PORSCHE Carrera 2
German
PORSCHE CARRERA 2
The hottest car Porsche has ever offered to the sports car public provides riding comfort and speed for fast travelers.
While at Reims for the French Grand Prix in midsummer CAR AND DRIVER had the opportunity to sample the latest in a long line of Porsche Carreras, the new 2-liter or 2000GS, just officially announced at the Frankfurt Automobile Show as the top car in the Porsche line. It is designed for touring but its performance is far from modest, as the accompanying graph shows. If you are able and willing to shell out the necessary funds you'll have yourself a hot-performing automobile, the fastest production Porsche yet.
Only a limited number will be built; Porsche envisages an initial production of around 100 units.
The actual test car was experimentally fitted with Porsche's own disc brakes. These will not be found on the Carrera 2, discs once again being shelved by Porsche in favor of their reliable, efficient drum brakes. The Porsche discs stopped well but the lack of servo calIed for fairly high pedal pressures. Our test car's
body did not have the minor modifications made to next
year's car. Windshield and rear window are slightly
larger; the front luggage compartment has been rede
signed and thanks to a lower-lying fuel tank a full-sized bag will now slip under the hood. The tank is still
the same size but the VW filler has been replaced by a
Corvair - Iike cap concealed in the right fender. Fresh
air is ducted in just below the windshield and hot air from the gasoline heater is controlled by a new dash board-mounted console. Furthermore air conditioning is now available as an optional extra on all Porsches.
Acceleration of the 2-Iiter Porsche is most impressive. With the engine wound out in the gears, its sound beggars description. Mean, vibrant, harsh, the Carrera's moaning wail is unforgettable and tremendously exciting. We were able to thrash this Carrera over a network of French roads that included several fast straights as well as badly-surfaced secondary roads. The car is in its element on smooth, string-straight highways where sustained high-speed cruising is possible. Slow traffic can be overtaken in complete safety and ease while the
car's compact size makes it perfect for dodging in and
out of gaps. The wide torque spread of the 2-Iiter
engine is probably its most outstanding feature and
continual use of the gearbox just isn't necessary except
when extracting the very utmost in performance
through the gears. With the foot hard down in top gear
at 2000 rpm, the 2-Iiter Carrera moves out rapidly and smoothly.
We were not favorably impressed with the car's tracking ability on rough roads, nor is the passenger's ride overly comfortable, but let it be said we were practically flat-out on a ripply surface, a fairly demanding situation. The car had a disturbing tendency to wander and extreme care was necessary in passing. The steering was on the heavy side.
As with all current Porsches handling is first-class, and the car can be flung around tight corners or drifted through fast bends with adequate power reserve. German Dunlop "SP" or the new Continental "Radial" belted tires will be standard, offering superb adhesion on wet and dry roads alike. Continental claims that with its new "Radial" tire, drivers will never have to look a snow tire in the face again.
This new 2-liter engine incorporates the same basic layout as previous Carrera and Spyder engines but with the bore and stroke slightly enlarged. Pistons and plain-bearing crankshaft have been strengthened to cope with the additional stresses of the increase in displacement. She's slightly heavier and not quite an inch (24 mm) wider, while other dimensions remain the same. Dry-sump lubrication and twin ignition are continued. Servicing could be a problem in remote locations though access to the engine itself is good if one is familiar with the overall layout. A revised air intake setup is shown in the accompanying photographs.
1961 has not been the best year in Porsche's history. Delays in material delivery and more basic problems have forced the factory to postpone introduction of the eight-cylinder racing engine until 1962, when it is
hoped they will have reached the target of 200 bhp.
Assembly of Carrera engines may complicate this, for this year only a relative few have been built, fitted into the Abarth-bodied coupes - of which no more than a score have been made. Changed G.T. regulations for 1962 will mean that 100 of both chassis and body must have been built to qualify for homologation as a G.T. car. Up to now modifications to the body were tolerated as long as the chassis itself was in production of 100 or more. Next year, then, Porsche G.T. cars will
be using production steel bodies with perhaps even a hotter version of this 2-liter engine.
At this point the Carrera 2 has been specifically aimed at those people desiring an exclusive sports G.T. car for fast touring; it's quiet and comfortable. With the revised ventilation and heating system the occupants will be able to travel in considerable comfort; reclining seats are still standard equipment and a set of fitted suitcases are among the available extras as is a sliding roof, electrically operated yet. The Carrera 2 will be available as a convertible or hardtop or as a
"non-detachable" Karmann hardtop.
Le Mans Cars from the 60ies onwards
Author: ArchitectPage
ENGINE:
Displacement . . .. . . ... . . . .120 cu in, 1966 cc
Dimensions:
4-cyl, 3.62 in bore, 2.91 in stroke Valve gear:
Double overhead camshafts to each bank of cylinders
Compression ratio .9.2 to one
Power (DIN). . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 bhp @ 6200 rpm
Torque. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .112 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
Usable range of engine speeds.. . .1800-7000 rpm
Corrected piston speed @ 6200 rpm. . .3365 fpm
Fuel recommended. . . . . . . . . . Super premium
Mileage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15-22 mpg
Range on 14-gallon tank. . ..........220-300 miles
CHASSIS:
Wheelbase 82.7 in
Length . . .. . . . . . .. .158 in
Ground clearance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 in
Suspension:
F: ind., trailing arms, lam. torsion bars
R: indo, swing axles and torsion bar
Turns, lock to lock . . . .. . .. . . . . . . .. . . .3
Turning circle diameter between curbs. . . .36 ft
Tire and rim size. ... .165-15,4.5 J x15
Pressures recommended:
Normal: F 24, R 26 psi
Fast touring: F 27, R 29 psi
Brakes, type, swept area: 218 sq in,
11-in drums Curb weight (full tank). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2100 lbs
Percentage on driving wheels. . . .. . . .58%
ACCELERATION:
Zero to Seconds
30 mph. .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2.9
40 mph ........................................4.7
50 mph. ................... . . . . . . . . .. 6.5
60 mph. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8.7
70 mph .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11.6
80 mph .................................... 15.0
90 mph .....................................19.6
100 mph . . . . . . . . . .. . .. ... . .. 25.1
Standing quarter mile .............16.3
