[Jeff Higgins]

I used to be very active in drag racing before I learned about turning and braking. In my experience, the launch determines the outcome between two closely matched cars. In a car that is not a dedicated drag racer, what that means is whoever is more willing to absolutely abuse their car, assuming it can get the necessary traction, will win. Most people agree the 911 was never intended for that particualr brand of abuse.

A "proper" drag strip launch in a manual transmission car means bringing it to redline with the car in first gear, clutch depressed, and simply side-stepping off the clutch pedal. In my 440 powered '69 Dodge Super Bee, that meant 6800 rpm. It would spray clutch dust through the vent holes in the Lakewood safety bellhousing all the way out to the wheel wells and down onto the track. There was this horrific metalic clang that could be heard over the exhaust note, the car would just shudder, and the front end would fly up in the air. I could do that about six times before it needed a clutch.

How close to that do you want to come in a 911? Me, not very. In mine it feels like first gear is all but useless from a performance standpoint. Even with the clutch out and the revs down, if I stomp on it it goes through first almost too fast to grab second without actually backing off a bit. How about a second gear launch? You would have one less delay in shifting, with 1-2 being one of the less smooth shifts in a 915 box anyway. That 3.2 should have the torque to keep the tires spinning just a hair and not bog it down even starting in second.