Car and Driver Feb 74, Bobby Allison tests new 911s (images)

[emcon5]

With such memorable comments as "$12,00 imported Corvairs" and "little Kraut wagon"

Also available here as a 2.2MB PDF file:
http://members.rennlist.com/emcon5/cd_2_74.pdf

Enjoy:

[emcon5]

[emcon5]

Tom

[emcon5]

[Adam]

Tom, awesome! Thanks for sharing that.

0-60 in 5.8 seconds for a 167bhp 2.7 K-Jet?

[edit] oh yeah, '74 models had the 7:31 r&p, eh?

[Superman]

I wonder if Bobby returned the 911 soon enough to get his beloved trade-in back.....probably a Plymouth Fury.....

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Sure, have a driver who can turn the wheel in only one direction review a road car...

[Matt Holcomb]

Tom,

You're a star! What a fascinating article!

It seems to me that Allison and Fittapaldi, and the other racers who had a scary experience, were over-driving their IROCs, and we all know that 911s are not as forgiving as front-engine cars when you go beyond the limit.


Matt Holcomb
MFIWDP
PRVC
BOHICA
1974 911 Carrera 2.7 RoW
1974 Ford Falcon GT coupe
Dedicated Homepage
Engine Rebuild Homepage
Porsche Owners Gallery Profile
Pelican Gallery Profile

[efhughes3]

Take a look at the sidebar: A 911 @ 100 mph had 200lbs of lift @ the rear! With the ducktail, the lift above 65 mph was limited to 35lbs. Tell me tails aren't functional.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

As a former Editor-in-Chief of Car and Driver, although my tenure took place a bit after that piece was published, I can tell you that was a precedential article. Remember, this was the era of stringback driving gloves and suck-up Road and Track articles in which the revered makes could do no wrong. (Well,okay, that's still true today...) But this was the first time a magazine anywhere in the world had the guts to say, "Hey, is it possible this iconic car has faults?"

Those who make fun of Allison's driving ability never drove against him. The whole silly he-can-only-turn-left business ultimately comes down to the fact that truly excellent racecar drivers, whether they drive sprint cars, F1s, go-karts, Winston Cup cars, WRC cars, ice racers or whatever, could all gather in one big room, swap cars and all do splendidly. When the green flag drops, the buehlchit stops. Unfortunately, there are no stopwatches on bulletin boards.

Stephan

[cegerer]

I wonder if Bobby had a bit of an axe to grind after finishing a dismal 9th out of 12 drivers in the original IROC championship?????? Nah .......... -- Curt

Well said FSW....A driver gets to that level, they got to have something under the hood.

But...Kraut wagon. Now that's funny!! Great article Tom. Thanks!

[speeder]

It's true that Bobby Allison was not the world's biggest Porsche fan, but before even reading the article I can guess why. Only someone who has never raced would claim that he couldn't drive, and the same person would probably be completely unaware of the handling shortcomings of a stock 911, since they've never been near the car's limits.

The latest issue of Automobile magazine has an article about Jeff Gordon and the hot new NASCAR rookie, (forgot name), giving the WRC curcuit a shot for one day, it is hilarious, but those boys can drive, make no mistake about it.

[rst73]

In October of 73 I was part (be it a minor part) of the Southern Califonia PORSCHE/Audi dealer's support group for the first IROC race at Riverside. Our dealership Don Burns PORSCHE/Audi sent
3 technicians and myself as a parts runner and gofer, along with several other technicians from the other dealerships to prep and repair the cars as needed between races. I was in heaven, and being a part of racing history on my 20th birthday weekend.
There was a great deal of speculation as to how each driver would fair in the brand new IROC Carreras. Most were betting the NASCAR guys wouldn't do well in "them Kraut cars".
After the first race Bobby Allison was as memory serves, the only one who caused any major damage. He totally blew up the clutch assy. in the Gulf blue Carrera. And I have the pictures to prove it. Wayne Witten who was one our techs pulling out the engine and trans, using the one post lift that was at the end of garage #one. The clutch assy. disintergrated.
Also one added item, before the race we all laughed about the sticker that PORSCHE had added to the dash right above the gear shift lever,"Depress clutch pedal before shifting gears". We guessed Bobby didn't bother to read.

Soon to be 50,

Roger Grago
R Gruppe #27
73 RS-T
70 2.4MFI VW Bus

[island911]

Originally posted by Formerly Steve Wilkinson
. .. But this was the first time a magazine anywhere in the world had the guts to say, "Hey, is it possible this iconic car has faults?". . .

perhaps that was a big thing for the magazine to do, but I must point out GM wouldn't want their boy Bobby to be singing the praises of the competition.

With so much yammer'n about the handling problems "trouble" of the 911 you would think he was trying to make Ralph Nader proud. . . ..something like; 'if GMs' Corvair is "unsafe at any speed" then so too should be the 911. . .no matter how badly it stomps the corevette. (note the performance numbers)

[Matt Holcomb]

Steve,

I have no doubt Allison was, and still is, a good pilot. People who knock stock-car drivers have obviously never played a (good) NASCAR racing game.

But, I take umbrage at the article for two reasons:

1. Allison's talents made him stubborn; he clearly didn't want to adapt to the 911

2. There was a curiously malicious agenda behind the article. Allison was obviously instructed to drive precariously close to the limits of each 911 so that the 911's in-built handling flaws would come to the fore. But Allison knew about these flaws before he drove the '74 examples; there was no reason for his "findings" to be packaged as though they were unexpected

It'd be great if Car and Driver got their hands on some '74 911s shod with 21st Century rubber and went back to Pocono.


Matt Holcomb
MFIWDP
PRVC
BOHICA
1974 911 Carrera 2.7 RoW
1974 Ford Falcon GT coupe
Dedicated Homepage
Engine Rebuild Homepage
Porsche Owners Gallery Profile
Pelican Gallery Profile

[Victor]

They should have got Vic Elford to do the review.

[dd74]

Emcom - you're the man. Thanks for posting this. Great article.

As for Allison's driving abilities because he's a stock car driver: Allison drove Riverside Raceway. That's more than an oval track, just as Sonoma is also more than oval where current NASCAR drivers hall series hide left and right.

A race driver is a race driver. I bet any of them can put a Greyhound bus into a good four-wheel drift.

It's downright ignorant to think a man who races one class can only drive one class.

I've even heard Mario Andretti can give a good go of a superbike against the current two-wheel racers.

BTW: Zanardi qualified for an Indy race last week - w/o legs. That is a god in my book.

[Victor]

Hang on....is Bobby Allison the same guy who built a jet propelled car and tried to jump over the St Lawrence Seaway back in the 70's?

[dd74]

I think that was Evil Kineval (or however he's spelled). And the river was The Snake River.

He's around somewhere, jumping wheelchairs.