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Ted Mumm

Editor, The Esses

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Why the early 911S?

It is obvious from the club we belong to and the car we drive that we are all great fans of the early 911S. I'm sure that if any one of us were put on the spot, we'd be able to come up with lots of reasons why we like this car so much.

Also obvious is the fact that I feel exactly the same way - I certainly wouldn't be writing this if I didn't. It would be impossible to count the number of times down through the years that Iíve told friends what a great car is the early 911S. It has beautiful lines, strong engine, impeccable handling, and is even great on long trips (with stock suspension). I can recite the S's virtues almost without thinking.

Recently, however, I've begun to realize that simply enumerating a list of the S's sterling qualities does not really get to the heart of why I like the car so much. After all, you can say much the same thing about quite a few other cars. There are some BMW models with startling performance, good manners and room for five. Most Ferraris are simply wonderful. Without pushing the point too far, you could probably find modern Toyotas, Accuras, Lexi, etc. that all have the same capabilities. Why then have you and I centered on the early Porsche 911S?

For me, at least, this is not an easy question, and can only be answered from an historical perspective.

At the end of WWII, returning GIs (and most of the rest of the worldís population, for that matter) needed a breath of fresh air - a little fun to help forget the terrible war and the Depression that had preceded it. This desire for good times was expressed in hundreds of different ways, but the one we are interested in was the invention of our new-found love - the sports car.

Starting in about 1948, auto manufacturers everywhere treated us to what became a long and rich line of wonderfully fun automobiles. The early pre-A 356s and MG TCs, various Triumphs and ALFAs, even Crosleys and Metropolitans - there's really quite a list when you think about it.

Most of these cars shared a few seemingly universal features: room for only two people with almost no luggage, acceleration that varied from ho-hum all the way up to barely adequate, chassis flexible enough to be compared with a kidís winter sled, questionable brakes, and tires that formed the basis of Henry Manny's famous quote, ìWe remember when the drivers were fat and the tires were skinny! Yet they were great fun and people loved them (I know - I've had a few myself!).

The real problem was that these vehicles were so primitive that they were not capable of providing performance on a level with even an average driverís abilities. After a few weeks or months of driving, these cars left one with the desire for the next step - a little more power, a little better handling, etc.

Manufacturers were only too happy to oblige. As the years passed, engines became more powerful, brakes stronger, suspensions more sophisticated - all aspects of the sports car were improved and refined. The gap between the driverís ability and the carís performance narrowed rapidly. The pre-A became the 356SC, the MG TC became the MGB, and so on. But even these cars, great as they were, left many drivers wanting just a bit more in one area or another.

Then the early 911S burst upon the scene. Great engine, great brakes, great handling - refinement we may take for granted from our perspective of 30 years later. But just imagine how different the first S must have seemed at the time. A regular production sportscar was finally available that had almost no shortcomings. The Porsche factory had produced a fire-breathing ìhot rodî that answered the prayers of most enthusiasts.

In my personal view of history, the advent of the 911S represents that watershed moment when engineering finally caught up with desire. Imagine stepping from a '48 MG TC into a '67 911S. After a drive, you'd say "Wow!" instead of "What if ... ?"

Instead of leaving a driver with a sense of something lacking, most drivers experienced the reverse - they ran into their own limits before they found those of the car. The early S could go faster, stick harder and brake better than the driver could. Of course, even the early 911S was refined during its seven-year production run, but it still represents one of the first cars in which a driver could push the limits of personal ability without running into the limits imposed by engineering.

In the years after the early 911S, most Porsches (and other makes as well) didnít get much faster - only cushier and more ìcivilizedî (and sometimes even slower!). The emphasis turned from performance to luxury. Consider this: an early 911S with AC and power windows was a special-order item. A 996 must be special-ordered to come without them!

Oh sure, some modern cars will out-accelerate ours (not always! - see Craig Stevenson's column), and cars with huge tires may have higher limits of cornering adhesion. But really, folks, performance like this is so far beyond the ability of the average enthusiast that it becomes abstract, academic; something to be experienced more as a statistic in a sales brochure than actually used on the road.

On a drag strip or skid pad or high-speed closed road course, the early 911S may be beaten (not easily!). But in terms of honest, useable real-world performance, Iíll take the light, lithe and powerful early 911S every time. On a mountain road, Iím sure that most of you would have little trouble holding your own against almost any modern car. In these situations, the early 911S is still nearly unbeatable.

I love the early 911S because, to me, it represents the peak in the search for performance. It was the last of its kind, the culmination of 30 years of hopes and dreams of sports car enthusiasts, but still early enough in the history of motoring to remain unaffected by the gradual slide into smog controls, CD players and obesity. Itís a car that is still unbeaten thirty years later - a design that was so right, so perfect, that it may never be bettered.

Next: Monterey '98 Prospective

Ted Mumm
Email: moonman@brats.com

All pages copyright © 2000 Early 911S Registry
Information and images contained in this website may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Early 911S Registry.
The Porsche crest is a registered trademark of Dr.Ing.h.c.F.Porsche AG.

Early 911S Member	Ted Mumm	Editor, The Esses


Home Welcome Membership Publication Early S Boutique Member's Pics Photos Classifieds Events Links Contact Us Message Board Technical Info
	*Why the early 911S?* It is obvious from the club we belong to and the car we drive that we are all great fans of the early 911S. I'm sure that if any one of us were put on the spot, we'd be able to come up with lots of reasons why we like this car so much. Also obvious is the fact that I feel exactly the same way - I certainly wouldn't be writing this if I didn't. It would be impossible to count the number of times down through the years that Iíve told friends what a great car is the early 911S. It has beautiful lines, strong engine, impeccable handling, and is even great on long trips (with stock suspension). I can recite the S's virtues almost without thinking. Recently, however, I've begun to realize that simply enumerating a list of the S's sterling qualities does not really get to the heart of why I like the car so much. After all, you can say much the same thing about quite a few other cars. There are some BMW models with startling performance, good manners and room for five. Most Ferraris are simply wonderful. Without pushing the point too far, you could probably find modern Toyotas, Accuras, Lexi, etc. that all have the same capabilities. Why then have you and I centered on the early Porsche 911S? For me, at least, this is not an easy question, and can only be answered from an historical perspective. At the end of WWII, returning GIs (and most of the rest of the worldís population, for that matter) needed a breath of fresh air - a little fun to help forget the terrible war and the Depression that had preceded it. This desire for good times was expressed in hundreds of different ways, but the one we are interested in was the invention of our new-found love - the sports car. Starting in about 1948, auto manufacturers everywhere treated us to what became a long and rich line of wonderfully fun automobiles. The early pre-A 356s and MG TCs, various Triumphs and ALFAs, even Crosleys and Metropolitans - there's really quite a list when you think about it. Most of these cars shared a few seemingly universal features: room for only two people with almost no luggage, acceleration that varied from ho-hum all the way up to barely adequate, chassis flexible enough to be compared with a kidís winter sled, questionable brakes, and tires that formed the basis of Henry Manny's famous quote, ìWe remember when the drivers were fat and the tires were skinny! Yet they were great fun and people loved them (I know - I've had a few myself!). The real problem was that these vehicles were so primitive that they were not capable of providing performance on a level with even an average driverís abilities. After a few weeks or months of driving, these cars left one with the desire for the next step - a little more power, a little better handling, etc. Manufacturers were only too happy to oblige. As the years passed, engines became more powerful, brakes stronger, suspensions more sophisticated - all aspects of the sports car were improved and refined. The gap between the driverís ability and the carís performance narrowed rapidly. The pre-A became the 356SC, the MG TC became the MGB, and so on. But even these cars, great as they were, left many drivers wanting just a bit more in one area or another. Then the early 911S burst upon the scene. Great engine, great brakes, great handling - refinement we may take for granted from our perspective of 30 years later. But just imagine how different the first S must have seemed at the time. A regular production sportscar was finally available that had almost no shortcomings. The Porsche factory had produced a fire-breathing ìhot rodî that answered the prayers of most enthusiasts. In my personal view of history, the advent of the 911S represents that watershed moment when engineering finally caught up with desire. Imagine stepping from a '48 MG TC into a '67 911S. After a drive, you'd say "Wow!" instead of "What if ... ?" Instead of leaving a driver with a sense of something lacking, most drivers experienced the reverse - they ran into their own limits before they found those of the car. The early S could go faster, stick harder and brake better than the driver could. Of course, even the early 911S was refined during its seven-year production run, but it still represents one of the first cars in which a driver could push the limits of personal ability without running into the limits imposed by engineering. In the years after the early 911S, most Porsches (and other makes as well) didnít get much faster - only cushier and more ìcivilizedî (and sometimes even slower!). The emphasis turned from performance to luxury. Consider this: an early 911S with AC and power windows was a special-order item. A 996 must be special-ordered to come without them! Oh sure, some modern cars will out-accelerate ours (not always! - see Craig Stevenson's column), and cars with huge tires may have higher limits of cornering adhesion. But really, folks, performance like this is so far beyond the ability of the average enthusiast that it becomes abstract, academic; something to be experienced more as a statistic in a sales brochure than actually used on the road. On a drag strip or skid pad or high-speed closed road course, the early 911S may be beaten (not easily!). But in terms of honest, useable real-world performance, Iíll take the light, lithe and powerful early 911S every time. On a mountain road, Iím sure that most of you would have little trouble holding your own against almost any modern car. In these situations, the early 911S is still nearly unbeatable. I love the early 911S because, to me, it represents the peak in the search for performance. It was the last of its kind, the culmination of 30 years of hopes and dreams of sports car enthusiasts, but still early enough in the history of motoring to remain unaffected by the gradual slide into smog controls, CD players and obesity. Itís a car that is still unbeaten thirty years later - a design that was so right, so perfect, that it may never be bettered. Next: Monterey '98 Prospective

	Ted Mumm Email: moonman@brats.com


	All pages copyright © 2000 Early 911S Registry Information and images contained in this website may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Early 911S Registry. The Porsche crest is a registered trademark of Dr.Ing.h.c.F.Porsche AG.