Reintroducing a storied car to the Early 911S Registry...

[beh911]

Weather forecast? Check (no rain, but will be silly hot by afternoon).
Full tank? Check.
Water bottle? Check.
Tire Pressure? Oil level? Check. Check.
Food? Nahh. I'll be home in time for lunch.
Driving buddy? Well, merbesfield said something about having to work and no front cooler yet on his '73S. So solo it is...

What better way to spend a day off of work?

Well, if you live in Atlanta and it's August and you like to drive, you get up early... like before sunrise early. Why? To beat the heat and the rush hour traffic. And you head north into the Appalachians to stay cool and exercise the ride on roads that cater to the car's purpose built nature.



Once out of the foothills of the northern suburbs of Atlanta, the route takes you onto a low ridge, eventually making its way up to the Eastern Continental Divide at Neels Gap.

At 3109 feet above sea level, Neels Gap is the first worthwhile rest stop at about an hour and a half into the trip. The Appalachian Trail (AT) comes through this gap and passes underneath a roof of the outdoor gear store/hostel--this is the only time the trail goes through a manmade structure on its entire 2200 odd mile length. I've hiked the 80 or so miles in GA and parts of it all the way up to Maine. But I digress.



Since it's early and the sun is still relatively low, you are hitting all the high elevation gaps before the sun can even touch the roadway down in the narrow valleys.



The overall route crisscrosses the AT a few times, climbing from ~1000' down in Atlanta up to just under 4700' at the Brasstown Bald parking lot. This is two hours into the trip.



From the highest point in Georgia (4784'), it's back down the super steep grade of the Bald spur road and over to the Richard B Russell Scenic Highway and a tasty scenic overlook at ~3600 feet. It's about 9:30am now. This expansive view was uninterrupted in the solitude and quiet, as I had the roads to myself!




continued in next post...

[beh911]

Making my way back down through the foothills towards metro Atlanta, I began taking on the heat of a classic southern summer day with 'air you can wear' humidity.



Found a shady patch for a break



On the way home, I decided to stop by the new Atlanta Motorsports Park to check out the facility and see if there is anything happening on track. Turns out there was a members' track day going on so I stayed for a bit to watch the cars. There happened to be a coupla new Porsches there--a Coxster in the hot pits and a 991 that was quietly blasting down the front straight (eerily quiet I should note). Overall, interesting track layout, doubling up all over itself, very compact. I'd be a bit concerned with lack of runoff, but I'm not a member so oh well.





Finally, 230 miles later, I could have been home in time for lunch. But instead I stopped off at my friend's place which happens to be the hands down best Porsche repair shop in Atlanta and I would guess the Southeast. I should write a separate entry on Pat in the future, but it's already so hard getting my car in to see him, I'm a bit reluctant to spread the word (you reading this, Pat?)

And then a nap. (because it's my day off, remember)?.

Oh yeah, the car.

Reflecting now, this was my first time truly driving the car. Not that the first 2500 miles haven't been enjoyable, but let's face it... you really don't get to know a purpose built car until you can spend quality one on one time with it in an appropriate setting. Living in a city, it's rare that my car and I see a two lane twisty--we're usually rowing through the gears between traffic lights and four way stops, gumming up all those MFI bits and oil galleys with low temperature short runs. We're cramped is the best way to put it. An early S with its sometimes awkward gearing, wooly cam timing and high compression does not like to putz around town.

It ran flawlessly, and now seems to idle and pull even smoother. I spiked some recent tanks with a splash of Marvel Mystery Oil, and with this morning's sustained running and rpm range thrashing, it seems very content.

Which reminds me of a promotional video Porsche put out for the 993's debut, way back in '94. In it, Danny Sullivan, DED, Jr, and Hurley Haywood comment on Porsche and the iconic 911. Paraphrasing Haywood from memory, he says that you can take a 911 and push it relentlessly all day long, and when you get the car home it's probably thanking you.

For all the garage queens out there, take them off life support (the battery tender) and drive 'em. Yes they are getting valuable and are somewhat scarce and hard to find parts for and all the rest. But in the end, air-cooled Porsches are very special machines that beg to be driven.

Thanks for indulging me!

[rennwagen]

Nice Story...thanks for sharing.
...man, it was HOT today, I bet you dropped 10 lbs

[Longballa]

That is a fine looking car. Very nice!

[mrgreenjeans]

Thanks buddy for the play by play......felt like I was right there with you grinning thru the twisties

What other car of like vintage can produce such bag loads of Nirvana ?

[edmayo]

Now THAT'S what I'm 'talkin' about, all this talk lately about monetary values, so what, the value is in the satisfaction the car delivers!!

[LongRanger]

Hey, Bryce . . .

Glad to read/see that you're out driving your little beauty. And great pics, too ---- especially that 'gun camera' stuff out the windows . . . puts me in the car there with you

More, please

[beh911]

Now THAT'S what I'm 'talkin' about, all this talk lately about monetary values, so what, the value is in the satisfaction the car delivers!!

Glad you liked it, Ed.

And as a contrast to all the (of course necessary) FS and WTB posts flooding the forum lately... I wanted to mix it up a bit with a solo 'day in the life' post. Inspiration for those that are hard at work gathering the parts and putting their cars together.

There are some excellent 'watch me build it' and ownership threads on the forum. Single threads are a great way to keep track of a car, ask questions, share ideas, answer quesetions -- 1059, Candyce's Sepia 73S, the astronaut's S, numerous others... plus a bunch of dormant ones I have saved off hoping the owners provide updates (hint, hint).

Nice Story...thanks for sharing.
...man, it was HOT today, I bet you dropped 10 lbs

Indeed. It took a few Gatorades back home to get all systems normal!

Looking forward to cooler fall weather.

Hey, Brice . . .

Glad to read/see that you're out driving your little beauty. And great pics, too ---- especially that 'gun camera' stuff out the windows . . . puts me in the car there with you

More, please

Glad you enjoyed it, Rick! 1059's saga is the benchmark. The Moby Dick of EarlyS threads...

[beh911]

I understand demand is outstripping supply at the moment, but just a quick plug for Eric's offering. Great fit and quality.

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...ew-product-AFS




Now to find something of similar quality for the 169s below the bumper... anyone have any suggestions?

[Peanut]

Hi - although this reply is not "in line" with your previous question, I am interested to know what resources you found helpful, as you learned the history of your car? I am awaiting delivery of a 1968 S, and I have a lot of questions about how it was delivered, what was on it, what wasn't, and was curious if you (or anyone) had good advice on how to figure it out. It has the COA, but I know that is only the beginning, and I'd like to know more... Any tips? Thanks,