Racers' Cars

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Attachment 592077Just spent much of this morning chatting with owner of the Hexagon Goldie F1 team who employed John Watson. Told me his side of the tale that John Watson told me about how the black RHD 73 RS touring demonstrator was negotiated with Watson for his F1 driving services. He owned the F1 team and was Porsche official agent in U.K. around 73/4.

He posed for this photo that ties together my two recent posts

Both John Watson and Nick Faure were drivers in that small team and they appear together on the photo in background together that I took today — one of the cars was bought car from a certain Bernard Charles
Ecclestone.

The U.K. F1 and motorsport community is small

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldie_Hexagon_Racing


Steve

Very interesting.

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Originally Posted by 911MRP

John Watson’s first series RHD RS Touring with sunroof a car that he has owned since 1974. Being an early black RS correctly it doesn’t have side decals as those were only allowed to be ordered as an option on those painted in the reserved for 73 RS model colour grand prix white at that time on the model cycle

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There's a RHD black RS sunroof for sale right now (3rd series I believe): :eek:

https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/...rrera-2-7-rs-4

Nick Faure driving another of his cars — not a Porsche
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Steve

John Watson’s car is a first series — his old boss joked to me today that wattie still hasn’t cashed in his 1974 F1 drivers pay cheque. Watson probably only half joking once told me the deal gave him his pension :)

I did get permission to post the picture of him in front of the photo as I respect privacy— the Watson ans Faure tales are in public domain so don’t think I’m being in discrete

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Originally Posted by blue72s

There's a RHD black RS sunroof for sale right now (3rd series I believe): :eek:

https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/...rrera-2-7-rs-4

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From memory there were 11 RHD 73 sold in black so roughly 10percent of the total RHD RS production. One of our forum members has long time owned one that he took to America

Steve

PS as this is racers cars former f1 world champion Jensen Button owned a Black RS Touring a few years ago but his was LHD.

Article on about Watson and that black RHD first series 73 RS
Reproduced by Porsche. They don’t seem to give the original magazine or author so I can’t credit it:
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Watson memory is incorrect when says F1 world champ James had a “lightweight” if by the he means an M471 Sport. As discussed elsewhere James Hunt’s RS was a first 500 series RHD M472 Touring also. One the last of the first 500 series. Both Hunt’s and Watson’s as first 500 series would have had the lightweight chassis both being being homologation cars that were weighed and certified therefore had the complement of special lighter parts and other things but not converted to M471 Sport that now often misleadingly ans confusingly gets termed “lightweight”. Hunt’s car was originally lilac (colour was sometimes termed royal purple in period in U.K.) and was originally bought by Lord Alexander Hesketh the team owner but Hunt ended up with it. The story is Hunt just took the RS that became his after a race and never returned it but like Watson story the truth is probably it was part-payment for his F1 driving services at Hesketh. Maybe Lord Hesketh even had his 74 RS replacement in order so was a deal that suited both parties? The car was repainted white and had Hesketh livery applied — done fairly really its life but this below is it in original hue (is that track German GP, if so nearly new in summer 1973?)
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On its U.K. registration plate. Can’t tell colour but other records show lilac. Clearly a n M472 and certainly not white at that point! Elsewhere this thread shows Hunt in it later white / Heaketh team logo colour scheme with Porsche side decals but still on British plates from when he lived in Marbella,Spain.

Hunt’s long term owned 73 RHD RS is often mistaken for the yellow 74 RS Lord Hesketh bought to replace it one of just five RHD British c16 EG made ( sox if count the one for Australia). Lord heaketh himself rang a British newspaper to correct the claim tbe yellow car was Himt but the nonsense once put out there persists.
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It all tallies with the conversions I’ve had with Watson some years’ back and yesterday with the guy who is mentioned as “big boss” here who confirmed it was a demonstrator for his Hexagon Porsche official agent at time Watson saw it during the meeting to finalise his F1 contract.

There were about 40 RHD RS m472 touring in the first series two of which were long-term owned by f1 drivers. Some of those went to Aus and other RHD markets so the early EG 16 RL are quite few in number. Watson who came third in the world championship and drove the Tag turbo engined McLaren that Porsche developed within the spec of Japan Barnard and then later drove for Porsche still has his 73 (as far as a I know); Hunt kept his from around 73 thorough to 1980 so had it on year of his f1 world championship win thst made even more famous beyond mirror sport fans by the mainstream movie Rush.
Then if first series 73 RHD RS touring good enough for them then more than good enough for me me.

After all Surtees the only man to have ever won a world championship on two wheels and four declared it the best drivers car ever — who am I to argue with him? I have that article somewhere. He didn’t own one but that is a hell an endorsement on top of Hunt and Watson keeping theirs so long when they would’ve had plenty other car choices given their success and earnings at that time.


Steve

While there are other photos extant I have never before seen this particular photo of the ex Lord Alexander Hesketh and then Ex World F1 champion James Hunt’s 911. Hard to see but on my small iPhone screen but might Hunt still have the black key and fob in his hand — looks like a greeting as they are standing on the side a driver would’ve exited having just parked-up a RHD car?
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It is 73 911 2.7 Carrera RS chassis 9113600498 M472 Touring so one of the quota of just roughly 50 RHD first 500 series RHD RS that Porsche had planned.
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It has a sunroof and the Durant round mirror used on RHD cars even in 73. Also the 6 Fuchs at front is correct for early RS however being black and silver finish this wheel betrays this RS wasn’t originally white as I believe fit all the 73 RS sold on the reserved GP white colour their buyers elected for the distinctive blue, red or green decals and coloured wheels.

I was fortunate to have half an hour dedicated time sitting and chatting with Lord Hesketh when riding into London together on the Tube in to London’s Mayfair earlier this year. We spoke of various things including F1 obviously but the story of that 73 RS cropped up as I own one of that same first series quota. The story Hunt borrowed and never returned it is nonsense. The truth is despite the title and vast wealth he inherited as a kid they were short of ready cash to pay Hunts salary so he told me team manager “Bubbles” Horsley let Hunt take it to Marbella where he had home fries m sping 74 after the Monaco F1 race in lieu of some of his annual £ retainer as the teams driver. He recalled unprompted the cost of an RS new on U.K. at that time was about £7200 after taxes — which is correct. Probably value of about half of Hunts 1974 salary. Great memory for such detail after 50 years. I asked him about the original colour of this car being lilac and he corrected me saying it was Royal Purple. In the photo above the car had already been repainted white with rear decals to match the famous Hesketh team livery — colours as on Hesketh’s jacket. The side decal PORSCHE was added during that respray. While not clear a close inspection of photo above appears to confirm the story side pinstripes above and below the PORSCHE and Hesketh were red and blue. I’ve read that the car was damaged in 1973 when being driven by Lord Hesketh’s friends and that this mishap may have prompted the respray in white with red/blue team livery colours. Makes sense if required to repaint a damaged car they’d do so in the hesketh team colours. The picture below is not new ( original of one with bin photoshopped out in newspaper) is not conclusive on the side stripes colour scheme however the owner who acquired the car after Hunt did mention toning down the red of decals.

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The original hue of the car was lilac according to usual references ( “lilac” the official name of purple colour Porsche used on literature) but in the U.K. lilac was sold as “Royal Purple”. That local naming variation of colour is confirmed by this original analysis of the colours of all 911 sold here by sole Porsche concessionaire PCGB in model years 1972 and 1973.
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These 911 sales analysis by colour are typed on old imperial sized foolscap paper for the 911 sold by PCGB — not all 911 worldwide. Doesn’t break down by model however for 1973 the RS is (somewhat) evident as it was the only 911 model available in the reserved GP white colour. Analysis was done by Porsche GB ahead of the British franchised dealer’s jolly to continental Europe. I have have papers relating to their trip among my car’s paperwork courtesy of the salesman who sold my RS brand new. It os evidently a pre-briefing pack showing things like the names of attendees (pretty much every GB dealer principal), the airport and flight details, where to meet, the itinerary and some papers like these analyses produced to support the discussions that presumably qualified this a working trip for tax deduction purposes rather than being seen as a European “jolly”. Royal Purple was the seventh most popular colour sold here in model year 73; up from 16th rank model year 72.

Steve

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Originally Posted by 911MRP

Also triple Formula One Champion driver Ayrton Senna was pictured in various road 911s for example this LHD silver cabriolet ....
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....is it same one as in the eponymous film (or is it a lighter shade of silver) ...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig_W6AKhFxM

...and a blue RHD 911 coupe with sunroof that is dates from the summer of 1992, apparently.

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No Porsche car this time but late great Senna has the Porsche brand on tee shirt .. photographed alongside my former boss the late great Sir Frank Williams. Occasion appears to be Senna’s F1 test session in the Williams team in 1983 at Donnington England, before Sennas debut season the following year with another F1 team. I believe it is Tuesday July 19th in 1983 Senna’s first run in a grand prix car. Senna was a rising star having won 10 of the first 13 races of the British Formula 3 Championship, the first nine in a row.

Keke Rosberg’s Monaco winning Williams FW08 Cosworth was the car, senna completed complete 83 laps of the 1.9-mile circuit with a best time of 1:00.82 minutes. Important say for Senna as Keke Rosberg had won the F1 World Drivers’ Championship the prior year 1982 driving for Williams. This is the plaque that Williams displayed at the factory to commemorate the result — to commemorate each of their world championship wins — a matching set I got them when these were being removed from the walls when I worked at the factory on Grove. Nice mementos on my study.

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Senna tested with several other teams ending up at Toleman. Who can forget his outstanding drive at the wet Monaco race that made the whole Grand Prix community sit U.K. and take notice!

A film of his Donnington test exists on www:
https://youtu.be/gGxotKcZ1y4?si=KLwe2VRqV-twEk3W

Despite wearing the Porsche tee shirt evidently Senna didn’t arrive in a 911 that day.

Donnington is an interesting race track. A number of years after Senna’s visit I was fortunate to be invited through my work contacts for what turned out to be 15 laps in an F1 two seater driven by Damon Hill, who had previously won the F1 world drivers’ championship with Williams F1. I did arrive in a Porsche (in fact somewhat relevant to the thread title circa 1983 it had once belonged to a former Williams F1 Race Team Manager) however I didn’t wear the Porsche tee-shirt and I certainly didn’t have a fraction of the driving talent!

I think it’s a nice picture of two legends of the motor racing world, both sadly no longer with us — RIP.

Steve