Porsche

I like Porsche's sporty models better than tall SUVs. I have visited sporting Porsche events in several places in Europe.

Frogner cars

Posted 17/04/2017 by Terje Bjørnstad

frogs — Alvis is a car that you like to find in Kensington - or, as here, in Frogner.

Kensington in London and Frogner in Oslo have several similarities.

Quiet residential areas close to the city center that attract people with good incomes. Both areas were developed in the era before mass motoring, so that almost everyone has to park along the street. You don't have to walk far to spot a Porsche, BMW M series or classic vintage car. This year's cold Easter did not tempt anyone to take out the vintage car yet. At Skillebekk I found a stately Alvis TD21 Drophead Coupé. Large British car with a 3 liter inline six. There are cars that can safely be characterized as a gentleman's car and are mentioned in the same breath as Jaguar and Bentley. Only Anglophile car enthusiasts here at home know about the brand. As far as I know, no importation of Alvis into Norway was ever established.

991, please

I find several Porsche 911s in the streets. I feel slightly blasé. It is difficult to decide which 911 I should photograph. At the housing estate on lower Gimle, I found a 911 from the last generation (991) that came in 2012. Well, a 991.1 – not the very latest, 991.2, – although there is little difference in appearance between the two. Porsche, with the internal designation 991, is built on a completely new platform compared to previous models (997). With a longer wheelbase, it looks significantly better with larger wheels than its older brothers. You don't think about it until you've seen several Porsches. At Frogner you can.

I choose something in orange

I am photographing an orange Audi TT S. Orange, yellow and red cars stand out among today's gray tones. In the TT S version, more power is extracted from the 2,0 TFSI engine. 272 HP and 350 Nm from 2500 rpm means that the Golf-based car can live up to its fresh image. Frogner appeals not only to rich people, but also to artists, actors and artists - people who stand out as individualists. I wonder if you find a higher proportion of orange, yellow and red cars in Frogner than elsewhere in the country?

Frederik Stangs gate 33, almost right up by Bygdøy allé and Gimle Kino was formerly one of Oslo's many boarding houses. Today, probably converted to dormitories.

A rare find

That people at Frogner are more concerned with aesthetics and artistic values is evident when I pass a Citroën CX. A CX with plates is almost impossible to get hold of today, even in Citroën's homeland, France. I know because I have been on the lookout several times. This is one of the last, - a CX 25 GTI. It has conventional round instrument bells, but hydropneumatic suspension. A real Citroën. It's amazing to think that this great design dates back to the early 70s.

The architects Morgenstierne & Eide also designed the Hotel Gabelshus just below.

The Porsche 911 has a distinctive, somewhat strict design

I notice how well the simple and stylish design fits the strict architecture of Frogner. The buildings from the 20s and 30s are free of the decorations and extravagance that were around the turn of the century. The silhouette of the 911 is also free of frills, if you ignore the painted brake calipers. Although, they signal function and not decoration, right? German-inspired architecture from the interwar period fits well as a background for this beautiful 911 (also a 991.1). Incidentally, the background would have suited a black original Volkswagen with a split rear window, too.

So if you don't have time to go to Kensington to look at great cars and architecture, you can just go to Frogner 🙂

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Frogner district

There is something about the Porsche 718

Posted 30/08/2016 by Terje Bjørnstad

Porsche 718 Boxster – a brand new model from this year.

According to Porsche, almost all body parts are new.

Have you seen it before? The designations Cayman and Boxster live on, but under the model name 718. Porsche has dusted off the designation for an old racing car from the late 50s. It also had a four-cylinder mid-engine, just like the new 718. But there the similarity stops. The Cayman and Boxster will no longer be sixes, but live on as turbocharged four-cylinder boxer engines. There are two engines, - a 2 liter with 300 horses and a 2,5 liter with 350 horses for the "S" version. Both are gasoline, of course.

Porsche 718 — It looks good inside, - but what looks good costs a lot of money!

You may have heard it before? That four-cylinder Porsches are not real Porsches? I'm thinking primarily of the Porsche 914, 924, 944 and 968. But the original Porsche 356 was a four-cylinder, not to forget James Dean's famous 550 Spyder, and the later 912?

Some also argue that the Boxster and Cayman aren't real Porsches, either - despite having sixes - or rather, had.

I have seen the torque curves on the new engines. On the 2-litre it is 380 Nm, goes straight up and lies flat between 1950 – 4500. The 2,5-litre has 420 Nm between 1900 – 4500. Those who move from a previous Boxster can get a different driving experience in it new car than they did in the old one, where you could pull the engine up to the red mark and feel the power on the way up. Porsche's challenge has been to create a driving experience that puts your mind in the direction of a sports car. Unfortunately, I cannot give an answer as to whether they have succeeded in doing so, but I can at least assure you that the sound image is absolutely perfect.

Mid-mounted four-cylinder engine brings to mind the Toyota MR2, – smooth-driving and fun with a tuned 1,8 liter Avensis engine behind the seats. After all, it was just a Toyota. By using components from ordinary cars, Toyota was able to keep quite pleasant prices. Porsche owners, on the other hand, don't like to share engines with regular cars. The old 924 had a regular four-cylinder Audi-100 engine under the hood. It had the same characteristic rasping sound in the exhaust pipe that the Audi 100 had around 1980. It was alright in the Audi - but not in the Porsche. As far as I know, the new boxer engines in the 718 are unique to Porsche, even though the engineers at Porsche are heavily involved in several large multinational engine projects.

I came across the Porsche 718 Boxster at Oslo Porsche Senter's stand at the car exhibition at Aker Brygge here the other day. The price tag was, as I recall, just over NOK 1,1 million. I was a little surprised, because the prices of the Boxster then start at NOK 822. I went in on their websites (click here) and configured a standard 718 Boxster as simply as I could, - but aimed for it to look similar to the car on display. This included, among other things, the following visible equipment:

Detail where the interior color matches the exterior color and mirror housing.

Graphite Blue paint, 20 inch Carrera Classic rims, PDLS lighting system, PDK gear system, Adaptive cruise control, Leather in Graphite Blue, BOSE system (don't know if the show car had it, but you just have to have it), Digital radio and navigation. Then I got equipment for NOK 238, which brought the price up to NOK 500. If I add adaptive suspension and a couple of other things, the price easily ends up at 1 million. You save NOK 067 by choosing the Cayman (with roof), but that's little consolation.

porsche 718 Also includes the rear trunk. — Also includes the rear luggage compartment.

There is still something about the new 718 that caught my attention. The details in Porsche's equipment list, which are far from free, also act as eye-catchers. There were more people than me who stopped at this particular car. According to Porsche, all body parts are new, except for the windshield, hood and rear trunk lid. I can't put my finger on it what it is, but that er something about the new 718. I also noticed that on the other tweeters. I would love to see a 718 in my garage.

It has what I would call a high "must-have" factor.

Porsche 911 Carrera S. It looks great, but it also costs NOK 731 more than the 000. — Porsche 911 Carrera S. It looks great, but then it also costs NOK 731 *the sea* than 718.

Takes the hedge too. Reminder that this car also has plenty of extra equipment.

See

Porsche.no

Revisiting the Porsche 928

Posted 13/08/2016 by Terje Bjørnstad

Risky Business is not only considered Tom Cruise's breakthrough film. It also introduced the then-new Porsche 928 to the public. The main roles in Risky Business ( 1983) were played by Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay and the Porsche 928. I took the liberty of adding an extra 928 to the poster.

Tom Cruise plays an ordinary high school student who enjoys the freedom after his parents went on vacation, which means playing music at full blast, feeding himself in his father's bar, dancing in his underwear, taking a ride in his father's new Porsche 928, as well as having fun with a nice lady all night - for a fee. The Porsche was given a central role in the film, and one can imagine that someone at Porsche made sure that it became a 928. It's called product placement.

However, both the film and the car are typical 80s icons.

I came across a 1981 Porsche 928 S the other day, probably parked on the way in or out of a utstilling. It's been several years since I last saw a 928 up close, and it struck me that the design still lingers in the 80s. No matter how you look at it, it's a time capsule from the 80s, like the hockey haircut, shoulder pads, and leg warmers.

When the 928 came on the market in 1978 it was like a new chapter in Porsche's model history. Porsche's management had long been working on new models to replace the 911 series. This took place in the same era that Volkswagen had a breakthrough with its new model range. In retrospect, it can be argued that Porsche's front-engined cars, the 914, 944 and 928, were a successful venture, although many believed that it was only stern motorized Porsches that could be considered proper Porsches. But the 928 is far from a slouch with a 4,7 liter V8 engine and 300 horses.

Porsche 928s are relatively favorable vintage car objects. There are several guides for what to look out for. The only fault I am aware of is moisture problems which destroy everything that can rot, and which is also not very favorable for the electricity and electronics on board. But the cars are not particularly prone to rust, as there is a lot of aluminum and galvanized parts. Come to think of it, I think it's hard to find a completely waterproof old Porsche.

Another thing you can find among Norwegian cars is the lack of a back seat. Many front-engined Porsches registered before 1985 exploited a loophole in the van legislation. You could, for example, register a 944 as a van, and thus get a substantial reduction in the one-off tax. When this was discovered, the import of used Porsches rose considerably until the bureaucrats were able to close this possibility. In retrospect, there has been a desire from politicians that beautiful cars should not be able to be registered as vans, but fortunately that proposal never came through.

Enjoy the images of this classic 35 years after it left the factory in Stuttgart. Consider that it cost over 600 000 kroner when it was new, or perhaps 1981 standard Golfers. Then you got two small back seats without headrests, suitable for very small people. Beyond the second half of the 10s, the price of these cars (S80) rose to over a million kroner.

Also reminds me that in "Risky Business" it wasn't the Porsche that was risky...

I think the front part is the most beautiful part of the car. Amazing that there is a V8 in there...

The drive is a 4,7 liter V8 with 300 HP.

The mirror design is undoubtedly 80s Porsche.

The rear of the 928 series: Lots of glass, large rear window and harmonious from all angles - but undoubtedly very special.

I love the final line: - "Porsche - there is no substitute!"

People's wagon at the People's Museum

Posted 16/05/2016 by Terje Bjørnstad

The VW club and the Porsche 356 club had a gathering at the Folkemuseet.

All people over a certain age have a relationship with Folkevogn-bobla. An exhibition of folk wagons therefore hits most people, not just us who are car enthusiasts.

The square full of Bubbles!

When I stood by a Bubble with a split rear window, I dreamed back to 1964 when we went on summer vacation with the neighbors in their 1953 model. I studied the thin bakelite funnel and the tight interior space. My father who was 1,92 tall was sitting in the passenger seat with my little sister on his lap. Behind sat two ladies and me. The neighbour's 12-year-old sat huddled in the small room above the engine. There was a huge load of luggage on the roof rack that we couldn't fit in the front. The trip was more than 30 miles one way, and I don't remember how long it took, but Bobla walked fine the whole way. The only problem was that all the adults smoked - all the time.

Join me around the city area at the Norwegian Folk Museum this fine May Sunday to see these fine air-cooled cars. At the Folkemuseet, Folkevognene formed some fantastic timepieces.

The square and the city streets in the museum area were full of folkcarts. — Like being in a small Norwegian town in the 60s.

A Kurierwagen (181) with effects system that stirs up the dust. — A Kurierwagen (181) with effects system that stirs up dust.

Unbelievable that this is 43 years old.

The 1303 interior was more modern than before. Notice how the pedals are attached to the door. — The 1303 interior was more modern. Here, I think it looked more stylish than I remember. Notice how the pedals are attached to the door.

Traditional interior with obligatory flower tassel and the beautiful bast basket under the dash. Snaddeholder was probably more rare to see. — Traditional interior with obligatory flower tassel and the beautiful bast basket under the dash. Snatch holders were probably more rare to see.

One of the oldest at the meeting. A 1950 model in perfect condition. — One of the oldest at the meeting. A 1950 model - completely polished.

The split window rear window was retained until 1953.

Says something about the fantastic condition this car is in.

The interior is taken from another split window bubble at the meeting.

Interior image taken from another bubble at the meeting. The room behind the back seat was a popular hangout for us children - also at speed.

The direction indicator is a luminous rocker arm that pops out on the B-pillar. Note that early models did not have the triangular air vent. It first came in 1953.

Here is the nice interior of a bubble with an oval rear window (1953-1956).

A lavish 11-window T1 bus. The more windows, the more valuable. Samba had the most routes, with a total of 23!

The spartan driver's seat that characterizes the T1.

Westfalia created the special roof solutions that provided extra sleeping space under the roof.

A Westfalia Camper flanked by two other camper solutions.

Today, these cars are among the very few that actually cost more on the continent than here at home.

Also includes this nice Westfalia camper completed in 70s style.

I thought this was really stylish. Good ceiling height with pitched roof.

One of the few Porsche 356s. This is a 1959 model with 75 horses.

59 model at the front with a 63 model at the rear. At the very back is a T2 service car.

Is there any better vehicle to transport Porsche parts in?

I fell for this '73 911 S in trendy '70s green.

Correct rims and rear side window in air position.

At the gas station in Wesselsgate, a gentleman stopped by to fill up his bubble.

I wonder if it was the dentist's bubble that stood outside the dentist's office.

This split-window bubble passed the pharmacy on the way home.

This beautiful 1302 S was parked along the wall.

Correct and up-to-date decoration with Sanity's May flower (you remember it, right?) and Wunderbaum.

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