Excellence article 901 prototype

m110 · 09:06 PM

The current Excellence has a great article on the only surviving 901 prototype. All sorts of interesting details that were changed like a fuel filler door release in the door jamb up to number 232 and a RIGHT sided ignition that was changed prior to regular production. Also a sunroof that slid FORWARD. The profile shot on page 56/57 is so purely 911 that it is stunning.

Also featured here

http://www.atico.nl/camelot/13327.html

and in a previous Excellence in the mid 90s and several concours

BK911 · BK911's Garage

Yea man, that is a pretty cool car. I just can't see spending that much on a restoration. I would be too scared to drive her anywhere. The whole point of these cars is to drive the crap out of them.

Fleming · 04-29-2009, 06:55 AM

Don deserves all the credit to have recognized the importance of this car and with master restorer Dennis Frick to complete it's stellar restoration. Seeing the car will take your breath away.

The details are a time capsule showing mid-century state of the art engineering and a foresight in design that we are still enjoying 46 years later. It is just - Way cool.

I had the pleasure to park next to it a few years ago at Daytona Rennsport 2, so we could do a little comparison between the prototype and my 1964 car. (Mine is a daily driver/old club racer with 380,000 miles so no comparison).

Don's car is fantastic.

fbarrett · fbarrett's Garage

Friends:

Don and Dennis deserve a lot of credit for recognizing and preserving a great piece of Porsche history. They did so more than 25 years ago, when few realized the long-term significance of the early 911 cars.

Incidentally, in about 1983, for the 20th anniversary of the 911, I was searching for the oldest surviving 911 for an article in Panorama. I looked all over the world, talked to hundreds of people, and eventually found this car. Amazingly, it was less than a mile from where I grew up, in York, Pennsylvania. The article ran in Pano, of course, with "before" photos. To me, this is one of the most significant Porsches in the world.

Frank