Re: 2nd gear, etc

["Dean W. Cains" <dwc@domain.elided>]

Hi Joe:

You and James are both wrong about the number of gears (and when) in a 
Porsche box.  The 5 speeds started in the mid-60's, say around '66 or 
'67.  Contrary to James' opinion, one could certainly buy a Porsche with a 
4-speed well after that.  The 911 Turbo's (nee 930's) of the late 70's and 
early 80's ALL had 4-speeds.  Ing. Porsche's opinion was that the car had 
so much torque, in such a broad rpm range, that the 5th gear simply wasn't 
needed.  So, the 80's car you saw must have been a Turbo.

Regards,

Dean

At 10:29 PM 8/9/2002, you wrote:

> Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 22:24:47 -0400
> From: Joe Elliott <jee@domain.elided>
> Subject: Re: 2nd gear, etc
>
> Sorry.  I'd admit to being completely wrong, except I *know* I've
> seen '80s 911s with only 4 speeds on the gearshift, so unless making
> 5th gear a secret was some sort of Porsche "feature," they kept the
> four-speed for awhile.  I always assumed that the elimination of that
> tranny coincided with the improved synchro longevity of the '88(?)
> cars.  And just to clarify, I didn't mean that the synchro design was
> flawed, or exclusive to Porsches and Alfas, but rather the basic
> design of that transmission.  And I apoligize if my parenthetical 911
> jibe offended anyone.
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