Let me poke the Mama Bee ..
Was the decision I made together my buddy Chris Moore, probably among the top ten Master 911 mechanics in the country, when I decided that it's time to upgrade the 2.2L engine of my ’71 911T. I wanted the car to feel more like an ‘angry Mama Hornet’ when driven. That was 2005 and the car entered his shop shortly. The deal was that he can take his sweet time to create our joint vision. No time constraints whatsoever, also prevents catastrophic drainage of my meager bank account.
Although, I've been on this forum only since 2010, I haven't driven the car in almost 9 years. A lot of things have changed in those years. A LOT. I moved to couple of cities and collected some interesting rides in that time.
One thing we agreed right from the beginning was that we’ll preserve the original character of the car. No dumping in a 3.2L with a zillion BHP and much heavier too, as most people do and the cheaper alternative. We still wanted that buzzy, angry light car in the end. Decided against installing Air Con and also changing the 4-speed Sportomatic transmission to a regular 5 Speed manual. Although the 5-speed is more crisp and faster from a stand still, the Sporto was fine with me and pretty rare to boot. No, I am gonna keep it.
So, the car's engine has been completely upgraded. The upgrades are too exhaustive to list but, some of the significant changes are:
1. Engine capacity increased for 2.2L to 2.5L with a significantly higher compression ratio.
2. Mechanical Fuel Injection pump replaced with the 2.4S model.
3. Replaced mechanical Chain Tensioner with Hydraulic tensioners.
4. Upgraded fuel delivery system - fuel pumps etc.
5. Ignition upgraded to Electronic - no more 'contacts', all laser now. No more adjustments.
6. Crankshaft replaced with 2.7L crank.
7. Complete upgrade of the Valve heads - port, polish, valve uprades etc.
8. Upgraded Camshaft profile to match the upgraded capability.
9. Upgraded Throttle Body Assembly.
10. Sportomatic Transmission refreshed.
A Repeat First Drive or..
Will it just be a memory jog of the numerous great drives I had with the lady? Had all the upgrades changed her character too much and would I have to re-tame her? Or would it be an anticlimax since, I drive some pretty powerful modern cars now? Chris had dyno tuned it and promised me that the ride is actually more like a 'pissed of Hornet's nest’. So, when the driver called with the news of her delivery, I was excited and nervous at the same time.
The Reunion:
She: “Hey, I’m back”.
Me: “Hi”.
‘What’s with you”?
“You got some pretty good competition waiting”.
“Oh. Like what”? Was that nonchalance that I sensed? She hasn’t lost her spunk after all, it seems.
“A ‘Pontiac Solstice GXP and a ’96 ‘vette LT4! Pretty serious competition, I would say. Also had an amazing Duc 999 for six years and a Caddy CTS-V for a couple, while you were away”.
“Good, glad you kept up your skills. You’re probably going to need all of that GXP, ‘vette and whatever, and then some, to deal with me”. Ok, that was a definite smirk I spotted.
“There’s more. Couple of months ago, I picked up this”!
That seems to have perhaps caused some hesitation. After all, Z06 is serious business and everyone in the sports car world knows it only too well.
“Let’s go”.
After 9 long years, I turned that ignition. Took three or four cranks to fire her up but, that angry spluttering exhaust crackle, unmistakable and immediately put me in a familiar place. Took her around the neighborhood for a few rounds at a reasonable pace. Everything is coming back. The fantastic unassisted steering. I wonder how many in the sports car world can match that feel. The awesome cross-drilled brakes. That trade mark faint burnt oil smell from the oil return tubes of the early 911s. Oh yeah, my lips were starting to crack a smile and I’m sure she noticed, but probably pretended not to care.
Ok. Time to take her for a real drive and headed to the main road AND SHE PROMPTLY DIED. WHAT? WHAT? Starting to go ballistic. STUPID ME, she ran out of gas. AAA promptly brought me 5 gallons. Decided that this was probably an omen thingy, what with my excitement and all, and turned back home. Tomorrow, we’ll dance or, something.
I think I can dance..
Was what I was hoping as I headed out to some nearby deserted two-lane highways, the next day. She seemed eager to get going as I was. As soon as the road opened up, I floored it. HECK YEAH. She leapt forward so fast, I grip the steering tight till I felt comfortable with her reaction times. This was not just a pissed off Hornet’s Nest, this was more like angry hornets about 2 feet from my butt and closing in. Furious is a good word. Z06 furious, no, that’s more like ‘ferocious’ but, he’s (yes male, no ifs or buts) a different beast altogether with his own story to tell soon.
She has only two modes now – restrained fast and FAST. Perfect is another good word. The new fat MOMO steering works great. The brakes phenomenal. The radio was playing ‘She’s a Natural Disaster’ by Lonnie Mack. Did I say ‘Perfect’ was a good word, a great word really. Every action occurring at a heightened level of urgency. Changing lanes, minor flick, done. Passing - flick, tap throttle, done. Lightness, power and handling. Germans perfected the combo with the early 911s, a long time ago. They didn’t need ABS, TCS and what not, just good, willing drivers.
The dance is zealous, raw and pure at well over 100 mph on a 70 mph speed limit. Oh, I can live with this. No, I need this. The engine - real angry, buzzy and screaming. An M-16 on steroids going off. The hornets seemed pissed that they are anchored and can’t go right through the car. The feedback is instantaneous, intertwined to every sinew in your body, as are the reactions to my inputs. The closing speed on the few cars on the road - deceptive, scary impressive. She smirks “See boy, there ain’t no substitutes”. I ignore her and keep up the tempo. The desert around is a blur, the sparse greenery melding to present a mirage of continuous greenery. Well past the open laughter stage, we just soak in the intensity of it all. The few curves don’t need any steering inputs, just whipped around by the camber. I need to take her up Mt. Charleston for the savory, mouthwatering twisties up there. Hey, I can dance, lady. I thought, she seemed to begrudgingly agree.
Finally turn back home, probably concerned that the fun will just keep me going and going and going. No coasting back this time, though. Blast back home, no other way to drive the lady now. Dang, every home coming is gonna be a disappointment now.
And as she never fails to point out “Have you seen me lately”?
Still some stuff to be done. The interior has accumulated some grime over the years and needs real professional detailing to bring back to snuff. Need new tires too. The rear bumper needs to be repainted and it's weather stripping changed. Stuff like that. I'm glad I stripped down the paint to bare metal and had it repainted back in '96. The 18 year old paint has held up remarkably well. But then she has never seen snow/salt and not more than 5 or 6 rain showers in that time.
What a car she has turned out to be. It's magical when reality turns out to be better than your dream. Rare though. But it also changed my life completely and taught me the lesson of taking calculated risks. That lesson has since, stood me in great stead. I thank God every moment for that eventful day back in 1996, when I bought a dream with no interior, just a body, engine and tires, from someone's lawn in the winter capital of Winnipeg, Canada, of all places. That too with all of $600 in my bank account.
Take a chance on that dream of yours, it could turn out to be a lot better, rewarding and happier than you ever expected.
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the update.
Cheers and safe driving. Don't be too slow though.