What kind of engine do I have?

[Grady Clay]

djpateman,

Yes, I saw those, hense my question.

Uber and I are going to meet Saturday and go over a plan.

Bill Doyle has offered to look over the engine, pro bono.
The engine just has to get from Denver to Jackson, WY and back.

I'll post more images.

Best,
Grady

[jcge]

Asked Grady a question offline about one of the casting photos....posted here for info..

> "MADE IN GERMANY" in English, on a 1960's low volume casting from Porsche ??
> I find that surprising ....is that common ??

And answer from Grady

> Yes, they were all that way.
> Note it doesn't say "West Germany".
> I suspect it was originally intended to be much smaller lettering.
> That is a good question.

Thanks Grady

[Matt Smith]

So any updates on this? It's Monday here in NZ, so I guess Sunday in the States. How did the meeting with Uber go Grady?

[Grady Clay]

Well….

The meeting went great.
All Pelican indiscretions are forgiven. (Lucky you guys)
It turns out there are two siblings of German ancestry, 1st generation
American “uber” and “alles” who don’t want to be recognized just yet. The reason should be obvious.





Their dad owned an Elva-Porsche AND a 550 Spyder. It seems this engine may have been a
spare for both. He passed on several years ago so the engine just sat. The cars went away way
back when.

The good news is the engine appears as if it ran last week.
The dad preserved it well.





I’ll measure the cam timing and cylinder leak.

“uber” and “alles” will take the engine up
to Bill Doyle in Jackson, WY for further analysis.

Eventually it will be for sale, possibly at auction.

The plan is to gather as much information as possible
as to its origin, history and current condition.
I suspect it may be runable as is.


This is the ‘real deal’ find where another 4-cam is rescued and the offspring
can build a ‘college fund’ from something found in the garage.

More to come.

Best,
Grady

[Jonesy78]

Very cool! Thanks for the update, Grady.

[cnielsen]

Great story!

Is there any way of knowing what chassis number the motor would have been delivered with? The reason I ask is that I have an original VIN plate to a 550A spyder and it would be great if all the parts could be reunited at some point. My research for my VIN has taken me to a dead end, most likely a destroyed car.

[Grady Clay]

He owns small landscaping and remodel firms.
There is more dirt and grease under his fingernails than mine.
In the rush to get the waiter to take the picture, I'm sitting on my big parka.




for reference

Best,
Grady

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Grady Clay

Well…

This just takes my breath away. What a story.

Good luck guys...

[Joeaksa]

Excellent info! Thanks Grady!

Joe A

[pplkook]

I hope they get a mint for that motor....

Very lucky folks, especially to have very generous qualified experts so close - relatively.

This should make a good writeup once they go public.

I am curious as well, is it possible to find the car that the motor came out of? I would assume that *if* it is still in existence then there would be more of a premium associated with the motor.

-Jack

[carreradpt]

This is just an unbelievable story. I cannot wait to see where this will go. I would love to read the final story with all the pics in Excellence Mag. I think they would do this well.

[kenikh]

This is the best story to come to this board in a long time. Amazing.

[Grady Clay]

Guys,

The really good news is they have the VIN of the 550, Elva-Porsche AND
the RS-61 Spyder that the engine is from origionally.

Now the question is “Where are they?”

We are working with all the usual sources.
If those don’t produce ‘fruit’, I suspect
they will post the numbers on all the forums.

The engine is what it is.
I suspect it may run as-is.
We will see … very carefully.

The fun part is tracing its history.
If only it could talk.

As this progresses, this forum may be central in
finding and publishing this interesting history.
I want to see that happens.

Please don’t beat-up on these guys for being very cautious.
They have already been abused by people wanting to ‘steal’ the engine.
Caution reigns.

I can offer my lame expertise.
Bill Doyle can offer his very professional skills.
Others may be solicited.

The goals are:
Get the engine to the ‘right’ owner.
Get the most sale price for families ‘college fund’.
Document the history to stay with the engine and for our enjoyment.
Use the process to educate everyone about 4-cam engines (547, 692 & 587).

These are VERY special engines in the history of Porsche.
I am honored to have owned so many (40+).

Best,
Grady

[Craig_D]

This is amazing! Great job Grady!! I'm very pleased that someone of your caliber was involved and could shepherd these folks!

Well done sir!!

- CraigD

[78-911SC]

Grady I'm going to take a guess that Uber is a female and maybe Alles is to??? Who ever they are they are lucky to have you in there corner. Thanks for sharing I hope they fulfill their dreams.

[byfdinky]

Grady, It's been an awsome read so far! The story has all the right parts, A potential SCHEME, INTEREST, INTRIGUE, SUSPENSE, EDUCATION, and it's not done yet!

[RWebb]

it CAN talk!

just listen to the gears

[Grady Clay]

Originally Posted by RWebb

it CAN talk!

just listen to the gears

I still like a 917:

Wheeza, wheeza, wheeza.
Wheeza, wheeza, wheeza.
Wheeza, wheeza, clatter, wheeza.
Clatter , clatter, clatter.
Varoom-clatter, varoom-clatter, varoom clatter.
Clatter-varoom, clatter, clatter-varoom.
Varoom, varoom, varoom.
Idle clatter, clatter, clatter.
clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter ....

If you ever want to hear gear noise, a 917 has it in spades.
Nothing else like it.
4-cam Carreras are quiet by comparison.

Best,
Grady

[Flieger]

You forgot the "shhhhhhhh. SHHHHHHHHH." of the starting fluid.

[detroiter]

Thanks for the update, Grady!

Just curious as to how the conversations started.

Was it like this?
Uber and Alles (nervous, trying not to get scammed): "The winds are calm in the channel."
Grady: "The boat will sail at midnight" and brings out the Spyder license plate...