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| "Butzi" Porsche with the 911 when it was introduced in 1963. |
The 911 was Butzi's car, a request from his father Ferry to do a bigger, faster, replacement for the 356. Quite an assignment for a 24-year-old, just out of design school. He didn't do the entire car in detail; he led the design team and did the body himself. The new SOHC 6-cylinder engine came from Porsche's engine department. It had a lot to do with the car "making its bones." Erwin Komenda, head of styling, had to clean up the manufacturing engineering of body details for easier and more practical assembly. But nobody, then or later, claimed that that car was anyone's but Butzi's.
The 911 was remarkable when introduced: 130 h.p. from 2 liters, when most sports cars that size had 70-100. It had the first 5-speed gearbox available in a production car. (The engine liked to be kept high in its rev range.) Among "affordable" sports cars, only the Jaguar XK-E and the Corvette had more power. And Butzi hit a home run with the body. It looked exactly like what it was, a fast Porsche. The Corvette and the 911 are still with us, albeit as barely recognizable mutations. Internally, for parts purposes, the 911 has been a 964, 993, 996, 997, and a 991.
Some Porsche Snobs (even those who never owned one, like me) will tell you that there is no such thing as a water-cooled Porsche. For us, the run ended in 1997 with the 993. We sneer at models like the 928, 924, and, God help us, the Cayenne and the Panamera. But then, you can find Porsche Snobs who will tell you that the only true Porsche was the 356.
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| Butzi did the interior too. The complete instrumentation with a big, central, tach said "driver's car." 7000 revs was a lot for a street car in 1963. This dash was widely "adapted." By Mazda's RX-7, for instance. |
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| 911 Carrera RS: probably the funnest 911 of them all for an amateur on public roads or at track days. The tricky oversteer of the early cars was gone and the weight-to-power ratio was about 11:1. Side stripe delete option, anyone? |
The street car that many 911 freaks prize most highly is the 1973 Carrera RS. In 1969, the wheelbase was increased 2.5 inches, diminishing the car's tail-happy handling. The RS's 2.7 liter engine took horsepower up to 210, which was very competitive with the "big dogs" in those early days of smog-control. The suspension was revised and stiffened, and the rear track and fenders widened. The RS 2.7's calling card was its ducktail spoiler. Although it still oversteered at the limit, the handling was progressive, predictable, and manageable. It was a quick car. The later, more iconic 930 Turbo was faster--but more of a handful. The RS was fast and easy to drive and live with.
There's a Porschephile school of thought that says original only. Anything else is defacing the car. It's similar to the views of some muscle-car collectors who bid painstaking restorations into the stratosphere at Barrett-Jackson, or the way Bloomington Gold grades Corvettes. I'm not of that school. Butzi imparted a look and feel to the 911 that can be enhanced if you don't go overboard. Here's a good example:
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| "Dirty Penny," a 911 SC upgraded to RS specification by Pelican Parts in the 1990's. What's not to like about wide, dished, Panasport wheels? The car rocks Porsche's metallic "Cocoa Brown"too. |
On street cars, I love the sound of the cooling fan at high revs. On race cars, I love the raspy sound of the straight-through exhausts. The brakes are superb, the handling is good, and the view from and feel of the cockpit are among the best. Thanks again for a great car, Butzi.
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| Butzi in 2010, aged 74. Besides the 911, he designed the 904 before leaving to start his own industrial design firm. He remained connected with Porsche throughout his life as a member of the board of directors. |
