Natural Selection
Classic Porsche|Issue No: 42

Driven by a 17-year determination to break records at his local track, Jack Olsenʼs RSR-inspired 911 shows the simplicity of the early cars can still set the pace some 45 years down the road.

Alex Grant
Natural Selection

Cutting edge in its use of materials, aerodynamics and electrically-boosted power, the 918 Spyder is the pinnacle of engineering from a company famed for innovation. Yet, at California's Willow Springs raceway, the lap time that once set records on the fastest race track in the United States is under threat, and it's a very different era of Porsche's history that's snapping at its heels.

It's not hard to find the evidence; a 37-second YouTube on-board clip lining the hybrid hypercar up alongside the unmistakeable 'gun sight' of an early 911's wing-tops, as the two cars attack the technical section of 'Big Willow' in parallel. Despite the pro driver and a significant power advantage, the 918 trails its ancestor by up to 10mph through each sweeping corner, never gaining more than a car's length lead over the hard-driven coupé. And that's no homologation special; it's a road-legal evolution of what made the earliest 911s so iconic, as its owner, Jack Olsen, happily explains:

'I think the midsixties design sensibility led to some of the best looking cars ever made,' he says. 'The Porsche was a simple tool back then – strong, light and ready to go racing at a moment's notice. And, as the chassis changed so little over time, you can take the lightest chassis, the lightest transaxle, the most powerful air-cooled engine and, without too much work, everything will fit together. When you combine the low weight of an early chassis with the power of the later, heavier cars, I think there's a real sweet spot.'

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Esta historia es de la edición Issue No: 42 de Classic Porsche.

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From R To S And Back
Classic Porsche

From R To S And Back

No sooner had it left Baurʼs workshop in April ʼ68 than this 911R was back at the factory, this time at the race department, being softened up in S-spec as a one-off road car. Luckily for us – and for race ace Gérard Larrousse on the 1969 Ronde Cévenole – its next owner swiftly had it returned to full R-spec back at the factory.

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10+ minutos  |
Issue No: 42
Natural Selection
Classic Porsche

Natural Selection

Driven by a 17-year determination to break records at his local track, Jack Olsenʼs RSR-inspired 911 shows the simplicity of the early cars can still set the pace some 45 years down the road.

time-read
5 minutos  |
Issue No: 42
Robert Barrie
Classic Porsche

Robert Barrie

A Visit to Retromobile , Followed by Some Thoughts on the New Race Season – and Then It’s Time to Consider the Minutiae of Slam-panel Decals on Early 911s…

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3 minutos  |
Issue No: 43
A Matter Of Taste
Classic Porsche

A Matter Of Taste

It's all in the detail. Andy Boyle's tasteful take on an outlaw 356C coupé brings together the best of ideas to create a classic Porsche that would have done the factory engineers proud.

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7 minutos  |
Issue No: 42
Road Warrior
Classic Porsche

Road Warrior

The story of Porsche's seminal 912 model has been well and often told, but the unique life of this particular 1969 912 is documented in several books that you've likely never seen or even heard of.The late Michael Newlon drove his Porsche 912 all over the western United States, and wrote (and published) books to share his adventures.

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6 minutos  |
Issue No: 42