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2018 has been a landmark year for our business. As we enter the final two weeks of 2018, we’re looking back at twelve special builds that have come to fruition at Wardington in the last twelve months.
12 Builds of Christmas 1: Bali Blue Porsche 911 2-litre race car
This short wheelbase 911 build for a German client came to us as an existing race car in need of TLC. The project to restore and update it had a very tight timeline, so we preserved as much of the race car build as was possible while optimising everything for the 2.0L Cup.
Finished in Signal Orange, the car was very solid, but in need of some work to bring it back to its best. After a detailed inspection and road test, the car was stripped in our competition workshop. Most consumable parts such as bearings would be replaced in the rebuild, while other larger components were inspected before going on “replace” or “refurbish” lists. The parts for refurbishment were sent off to be stripped and refinished, while the list of parts that would be replaced in the rebuild were ordered.
The naked bodyshell was fitted to one of our Celette chassis jigs and checked for straightness. While the car was on the jig, we added some strengthening to the shell. We also replaced the front panel to delete an untidy oil cooler conversion and ensure compliance with FIA regulations. The bolt-in roll cage was a relatively recent addition and met the regulations so was preserved. Other modifications included making new seat frames and running the oil lines through the sills.
Once our fabrication team finished working on the chassis, the bodyshell moved into our paint shop and was prepared for a colour change. The owner decided on Bali Blue, as it was more appropriate for period. Preparation and paint took several days, but the Bali Blue shell was moved into our competition workshop for reassembly with a mix of brand new or refurbished parts.
One major change was to the brake system. The car arrived wearing 3.0 brake calipers, but these were replaced with ’65 brakes, controlled by our twin master cylinder pedal box. This is legal in 2.0L Cup as long as the brake balance cannot be altered once on track. We also fitted a completely new competition wiring loom with our in-house wooden dash kit and made several improvements to the cabin.
The 2.0-litre engine was rebuilt to our latest specification, which normally produces circa 207 bhp. The cases were fully prepared with internal flow improvements and piston squirters added. The engine was built with our crankshaft, pistons and rods. Small-valve heads with steel valves were used as per the homologation requirements. We used Tuthill-spec camshafts and the sought after “big fan” seen on ’65/’66 cars. The transmission was also rebuilt to our 2.0-litre spec.
The finished 1965 Porsche 911 made its competition debut at the 2018 Le Mans Classic and also raced in the 2.0L Cup round at Paul Ricard. It’s having a few minor updates for 2019 and should be back out on track in Barcelona next April!
