Did Porsche really convert LHD cars to RHD?

[Patronus]

There are many versions of this story but in short, this is how it goes: Porsche didn't build any RHD 911's in the aircooled days, they converted LHD cars to RHD for the British market. One of the stories go like this:
"All 911's were initially build as left hand drive models, but after a 30 minute compulsory test drive the vehicles destined for right hand drive markets re-entered the Stugart factory and were "converted" to right hand drive."


I read somewhere else that this carried on until the end of the 993 series.

This sounds unlikely to me because of the following reasons:

If only a handful of RHD cars were ever made this would be true but Britain has always been one of Porsche's largest markets, and there are other smaller RHD countries who also imported RHD cars. So, we're talking about a sizeable percentage of Porsche's production.

I live in the UK and have built and modified countless RHD 911's in my time. I've never seen any evidence that an old 911 has been 'converted' at any point from LHD to RHD, in fact all the panels, pressings, parts and wires are the correct RHD items without joints, without welds and without exception.

The whole front of the car will have to be stripped bare, half of the body parts will have to be grinded off and replaced with RHD stuff, and then (somehow) the front half will have to be re-galvanized, re-sealed, re-painted, re-built, re-QC'd, etc.
I had a quick look at some of the most obvious parts that will have to be replaced in such an operation:

1. The whole floorpan (because I have never seen signs of a factory weld between the pan and the tank compartment floor)
2. The whole front frame because you get a LHD and RHD version, alternatively the boot floor plate + box walls + gusset plate + smugglers hole & lid + countless little parts that look different for LHD and RHD
3. The tunnel, because there is a LHD and RHD version
4. The dashboard which is made of metal and welded in, and of course all the padding and covers
5. Removing, & partial rebuilding of the pedal cluster (RHD has unique bushes & spacers) + new pedal floor board
6. As far as I know the steering needs to be disassembled and the tube needs to be replaced with RHD which involves chiseling away the security screws etc
7. Front damping mats & carpet set (glued in) + wheel housing padding (for some reason there is a RHD and LHD part no)
8. Door trim panels
9. Luggage compartment carpets
10. Sun visor (let's not forget!)
11. Door mirrors
12. A large number of ventilation system parts
13. If it had an aircon, almost the whole system
14. Almost all the wiring (a massive project in its own right)
15. The wiper system

If Porsche really converted LHD to RHD they would, in my mind, have spent 50% of their time and money on breaking and rebuilding RHD cars, even if they attempted a handful per month.

I can be wrong though. What really bugs me is that I have never, ever seen a picture of an old RHD car on the production line or in the factory parking lot. Not even a 3.2 Carrera.........

[Joe Bob]

Dunno but the 914s were done by a private company.

As to early RHD 911s....there was still a residual German/English animocity. So I would think that the amount of RHDs didn't support an assembly line build until the later years....

[PeterRT]

Utter rubbish for the very reasons you state. Even if a conversion would be more straightforward I can't think of a single good reason it should have been done this way.

RHDs didn't support an assembly line build"

Huh? Have you ever seen what 911 production looked like back in the days???

[Joe Bob]

Pure speculation on my part....as stated. Facts on 914s and hmmmm on 911s.

As to your rubbish comment, please go Fuch yerself.

[PeterRT]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Pure speculation on my part....as stated. Facts on 914s and hmmmm on 911s.

As to your rubbish comment, please go Fuch yerself.

My rubbish comment was directed at the theory in the OP, not the rubbish you wrote.

[Patronus]

I HAVE THE ANSWER!!!

How's that for co-incidence. After wondering about this for years, and looking through what feels like hundreds of old factory photos, I just stumbled across someone's private collection of factory photos from 1971. There, in plain view, are a number of RHD 911 body shells.

Check this out: Birth of a 911 Porsche.

I am not suggesting that no conversions from LHD to RHD ever took place at the factory. I reckon if RHD models were selling and LHD models stood still, at the end of life for a certain model, Porsche may have gone to extreme measures clear stock. However, I think the photos prove that LHD and RHD models were manufactured side by side even in the early years.

Myth busted!

[PeterRT]

Nice find, thanks for the link.

Most will probably know these, but this is what it looked like in colour and motion:
04 Body Fabrication - YouTube
06 Paint and Assembly - YouTube

[ant7]

Originally Posted by Patronus

I HAVE THE ANSWER!!!

How's that for co-incidence. After wondering about this for years, and looking through what feels like hundreds of old factory photos, I just stumbled across someone's private collection of factory photos from 1971. There, in plain view, are a number of RHD 911 body shells.

Check this out: Birth of a 911 Porsche.

I am not suggesting that no conversions from LHD to RHD ever took place at the factory. I reckon if RHD models were selling and LHD models stood still, at the end of life for a certain model, Porsche may have gone to extreme measures clear stock. However, I think the photos prove that LHD and RHD models were manufactured side by side even in the early years.

Myth busted!

Hi,
i have also often wondered this, and thought, thats an awfull lot of work!
Obviously, as many here have come to realise, this would be an insane task, especialy as there are so many diffrences.
Great find on the picks, Thats confirmation in itself.
Anthony.

[tazzieman]

Originally Posted by Patronus

There are many versions of this story but in short, this is how it goes: Porsche didn't build any RHD 911's in the aircooled days, they converted LHD cars to RHD for the British market. One of the stories go like this:
"All 911's were initially build as left hand drive models, but after a 30 minute compulsory test drive the vehicles destined for right hand drive markets re-entered the Stugart factory and were "converted" to right hand drive."


.

Perhaps the story was carried over from the very early days...356s?
Perhaps the conversion is a ceremonial one? "Now remember - despite what your father used to do and what your instincts are telling you to do , you must stick to the left hand side of the road , except when overtaking".

I have wondered about the different pedal offset in the RHD 911s. The LHD set up is much more ergonomic, & the gearshift in my right (dominant) hand makes for more precise shifting . With a 915 trans , this is important!

[PeterRT]

Originally Posted by tazzieman

Perhaps the story was carried over from the very early days...356s?

Here's some great footage from the 356 production:
Made By Hand - Part 1 of 5 - YouTube
Made By Hand - Part 2 of 5 - YouTube

Porsche production used to be mostly manual labour. Building a RHD shell wouldn't have been any more complicated than taking the necessary parts from a different shelf. Why would you then weld together a LHD shell (by hand), paint it (by hand), assemble the body, complete the car and after driving it (what for if you rip it apart anyway?), basically strip it back to a shell (with a lot of LHD specific parts being put away), cut out the dashboard, bulkhead, floorpan, weld in the RHD parts, and go through the whole process again?
There are cars that can be converted with reasonable effort. 911s aren't among them.

Perhaps the conversion is a ceremonial one? "Now remember - despite what your father used to do and what your instincts are telling you to do , you must stick to the left hand side of the road , except when overtaking".

Now that sounds like a more reasonable explanation

[ant7]

hi Peter,
Very interesting footage!
Great find.
Anthony.

[Fishcop]

The very first RHD Porsches (I think it was a pair of 356A) were converted from LHD tooling and sent to Alan Hamilton in Australia for evaluation. That's possibly where the bespoke RHD story comes from?

I can say for sure that the floor pan used for all RHD cars is pressed as a LHD. A section is cut out and a smaller RHD pedal section is welded in.

[rootmatt]

Originally Posted by tazzieman

I have wondered about the different pedal offset in the RHD 911s. The LHD set up is much more ergonomic, & the gearshift in my right (dominant) hand makes for more precise shifting . With a 915 trans , this is important!

Agreed on the pedal setup. I'm less convinced on the shifting. As a RHD person from way back, I feel that the left hand is as precise as the right after practice. Biggest difference is the reach for 1st instead of the reach for 5th. YMMV.