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Courtney Cutchen Photography

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535 Reasons: Eric’s 1982 911SC

The first time I saw Eric’s bright red 911, it was sitting under a car cover in the back of his garage. The circumstances under which we met were rather funny—through a mutual friend who basically set me up to buy Eric’s E38, which wasn’t even for sale at the time. (My car can be seen in the background of a few of the following photos!)

I remember asking to see the car, and he took me back and uncovered it. It was by no means ready to drive. At the time, he was progressing on the build and still had a few items to figure out. He told me that he had built the car with his father, and the longer he spoke about it, the more I wanted to know. In 2004, he and his dad bought the car essentially as a clean slate. Intended to be driven on the track from the start, the P-Car was enjoyed with its 3.0 foundation up until 2009. Then, it was swapped out for a built 3.6L. Additional changes were made aesthetically with 930 front fenders and RSR rears. I made sure to request that he tell me when the car was back up and running, because unquestionably, I wanted to see it again.

Last week, he did just that. I received a text letting me know that the Porsche was photo ready. I was anxious to see the car again, as it was so buttoned up compared to the last time I saw it. I made my way to Eric’s house in the same BMW that I bought from him. There, in the garage, was the vibrant red of the 911, right where my seven series was parked before I purchased it.

The car had just been outfitted with new CCWs, a stout 9.5” in front and 12.5” in the rear. He explained that he was waiting on some adjustments from CCW, as the fitment (mostly in the rear) was insanely aggressive, and not all that track appropriate. On the flip side, it made for fantastic photos!

Just look at that rear!

The 535 doesn’t just look good in pictures, though. Eric says that he’s at the track every chance he gets. “Any time NASA or TMR hosts an event,” he said, “I’m likely there.” 

Luckily over the course of the build’s timeline, there haven’t been many issues. This has permitted Eric with the opportunities he hoped for to accumulate more seat time. He described an incident where they lost fourth gear at a Thunder Hill, but that’s really been most of the trouble outside of waiting during downtime.

The rear bay holds a treat for anyone who enjoys pure, vintage oriented details. Armed with PMO carbs, RSR cams, and a whole bunch of other goodies varied between RSR / 964RS varieties, I can imagine that the car not only sounds great at the track, but holds its own as well. It weighs in at about 2,380 pounds and sends around 325 HP down to the ground.

One of the most noticeable parts of the car’s exterior for me is the number 535, which is seen repeatedly in multiple areas. Since I couldn’t make a distinct connection to where the number would come from, I asked Eric. He told me that in 2010, his father passed, and that’s when he assumed full ownership of the Porsche. “The number 535 originated from my dad racing his 1959 356 in the 70s,” he explained. “I wanted to pay homage to that, and therefore, 535 has been ‘our’ race number.” This was very touching to me. I know I’m emotional, but to carry on a build in memory of a loved one with whom you started it struck me on a deeper level. To me, it is a demonstration of dedication and passion.

When all is said and done, I think that this is a great build, and I hope that I’ll be able to see it in action some time this summer! If you’re in the Bay Area and you attend any track events, make sure you keep an eye out for this car. Eric is a truly genuine and passionate person, so to talk to him about his craft is nothing short of exciting!

Be sure to follow him on his Instagram (@eeesondeliqus) to see future updates and photos of this rad build!

tags: Automotive, Porsche, Feature
Wednesday 06.01.16
Posted by Courtney Cutchen
 

Office of the Day: Porsche Cup Practice at Laguna Seca

A couple of weeks ago, I headed down south to Laguna Seca Raceway to photograph some of the Porsche Cup practice that was happening that Friday. Part of my Motorsport team from Performance Technic was at the track for the whole weekend with a Spec E46, so I wasn't without company.

I didn't go to Laguna with any sort of goal in my mind; it was more of a "for fun" trip. Sometimes I forget that not everything has to be monumentally important to be worthy of photographing. I'm so used to having a checklist of things to get done in an hour's worth of shooting. Things are usually a bit faster paced. There's a kind of relaxation that I get when I take my time and shoot without an agenda. I always find myself fascinated with the buzz of the paddocks, and it's exciting in general to see all of the teams interacting with each other and with their cars.

The paddocks weren't the busiest since it was early on practice day, but there was plenty to look at. It was around 10:30AM, and many of the cars were already on track by the time I arrived. The majority of the cars in the paddocks were for SP911. New cars are great, but old cars are better. The solo Porsche under the canopy shown above was at rest with no one in sight, so I just took some photos in passing. As I walked farther down the aisle, however...

This whole pack of P-Cars was sitting between a couple of trailers. The blue RSR on Forgelines was probably my favorite one there, but I also can't help but love the off white + green stripe livery of #29. A few more details of the RSR...

I continued my walk as cars started exiting the track and rolling in for their in-between check ups. There was a handful of racers coming in for fuel, while everyone else headed back to their paddock stalls. I couldn't help but take a few too many photos of the Clubsports that were running around.

From here on, I've just added photos of the variety of cars I saw while walking around. The Spec Miata and Spec E30 classes were practicing that day as well, but I figured I would keep this blog mostly Porsche related.

There was no shortage of Porsche goodness that day. I tend to gravitate toward the vintage cars, as I mentioned earlier, so I was happy to see so many of them out there. Unfortunately, it's hard to get a word in with anyone actually working on a team since the schedule is so busy. Regardless, it's fun to watch and just take photos.

tags: Porsche, Automotive, Racecar, Event
Wednesday 05.25.16
Posted by Courtney Cutchen
 

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