What could be better than listening to the Dynamic Duo discuss air cooled 911s while driving back from Rennsport in one?!

I would definitely watch year by year comparison episode

A Carmudgeon show about German cars, just in time for my German Feierabend? Is this heaven?

The air-cooled 911 is a packaging miracle. No driveshaft, no radiator/coolant, not even a long exhaust system, and doesn't need power steering due to no weight over the front wheels. The result is high performance in a small footprint with excellent cabin space and usability. Very elegant simple engineering.

Since this is still not Piëchisode for those that are still waiting, the Intercooler podcast just did an episode on him. Though that doesn't mean Carmudgeons can get away without doing one as well.

"Man, are we going to talk about stoichiometry? I think we are!" - Derek Tam-Scott, Carmudgeon😆

Lovely episode! And personally i would definitly like a year by year spotters guide, one can never learn too much, and i definitly learned a lot this episode!

You could finally put the TV to use as a PowerPoint presentation by DTS rather than it just being a backdrop

My favorite 2 nerds talking about air cooled 911s after just getting home? Perfection.

As a 19 working in a Porsche dealership, it was not only be extremely interesting but also extremely helpful to be able to hold conversations with older 911 owners and actually know specifics for each year or at least each major change of the 911 (especially since most of the owners have more than a few extra years of experience on me 😅). I sincerely hope that you are able to make an episode like the one you did on the R129 however I fear you may need multiple episodes if you were to do that for the 911 😂

DTS is a walking encyclopedia with a hot body and also with humble attitude :) what a majestic creature :)

this episode's clap was not bad pretty good actually

It’s like listening two kids talking about marbles, but some what more interesting. Fun stuff.

Keep this level of geekiness and nerdiness, hearing / seeing you details like that amaze me, every time!!!!

The M10 Nissan Stanza Wagon/Multi/Prairie, which started production in Japan in 1981, also has a torsion bar rear suspension. I hope you two do a minivan episode one day, as the M10 was a very important car to the conceptualization of the modern minivan, along with the Lancia Megagamma concept.

Though I’ve never had the privilege to own one (currently on a 2 year plan towards 911 ownership) I’ve become quite the Porsche nerd/obsessive and that’s largely thanks to you guys! LOVED this episode. The more hyper detailed talks on Porsche’s the better! Maybe another air cooled episode and an eventual on the water cooled examples would be great.

DTS carries the show! Cammisa eats! 😄 Excellent! 👍

Putting my vote in for more 911 content!

Spotter's guide episode? Yes, please!

Passenger cars with torsion bars, the Subaru Brat and EA81 chassis that was made up into the 90s was torsion rear McStrut front. Those cars are basically a Super Beetle with the drivetrain turned around inside of them. They also share a very very similar semi-trailing arm rear design with with VWs and Porsches. I even modified mine for alignment like a 944. The engine and trans of the early EA engines also looks like if someone described the aircooled vw to subaru over the phone. Torsion bars went all the way into the 2000s in pickup trucks, the Silverado was torsion bar front til 06. I believe some Peugots may have had a torsion bar suspension too up into the 2000s? But I'm not sure on that.

Definitely a vote for a spotters guide episode!

Best description I’ve heard for a 911 is “excellence in engineering overcoming questionable design” and in my defence I have owned a air cooled (993) and water cooled (996 GT3)

Italian tune-up is my takeaway from this episode :-D

Great googly moogly I would LOVE a year by year spotters guide to the 911!

Only the most insightful download on the delights of 911 driving dynamics. Love it!

Me! I'm the one guy. This was so awesome for me. As I am such an air cooled 911 fanboy. And want to learn as much as I can of ALL of the useless information about them. I'm on my 3rd listen just to try to get all of this information stuck in my head. So YES! DO MORE and Thank you.

Here's another vote for a year-by-year guide! For sure I'd watch that.

I started working on 911s in a shop environment as a teen in the 90s, I really appreciated Porsche for refining the same chassis for so long!! I'm now a Saab specialist because I appreciate the fact that Saab, indeed, also designed a fuselage in the 60s and refined it into the 90s with the 99/900. Which similar to the 911, also used the same provisions for suspension, doors, glass, brakes etc... allowing the user to swap, update or backdated many parts! You guys should do an episode discussing manufacturers who did this kind of engineering refinement, as opposed to those manufacturers (like GM) who would redesign models constantly! Was it profitable to completely retool a design instead of refining it. Perhaps it was easier to redesign than integrate, as regulations and modern needs changed. I think Jeep and Volvo had a good run as well, for example...

Derek's knowledge will always boggle me

Great episode, do a second part.

Hell yes give me the year-by-year identification guide, and I'd even be down for a full water-cooled 911 history lesson too

I think the shift action, the hvac and smooth bumpers of the 964 really changed the bad parts of the original design. ....oh and a wicked engine. my favorite! thx guys you rule!!!

Super interesting episode. Thanks. I fell in love with 911s in 1978 riding in by friend's Dad's 930. I was sitting in the back and we went very fast down a country road. The sounds, smell, and feeling was all I needed to want one everyday since then.

I love listening to Derek Tam-Scott talk about cars. I feel like I learned so much about cars that have always been around and have never understood why they were designed a certain way.

I laughed at loud at Derek: Belly-laugh: "If anyone wants to know how to do this, it's...possible..."

That was a breathtaking display of nerdery. Bravo!

I have a '89 3.2 and absolutely love it. I do my own work and down to rebuilding the engine as a 3.4 last year. It's been on several multi-state road trips and is awesome. Not a boring mile yet to be driven in it. I'm getting itchy now because I'm replacing the rear suspension bushings and can't wait to get back behind the wheel. It's that good.

Outstanding episode! Thank you Derek. I really enjoyed listening to you describe the evolution of the air cooled 911. I’ve read all of the books and many of them are nice references, but this was a treat.

Some of the takeoff in value for 964s is the Singer factor. That model became a target for many of the restomod conversions. You could see the market for 964s tick up for each story on one of the new big-dollar conversions. If you look at the classifieds at PCA, used 964s generally have higher asking prices than 993s.

The 911 spotterguide. Yes please!

What the heck could 3.2s have as differences? On that question alone I’d love the spotter’s guide! Also, the 964 headgasketless system is the most hilarious idea out of all of these. Good show!

Please do the year by year comparison episode!

The french! They made some cars with torsion bar (rear) suspension even after 2000, like the 206, or the Berlingo mk1. While both were introduced in the 90s, they were still in production in the 00s. And I read some speculations about the Mercedes rust issues: some microbes could proliferate in the water based paint, and that caused the problems.

I wish the angry man would eat for half the episode - listening to hyphen without interruptions is a joy. Especially on this Volkswagen episode :)

Yes watching the spotting guide as soon as it shows up

Gonna be a good week!

As a Australian watcher and listener; what is the fascination of the American market and sunroof’d cars? I know it’s a major thing in the beemer world to find a “slick top” car where as outside of the America I would say it would be the contrary.

You guys rock. My favorite automotive podcast for sure!

Re: 911 Spotting Guide…Yes please! I was thinking it before you mentioned it.

Would absolutely enjoy the year by year spotters guide. My dad always tell me every year of beetle based on small differences, that type of info is super interesting to me.

Regarding old designs, it would be great to be able to walk into an Acura dealer now and buy an early NSX. For that matter, buying a mid-90's Integra new would be an attractive proposition.

Yes please to the powerpoint, Professor Hyphen.

I just got back from my first Rennsport Reunion. This is actually very helpful to understand many of the old 911s I saw haha

Love this. I often wonder about the progressions of certain models.

wow just what I wanted!

My favorite episode. Thanks

Loved listening to this while working on my racecar. I wish I could own a Porsche one day but even 924s are out of my budget let alone ANY 911

Even if it may seem dull to do year by year I really enjoyed kind of the meta discussion on car technology (particularly emissions) through the 70s and 80s and believe that you guys would find some really good sidetracks if you were to go in to the nitty gritty on porsche

Well said. The front certainly does bounce up and down the rear warns you with a sideways feel. I felt like I was looking down the head of a big fat frog, looking between those big eyeballs. What a perfect machine my 88 was. I miss her badly. The only other vehicle that I love just as much, if not more is a LR Discovery 2.

The Metamucil comment made me laugh out loud enough to wake my dog (its now after 4am for me), and the yr by yr guide would be super awesome, if there is anyone id like to see a definitive guide on 911`s from, its you guys, bring it on ( ...please) ❤

Totally enjoyed this. Please make the spotters guide.

There is no such car as bad Porsche, 😊😂 would love episode on Hyundai N division ❤❤❤

*that thumbnail car/colour, just beautiful, and every pic insert too, ...ahhhhhh 😌the stuff of dreams

You guys are GREAT!

I would like a year by year walkthrough, the 911 is the definitive sports car and its not possible to know too much.

I had a 996 for two years when they were super cheap. Great fun and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sold it for a small profit. Everyone should have the opportunity to own a 911 for a short while. They're truely special sports cars the only other car I like as much is the 190E because theyre so much better than people realise.

As a big Porsche fan with pretty much no knowledge for the most part this was an awesome show to learn from. I think a 993 is perhaps my favorite model for looks and probably if given the choice the one I'd choose of the older models.

Derek, have you ever driven a 550? And Jason, was that a fleeting Elvis Costello reference?

Id love a year by year spotters guide

2:32 I agree. Those are the same Kind Bars I keep in my office.

You should totally do this!

Can you guys do a “turbo addendum” to this? As a 930 owner who’s never really driven any of the N/A cars, I’d love to hear about the differences in how they drive, mechanicals, etc.

Just had an idea: why don’t you guys, whenever you take a single car as the episode’s theme, at some point, record that episode while actually driving it? Sure it would be more difficult in several ways, but… It defo would bring a huge amount of possibilities when going deep down into details.

Well, as for the years: the G-wagon was only changed in drivetrain, interior and lights in 39 years. (1979-2018) What they changed in the drivetrain were the engines, gearboxes, and switched from part time 4wd to permanent awd and at some point aded stability and traction control. And the diff locks from pulling levers to push buttons. Oh, and the tires and wheels got a little bigger but rather wider. The lights went from lightbulbs to xenon and LED. And the interior of the civilian versions got luxurious. The chassis stayed the same, the size stayed the same...

27:39 hyphen Mr Banks is crying right now.

UPDATE! Residents in Orygun may now pump their own gas, prices somehow not affeccted...in un(?)related news; an uptick in gass station fires has been experienced...cheers from the PNW!

Wow! This ep brought a ton of memories: my Dad and I took out the thermal reactor in our '78 320i (warping head) and so my high school buddies always joked that my orange 3 had nuclear power with that EGR light. In junior high I hated science BUT got an award for my science project (trifold board) on the twist torque of a torsion bar from a 911. Wasn't there an 80s VW group car that used a rear torsion AND coil springs? And finally my first drive in a 911 at age 17 taught me how to unlearn how to drive HWY 17 curves. Also: anyone else have a thing for parallel wipers acting as a single wiper?:)

Mr. Ih8evry1 and Monsieur Hyphen, greetings! Here's my entry for the upcoming Q&A episode if it doesn't suffer the same fate as the elusive Piechisode. Can we have an episode on the following topic: Top Gear (in its 2003-15 incarnation) and its impact on motoring and society at large. Clarkson, say what we may about the man but as a global phenomenon, he (and TG) is undeniable. Despite all the humour involved, he was great at identifying would-be-great cars (LFA, previous Vantage) from the marketing faff and his outspoken and blunt character meant he didn't shy away from calling manufacturers out. His reviews in Sunday Times Driving are surprisingly spot-on and just as entertaining. Yes, sometimes TG was also blamed of having an agenda. Sure, the man might have his biases like we all do, but let's focus on the automotive stuff that he pioneered and took to such dizzying heights. 2. Additional request: a brief discussion about sporty cars (mostly hot hatches that US never got) from French brands Renault, Peugeot and Citroen. More pertinently, your views on the new Alpine A110. Would u have one over a Lotus ( if it wasn't turbocharged and auto-only and didn't have EPAS).

I recall being told that the 'T' in a 911T stands for 'Towne' (although we all thought it meant 'trash'...).

I would genuinely love a year by year model by model run through. I was recently listening to a podcast from the just gone Rehnsport event and it was like listening to people communicate in hexadecimal 99 this 96 that 92 the other every god damn variation and car stars with a god damn 9!

I was hoping they'd eventually do an episode on my favorite car

I heard/read somewhere that the 993 was supposed to be watercooled. The rear suspension was another step-change in 911s and continued into the watercooled cars. I'd love to hear the 993 covered in more detail.

I believe all 1984 - 1987 Civics had front torsion bar springing. They were also common on RWD Chrysler products of that era.

I for one welcome our new algae rhythm overlords 🧙‍♂🍄🐶❤

You're the best🎉

Coincidentally I'm the 996th person to thumbs up. It's a sign to do all the water cooled.

A Porsche show. Yet another missed opportunity for the Piechisode.

"Imagine being able to walk into a dealership today and buy a car that is 35 years old" lol what's up @ Nissan Frontier and Nissan Z

What about the 1994 964 911 Wide Body Carrera 4 that is my pick.

I think it would be very interesting

I've had a bit of an evolution myself on the subject of German cars, and the 911 is the single best car to encapsulate that, not least because it was the car I lusted after most in my formative years. I was a fanatic when it came to German cars. But after the tragic loss of my 1974 Karmann Ghia, my next car wasn't a VR6 Corrado or a MkIV GTI. Instead, it was a 3rd-gen Acura Integra, and once I got hooked on what Honda was doing in the '90s, I quickly lost my taste for German cars. I was still a fanatic, you see. I was a fanatic for an impossible ideal: the idea of the car that is absolutely superior in every possible respect. Suddenly the MacStrut suspensions, the air-cooled, 2-valve engines, the applied-with-a-shotgun switchgear, and the less-than-Japanese reliability were simply intolerable shortcomings. I had once believed in the myth of German infallibility, only to replace it with another paradigm of automotive perfection. I came to hate all things German in my zeal. And then something happened. Maybe I mellowed with age, or maybe cars kept getting simultaneously faster and less engaging. Or maybe it's that I moved back to California and started driving in the canyons. Whatever the reason, I eventually stopped demanding perfection, stopped looking at things in absolutes, and started to just be able to appreciate cars for what they are. And when I did that, I found that my affection for the 911 was renewed. Not because of myths and ideals, but because they're fun and they have character. Because I no longer require every car I like to be flawless. I only require them to be lovable. It's too bad I spent so many years nursing my biases. I probably could've had a really nice SC or 3.2 Carrera when they were still at the bottom of their value curve. But it's never too late to start over. Maybe someday the right one will come along. If it does, I'll love it for the right reasons this time.

An episode going year by year would be interesting. Plus, if you use a PPT, I'd be "a podcast. With slides" (Carmudgeon Show meets WTYP)

Can you please do the transaxle one?

Even tho it was a lunch poisoned episode it was epic

Renault LeCar had torsion bar suspension. I know because I had an 82 four door as my first car in high school. Perfect interior 60K miles and was only $200! 😬

Put off watching this one becuase I'm so sick of hearing about the 911. But this has got to be one of the best episodes yet. Jason, let the Tam Speak! more often.

I can think of only 2 drawbacks with a 911. I am fortunate to have owned 3 before they became unobtainable for the average person. Back when I owned one most everyone who said something to me when I was out and about would first say Porsche, nice car must be nice or somebody is rolling in the dough. Always something derogatory or a compliment followed by animosity. The second is like Derek said is the current price. Other than that when I hear an air-cooled 911 I get al tingly and turn into a child. The car I had the biggest love hate relationship with was the 76S that was built a euro spec engine with Weber carburation. Love the sound and how alive it was when you really grabbed it by the scruff and drove it hard but hated when you were bought in city traffic with a engine that would load up and run like shit. But of the 3 it’s the one I would own again in a heartbeat.

30:25 I have a Lambda Sond shirt. I wear it every week and nobody has said a thing but I haven't bumped into the clapper yet.👀

Clearly, being in the classic sport car selling biz means that Derek sees a LOT of air-cooled 911s.

Do a 928 evolution review also!