"Twin" Turbos

Despite being an apparent oxymoron, the “modern classic” has become one of the most active segments within the collector car space over the last few years. As someone who just crested 30 myself, I can see why: the cars I dreamt about during my most formative years are now closing in on (or already are) twenty years old. And either fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your ownership status, they aren’t getting cheaper anymore. For that reason (and many more) I jumped at the opportunity to get two very special collector-grade Porsches together for a short drive and a golden-hour photo session. I’m not much of a driver, nor am I an automotive journalist, so I’ll leave driving impressions to those with better credentials. What I do hope to do is explore both the subtle and obvious differences between these two incredible 996 Turbos and what makes each of them so very special.

Introduced in 2001, the 996 generation Porsche Turbo had some pretty legendary qualifications. Like all previous generation 911s, but unlike most 996s, the 996 Turbo utilized a Mezger designed flat-six. It’s a twin-turbocharged 3.6L unit very closely related to the engine that took Porsche’s GT1 to a class win at Le Mans in 1998. This Mezger engine is the water cooled version of Porsche’s air-cooled 3.6 used in the 993 and 964 model).  It made 414 horsepower from the factory, and the combination of that bulletproof engine and an excellent all-wheel-drive system meant that these Turbos became incredibly popular both for their factory performance AND the ease of aftermarket power upgrades.

Porsche wasn’t done, though, which brings us to this lovely low-mileage Guards Red 2002 Turbo: for those that wanted a *bit* more without sending their car to Evolution Motorsports, Porsche introduced the X50 package for the 2002 model year, which, by way of larger turbos, intercooler upgrades, ECU changes, and a new exhaust took power up to 444 hp. It wasn’t cheap, at $17k, which is likely why X50 cars like this pristine, 19k mile example are both so rare and, as a result, so much more valuable than standard 996 Turbos. Fittingly, while slightly more subtle on the interior, this Turbo features a few special touches that remind you of it’s sporting slant. Most obviously, this car has the desirable 6-speed manual instead of the 5-speed Tiptronic automatic. It also boasts the optional sport seats, red contrast stitching across the black leather interior, and is finished off with yellow seat belts. Not exactly subtle, but this Turbo, especially in Guards Red, was intended to catch eyes. And catch eyes it does.

Speaking of rare 996 Turbos, for the last model year of the 996 (2005) Porsche introduced something new: The 911 Turbo S. Taking what amounted to the best, and most desirable options on the standard Turbo and bundling them into one car with updated badging and a few extra goodies, the Turbo S was the pinnacle of the 996 generation Turbo. Remember the X50 package we talked about on the Guards Red car? The Turbo S included all the upgrades from the X50 package, then added carbon ceramic brakes (another 8k option on the standard Turbo), a full leather interior, an infotainment update, and additional Turbo S badging.

With all other 2005 911 models being of the new 997 generation, the Turbo S was truly the last hurrah for the 996, and as you would expect, also extremely rare. Porsche made approximately 1,500 Turbo S models worldwide, but only about 600 were Coupes, and fewer than 200 of those were 6 speed manual coupes, like this example. Keen Porschefiles will also notice that this particular car is finished in paint-to-sample Arena Red, borrowing a color generally only seen only on 993 generation cars. Inside, it continues with the striking, yet luxurious theme: grey leather abounds, this time draped across the comfort seats. Instead of aluminum or leather, the shift knob and handbrake are adorned with dark wood accents. It still features the all-important 6-speed manual, but it’s still easy to see the original owner’s desire for a luxurious, understated 911 led to the incredible specification we see today.

Both are manuals, both have the same power figures, and both in different ways represent the pinnacle of the 996 Turbo. The details, however, set them apart, and I wager that most who have read this far have a strong preference for one car over the other. The Guards Red X50 draws me in the most, but in the time I spent with these two I encountered just as many admirers with their hearts set on the Arena Red Turbo S. Luckily for both camps, both cars are currently available with my friend Patrick at his boutique Porsche-focused shop Hey, Cool Car!

It goes without saying, but thank you to Patrick for making these cars available to me and helping me with the shoot. Selfishly, I hope there cars are around longer so I can see them a few more times, but I suspect they will move quickly.

Thursday Mornings in Pebble Beach: the Tour d'Elegance

I always proclaim to be a car enthusiast before car photographer because I loved cars before I even picked up a 35mm camera. I must admit, however, my interest in events correlates somewhat to my ability to get clean, interesting photographs. Events where cars and people are cheek by jowl admittedly have less draw than those with uncrowded, open spaces prime for photography. There are a few events during the course of the year, however, that are exceptions to this rule and the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance is foremost on that shortlist of exceptions. More specifically, the dawn gathering of Tour d’Elegance cars at the Pebble Beach Polo Fields immediately before they set off for their tour of the Monterey Peninsula. Before dawn, the car hauler rear doors begin lowering, exposing the priceless automobiles inside to the cool and foggy Pebble Beach morning. Slowly but surely, and mechanic gods permitting, they make their way out of the transport field and begin lining Stevenson Drive. This year, Mercedes’ fronted the staging lineup with their new AMG GTR and the car that made AMG AMG, the “Rote Sau” SEL 6.8. Not two feet behind it was a lovely 300SL Roadster from the Mercedes Classic Center, and behind the SL sat a one-of-four Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti Spyder with an American flag draped over the rear. I could go on and on with the significance and sheer beauty of each Tour participant. Each car lined up on Stevenson will grace the 18th of Pebble Beach in a few days, but they will be spread out by class across the lawn and, barring the Dawn Patrol parade onto the show field, won’t be running. Plug PB Sunday 

For an hour or so on Thursday morning, incredible subsets of the Concours participants are parked two by two down a few hundred yards of tarmac. As they line up, the mixed crowd of drivers, passengers, media, and gawkers swarm each new entrant, seizing the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with cars that, in some cases, haven’t been seen by the “general public” for years or even decades. The cars are the focus, but don’t be surprised if you turn around to find yourself face-to-face with niche automotive celebrities the likes of James Glickenhaus, David Gooding, and Wayne Carini. If not preparing their own cars, you’ll find them perusing the lineup and talking cars like everyone else. Being on the younger side of the demographic myself and with much to learn about the cars before me, I take special enjoyment in hearing the people who bought, found, restored, raced, and cared for each car discuss their histories in brief off-hand conversations. The sheer concentration of knowledge and priceless cars more than make up for an inability to get a crowd-less photo. And the fact that, barring mechanical issues, each and every car will fire up and drive off under its own power regardless of value or age makes this morning my favorite moment during Monterey Car Week.  

Later that morning on a hillside along Highway 1, I will get photos of the cars in the scenic beauty of the Big Sur coast that will put to shame anything I am able to snap in the staging area, but as an enthusiast, it simply doesn’t get better than that Thursday morning. So, for those uninitiated I have a recommendation: Bring a jacket for the cold, foggy morning, a coffee because you had to wake up before the crack of dawn, and ears primed to hear both incredible stories and the burbling and sputtering of the finest vintage cars you will ever set your eyes on.

The "Pre's"

No matter your chosen moniker, Pebble Beach Automotive week or simply “Car Week”, is one of the most glamorous automotive events this side of Villa d’Este. From Gordon McCall’s kickoff event at the Jet Center where free-flowing champagne and oyster bars sit alongside Gulfstreams and Paganis to Sunday at Pebble Beach where priceless cars and period dress set the scene; the entire week is filled with exclusive, opulent events celebrating the best the automotive lifestyle has to offer. Each event has its own distinct flair, but the overarching theme is consistent: nothing less than the best will do. There is a gorgeous flow from event to event, each feeling connected in spirit and atmosphere to that which preceded it. The food, drink, and company are all picture perfect. One event, however, bucks the grandiose yet slightly sterile feel and replaces it with pure, unencumbered and unadulterated vintage racing. For most, vintage racing during car week means Thursday through Sunday’s Monterey Historics and while the Historics remain a staple, to those truly bitten by the automotive bug, the Monterey Pre-Reunion is the crown jewel. Before manufacturer tents sprout around the paddock and hospitality suites line the front-straight garages, the sounds of vintage Trans Am cars and IMSA prototypes can already be heard echoing in the hills above Seaside. Every year, the weekend before the Monterey Historics brings the best vintage racing that nobody talks about: the Pre-Reunion. A $20 at the door gets you in, and as you make your first stroll through the open paddock you will immediately understand why the initiated will never miss it.

There is no rolled ice cream nor caviar and the lone food option available is the Cruisin’ Café, which serves up good but simple ballpark food out of a stand at the edge of the paddock. Adult beverages are more Bud and less Brut. If the trademark Monterey fog has burned off, you’ll be begging for shade but unlikely to find much short of making friends with a race team and squatting in their cabana. It’s a far cry from the trademark events scattering the Monterey peninsula in a few short days, but I challenge any true automotive enthusiast to attend the “Pre’s” without enjoying every minute. In part, it’s because of the other events that the “Pre’s” work. For many both attending and racing, the next week will be spent in hospitality tents, cocktail receptions, and chef-driven multi-course meals, which makes an unencumbered day at the track a welcome calm before the storm to follow. With the events later in the week come crowds – something pleasantly absent from Laguna Seca during the Pre-Reunion. During the 2017 Pre-Reunion, my first lap of the pits had me reeling: I counted four Ferrari 250 SWBs, at least one of which was being raced that day.  Only one was being admired by other spectators as I took my time capturing every detail. The general lack of crowds and slightly lower-stakes racing also means the paddock has a more relaxed atmosphere, which has facilitated many a conversation with drivers, mechanics, and owners in between sessions. While admiring a pearl white LaFerrari Aperta, a brief conversation with a gentleman in racing overalls revealed himself as the owner of the car: he was racing two vintage Aston Martin’s but the Aperta was his newest acquisition and one that would star at several events later in the week. As so many racers and spectators alike are, he is a Pre Reunion regular and I remember several previous but no less impressive iterations of his paddock garage. Familiar faces and familiar cars are a hallmark of both the Pre-Reunion, in fact.

One of my own earliest Laguna Seca memories as a child was being dropped through the window and into the driver’s seat of a Trans-Am Dodge Challenger. This chance encounter with a Monterey legend was far before I was truly able to conceptualize its significance, but I still fondly remember the moment with a 4x6 print. This particular car, a Sublime-green Challenger campaigned by Sam Posey in the 1970 Trans-Am season actually raced its first race at Laguna Seca and can still be seen regularly in both Pre-Reunion and Monterey Historics. Vintage race-cars returning to race at the tracks that brought them glory in the past is a wonderfully unique sight, but the magic of the Pre-Reunion and Monterey Historics means it’s one more common than one would think. Local automotive celebrity and patron of all things motorsport Bruce Canepa can generally be seen racing his Porsche 935, which remains the most original factory 935 in existence. This very 935 is same car that he himself raced at Laguna Seca several times between 1979 and 1981 in Trans-Am.  Not all cars and drivers have a Laguna Seca provenance as strong as the Posey Challenger and Canepa’s 935, but year after year the Pre-Reunion greets me both with familiar faces and familiar cars.  As a photographer, the benefits of light spectator attendance are obvious, but even for someone simply wanting to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of vintage automobile racing the sparse crowds pay incredible dividends.