Porsche 911 & Shelby GT350 Drive at Mithril Racing

After an 8 month wait, the day had finally arrived, today I would get to drive a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS and a 1966 Shelby GT350. My brother J accompanied me on this trip and he will will take the E-Type for a spin. (My thoughts on the E-Type can be found in an earlier blog post) It's an early start to get to Goodwood for 9am and the weather is looking damp. 

After a good journey we book in with the staff at Mithril Racing, collect our crash helmets and make our way to the cars. 

I start with the 911. This is one of the most iconic sports cars and it's shape is easily recognisable in all of its incarnations. The 911 has been with us now for 53 years and is still going strong. 

This car is rear wheel drive and has a 2.7 litre flat six engine that produces 210bhp, giving a top speed of 150mph. It's left hand drive with a 5 speed manual gearbox. It has torsion bar suspension, rack and pinion steering and vented disc brakes. A turn of the key and the 911 growls into life and settles to a nice idle. While the car warms up, I strap in and get comfortable. It feels a little strange to begin with as the pedals are off to the right instead of centred but I soon get get used to it. With the engine warm I make my way from the paddock to the damp track. On the track I make my way up through the gears, the clutch feels heavy and the engine sounds great. 

As we near Madgwick corner, I apply the breaks and turn I towards the yellow cones that mark out the racing line. At this point I will note that the break pedal is high and it does not take much pressure to apply the brakes There is a little body roll and the car grips. On the exit it's back on the accelerator, speeding up and heading towards Fordwater. Again a small touch on the brakes, turn  the corner and accelerate towards St Mary's. This is taken at a resonable speed towards and onwards to Lavant corner.

Onto the brakes and turn into the corner and accelerate out of the exit. We are now on the fast up hill Lavant straight  I accelerate before breaking and turning into Woodcote corner. A brief acceleration then leads to the chicane where we brake and change into third gear and it's down the start finish straight for another lap. At the beginning of the second lap, I spot an Alfa Romeo in the distance. The only thing to do is to see if I can catch it and overtake it. Through Madgwick and I'm closer to the Alfa. Accelerate to Fordwater and I'm close to the Alfa. On towards St Mary's and I overtake the Alfa. The more I drive the Porsche the more rewarding it becomes. I begin my third and final lap grinning from ear to ear. When I get to Fordwater, I see a familiar sight. It's my brother J driving the E-Type. Can I catch and overtake him before the lap ends. I accelerate as fast as I can go given the conditions. I edge closer to him through St Mary's and Lavant. On the Lavant straight I get closer still. Through Woodcote corner, I'm close but not close enough. My brother enters the Chicane first and I'm not able to overtake him. I pull into the paddock with a huge smile and take some photos while my brother finishes his drive.

So having handed the 911 back in one piece it was time to get into the Shelby GT350. This is a different kind of iconic car. Made as the ultimate upgrade of the Ford Mustang, this American Monster was built for tourque and straight line speed and is 50 years old. The GT350 is rear wheel drive and comes equipped with a Ford 289ci (4.7 Litre) K code V8 engine, giving the car 306bhp and a top speed of 124mph. It's left hand drive that uses recirculating ball steering, a four speed Borg Warner gearbox, leaf spring suspension with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes on the rear. This should make for an interesting drive as the rain is now really close. A turn of the key and the V8 roars into life and settles to a nice idle. The pedals are again off to the right and while the engine warms i settle into the black leather seat, I strap in and make note of the controls. Before I pull out, the instructor tells me to take it steady and enjoy it. The steering and the clutch in this car are heavier than the 911. I make my way onto the track and accelerate, the noise makes me jump initially and the front end lifts slightly. This car is all about the tourque. As I negotiate Madgwick, there is lots of body roll and the handling feels bad in the corners. My instructor then says that I should treat the car like a jet, small amount of steering and let the engine do the work. By Lavant corner, I get it right. The braking also takes a bit longer than you would expect but it's good fun to drive. Onto the Lavant Straight and I accelerate, the noise is terrific. As my time with the GT350 goes on my confidence increases. During the second lap the rain that had been looming starts, so it's on with the wipers. Luckily it's only a short burst. There is now a familiar sight in my mirrors in the shape and form of the E-Type. This time I'm being caught. As I make my way around the last lap, I'm able to keep my distance from the E-Type and the instructor is happy that I have got his steering suggestion under my belt. Reluctantly, I take the chicane and turn into the paddock. I get out of the car and the heavens open.

In summary, the 911 is the best handling classic I have driven and it's easy to drive. Get it wrong and it will not forgive you. It's easy to see why Porshe has such enthusiastic followers. Before today I did not understand it. I do now. 

To the GT350. The combination of brakes, suspension, steering and handling does not make it a great track car against the European cars. But it's all of the above that make it great fun. The engine and the noise are terrific and when you do get a lap right it really does make you smile. 

It's a dream come true to be able to drive both of these cars, for me the Porsche would be my choice for a track car, the Shelby would be my choice to cruise the streets in.

My brother and I would like to thank the staff at Mithril Racing for making us feel welcome and for allowing me to take the cars out of their packages. 

My brother enjoyed his drive in the E-Type and was happy I did not overtake him. Next time........

The Classic Car Show 19th March 2015

Tonight's episode begins with Quentin Wilson's article about the Porsche 911. Launched in 1963, the 911 is still being produced today. A 1972 model these days is selling for around £150,000 or $250,000. The reason for this is because it's an early 911 and people are really wanting them, the 70's colours were vibrant and lastly because of the way it drives. The 911 carried on from the success of the 550, and the 356. It won rallies and races worldwide and had Steve McQueen driving one in the beginning of the film Le Mans. The 911S of 1972 was the most powerful Porsche of its day and on the track and the road, it sorted out the men from the boys. The controls are simple, a huge steering wheel and black and white gauges that are easy to read. Much of the modern 911's derive from the older models however one thing that is missing from the modern 911's is the sound of the air cooled engine. The best thing about the old 911's is the communication it has with the driver. Every bump and rise and fall can be felt through the steering wheel, pedals and seat keeping you in touch with the Tarmac beneath you. If driven wrongly in a corner or under braking, this car will kill you in a heartbeat.

Fast forward to 1984 and the release of the 3.2 Carrera. This was made until 1989 and had all of the apeal of a vintage 911 and none of the downsides. It has a galvanised body so that it does not rust,  it's fast it comes equipped with Fuchs wheels and can be used as a daily driver. These are currently selling for around £20,000 but prices are going up and will continue to rise.

Next up is Chris Routelege with his Barn Finds article. Chris has had a call about a Reliant Scimitar GTE. It's in a yard, next to a derelict building that is being torn down within the next few days. Launched  at the 1968 London Motor Show the Scimitar took the exhibition by storm.  But it wasn't until Princess Anne was given one for her 20th birthday that its popularity soared. Arriving at an old abandoned dairy in the middle of London, Chris finds the car. It's either a 1975 or 76 model, one of the last made. It has a 3 litre Ford V6 engine. Opening the door to look inside, the interior is completly intact and in great condition.

This is the best specification Reliant Scimitar you can get. Today the car sells for around £5,500 but it's not about the money. This car was one of the best GT cars Britain produced. This car is now being restored. 

Next we have Jodie Kidd looks at some cars that weren't as successful as they could have been. First up is the Unipower Cube Car from the 60's. This car as its title suggests is a cube shape with some very big windows that makes it easy to see in every direction almost removing blind spots. Next up is an experiment from the 1930's. This is an advert about safety glass in car windows. Bear in mind that this advert was made before the health and safety rules we have today. Lastly we have an advert showing us the benefits of having a car made of Steele over those made of fabric and wood. The car in question is a Chrysler Airflow. They push the car off a cliff. A driver gets in and drives off as if nothing had happened. 

Next Quentin Wilson drives around Hollywood in a Ford Thunderbird. In Hollywood 1955, there was only car. The Ford Thunderbird. If movie stars had sat round a table to design a car, this is it. It's low, pretty, a two seater car with plenty of attitude. It made Chevrolet's Corvette that was released two years earlier look ugly. $3,000 bought a V8, engine, a removable fibreglass hard top and rocket ship styling. Options included electric seats and a radio that turned itself up the faster you went. In it's first year, the Thunderbird outsold the Corvette by a ratio of 32-1. 16,500 Thunderbirds to 677 Corvettes. The reason for this is because Ford had publicity shots taken of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Maralyn Munroe driving the Thunderbird around Hollywood. Everyone wanted one and Ford could not build them fast enough. The Thunderbird is not a sports car and Ford never said it was. If you take a corner quickly, you get a tremendous amount of tyre squeal and body roll. The car was made to make you feel good about driving. Today you can pay around £25,000 for one of these iconic cars but values will go up.

Next we have Bruno Senna driving a classic around the Brooklands test track. Today Bruno is driving a 1969 Mercedes 280 SL Convertible also known as the Pagoda. Made between 1963 - 1971 this was the range topping sports car. This has 170BHP, 0-60 in 9 seconds and a top speed of 125mph. Driving around the track, the Mercedes has plenty of body roll and tyre squeal. At the halfway point it is 3.670 seconds slower than last weeks E-Type Jaguar. Finishing the lap the Mercedes is 8.728 seconds slower. Bruno said that the gearbox made the car hard work. 

Quentin Wilson then goes through some underrated classics. First up is the BMW M5. 160mph, 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. Three years ago they were £5,000 now they are selling for £10,000 and thrill value is going up. Next up is the Porsche 944 Turbo. 150mph and a 0-60 in 6 seconds, this car is quick. Currently you can expect to pay £5,000 for one but prices are expected to rise. Lastly we have the Mini 1275 GT. 100mph 0-60 in around 14 seconds. A good one will cost around £10,000 but you can still buy them for £5,000. If you can buy one now and restore it, prices will at some point soon go up to around £20,000

Lastly Jodie Kidd flies to LA to meet a man about a Porsche. Magnus Walker got into the classic car scene in 2012 with his film Urban Outlaw detailing his 20 year love affair and his collection of Porsche 911's. Magnus started in fashion with rock and roll clothing. With the success, he bought 911's and has a lot of them. He likes the 911 as they are driveable and cheap in comparison to a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. Magnus has also raced 911's with success. His favourite is his 277, a 1971 911T. A street legal racer.  Magnus takes Jodie out in it to demonstrate its noise, handling and drivability. The car looks amazing and Magnus clearly loves driving it. Jodie Kidd is not a big Porsche fan but after this, she might reconsider. Off camera, Jodie had a go and loved it. 

If I ever get the chance to drive a vintage 911 I will take it with both hands and let you know how good it is.

Below is a link to the episode.

http://www.channel5.com/shows/the-classic-car-show