901 #6, vin 13326, Earls Court Motor Show, London, 16.10-26.10.1963

[haul]

updated the thread entry#1
due to the new findings

thank you Chuck for changing the title, too

[haul]

Today, 60 years ago,
Quickblau aka 13326 had been presented to the public
at the Earl Court Motor Show 1963.

There are no televison appearances and rare pictures of the event, mainly done by the AFN commissioned Photographer Bill Bates. Robert Barrie had been very helpful in contacting the AFN archivar, so we could find out some details on this very occassion.

So we got note about the gentleman in the picture looking in the engine bay. this is no lesser than Dickie Stoop, who later had the irish green 904 Y-OU 4 and the wonderful silver 911S, in which he passed away while being on the steering wheel.
https://www.historika.co.uk/news/202...porsche-911s/1

I had the black&white pictures colorized, matching the skyblue original, to get a better impression of its appearance.

Again Robert, thank you, I think we did some exceptional research.

enjoy
@all, and we can be happy, that Mr Ruf is such a passionate „Porschionista“ to have made, not only this, but also this resurrection possible.

[911MRP]

Nice picture Steve. Anything in your archive on the 1965 Motor Show? Would be great to see if so!

Since you ask Robert I have a pristine price list like the one Karim posted above. It’s not relevant to my car so surplus. Can’t have produced lots of these in first place so doubt many extant so maybe should be with a survivor car not in my drawer. Not got around to listing FS or offer interesting swap but did mention it to someone at castle event who has early rhd car of era. While Karim’s was hand date stamped mine is not and have feeling (but no proof) this version stood for a while as inflation etc was not rampant as the ever changing 70s. I also have a 66 accessories list on old long size imperial foolscap paper (original as AFN did these in day by typing then copying possibly a technology of day like mimeograph). Not a modern copy it’s old like all my many other British price lists from AFN PCGB of around that time a one page format pragmatic and cost effective for the small scale of their operation that isn’t fancy but fir literature folks recognisably theirs and has the info. Not sure when the folded card changed to one page too but rest I have for GB are one page retail price list cars and the accessories right through even into impact era late 70s and beyond

[one-two]

Great pictures Haul and it was very good to collaborate on this exercise!

[911MRP]

Acknowledgements BAA for this old photo of the AFN works


When I first got my early 911 I used to arrange to get done jobs done at AFN London Road — never trusted the shiny gin palace in Chiswick.

This arrangement happened because I had to drive it direct to Porsche the very day I bought it in deal brokered by Nick Faure — my insurer considered it high value high risk so insisted on extra msnufacturer security being fitted by Porsche asap. Ended up there because I needed a certain technician who AFN said knew these older Porsche. There were a few knowledgable old guard still working at the original London Road location when I arrived and car being one of the circa fifty early British RS they offered to take care for it there going forward if I needed other work — thereafter they did the few bits and bobs it needed as at time not much as it was a youngish classic aged only about 20.

Turned out he “sparkie” I needed for that security work on my visit used to be the chap who fitted radios and antenna etc for AFN back when these cars were brand new. By this stage of his career in the early nineties this seemed ad hoc not permanent just used by them on a contract basis. Maybe it was just for work on older cars — he lived around the corner in Isleworth which might explain why I was asked to go there rather than AFN Guildford or Chiswick main dealer workshops . But ending up there turned out to be a blessing. I vaguely recall picking him up en route. (For lovers of books and film the anonymous west London suburb is home of the fictional rather plodding Inspector Japp featured as a foil to clever Poirot in Agatha Christie books also the location of a film studio where they filmed things like the Africa Queen movie with Bogart and Hepburn) The film studio closed do is coincidentally where AFN moved part of their expanding restructured operation to in the early 70s pending the move to a new home west along the A4 — I ended up with some storage shelving from there when they finally cleared the place

I got a copy of the entry for my car from the importers ledger book that Deeman refers to that just used to sit on a desk at London Road. A handwritten old school book each line went across two open pages I recall in it they recorded the status of each Porsche order as it went through the lifecycle stages. Can see the different pen as it evolved. Updated by hand as things progressed. Seemed a sensible thing to get a get of my car particular entry — in retrospect now is a nice piece if information to have in cars history file because it was supplied via the UK sole concessionaire especially when there are so many shenanigans in the market and allegations just having paperwork like that that tally with the annotated factory fahzeug auftreg that Porsche don’t give out is good provenance.

The site that was once a smart new build Fraser Nash factory building of 1920s (pictured at top ) got assorted ramshackle additions to accommodate growth and diversification of Fraser Nash into the other imported German marques over the years:

There are some other photos of London Road I shared here that (someone colourised a few) showing the falcon works setup but sadly the property was turned into London Square apartments much (maybe all) got flattened in the progress. Sad to see it last time I went past