Capsule Review: 1970 911 Porsche 2.2S
Published: November 18th, 2008
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In 1965 Porsche introduced the 901, the 2-plus-2 successor to the 356. The car, designed by Butzi Porsche in 1963, wasn’t a clean sheet or revolutionary design. Even so, Porsche later changed the name to the iconic 911 due to a dispute with Peugeot, which claimed ownership to all cars with “0” as the middle digit.The early 911s were under-powered and gasp… underdeveloped until they lengthened the wheelbase in 1969, and gave it more power.The extra grunt arrived in 1970 via increased displacement, in the form of the 2.2-liter engine.
Around town, the vintage 911 is sluggish below 3K rpm; to get anywhere quickly the flat-six’s revs must be maintained at a higher volume. The seating position is superb, with plenty of both headroom and glass with which to view the outside world. All early Porsches come alive on a twisty back road. Banging around the bends, 3rd gear is your friend. Keep her in the sweet spot, with occasional forrays to the 7200rpm redline, and you couldn’t ask for a willing engine– or exhilerating work out. The air-cooled engine’s seductive rasp turns into a wail. The 911’s steering becomes delicate but precise. Adrenalin flows as you blast along, unsafe in the knowledge that an overcooked cornered will feed the scenery the German sports car’s rear end.
Yes, there is that. The early 911s can leave the enthusiastic driver a little… fatigued. And although the car’s ergonomics say daily driver, there is no sense in which you could call the 911 a luxury GT. It’s really a plain old-fashioned visceral sports cars– albeit one with a sting in the tail and no Nanny to save your bacon. If you can get behind the wheel, adjust your driving accordingly. And wipe that damn grin off your face.
More by Robert Farago
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This is a stupid and unwinnable/unloseable argument, and as somebody who has owned numerous Porsches since 1957, I suspect way more than you have, it's a statistical garden path down which I decline to go. I'm not going to data-mine, and if you feel the vaunted Porsche brand has never had major and mystifying electrical problems, so be it. 993s are _way_ beyond my area of interest in the marque. Not being a cubicle Dilbert but a working freelancer, I really don't have time to do the arcane Internet research that seems so important to the statisticians among us.
Wow, did I strike a nerve? I didn't realize we were arguing? I guess that's the problem with electronic communication, there's no inflection outside of emoticons. I thought we were having a discussion and a good one at that. As for assumptions, you can make whatever ones you want.