RENNSPORT RENEGADE
R Gruppe member Dave Eck fondly remembers his dadʼs two 356s and how he promised himself he would own an early Porsche one day. His longing came to fruition shortly after the turn of the century, courtesy of this subtly-altered ʼ72 911T, which continues t
Dave Eck’s white lightning 911 is a poster child for the R Gruppe
Visiting Southern California, the influence of the car culture on the social fabric will be clear for all to see. Los Angeles and its sprawling surroundings never benefited from public transportation comparable to that found in most European cities, post-wwii. After the conflict, automobiles became increasingly popular, with the young crowd in particular embracing a new breed of vehicles called hot rods. They were often based on inexpensive, stripped down 1920s and ʼ30s roadsters, and the great weather allowed owners to drive them all year long.
Car manufacturers took notice of Californiansʼ love affair with automobiles, too. Even European companies such as Porsche knew the importance of Americaʼs west coast market and, not surprisingly, the new Speedsters sold very well in the sunny western states. After all, the Speedster offered some traits in common with hot rods, being lively, lightweight – and topless.
Decades later, vintage Porsches and the hot rod culture continue mingling in California, as exemplified by Dave Eckʼs 1972 911T, a model year characterised by its oil-filler flap set on the right-hand rear wing. The Orange County, California, resident belongs to the renowned R Gruppe, which comprises a few hundred early 911s modified in the spirit of what Porsche could have done back in the days of the factory Sports Purpose programme. Some might call them hot rods; but the club in question prefers the ʻoutlawʼ moniker.
Like many kids growing up in Socal, Dave showed a strong interest in cars at an early age, discovering the German brand thanks to his dad, who owned a couple of 356s, while his grandfather worked at Masterson Motors, a Vw/porsche dealer located in the city of Ventura. ʻI remember the day the first batch of 911s came to the dealership,ʼ says Dave.
He later used to cut out Porsche ads from Road & Track magazine and plaster them in his room knowing that, someday, he would own one. Well, a successful career in the medical industry allowed him to do just that, starting with a Grand Prix White ʼ97 Carrera C4S, then the ʼ72 featured here, followed by a stock Signal Red ʼ66 coupé. His fondness for German cars also translates into an immaculate 1957 Oval-window Beetle and a low-mileage ʼ76 VW Westfalia camper, itself a true time machine.
When it comes to the white 911, Dave is quick to thank another well-known hero of the Porsche scene, the late
Roger Grago, whose own Aubergine ʼ73 Rs-inspired 911T appeared in the May 2012 issue of Classic Porsche. The two enthusiasts had known each other since 1982. ʻAround 2001, I told Roger I always loved the ʼ72 911S model and was looking to buy a project,ʼ remembers Dave. ʻRoger called me back a few months later, telling me he had found the right candidate. I quickly went to check it out.ʼ
While not the ʻSʼ he longed for, the car turned out to be a very clean, one-owner ʼ72 911T beautifully painted in Grand Prix White, a car which had always resided in Southern California. It already featured some alterations, including ʼ73 Carrera RS flares and slightly stretched front wings to allow the fitment of 7Jx16 Fuchs rims to match the 8Jx16s at the rear. The ʼ73 Carrera RS Touring theme continues with the rear bumper and rockers, though a 911S supplied the front bumper. What lurks under the decklid very much defines an R Gruppe car; thankfully, this sunroof coupé already ran a healthy powerplant, in the shape of an Andial-tuned twin-plug 2.7-litre flat-six, fitted with a few choice parts, such as a genuine RSR distributor.
Yet, Dave was still on the fence about buying the vehicle, due to its somewhat dated appearance. It had 911SC mirrors, blacked out window trim, plus wheels with black centres and polished lips. The interior featured plenty of black corduroy, 911SC door panels and bulky Scheel seats, too. As he looked at it, friend (and one of the current R Gruppe administers) Ray Crawford stopped by in his ʼ70 911S; he recommended buying it – and Dave did.
He enjoyed the coupé in this form for a couple of years, entering various events organised by the Early 911S Registry and the R Gruppe, which influenced him to bring his Grand Touring-themed toy to the next level. With the paint still in excellent shape, Dave knew he had the perfect canvas for the hot rod/outlaw he envisioned, so went ahead and contacted the Haydon brothers (see issue #32 of Classic Porsche).
Vintage Porsche gurus Doug and Whit Haydon have been in business in Orange County since 1972, first working on Volkswagens while belonging to the renowned Der Kleiner Panzers VW club, as had Roger Grago. Work involved replacing the fuel tank with a 22-gallon ʼ86 Carrera unit, accompanied by a 6Jx15 Fuchs rim and space-saver tyre.
Jim East Auto Painting did some touch up, including in the trunk where it is still possible to see small patches of the original Aubergine paint.
The team of TLG Auto led by Tony Gerace handled the formerly blackout-out trim, now shining as it did when the car left the Zuffenhausen plant – note use of chromed H1 headlight rims and period-correct outside mirror. Tony also built a close-ratio 915 gearbox, featuring an overdrive fifth, a limited-slip differential and a short-shift kit.
Dave elected to keep the 16-inch rims, though Al Reed anodised them for a finish of the highest level, while black accents now match the finish of the 15-inch wheels available in 1972. Choosing sticky Michelin Pilot rubber, measuring 205/55R16 and 225/50R16, means the car handles great and remains comfortable.
Plenty of work went into the chassis, the goal being to offer softer suspension and firmer torsion/sway bars. To this effect, Dave used four Bilstein heavy-duty shocks and Weltmeister rubber bushings, in addition to Sander Engineering tubular 21mm (front) and 28mm (rear) torsion bars. At the front, he elected to use dropped spindles, a factory ʼ86 Carrera aluminium crossmember and 930 Turbo tie-rods, plus a 1976 930 Turbo 18mm through-the-body antiroll bar. The aluminium trailing arms, sourced from a 1986 911 Carrera, and a 21mm anti-roll bar with Wevo mounts complete the setup. Rothsport supplied the 930 Turbo brakes, matched to a 23mm master cylinder.
Thankfully, the 2.7-litre MFI engine was in good health, meaning the Haydon brothers could concentrate on small details such as moving the CDI boxes, together with the freshly cad-plated hardware and clamps, as seen on ʼ72 911s. Worth noting are some interesting features, including the one-off mounting plate for the dual coils (an Andial trademark) and the correct white-coloured thumbscrews on the aftermarket intake horn (most found on the market are black). That horn had a carbon-fibre look-alike finish, which didnʼt please Dave, thus explaining the decision of painting it black – itʼs also fitted with GT Racing ʻtinʼ and shroud. Initially he ran an original Leistritz exhaust with SSI heater boxes, although this has since been replaced with a cool twin-pipe Monty system. To make sure the oil temp remains under 210ºf, a brass 28-tube cooler hides under the right front wing.
In the meantime, Dave had gathered a pile of parts ready to be installed in the cockpit, starting with a pair of stock sports seats produced six weeks after the coupé came out of the factory (June 1972). Eric Linden supplied the vintagecorrect black and white houndstooth material, stitched by
Tony Garcia at Autobahn Interiors. Tony additionally handled the rest of the upholstery, using black leatherette and German Haargarn carpeting in the back, which lost its rear seats. The no-frills interior features factory rubber mats, plus Rs-style door panels. They feature custom leather pulls and electric window switches that activate 964 motors, which are more reliable and faster than the stock equipment.
A handful of other goodies came from contemporary Porsches, specifically the 993 model; they include the door strikers, which have been cadmium-plated silver, the large ventilation grille, along with the seatbelts, which resemble the ʼ72 pieces but work oh-so-smoothly. As you might see, the dash lacks a radio, but it now houses a 180mph speedo and 10,000rpm tach (with a 7500rpm red zone set at 12 oʼclock), both rebuilt by North Hollywood Speedometer. Dave agonised over which to use of the several steering wheels he had gathered, ultimately settling on a rare 380mm Nardi unit.
The final touches came in the shape of Hella fog lights that match the Bosch headlight lenses. We should also mention the genuine aluminium-framed ʼ73 Carrera RS ducktail, a recent ʻrefreshʼ as Dave used a regular deck lid for years. Itʼs interesting to see how some folks go back-andforth between these two options… Ultimately, there is no right or wrong, of course, since the goal remains to personalise a vehicle with parts offered by Porsche back in the day.
Dave hasnʼt been shy about extensively using his ʼ72 ʻRennsportʼ – a nod to the famous meet hosted in the United States every few years. Outings include the local Cars & Coffee gatherings, together with multiple events hosted by the R Gruppe, Luftgekühlt and the Early 911S Registry, track days included.
Yet, one of his proudest moments was being recognised by his R Gruppe peers, specifically when co-founders Freeman Thomas and Cris Huergas presented him with the GT award during the 10th R Gruppe Treffen, a few years ago – the annual trophy celebrates the owner of a car that best represents the club. Considering the latter has hundreds of members, this is no small feat. In our humble opinion, the car has become even better since. Remember, this is a hot rod. And they are never truly finished, right? CP