TV! Only two of the five channels were actually broadcasting anything (BBC2, Channel 4 and the 'new' Channel 5 all had blue screens) and this was simply a written message to say that programs had been cancelled in the light of the death of HRH The Princess of Wales and that further news would be announced once there was anything else known. I was shocked to say the least!

The trip all the way up the M5 was almost like something from 28 Days Later with literally NOTHING on most radio stations and a pretty much deserted motorway! Yep, that was certainly a day I'll never forget.

Likewise I'll never forget the day I heard from camerashy with a PM that the 912 was mine. I received a Facebook message with the words, "It's *your* car now" - my cheque had been received and was now clear. The car was mine. The trip we had talked about for months could now be arranged.

That seemed memorable enough, I was now the proud owner of my own, my first, Porsche. Even if it was the other side of the world, nothing could change the undeniable truth that I now, officially, OWNED A PORSCHE!!!

I continued flicking through Facebook that afternoon feeling on top of the world about the confirmation of my latest purchase when suddenly, unexpectedly, everything changed. An image popped up on my newsfeed and I was completely blown away.

This singular photo led to a whole chain of events that, from that moment, turned my automotive world on its head.



At 20.49 on the 4th March 2015 I was sat at my desk in my study at home, on the computer whilst drinking a cup of tea. It was at this exact time I got in contact with Scott Sherman via a Facebook message. Nothing was going to be the same again.

Finally had a chance to catch up on this thread, and all I can really do is echo everybody else really. Great thread, great pictures, great write up. Certainly the best thread I can ever remember reading.

I think the members of RR will need to club together and start a fund so we can send you on a trip every year

Just as I thought it couldn't get any better, now there's two great cars to look forward to seeing in the UK!

Oh and your rational seems perfectly reasonable to me

Didn't see that coming

So what we have here is a Porsche 911 from 1973. You could say it's had a hard life, and you'd be right.

You could also say it's been ruined, and you'd be completely wrong. You'd be so far wrong that you'd need a long haul flight to get back to the world of understanding.

I'll explain a bit more about that later. I think you'll like it. It's certainly got an interesting story, but I've written quite a few words already today, my ratio of words/pictures is a bit out of kilter (although there was a lot to explain) so for now I'll leave you with some photos of the car, EXACTLY as I first saw it.

This is the view I was greeted with when I first clapped eyes on it.










It hadn't been run for three years and, in fact, when I was first in communication with Scott, the engine was removed for some service work and new oil seals. It was only thrown back in the hole a couple of days before I flew out, so I got to see it run for the first time.

You can't tell the amount of foggy fumey mist in the air in these shots from where it took so much to get it back to life, but I can tell you it was enough to make your eyes want to take a holiday. Strong enough to feel like your lungs were drowning in unleaded! I didn't care, not only was the car running, but it was just so amazing to look at. That body, the flaking paint, the chunks of filler, the rust...everything just look incredible.

I don't do selfies, but if I had at that moment, it would have portrayed a grin without comparison. Pure delight.










IT'S ALIVE!!!!



A quick check and top up of the oil level now that the life support fluid had been given chance to work its way around all the arteries of that wonderful flat six.




After being allowed to run for a bit longer, it was coaxed outside to get some fresh air....



The car got this far when it ran into a little bit of a problem.

Back inside it went.

More to come later tonight....

I've been keeping an eye on this thread for a while now, and have to say that it's fantastic the lengths you went too!

Such good writing skills too, I'm pretty sure no matter what you would write would have me engrossed! Such a talent

Trying to get the 911 out of the workshop saw the clutch start to slip badly as soon as it was on the slant of the wooden planks across the threshold of the door. It was slipping badly, but this was no major thing, the clutch is cable operated and probably just needed adjustment after having the engine refitted.

We back it into the workshop and Scott lifted the back end up then got to work adjusting the travel on the clutch.

Meanwhile, I started working on other things.


One thing I was always made aware of before agreeing to buy this car was the lack of creature comforts.

I'm not talking about it being devoid of dual zone climate control. Or cruise control. Or electric massage seats. Or Dolby pro-logic surround sound Bose stereo system. Or millions of parking sensors.

No siree, the message that Scott insisted on driving home was that there were NO creature comforts. Like a lack of electric windows because there aren't even any windows in the doors. There isn't even an inner door panel, just the outer skin and minimal frame! There's nothing on the dashboard other then a welded plate with a few essential switches. No heater. No passenger seat. No door locks. No sound deadening. No speedo. No handbrake (not just the lever...every single component of the handbrake system is absent). No lights.

In fact, there isn't even any wiring for the lights! When Scott (and his race partner, Andrew) got the car it was a bare rolling shell.

They fitted a 'hot rod' loom - a generic loom with an accompanying fuse box and relay board. Seeing as they were starting from scratch with the wiring and seeing as they were building this as a race car, things that would be necessary on a road car were left out of this one. Like indicators, sidelights, headlights etc... Why go to the bother of fitting them and wiring them all up if they weren't going to be needed?

As part of the sale, Scott had agreed to include some headlights in order to help get the car nearer being road legal.

Rather than sticking them inside the car for shipping, where they could get stolen en route, I decided to fit them. It also made the car look a bit of 'finished', if that's ever a word that could be applied to this car?

The left side went in pretty easily. Some hitting with a hammer to remove a few dents, from 'rubbing' whilst racing, and the headlight popped nicely into place. The right hand side put up a much bigger struggle.



After some serious metal bashing to try and get the shape of the bucket somewhere near oval and the light started to fit.



The headlight bucket (the yellow part) had also come away from the wing at the top, so this tool some careful persuasion to pop back into place.



Then there was the small matter of the headlight bucket being completely free to flap around how it pleased.



I was just about to start hitting with a hammer again when Scott declared the clutch was adjused and we could see how it felt after a quick road test. I pulled the right hand light unit straight out so that the car could be driven, I could look at this issue another time.

No sooner was the car out of the workshop and the clutch started slipping again. It was driven straight back to the workshop with a furstrated looking Scott behind the wheel.

I just had to get a few shots of it sat there, seductively, waiting for more attention. I couldn't resist but take a few more photos.













I knew I was already, but just being around this car made me realise I'd fallen head over heals in love with it. I'd fallen in love before I'd even left the UK, but seeing this car in the flesh, getting to really appreciate the texture on the bodyshell and just the overall look of this car....that was just perfection to me.