Vehicle Description
Two words define this project: excessive enthusiasm. The ethos
behind the build was to create a car that was within the scope of
being built in the mid-to-late '70s using factory parts and using
factory finishes and materials. This 1972 911 ST recreation is
vintage, reimagined.
The exterior is Stone Grey, a 356 A color that accentuates the
ST-style steel flares on each corner. The factory steel front
bumper was flared to match the front fenders and each cooling slot
was cut by hand. Above the bumper are new-old-stock Cibie driving
lights with covers inset of the H4 headlights and
1973-specification Italian turn signal lenses. The 1972 door trim
was replaced with 1968 door trim with vent windows to increase
airflow in the cabin without adding additional weight.
The factory steel bumper corners were also flared to match to rear
quarter panels. The rear deck lid is aluminum alloy and its hinges
have been extensively lightened. A 911 ST-style grille with no
cross bars allows better airflow to the engine. Between the rear
bumper corners is an alloy license plate panel framed by chrome
bumper guards. 1973-specification European tail light lenses finish
out the rear.
The entirety of the body was stitch-welded inside and out. The
battery boxes were deleted with factory-ST-style strengthened
plates and a single, 4.8lb lithium-ion battery is located in the
smuggler's box for a reduced polar moment.
The unique interior was meant to be a more inviting place than a
typical 911 interior. The seats are period Recaros with fresh
corduroy in the centers mounted atop sliding mounts and bespoke
brackets influenced by the RS Lightweight. Seat belts are
period-style 3-point belts with recreation "Repa" tags. Once
seated, the gray leather dash trim insert brings some lightness
into your vision and transitions to gray leather door panels, which
are modified versions of the 1967 panels with no armrests and a
simple leather door pull framed by a machined aluminum
escutcheon.
As with most special builds, the heart of the car is its engine- in
this case, a 3.2-liter short-stroke built from a special, Carrera
3.0 930/02 engine case. The factory crankshaft sits in coated
bearings and the rods also benefit from coated bearings and ARP rod
bolts. The rotating assembly was balanced to help keep harmonics in
check. Factory cylinders were re-nikasiled and CP pistons were
installed. A modified 993 oil cooler delete/secondary oil filter
console was installed.
The valvetrain is very special: factory 2.8 RSR center-oiling cams
provide the bump for factory forged rockers. Valve lash is adjusted
with factory motorsport lash caps. New 930 chain tensioners have
fail-safes installed and tension heavy-duty chains over new idler
and cam gears. The idlers were treated with an oil-shedding coating
because, well, they weren't good enough as-was.
The heads are ported and twin-plugged. A twin-plug distributor
controls spark, while an MSD 6ALN helps boost intensity. Twin
ignition coils are mounted on a replica ST dual coil mount at the
rear of the engine compartment and dummy CDI boxes are mounted on a
factory-style extended relay panel. The exhaust is routed through
stainless steel headers and a stainless sport muffler; the exhaust
note is not for the timid!
Power is sent to the Rest-of-World-spec 915/67 gearbox with
integrated transmission oil cooler. A Guard Transmission plate-type
limited-slip transmission makes sure both tires make the most of
the grip they have and the car has custom GT gearsets for third
through fifth to keep the engine on boil and match its power
curve.
The suspension was an area where slight deviation was deemed
necessary to deliver the road-holding and reliability demanded of
modern custom builds. The front control arm and rear spring plate
bushings are PolyBronze for a combination of ride quality and quick
reflexes. The front control arm rear bushings are mounted in
low-friction mounts to reduce suspension friction and increase
damper effectiveness. Front upper mounts are spherical bearing
camber plates to increase tire effectiveness and, despite their
lack of bushing material, do not negatively affect ride
harshness.
Front torsion bars are 22mm, plated and plugged, and rears are
27mm, plated and plugged. The front dampers are Bilstein Sports
with raised and gusseted spindles. Brackets to put the
bump-steer-adjustable tie-rods in double-shear were also welded to
the front strut housing. Inner tie rods are Turbo-style. Anti-roll
bars are RSR-style, hollow bars with reinforced body mounts front
and rear. End links are adjustable front and rear to remove
preload. The car was corner-weighted after assembly and can be
corner-weighted for the purchaser's weight at no charge.
Rear spring plates are SC-style adjustable, connecting to aluminum
trailing arms with stiffer durometer rubber bushings replacing the
factory inner pivots. Bilstein Sport dampers keep the rear under
control.
The rubbers that meet the road are Michelin TB15 tarmac rally
compound tires mounted on 8x15 Fuchs wheels front and 9x15 Fuchs
wheels rear.
Additional reinforcement was added to the chassis in the form of
gussets inside the front control arm/fuel tank support as well as
boxed engine compartment corners, perimeter-welded rear damper
mounts, a thicker-gauge parcel tray header and ST-style front strut
bracing.
Braking is handled by a Zuffenhaus 917-style caliper setup
utilizing 930 internals. Factory 930 pads give exceptional bite and
modulation on the street and pedal feel is superb thanks to a
larger bore master cylinder. Stainless "soft" lines add pedal feel
and increase resistance to road debris damage.
To learn more about this fantastic build, please visit it in our
media section here: https://cprclassic.com/media/36
For more information please call our sales department at (760)
723-8900.