So what are these SWB 911's like to drive and live with ?

[John Fusco]

Read that - very interesting - if I remember correctly there is only ONE other car in similar condition

[911scfanatic]

At this stage in my life with Porsches, I prefer the SWB. So much so that I sold my '83 cab and my long-suffering '72 project car.
No doubt there are certainly other great Porsche cars. For me, I love its simplicity and the challenge of driving it well. The '68 also transports me back to an amazing period of racing history.
Where I will be in another 10 years...who knows?

[John Fusco]

Well Bill - now you should change your name from 911scfanatic .....

[911scfanatic]

Well Bill - now you should change your name from 911scfanatic .....

Hahaha, I know. I would, but the SC is what got me into 911s. Gotta remember my roots.

[Jerome damato]

The biggest thing that differentiates my SWB from my LWB is that I can "do more" with the SWB. The short wheel base, skinny 165 tires, lack of sway bars and fixed shocks may keep the limit lower, but the magic is that you can use more of the car more often. What do I mean?

With the SWB, I can slide it around hair pin turns, using both pedals to steer the car. The center of inertia, movement in the suspension and the skinny tires, makes it so much easier to point the nose (and tail) of the car with the throttle than later cars. You can feel everything the car is doing and manipulate it, at a pace that doesn't require you be Walter Rohrl, at speeds that won't (usually) kill you. Trailing throttle oversteer is progressive and heavenly in these cars and I now make a habit of lifting in corners, just so I can point the nose.

I've found that on twisty rural roads, a big tired, big motored LWB is rarely faster than my 2L SWB...likely the LWB is being driven more slowly because the driver can't feel or manipulate the car at low speed like the SWB. I know that's the case for me.

Hi folks! I know this is an old post just really love what is being said above and hoping to get a little more insight from the masters

I am renovating a 66 swb and and just getting to the place where I need to commit to suspension.
I am not worried about originality as it was originally a 912 and I have preserved the original motor as insurance against current emotional thinking but basically- I’m trying to set this car up to be an early 911 that I can learn to drive with the tail hanging out and pointing the nose and all that. I am deeply drinking to koolade of the early days drivers and racers.
Important to me: 4.5” rims. All the poetic writing I see does involve skinny tires- what Kenikh is saying above makes the most sense to me- I want a car I can get to loosen the tail and point the nose at the slowest speed possible becuase that sounds fun to me. Not trying to die. Also I just like things in slow motion- less is more type of thing.
So my straight question is: since I can set this up any way I want and it’s all going to cost about the same would those experienced with swb please chime in as to whether the 65 normal setup is preferable or the 67S for my interests? (Basically no rear sway vs r sway-)
The motor if I go with 65 N would be a stock 65 911 moror with Weber carbs and sport exhaust otherwise stock.
If I went with 67s suspension I would probably increase compression to 9.5:1 and possibly go with the ‘67T heads which had the larger S ports just for a tiny boost of cool factor.

Planning to keep my original solex cam’s either way-

Wondering Kenikh if your ‘65/‘66 has any engine mods or if it’s stock-
I have this fantasy that the basically stock ‘65/66 car is kind of a perfect archetype if I just give it a chance-
But totally down to hear the ‘67 S is better from anyone whose spent a healthy time behind the wheel of both!

Any thoughts appreciated!

[Chris Pomares]

As I drive mostly north of 7000 feet on tight mountain roads the marriage of tiny twisty roads and a SWB car is pure heaven. With Elephants GT3 front suspension and coil overs the car tracks through sweepers better. Maybe not as well as a LWB car but my car is the perfect Porsche for the roads I spend the majority of my time on.

I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself-Ferdinand Porsche

Alfa Brembo and spacers on stock rear calipers first brake upgrade.
Boxster front calipers and 42 mm piston custom rear calipers. Keeps the proper 1.6 brake bias. 20.2 mm master. Current up grade.
Coil overs and 16/16 mm front and rear sways. All suspension pickup points are reinforced.
Not for most. Perfect for me.

[Nickelplated5s]

I'm running a '67 body with a 2.2 MFI motor. It's also one of the fastest cars I've been in. My advice is to keep it fairly stock, it will be more fun for just tooling around. Brake upgrades and light S bars is where I'd start after the motor. Fun but not cheap hobby. Keep it away from H2O, floor pans etc.

Fastest car was a Z3 Vette. Funnily enough they're worth about the same. Completely different driving experience though.

[Haasman]

Enjoyable discussion - The short wheelbase cars are a lot of fun to drive. Learning how to use the trailing throttle oversteer as a tool, is very satisfying way to find a fast line.

I run heavier sway bars and upgraded shocks on our '66. Since these early cars have solid disks meaning they can be taxed easily..... so ensuring that the braking sytem is optimal goes without saying.

[Nickelplated5s]

Boxster brakes!

[Haasman]

Are they bolt on? Vented disks as well?