In a battle of less weight and race tires versus way more power and
computer-enhanced handling, we’re not sure which would set a faster lap.Only the essentials: water temperature,
tachometer, oil pressure, and a couple
warning lights.Donohue is taking it easy on me the
first few laps. The track has dried out,
but there’s still dirt in places where there
used to be mud. We take an odd line here
or there to avoid it, but I’m concentrating
so hard on not breaking the car that I’d
follow him into a wall without realizing it
until everything came to a stop.
My biggest fear is the tires, but Dono-
hue’s warnings about “skatey” conditions
proves overly cautious. Cold or not, these
race tires have more grip than I need at
the speeds I’m going. This is a museum
piece, after all—it was literally flown here
from Porsche’s Stuttgart museum. What
speeds? I have no idea. The car doesn’t
have a speedometer.
Atwood’s warning about the throttle
is just as overblown. The pedal feels like
it has 10 feet of travel, and things don’t
get real until it’s nearly on the floor. It’s
perfect, because it gives you incredibly
fine adjustment of the throttle. You’d have
to be a total idiot to hit it hard enough to
break the rear tires loose, and I am not a
total idiot. As I feel out the car, though,
I’m becoming more confident by the
corner that I can push it much, much
harder than I promised the museum
people I would.
At least if I can get this damned shifter
figured out. First is about where you’d
expect third to be, and third is just slightly
to the right of that. Second is a long throw
back and way left of first. Fourth is easy
to find because it’s right behind thirdand hard to miss. There may have been a
fifth (not even the museum people were
sure whether it was installed), or I may
have been still trying to find third when
I should’ve given up and gone to second
with so much speed already scrubbed. I
nearly money-shift at least three times,
catching first instead of third, but my left
foot is ready and tromps the clutch before
the revs spike.
The transmission is especially balky
when it’s cold, but it loosens as it warms
up. I’m still having trouble consistently
finding second and third until I realize the
real trick is to stop trying to shift quickly.
No one is timing my laps. No one wants to
encourage me to take chances with this
car, and the times would be embarrassing,
anyway. Taking it slow gets the shifter
where it needs to go every time. Almost.
Donohue and Atwood are sympathetic.
Donohue later told me he had the same
experience in his dad’s 917/30. I dropped
away from him several times exiting a
corner because I couldn’t find a gear.58 MOTORTREND.COM JUNE 2020