august 2019 | http://www.modelcollector.com 45First is the balance, in
cost-benefit ratio terms, of
the quality and accuracy of
modelling you get for your
outlay. In February I made
two comments about the
Norev offerings I was road
testing: “As such, I think it
makes a very acceptable
display piece” and “As
representatives of what
I consider to be the very best
era for the 911 .... I'm more
than content with them”.
Although I recognise that
the Norev and GT Spirit offer-
ings target different market
sectors (and come with dif-
ferent price tags), when push
comes to shove saving up just
a little bit more pocket money
for a GT Sprit model is
unquestionably the more
deeply satisfying choice.
Secondly, I like model
ranges offering a catalogue
that grows to cover successive
variations of a marque’s
production history. I find
representation of the
development of a car far
more pleasing when displayed
in consistent scale and
(importantly) consistent
style of detailing/finish.
GT Spirit hit this point
perfectly and, in context,
its representation of successive
generations of Porsche cars is
exemplary. Sufficient for me
to make the plea to the brand’s
product planning team: “Can
we please now
have a1971/72 glass rear window
Targa (and matching coupé)
to close the late F series gap up
to the G series 911models?”The significance of numbers
By 1966 Volkswagen was
already beginning to think
about a successor to the much
admired typ.34 ‘Razor Edge’
Karmann Ghia launched five
years previously, with the
lucrative North American
export market very much
in mind. Simultaneously,
Porsche was looking to expand
into the sports car market
sector below the 911. These
were coinciding interests that
resulted in Ferry Porsche
and Volkswagen’s
Managing
DirectorProfessor Heinrich ('Heinz')
Nordhoff shaking hands on
a joint ‘sports car’ project in
mid-’66. Nordhoff’s untimely
death in 1968, however,
threatened to jeopardise
the project. His successor,
Kurt Lotz, had to make the
transition to MD without the
usual benefit of a hand-over
and with nothing more
than the Porsche-Nordhoff
gentlemens' agreement as the
foundation for the sports car
project. And, it's rumoured,
Nordhoff had already invested
5 million Deutsch Marks into
the development costs of the- purely because of his belief
in the positive publicity air-
cooled engines would bring.
Lotz drove a hard
renegotiation over the project,
which eventually brought
forward a new company
V W-Porsche-
Saving up just a little bit more pocket money for a
GT Sprit model, Stephen suggests, is unquestionably
the more deeply satisfying choiceCan we please now have a 1971/72
glass rear window Targa, and a
matching coupé?