The Art of Evolution

Where do you stand on backdated 911s?

You know the cars, where a sometimes scruffy, normally rusting bundle of unloved 911 from the mid- to late-1970s is transformed and given the look of a far sexier, more stylish and evocative model from a period around the mid 1960s; think along the lines of an early 2.2S and, for those with a little more imagination and bigger budget, an ST replica.

It's big business, with a number of wellestablished and respected names from the Porsche community offering the service and all deliver results of the highest quality. To match the cost. Rebuilding a 911 from scratch is not an exercise in financial frugality, but then again did anyone ever expect a bespoke 911 built to your exact specification to fall into the category headed 'Budget Motoring'?

Independent Porsche specialist Paul Stephens has been offering a range of backdated 911s since the tail end of 2005 (Issue 49 and 53) and since then the programme has evolved to closer meet the demands of Stephens' customers. "When I originally created the PS Autoart brand I purposefully entered it at a price point I thought was currently being unsupported," explains Paul. "However, as time has gone on, our customers have asked for a higher quality product, with more exacting detail and details that are closer to the early 911s our cars take their inspiration from".

The resulting work has seen Paul bring on board a number of specialist suppliers, including Clark and Carter Restorations who, amongst other clients, work miracles for renowned Rolls Royce specialist P&A Wood, to complete the task of evolving the PS Autoart range. "Where as on the original cars we modified existing components to match some of the body changes we had made, now we either use genuine Porsche parts or manufacture the components ourselves," Paul explains.

The result is easy to see. Where as the early PS Autoart Classic and Retro models didn't quite sit right, with the bumper and luggage lid alignment not quite there, a consequence of Stephens converting the existing engine covers – which meant removing the Whale tails where fitted and fitting a smooth shroud to the 964's cover to give it an uncluttered appearance while retaining the model's retractable rear spolier. It was a tiny detail and you needed to be a Porsche aficionado to spot the difference.

The Classic in our pictures started life as a 3.2 Carrera, which means it brings with it the benefit of a galvanised body shell and a G50 gearbox. While the main structure has been left alone the front wings have been replaced with period items and the bonnet, a visual recreation of an original, is fabricated by hand to fit the existing structure of the car and ensures a perfect fit. The 3.2's flusher fitting, all rubber windscreen seals are also replaced with bespoke items that give the appearance of an earlier, preimpact bumper car.

The thicker side sills of the later car and their black rubbing strip have also been replaced with period sill covers. At the rear of the car, while the wings remain, the bumpers, engine cover and slam panel have all been replaced with authentic looking items. Even the plastic grommets that sit atop the chrome overriders are period correct.

Inside the example blends a mix of early 911 features with a few standard items left over from the 3.2 Carrera donor car. Chrome rimmed dials, no centre console and a three-spoke Motalita steering wheel provide the period feel, as does the excellent Becker Mexico stereo. To demonstrate perfectly just how bespoke the service that Paul Stephens offers is, the door cards on this example are still the original 3.2 affairs, just as the customer asked for, but with all the vinyl surfaces retrimmed to an exacting standard.

The customer of this car also specified air-conditioning, but not wanting to encroach on the passenger footwell as the optional factory system did, Paul sourced a Japanese unit that fits in the engine bay and whose plumbing runs under the nearside sill, mimicking the oil pipes that run the length of the offside sill. It's a neat installation, and an inspiring solution too.

With a set of original Fuchs, high profile tyres correct for the period this Classic Touring example looks, for all intents and purposes the genuine article. The detail that has gone into the bodywork has resulted in a look that is pure early 911, one of the most evocative in the automotive world. Combine this level of detail with the £10,000 worth of paintwork that Stephens applies to all his cars and the result is nothing short of sensational.

It puts a modern 911 to shame in terms of depth of colour and shine with the rich finish bringing a whole new meaning to the analogy that the paint looked so deep you could dive straight into it.

The other benefit of having a 'new' 911 built for you is that the car's mechanicals can also be converted. "We offer two engine options: to rebuild the original 3.2-litre unit to an 'as new' standard; or to supply a more powerful, 3.4-litre engine," explains Paul. That 3.4-litre unit, as fitted to the Classic here, is more than a quick re-bore and snorty exhaust. It's totally rebuilt with larger barrels and pistons for that increased capacity, and there is also a bespoke stainless steel exhaust system developed to ensure the correct flow is maintained inside the confines of the pre-73 style rear bumper.

"It may have the look of a classic 911, but we've strived to produce the cars to a quality that is at least a match, if not better, than when the donor car was new"

The DME engine management and Bosch LE fuel injection have also been reprogrammed to suit. The result is a healthy 250hp and 221lb ft of torque generated at 4600rpm. Weighing in at under the standard 3.2 Carrera's 1210kg kerb weight, it makes for a strong turn of speed. The transmission remains untouched, although like the rest of the car every component replaced was with a new item. It's a similar story for the chassis front and rear torsion bars, in this case with 22mm and 21mm front and rear anti-roll bars respectively. The dampers, standard Carrera Sport items, and bushing is all new kit, as are the brakes.

What you have then, is a 911 built using as many new components as possible, made to look like a model from the company's more stylish past. It feels as tight as a nut and fires within an instant of twisting the key, with the 3.4-litre motor settling in to a steady idle. The clutch is light, the gearshift precise and slack free in its action. Your first impression is that this is what it must have felt like to drive a 3.2 Carrera when it was new. "It may have the look of a classic 911, but we've strived to produce the cars to a quality that is at least a match, if not better, than when the donor car was new," explains Paul.

With the vital fluids warmed through and a familiar road in sight the opportunity to test the Classic is too strong to pass up. Third gear, lowish revs – say 2500rpm – and the 3.4 digs deep and pulls like the proverbial train; the revs raise to that beautiful flat-six crescendo before dropping the gear lever into fourth and revelling in the experience again. There's a deceptive edge to the performance with triple figure speeds.

The 964 RS inspired chassis is complimented by a 322mm discs for the front, and 288 items for the rear that are both ventilated and crossdrilled, the choice of pad is open to the customer's requirements and the kind of the driving they intend to use, and are clamped by those four-piston RS callipers.

It takes just a couple of moments to determine that the Retro 330R is a more extreme machine than the Classic. The engine is more angry in its tickover, more urgent as you prod the flat-six into life and the revs flare up as the lighter flywheel offers little resistance. It will do the relaxed motoring of the Classic, but the Retro prefers to be taken by the scruff and hurled down the road.

This example has been seam welded to provide the shell with extra rigidity and its stiffer chassis generates less movement. Combine the stiffer shell and later damper technology and it makes the car feel much more secure at speed than the Classic over the same road but it is still controllable and, crucially, enjoyable as you gain confidence and begin to stretch its legs.

Indeed, on well-travelled roads both these creations prove to be just as quick but far more enjoyable to drive than more modern 911 shaped objects. And that is perhaps the USP of what Paul Stephens is offering; a 'new' 911 that costs a much as a new 911, but delivers so much more of that old-school 911 spirit that everyone, us included, bang on about is missing in the new cars.

Other backdated 911 projects aim to offer to turn a later car into an early model by using so many of the earlier car's components and the idiosyncrasies that comes with it. What Stephens has achieved is that backdated look and experience while retaining many of the benefits later 911s bring to the table. That you can now have that old 911 experience, in a package that, to 99 percent of the population, looks like an old 911 but combined with the reassurance that it has been engineered to work in the 21st century is the big appeal. And to have a 911 hand built to your specification is very appealing indeed.

With thanks to GT Purely Porsche Magazine for their kind permission in reproducing this article.
Story: Stuart Gallagher Photography: Andy Morgan