Buying used Porsche; reliving Can-am racing
The affordable porsche by Iain Ayre
Buying a second-hand automobile is hard at the best of times, but buying a second-hand sports car can be very nerve wracking indeed.
British Columbia automotive aficionado Iain Ayre’s book can put that doubt and fear to rest if you intend to buy a Porsche. Not only do you get his very experienced contributors’ best advice, but the ‘How’s and Where’s’ of finding that special Porsche. This publication covers the following models: 911, 912, 914, 924, 928, 944/968, the Boxster and the ultimate classic the 356.
Knowledge is power when buying a used Porsche, or any car for that matter, and Iain’s research will furnish you with the information you need in an easy-to-read format to give you the confidence you need to approach a deal in the right manner; that alone is worth the price of the paper it is printed on.
Here are some of the things you need to know: What are the flaws to look for? Where are the best cars found? How can you be sure that what you see is ‘as advertised?’ Where does the rust usually appear? What sort of after-market parts should one buy? What are the inherent structural design flaws in each model? Are parts readily available and at what cost?
It’s all there, including a list of identification numbers and all the model specifications for the interested second Porsche buyer. That can mean cash in your pocket or at least a good deal even if it does empty your bank account! If you go in ‘eyes wide open’ you should be sitting on an appreciating asset not a bucket of rust covered with Bondo!
Once you have successfully purchased your used ‘affordable Porsche,’ this book will advise you on how to maintain your investment, which is just as important as buying it correctly. I think for those pondering a Porsche purchase this book contains very valuable information.
Published by Haynes, $41.95
Can-amchallenger by Peter
Bryant
London cockney boy Peter Bryant was one of those determined types who strive to make their dreams come true come what may.
Born into a working-class family, with no preordained motor racing direction, he wanted above all else to become a motor racing mechanic. Not only did he achieve this lofty ambition, starting as a lowly fabricator at Lotus working for Colin Chapman, but he eventually gave up his position as a Formula One mechanic to go to America. There he took on the onerous and daunting task of designing and building a very competitive and successful Can-am Race car. Despite all odds, he succeeded.
The forward by Formula One and Can-am driver Jackie Oliver says it all: “Peter’s Autocoast team was a bright-burning light that burst onto the Can-am scene in the late-sixties. It was a pleasure and a privilege for me to be a small part of it.”
Oliver drove for Peter Bryant and using his superb talents was instrumental in achieving success for Peter’s unique Titanium Ti22 CanAm race car.
As we discover, life was not always sweetness and light, for deceit, rancour and hard luck play their part alongside the success, joy and financial rewards of podium finishes.
Peter, who had a great sense of humour, tells it all; the good, the bad and the ugly, with disarming honesty which will appeal to the reader. The photography, perhaps because of the paper stock, is a little hazy at times, but the genuine original material might also have been less than par.
From the days as a fun-loving kid at Lotus to the, at times, very challenging success of the Ti22 and The UOP Shadow, its all there frank, open and honest. This is a book that anyone who enjoyed the raw power and thunder of Can-am racing at its best shouldn’t miss as there is as much to learn and digest about what was happening off the tracks as on them. This is a good and enjoyable book.