Month: January 2016

The Ultimate Slant Nose? It’s for sale

The Ultimate Slant Nose? It’s for sale

The “slantnose” 911, modeled after the iconic 935 race cars of the 1970’s and 80’s, are one of the more controversial models to come out of Stuttgart. Available through Porsche’s Special Order Program or through a number of aftermarket shops and dealerships, slantnose conversions received unique front and modified rear fenders along with a few other bits and pieces to distinguish themselves from the standard 930. Although they commanded premium prices when new, today they have carved out a niche fan club, with many 911s being converted back to the standard body style as the market continues to favor originality and classic 911 body lines.

The slantnose 911's very distinctive headlights

The slantnose: sloped front fenders featuring pop-up headlights and copious amounts of vents and ducts

But this article isn’t about the history of the slantnose, or how it is doing in today’s market. This is about one particularly bad slantnose. One that just so happens to make 450whp on 93oct pump gas. One that just so happens to be daily driven. It also happens to be able to run down a chipped 991 911 Turbo. Do we have your attention now?

 

Let those tires leave no doubt- this thing is serious.

Let those tires leave no doubt- this thing is serious.

 

Vision Motorsports located in sunny Laguna Hills, California gets credit for the heart of this monster. 12k miles ago the entire motor was yanked and stripped down in preparation of making the staggering numbers we already mentioned. Wanting nothing but the best, Mahle 3.4l pistons and jugs were spec’d and sourced, yielding final compression numbers of 7.5:1 which is low by today’s standards but with dated cylinder head designs it provides a large safety margin in terms of detonation resistance. ARP main and head studs keep these fancy parts from ripping themselves apart under sustained high cylinder pressures.

 

Kokeln intercooler features a super-high fin count resulting in an extremely efficient intercooler

Although smaller than many, this Kokeln intercooler features a super-high fin count resulting in an extremely efficient intercooler capable of keeping intake temps in check

 

A very beautiful slantnose 911

We cannot get over the brutal stance of this car- this is one beautiful slantnose!

 

To make the most of the new power band and allow the heads to flow at higher RPM 964 race cams punch open the valves. The head received a refresh just 3k miles ago while the bottom end was deemed perfectly stout at that time. To orchestrate all this power, Electromotive was tapped for their TECgt ECU which allows fully sequential ignition and fuel injection. Of course it also features a laundry list of additional features, like electronic boost control, launch control, CAN outputs to dataloggers and the like. It also supports multiple fuels meaning if you are lucky to live in an E85 supplied area more power is just a bit of corn juice and a retune away.

 

255 front tires matched to 335 rears

255 front tires matched to 335 rears. Yes, 335s. That’s almost 4 FEET of rubber if you were to line it all up

 

Of course, you can’t make enough power to run down Porsche’s brand new supercar without having a way to control it. To that end 3pc Kinesis wheels were rebuilt and painted bronze, as the current owner puts it “to go for the old 935 Johnny player special look.” They are shod in Toyo R888 225’s in front and 335’s rear. Yes, 335s. In other words, if you were to line up the wheels from this car you would be looking at almost 4 FEET of R compound rubber. 4 feet! That certainly has something to do with that 991-decimating speed this 930 is capable of. The owner does state that one wheel, despite a relatively recent rebuild, will need attention as it does slowly leak down.

 

One bad slantnose

One bad slantnose

 

The current owner opens the for sale ad by stating this Turbo is “Not for the weak hearted,” and though we would tend to agree, the interior has received a bit of treatment to update the original look and feel, if not make it entirely civil. A set of our own Rennline aluminum pedals and floorboards replace the factory parts, further cutting curb weight and bringing some style to the footwell. A 4pt. cage and Recaro Pole Positions seats make the interior feel as fast as it is while giving the driver and any other occupants an added degree of safety. Besides those and the addition of some gauges to keep tabs on the powerplant, the interior remains mostly stock ensuring the car retains some level of street demeanor.

 

Renown steering wheel provides an interesting contrast to a mostly stock interior

Renown steering wheel provides an interesting contrast to a mostly stock interior, minus a few choice modifications

 

racecar feel and safety to ensure occupant's safety

A little racecar feel and safety to ensure occupant’s safety should the worst happen

 

So this just might be the ultimate slantnose. The car is currently daily-driven, and thanks to the meticulous build quality of the engine, drivetrain and body, we can’t think of anything we would rather do with it. Well, besides driving it to the track and back! Incredibly, despite the day-to-day grind and the car being built on a 1986 930 chassis, it retains a clean Carfax bill of health with a zero record of accidents. So is “ultimate” too strong a term for this car? It may lack the creature comforts of today’s Turbo, but being able to destroy just about anything on the highway, during your morning commute, in quintessential 80’s style, with modern reliability, justifies this title in our eyes.

 

slantnose 911

 

The engine of the beast

The engine of the beast

 

Digital engine monitoring with Rennline pedals in background

Digital engine monitoring with Rennline pedals in background

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Rennline Invades Boston- Holiday Party Extraordinaire

Rennline Invades Boston- Holiday Party Extraordinaire

The holidays are a great time to bring people together, and here at Rennline we try not to miss the opportunity to bring us together as a company. A cohesive environment is a productive one, so it is a perfect time to get together, have some fun and get to know everyone a bit better outside the bounds of the workplace. But this year was different than most. Instead of a nice dinner in nearby Burlington, Vermont, Rennline shop manager Joe DeSimone and owner Paul Jacques engineered what might go down as the ultimate holiday party.

Getting Ready to leave-2

Left-to-Right: Warehouse Manager Dan, Engineer Dave, and Manufacturing Team Leader Buck

 

Getting Ready to leave-1

Left-to-Right: Lead Welder Connor, Fabricator and Material Expert Ben, and Consultant/friend Harrison

 

For those not from the North East, Boston is a four hour bus ride from Burlington, so arrangements were made for a coach bus to transport the team to our destination and around the city of Boston after the main event. We rendezvoused at the Rennline shop at about 9AM Friday morning, some more prepared than others. Unfortunately there were several of our staff unable to make the two-day trip. Unfortunately, CNC Machinist (little) Jake, Manufacturing Engineer (big) Jake, and Master Fabricator Gene were unable to make the trek due to scheduling constraints.

F1 sign

Our Destination: F1 Boston Go-Karting

 

Welcome Rennline-1Welcome Rennline-2Welcome Rennline-3

The welcome we received at F1 Boston was warm and accomidating, we would highly recommend them for your next company outing, birthday party, or just as a way to get a little track time!

The plan was to head to F1 Boston (www.F1Boston.com) for some serious go-karting! In total we had 19 people with us, the invitation was extended to significant others and several girlfriends and wives were brave enough to make the trip. Our karting session consisted of six qualifying sessions, each session was a different, randomly selected group, and each driver ran three different qualifying races. At the end of the qualifiers, the top 10 drivers in points from the qualifiers started the final with their starting position determined by their standing in points.

F1 track

The track where all the action took place!

 

The final was a much longer race than the qualifiers and provided several surprises. The first of which was veteran PCA instructor, experienced track driver and Rennline owner Paul’s absence. Due to a rash of penalties resulting from aggressive passing, Paul found himself sidelined for the final race, having missed qualifying for the final by a few points.

Karts Lined up

Gridding up for the final

 

The real-time position display provided the spectators with the ability to watch the exchanging of positions on track, despite most racers being unrecognizable in their race suits and helmets. By the midpoint in the race, Engineering Consultant Jamie was holding off the rest of the field, but it was not to be. Sales and Marketing representative Shawn Christianson capitalized on a mid-track pile-up, pulling a quick maneuver to avoid the pile up and gain two positions, taking first place. With a clear track ahead, he went on to set the fastest lap of the day along with the highest top speed of the day, and clinched the overall win.

Winner

Shawn coming in from his victory lap

 

Podium

The podium finishers: Sales/Marketing Rep Shawn took the gold, Engineering Consultant Jamie held onto second, and Fabricator Jeremy took the bronze in third

 

As the karting came to a close, we retired to the bar for a post-race drink and to exchange stories and glories from the time on the track. The anonomity provided by the suits and helmets made for some awesome post-race banter, with some coming clean regarding questionable passes, “gentle nudges” and penalties that should have been.

Paul with trophy

Owner Paul admiring some hardware he was unable to take home

 

After race bar

Much needed post-drinks and banner at the F1 Boston bar (no more driving for us that night!)

 

From F1 it was time to hit the hotel for much needed showers, more banter, and for some a couple more drinks before dinner. Paul and Joe pulled out all the stops and booked the entire crew at W Boston, a beautiful hotel in the heart of downtown Boston. Although it was a task in and of itself to find a restaurant able to accomidate the entire group, Joe again knocked it out of the park securing a table for everyone only minutes walk from our hotel.

Bus after race

Fired up leaving karting, adrenaline still pumping and ready for a night on the town!

 

The W

Our accommodations for the evening

 

Out the window

The view from one of our 7th floor rooms

 

Unfortunately, the details of the rest of the evening belong to our crew, but know that nobody was wanting for more fun: we won Boston. No one was harmed in the making of these memories, and no damage of any kind resulted, so we can at least assure you the night was an unequivocal success. One last time, from myself and the rest of the Rennline crew, we would like to thank Paul Jacques, Rennline owner for making what will go down for many of us as the most epic holiday party to date. A huge thanks to Joe DeSimone for not only having the idea, but for taking his time to ensure that everything ran flawlessly. It would be hard to imagine a better group of people to enjoy this kind of an event with!

Head Count

Shop Manager Joe DeSimone, ever responsible, making sure we weren’t leaving anyone behind!

 

Tom

Rennline General Manager Tom Rittenburg relaxing at W Boston before heading out to dinner

 

Buck

Manufacturing Team Leader Buck Kempner doing what he does best: getting excited

 

Paul and dan

Warehouse Manager Dan Geisweit with Rennline Owner Paul Jacques pal’ing around at W Boston

 

Euro Dave

Engineer Dave Molnar- can you tell he’s European? He’s proud of that

 

Ben

Fabricator and Materials Expert Ben Walsh

 

Jeremy

Fabricator Jeremy Graziano rocking the undisputed best beard of the Rennline crew

 

Connor

Welder Connor Ryea trying to figure out why we’re taking a picture of him and not his welds for once

 

Harrison

Consultant/Friend Harrison Goldberg leaving Boston in peace

 

Jamie and Shawn

Consultant Jamie Bullivant and Sales/Marketing Rep Shawn Christianson grabbing 1st and 2nd place beers- Painter Charles taking a picture of a picture in the background

 

Bombard

Waterjet Master John Bombard refusing to hold still long enough to have his photo taken

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