CARRERA BROS - JZ Machtech

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Left: Shirish’s car was found to be using a litre of oil every 800 miles. A top-end rebuild would have done the job, but he opted for a full 3.4-litre conversion and rebuild, carried out by Steve Winter at Jaz held their value.’ The Club Sport lasted a couple of years, before London life took its toll, and the absence of a garage for the cherished 3.2 forced Shirish to sell. An Audi RS2 filled the vacant parking space. The Polar Silver 4wd estate, a Porsche in all but silhouette, was a blitzkrieg-wagen par excellence, but the lure of the flat-six never faded. The RS2 was eventually advertised for sale, only to be stolen Diamond Blue and Granite Green were both introduced with the G50 transmission for the 1987 model year. They stayed on the menu during 1988, before Granite was dropped for 1989, the final year of the impact-bumper cars. I confess to being a big Diamond Blue fan. Its silvery sleekness shifts in sunlight to be sometimes sky, sometimes slate, but always seductive over the curvaceous flanks of a classic Porsche. “ The colours of these sibling Carreras complement the landscape and each other ” the same weekend. It was found crashed and burnt out a few days later. Losing the RS2 convinced Shirish that, without secure parking at home, another big-money Porsche was not what was called for. Anil had started playing about with his car, taking bits off and trying new stuff, so Shirish followed his older sibling’s example and decided to go for something more affordable, a car that could be customised with a clear conscience. First registered in August 1987, Shirish’s Granite Green Carrera predates its Diamond Blue brother by eight months and a day. The owner admits that the dark metallic shade had sold him on the car before he ever saw it in the metal. Side by side here on the beautiful Berkshire Downs, the colours of these sibling Carreras complement the landscape, and each other. The Diamond hue harmonises with the hazy purple horizon, while the green melts into the subtle tones of this earthy environment. As noted earlier, Diamond Blue was the colour chosen for the Anniversary Carreras, built to celebrate 25 years of the 911. The cars featured ruffled leather seats in purple (in reality, more blue than purple), headrests emblazoned with Ferdinand’s signature, and thick Silver Blue carpets throughout. On body-coloured Fuchs, the Anniversary cars are an attractive package, though Anil and I agree it’s a while since either of us has seen one in genuinely nice condition. The younger car’s bodywork is in good shape, following a bare-metal respray last year. Anil chose a recommended bodyshop to do the work, but is not best pleased with how it has worked out. One or two spots on the car are showing clear signs of poor preparation – frustrating having spent a substantial chunk of cash. He’d like to take it back and get it sorted, but who wants to send their pride and joy back to the crowd who messed up in the first place? I know where he’s coming from. A classically understated late-model 3.2 Carrera. It’s not difficult to see why these models are now so sought after. That Granite Green paintwork really does work 76 911 & PORSCHE WORLD
MODIFIED 3.2 <strong>CARRERA</strong>S Still, the car looks amazing. The silver bonnet badge sets up a smooth theme that flows through the front fog and headlight washer delete, to the deleted rear wiper and badgeless rear end. The bright-petalled 16-inch Fuchs work well with the colour and the ride height, emphasising this Porsche’s thoroughbred profile. The whale-tailed engine cover cements the flowing motif. This car looks fast, even when parked. Big brother has made a few changes since buying his Carrera back in 2001. Bilstein HD dampers were one of the first purchases, but the suspension is otherwise pretty stock. New Neatrix bushes sit in the spring plates, with standard torsion bars all round. The front end features Turbo tie-rods, an ERP bump-steer kit to correct steering angle on the lowered ride height and a Steve Wong strut brace, replacing the previous Weltmeister. The car was lowered by Steve Bull in Devizes and aligned by GT One in Chertsey. Anil believes in evolution not revolution, and changes in the engine compartment are true to that philosophy. The ECU received a custom Steve Wong chip, with Magnecor plug leads taking the sparks to the internally stock powerplant. Drilled airbox, Club Sport engine mounts and a rear heater blower delete pretty much cover it in here. Underneath, the exhaust has been modified with a H&S cross-over, pre-silencer and silencer, but Anil is not convinced that this set-up was the right decision. ‘You can’t do the valves without taking the exhaust off. This adds to the cost of servicing, plus I’m not sure about the additional heat on the heads. Also, we recently discovered that the gaskets they fitted were hand-made efforts, with holes the size of two-pence pieces – nowhere near big enough.’ The restrictive metal gaskets physically melted under the pressure; factory parts now seal the joints. Finally uncorked, the car runs a lot better, though further engine developments are on the cards when top-end rebuild time comes round. A look in the back of baby brother’s motor gives us a clue. Shirish’s second 911 was sourced through an independent marque specialist. Following a litany of post-purchase issues, he’s been left unimpressed by the dealer experience, but money spent in the right places has since brought the car on leaps and bounds. The main reason for the gaping chasm in SP’s deposit account is hidden from view: an engine rebuild to 3.4 litres that was done by Winter. Steve Winter that is, at Jaz, in Wembley. Soon after taking ownership, the 3.2 was found to be using a litre of oil every 800 miles: time for a top-end rebuild. A 3.6 transplant was an option, but that is not so much building as swapping, and the costs only make sense if the 3.6 never goes bang. Shirish took the decision to keep the bomb-proof 3.2 bottom end, and increase capacity with a big-buck Mahle 3.4 conversion. Anyone who has ever investigated this upsize knows one thing: it’s not cheap. Consider the cost of putting an upstairs on a bungalow, relative to the value of said bungalow, and you’re in the right ball park. Build time for the mega motor was initially estimated 911 & PORSCHE WORLD 77
Page 1 and 2: PANAMERA FIRST DRIVE: THE JURY’S
Page 3: MODIFIED 3.2 CARRERAS Born in Wolve
Page 7: MODIFIED 3.2 CARRERAS Left: Detaile

CARRERA BROS - JZ Machtech

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