Awesome 'period' video of the 469hp1987 Yellowbird. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Thomd4BQg&eurl=
It looks like a twitchy, handful of a beast, trying its darnedest to kill its driver, so I can only imagine what the 700hp Ruf 993 featured in the latest GRM must be like.
No helmet it, looks like its got a pretty good chance of killing him too.
i heard the 993 has a built in barf bag dispenser as standard equipment....
Is it strange that I would have no desire at all to drive a car like that (is so difficult to control)? There are plenty of fast cars id like to drive, but I dont understand what people like about aircooled 911s and stuff like that.
Travis_K wrote: Is it strange that I would have no desire at all to drive a car like that (is so difficult to control)? There are plenty of fast cars id like to drive, but I dont understand what people like about aircooled 911s and stuff like that.
I think that it's the edge......knowing that you are ultimately in control...no built in interference. Add that with the already tail happy/on-off turbo characteristics of the older 911 = pure drivers enjoyment.
I'd drive it.
Looks like fun.
That thing seems terrifying to drive. It rotates like an Elise, then slides like a 3rd gen Supra, then wants to snap back like an NSX. Not a good combination. Might be fun in a simulator but I think your stomach would dissolve itself as you actually drive it.
Still not as scary as some old Lambos...at least this thing gives you some warning.
This video made it's rounds a few years ago, and if I'm remembering right, that is Walter Rohrl at the wheel.
In my opinion, after having tracked and raced a 73 911 for 6 years, the the twitchiness is more ill-founded legend rather than fact. Rohrl is driving the car for style, more than speed, BTW.
Stefan Roser is the guy who's usually associated with the Yellow Bird and the 'Ring. I suspect it's him in the video.
I have wanted that car since I saw it in Road & Track as a kid. That was the car that made me a fan of 911s
Helmets are not manditory on the 'Ring yet they are for Stock , SCCA solol... duh
Travis_K wrote: Is it strange that I would have no desire at all to drive a car like that (is so difficult to control)? There are plenty of fast cars id like to drive, but I dont understand what people like about aircooled 911s and stuff like that.
The fact that they aren't the easiest cars to master makes them appealing for a ton of enthusiasts. What's the challenge in going fast in a GT-R when any hack can do it? I think the appeal in aircooled Porsches is learning the car's idiosyncrasies and creating a connection between man and machine. It may not be easy to go fast, but once you figure it out you feel like a hero. That, and they sound fantastic at WOT.
I want a mid 80's 911SC very, very badly.
Yah!, any a-hole can make a FWD car go around a track at a decent pace, hang a 500hp engine off the back of a rear drive and you will soon see what kind of a man you are!
I agree with what was said above, the challenge is the fun. I would have way more fun (if I lived) driving the Yellowbird than a new GT-R.
Cars that try to kill you are way more fun...
You really need to drive a 911 in anger to "get" the handling.
I LOVE air-cooled 911s. No power steering, no power brakes, no traction control, no ABS. They just didn't need any of that garbage.
The 930 is my dream car. But I'll settle for a 911SC with a targa top.
I've seen aerial footage of this car (I think 2 the "Ring) before--never this in-car footage.
Quite a bear to keep on the pavement.
Certainly is a more "pure" driving experience over the current versions w/ all the nannies and 22 years of suspension development.
OK, I finally took a look at it (I was at work previously).
Looks to me like he might be goofing off a bit on the slow sweepers (drifting them), but it seems like the high speed stuff is just the way it drives. It reminds me of an extreme AutoX setup running a road coarse. Notice that almost any steering input requires an immediate and rather violent counter steer to keep the big tires at the rear.
I still say it would be ball-o-fun to do (after the 20 or so spin-outs learning the handling). Although I suspect if I was driving that car there would be a few motorcyclists in the hospital!
You would certainly want to know what you were doing to drive that thing there. Dont they charge like $2500/foot to replace the guardrail if you hit it? I guess id have to drive one to say for sure, but from watching things like that and hearing stories about them, I still think that its a design flaw for a car to be that unstable at speed.
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