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Have we thought of the future all air-cooled 911?

eyecandy993

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Joined
22 Jan 2010
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486
While prices of air-cooled 911's is increasing, for those of us who could be able to enjoy them and drive them in 20 years time including our beloved 993's, I was wondering if future legislation in some or all countries and the availability of suitable automotive fuels would allow us to do just that. I was wondering if some engineering setup could manufacture a replacement electric drive train both for our beloved air-cooled and possibly other vintage vehicles. It will not be anymore authentic but at least we would be able to take them out on the roads.

As regards the 993 I was thinking of the engine and gearbox replaced by an high performance electric drive train as for the Tesla saloon S complete with converter from DC battery to three phase AC current. The forward fuel tank could house the Li Ion batteries which could give a range of around 150km. Extra cooling would be needed for the batteries so any radiators positioned in the front could need a modified PU. A Range extending horizontally opposed two cylinder BMW air-cooled bike engine converted to work on GPL, natural gas or even hydrogen driving an electrical generator can easily fit above and and behind the Tesla motor together with cooling fan and extra thin-wear. Gas tank could replace part of the bulky cataliser/exhaust system in the rear wings (may have some safety issues) or else in an overhead tank in a rased back within a Turbo type wing. I am sure range can be extended beyond 400 kms.
Lastly all C2's and C4's would have an small auxiliary hub mounted maybe 30 bhp electric motor driving the front wheels and used for regenerative breaking and traction when needed. There would also likely be better weight distribution on the 911's but the standard wheels may have to have an altered design. At today's money I would say around £18000 all in. What are your thoughts?
 
Surely it ceases to be the car we love...
 
I like this idea. Certainly there must be a growing specialist market in converting cars to electric, but I don't think the 993 is the ideal candidate.

Too expensive to buy the base car, for a start - although I bet you could sell one or two for an absolute fortune if they were built "properly". But only one or two. Also, probably too heavy.

If you could find one with no engine (maybe a CAT D car) it may be viable.

I'd bet that within a few years someone does do this to a 911, as a demonstrator if nothing else. My suggestion would be do it to a 996 that has lost its engine. Much more practical both economically and mechanically, I would think.

Porsche will probably beat anyone to it, though.
 
The 993 and other classics are facing real threats from multiple directions. Firstly I can see legislation making them very expensive to use on account of emissions. Next I see restrictions on where and possibly when they. An be used.

Within a decade i foresee all vaguely affordable Insurance will require some form of black box to be fitted. This may act as a tell tale should you ever exceed a speed limit. This would make the Insurance people cross and they could demand more money from you.

The increasing values mean casual use would be misguided, especially if values of the next 5 years follow the pattern of the past 5. You will need to be brave indeed to keep using on daily if today's £30k car is worth £60k plus even if a tip, targa and challenging colour scheme.

On the other hand none of that may occur.
 
In the immediate short term 2020, pre 2006 vehicles (both diesel and petrol) will be covered in the congestion charge zone in London 7 days a week.

The silly thing is the media is attached to the Diesel issue but forgetting that it covers petrol vehicles as well. Its not well communicated at the moment.
 
I think this will happen

Insurers will bring in black boxes ......... However a crafty insurer will see that there is a market (and profit) to sell Insurance without the need of a black box. So all will be fine.

Mr Porsche himself started off with electric power and 100 plus years later, we are still using fossil fuels.

Someone one day will point out that electric cars are no more fossil friendly than a petrol car and the first battery explosion in a collision ot whatever etc etc will put a damper on that. Even if they do succeed it will be 20 years before they supass the fossil fueled engined cars and by then we would all have probs moved on to something like Hydrogen.

British Leyland 1974. The goverment were going to let it go to the wall, problem was that would have directly and indirectly left up to 2 million people out of work, so they had to support it. Move on forty years. BP, Royal Dutch Shell et al are very very big companies that employ hundreds of thousands (maybe well over a million indirectly) of people, then add all the other major oil producers from the States to Russia. Can you really believe a goverment (any goverment)has the clout or guts to take these guys on? Not a chance. I can't see goverment legislate in a big way againt the petrol engine any time soon.

In 1975 I was told oil would run out in 25 years. Add on the fact that engines are far more efficent and that wasnt allowed for in the 25 year figure, we have also found new ways to find and extract it, so surprise surprise I still fill up 40 years later.

The great thing about modern life is that when it gets all a bit too modern we yearn for how things were, and that is a big big market. Everything from aircooled cars to vintage looking new fridges. Where there's a market there's a salesman who will make what we want and sell it to us. The petrol engine aint going nowhere soon.
 
Except if high polluting sports cars get their wide arses legislated off the road leaving the joyless econoboxes behind?
 
Don't forget "last of the air cooled" have become commoditised.

Restrictive regulations are unlikely to come into force globally.

We may have to sell our cars to other markets that are able to still drive them.

Of course it helps if you have something a bit rare or niche etc...... :wink:
 
Doesn't help if you own a car and live here and want to carry on using it though.

Surely this is the twilight of performance car driving in the UK. Speeding is now seen as a few short steps away from other seriously anti social behaviours and the punishments meted out to those who are captured are ever more draconian. This mindset will prevail.

So you end up with an old, fast (isn) car, that pollutes a lot, is pretty crummy on mPG that you can't drive with any verve....

All a bit doom and gloom I know but i maintain its all headed that way.
 
I have always thought that when it comes to the end of public use, cars will end up being used like horses?

Maybe not as crazy as it seems!

You may end up taking them to the track or places you can use them for fun rather than A-B motoring which was a large part of their original use before so many became garage queens!
 
I think there is some truth in what you are speculating, I can't see us being able to drive into cities for much linger without paying a fee.

There is no doubt insurers are moving towards black boxes and trackers which achieve much the same thing, though any of us who drive around with a smart phone are at risk of prosecution if we get can't speeding in an accident these days.

I think the first challenge we will face with our air cooled cars will be high ethanol petrol which rots the fuel lines and eventually destroys the tank and fuel rails etc.... I'm sure it would be possible to convert them and I have asked a few Porsche experts but they all thought I was mad. It's happened in some parts of the States with marine and agricultural kit and some bikes already.

I dithered about buying a 993 for worrying about this which cost me a fortune when I eventually bought one but I think it's naive not to think someday the Eco lobby and health and safety farts will make it bloody difficult to enjoy our cars .

I'm still glad I own one though :D
 
Personally I think 993's and other similar desirable cars will just become more desirable.....

- it's not about speed it's about the "experience" which the 993 has in spades over newer cars

- our gas guzzling, high emission cars are minuscule in the great scheme of things, policies concentrate on medium / long term plans affecting new cars which eventually replace old cars. Classic cars will always be an insignificant minority and largely ignored / exempt from punitive legislation aimed at new cars. It is hard politically to be seen to penalise the "poorer" who are henerally perceived to drive older cars etc.....

- fossil fuel will always be available, even if synthetic, that is more likely to keep our cars running rather than changing the drive train.

- they will become a prized "asset" for the rich over the decades, just the same as antiques have always been, nothing new in that

Of course I could be completely wrong and they get banned from the roads :grin:
 
We could always resort to this:-
 

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