Harry’s Garage

[integrale_evo]

Worries about steering feel but not the godawful racket the gearbox had been making for the past decade or so

[Mito Man]

I thought I was misremembering so searched the original article
https://www.ezpowersteering.nl/wp-conte ... ctane2.pdf
The retrofit electric steering system just sat on the rack and if turned off was meant to be no different to not having the system. But you could turn it on at low speeds and get all the benefits. It's odd that over 10 years ago when Harry was presumably stronger he found that the steering "reduces
the driver to a bundle of quivering muscle" yet he's binned it now.
Clearly there's a load of bullshit somewhere in between all this and dare I say, from all the comprehensive pics, it was Harry and the power steering company scratching each others backs.
The concluding remarks are good "Two months on and I reckon having EZ electric power steering is like driving on radial tyres after crossplies. Having power steering allows you to dig so much deeper into a car’s abilities, meaning you get to enjoy the process of actually driving even more."

So by removing the system he can't enjoy driving the car as much now

[scotta]

Worries about steering feel but not the godawful racket the gearbox had been making for the past decade or so

Proceeds to loan the car to Amazon for the grand tour with fucked gearbox...

[Barry]

To be fair, he didn't intend taking the Lambo on this trip, and we can see why now. Good vid all the same, nice to see some smooth roads and sun tbh!!

[mik]

I thought I was misremembering so searched the original article
https://www.ezpowersteering.nl/wp-conte ... ctane2.pdf

Thanks for finding/posting that. I was also starting to doubt my memory, but no - he's as overwhelmingly positive about the original install as I thought.

Obvs I have never driven a Countach - we could do with input from @JonathanE ) but It does look punishingly heavy (link below takes you to the salient point in the vid) - great having feel, but not so much if it leaves the helm so heavy that you have to drive it slowly as you know you'll never catch it if it gets out of shape.

[JonathanE]

Nice to see the cars getting used; maybe a few thoughts:

- I'm surprised that Harry was surprised that most of the roads in Mallorca don't suit a Countach. It's a small, mountainous island! The Countach is much more an A-road rather than a B-road car (never mind the challenge that his one is RHD). Mainland Spain or south of France are much more suitable.

- The steering is indeed heavy, particularly at <15mph. I think the QV is a bit heavier than my old lowbody, and it also has wider front tyres; both factors would add to the steering effort.

- The guy who bought my Pantera paid for me to fit the EZ power steering system to it (the standard Pantera steering is slightly lighter than the Countach) as he wanted his wife to be able to drive it too!). I drove it a few times before he picked it up - it certainly makes the car much easier to drive at low speeds, but I was happy enough without it before. I didn't have a chance to test it at higher speeds but I think the level of assistance tails off anyway. So personally I wouldn't have spent the money myself (around £5k including fitting). There is also an argument that it's better to have well-matched controls, and the Countach clutch/throttle/brakes/gearchange certainly demand effort. But that's part of the appeal!

- I wouldn't believe anyone who claims they can drift a Countach or apply a well-timed dab of oppo. (I've seen a couple of Youtube videos of people trying to do just that, and they aren't very convincing). I certainly would never have tried it myself. Towards the end of Mel Nichols' 1978 launch story of the LP400S1 he mentions asking the factory test driver Stanislao Sterzel (who was also a WSCC driver) for an oversteer photo, and the guy just laughed! At the risk of sounding like a driving instructor, I would also personally do any gear changes before reaching the corner, whether or not the car needs both hands on the wheel mid-corner.

None of the above detracts from the epicness of the Contact. But if you want to combine a Modena soundtrack with an open top and B-road agility, maybe try a Silhouette... selling that was even more stupid.

Jonathan

[speedingfine]

We got up at 4am and saw the sun rise at Cap De Formentor, next to no traffic at that time Disappointing lack of commitment from HM and his cohorts

[GG.]

- I wouldn't believe anyone who claims they can drift a Countach or apply a well-timed dab of oppo. (I've seen a couple of Youtube videos of people trying to do just that, and they aren't very convincing). I certainly would never have tried it myself. Towards the end of Mel Nichols' 1978 launch story of the LP400S1 he mentions asking the factory test driver Stanislao Sterzel (who was also a WSCC driver) for an oversteer photo, and the guy just laughed! At the risk of sounding like a driving instructor, I would also personally do any gear changes before reaching the corner, whether or not the car needs both hands on the wheel mid-corner.

There's video evidence that Harry's can - in the hands of Chris Harris on a damp road at least



ETA: may as well post my other favourite Countach video here.

[mik]

There's video evidence that Harry's can - in the hands of Chris Harris on a damp road at least

I posted this in the Gandini thread, but if the lariest drifting vids on the whole of teh internet are drivers of the skill level of Monkey & Mauro managing just brief slides at low speeds - I’m taking Jonathan’s point as FACT.

[Explosive Newt]

Harry's lambo appears to be the most drifted countach in the world. No wonder the gearbox was shagged.

[speedingfine]

Well this sounds rather nice doesn't it.

[KiwiDave]

Just watched the Theon clip and love how Harry's gushing over it. And I prefer the way it sounds to the standard Singers too.

But...

There's a few things about the fit and finish and design touches which just aren't Singer are they? I can't help but think if you sat Rob Dickinson and Richard Tuthill quietly in a room where no one was taking notes, what they'd say? There are bits about it which just aren't Singer/Tuthill level (finish of the carbon under the bonnet, that side mirror issue Harry mentions, the iPhone sized slab of whatever it is in the centre console, the footrest).

At 750k you can afford a Singer or a Tuthill and I can't help but think the better money still goes there? I might ask them for the Theon overrun engine sound though...

[mik]

Just watched the Theon clip and love how Harry's gushing over it. And I prefer the way it sounds to the standard Singers too.

But...

Part of me loves the idea of older 911’s that are brought up to date, and part of me doesn’t. Same goes for other brands, but whilst I would love an MST Escort, and I can absolutely see the appeal of the Alfaholics GTA - these are cars that don’t exist today. I can’t help but feel that if you want a modern 911 with modern capabilities and pace - you can get one from your local Porsche dealership and save yourself rather a lot of £s. Leaving you plenty of cash to buy and renovate an original spec 964 for when you want that old-school feel/drive.

Have seen and prodded a Singer and couldn't fail to be impressed by the finish and materials, but thats not what really excites me in a car. So yeah, but also a bit meh. If you forced me, I’d choose a Tuthill over a Singer.

This Theon looks nice too, and I don’t see why another capable company can’t step into the same niche/bespoke space that Singer plays in. It does sounds glorious, but some of the mods seem like updates for the sake of update - that gear lever doesn’t appeal at all. I love that it uses the same Recaro seats as fitted to my Evora - I agree they look a little incongruous in that interior, but I’d still tick that box.

[KiwiDave]

I can’t help but feel that if you want a modern 911 with modern capabilities and pace - you can get one from your local Porsche dealership and save yourself rather a lot of £s. Leaving you plenty of cash to buy and renovate an original spec 964 for when you want that old-school feel/drive.

Having driven all of them obviously, I can conclusively say the point of all these restomod 911s is that they do modern and old all in one no?

[mik]

Having driven all of them obviously, I can conclusively say the point of all these restomod 911s is that they do modern and old all in one no?

I do not contest this claim, and I can see definite merits. I’m just not sure that (for me) those merits outweigh the opportunity to own a current capable version for when I want modern and pacey, and a pristine period version for when I want reminiscing and raw tactility. With (rather a lot of) money still in teh bank.

[Jobbo]

I posted this on the PH thread but since the Theon is being discussed here I'm adding it too, as well as a link to the 911 I'd buy (which I've already stuck in the wanted thread): https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/det ... ned-EQMXPE

The bespoke front sidelight/indicator cluster and modern headlight units make it look more like a 993 from head on than a restomod. Backdated air-cooled 911s are fine with me provided they are completely original looking. Stick 17” Fuchs wheels on and projector lights and it looks more like something you’d have seen in Max Power back in the day.

Some quite tasteful interior trim though; I liked that. But not as much as I like the heritage interiors in a 992 for 1/4 the price (or 1/6 the price if you don’t mind a year old car).

[KiwiDave]

I can't help but think that the vast majority of Tuthill's cars, especially something like the K have got it spot on. Early Singers have it for me too, they nailed the design in the same way we praise Jony Ive for reinventing carboard boxes for phones as an experience. They've become cliche as the default answer, but only because they're perfect.

Later Singers miss the point entirely for me, even though the DLS engine gives me tight pants.

[Rich B]

I don't think these restomods take anything away from the originals - I expect most are based on cooking spec cars rather than cutting up an RS, and cooking spec 964s aren't that rare.

I think there's room for all - and they're bespoke - so not each one will not be trying to suit every persons taste. If you don't like it, then get them to make one you do like.

[Jobbo]

cooking spec 964s aren't that rare.

I suspect they might be now - the last 911s which used the original body (OK, not the original original swb) so quite a few will have been modified to backdate them. I doubt anyone will be adding impact bumpers or 964 plastic valances to a bare shell in the future so a decent 964 will become rarer and rarer.

[V8Granite]

Where these recreations win the most is the size, the modern 991 is a huge thing compared to before and had lost a lot of its curves.

The overrun sound on that video could have been from a group C racecar it sounded so good!

Dave!