PORSCHE KREMER 930

The name may be well known but the sight of a Kremer Racing Porsche is still an uncommon one on the roads. Best known for its all-conquering racing cars, the Cologne-based company has been a cornerstone of Porsche racing success for more than 30 years, and much of that time has been spent collecting silverware at Le Mans.

As a result, Kremer has justly earned a formidable reputation when it comes to tuning Porsches, and a little of that race-derived magic has been fettled into its road-going conversions. Unlike other post Stuttgart factory tuners, Kremer doesn't exactly brag about its product. Instead, the onus is on the customer to approach the company with a brief on what they wish to achieve with their car. Consequently Kremer doesn't produce 'models' as such, at least not in the same way as manufacturers such as Ruf.

In this particular instance, the 930 Turbo had a relatively mild makeover, raising horsepower from the standard 300bhp to around the 340bhp mark. Engine work undertaken in 1979 started with the classic 930 modification of replacing the original turbo with the larger K27 11/11, that's good for a 20 to 30bhp power hike on its own. Kremer's own exhaust system was also included and, of course, the out-size intercooler that dominates the engine bay.

That incredibly large 800cubic inch cooling device also has an effect on the metallic blue exterior styling, too. Because of its bulk, the only way to accommodate it is to swap the standard engine cover for a replacement with an integral wing, the latter again being far bigger than the factory unit. The only other significant change is Kremer's front spoiler secured beneath the bug-eye nose.

However, these original changes were only the first instalment in this car's evolution. On arrival in the UK, it spent the best part of a month with 930 Turbo specialist Colin Belton and his appropriately named company 930 Motorsport. Despite being basically sound, Colin considered this example "a bit tired and in need of a good going over, as many of the cars we see here for the first time are".

To gain a baseline figure from which to work, the first step was to put it on a rolling road. "It's very easy to lose power," revealed Colin so it came as no surprise to him to discover it was well down on horsepower, below even that of the standard car's output at 288bhp. "The turbo was actually in pretty good condition," he continued and it was only after further investigation that a leaky exhaust and a cracked and poorly maintained intercooler, the brackets for which had distorted, that the missing horses were accounted for.

Re-engineering it to operate at its optimum level were just the beginning of the servicing work, though. The injection system was stripped out and rebuilt, the rocker covers removed and valve clearances adjusted, and the ignition timing and fuelling set up on the rolling road. In addition, all the usual suspects, such as gaskets, filters and plugs, were replaced as were numerous odds and ends around the rest of the car.

But the ace card had yet to be played, the 930 Motorsport replacement headers. Colin explained: "With the standard 911 exhaust system, the gas has to come from the cylinder to the front of the engine, down the side and then all the way to the turbine. At its longest, the path is six feet, accounting for huge heat loss and velocity. With our headers, the gas goes straight back to the turbo on a short length small bore pipe, which keeps velocity and heat high. We keep the left and right sides separate where they meet the turbine housing so you get strong pulses from either side, spinning the turbo up l000rpm earlier than a standard 930's."

The net effect is twofold. First, you greatly reduce turbo lag, which may or may not appeal depending on how much you enjoy the all or nothing delivery of a stock 930. Secondly, and equally if not more significantly power soars up by a further 40 to 50bhp. Combined with a wastegate spring upgrade allowing boost to run at 1 bar, power is now a heady 389bhp, and that was achieved on a rolling road where warm air slightly reduced the maximum output. On the road, you could reasonably expect a little more.

With all that power being laid down only by the rear rubber, coupled with a standard Turbo four speed gearbox, it's easy to imagine a few traction problems. But, despite a heavyish clutch and very responsive throttle, you can sense if you're heading for trouble. Besides, it doesn't take a wealth of experience to work out that you'd have to be either a hooligan with a penchant for repair bills or driving on a circuit to give it any real stick. A solid prod of the loud pedal soon gets you shifting through the ratios, and you can't help being impressed by how pleasant changing ratios is. Despite the long throw action the car's layout demands, each gear is found with a smooth snick of the longish lever.

Once on the move you can really start to probe the full extent of this incredible machine's potential. And there's masses to be discovered. As your right boot pushes the throttle, you simply can't believe a 22-year-old road car can still be one of the fastest you'll ever drive. Acceleration is shattering, and until you've become accustomed to it, driving at full chat is more about hanging on and keeping it on the tarmac rather than pushing the boundries of the car's, and more importantly your own ability.

The one boost to your confidence as you approach each bend is the knowledge that you've got the turbo spooled up by the 2500rpm mark, above which power arrives more progressively Consequently, feeding it in as you clip the apex can be done without the fear of an unexpected loss in traction.

Of course, it's more than capable of handling itself through the twists, you're just not sure if you can. Clearly it's not glued to the tarmac in the same way as a modern 911 but the addition of Bilstein shocks certainly contributes to a more sure-footed feel than you'd find in a standard 930. The 9-inch-wide rear tyres do their best to reassure you that they'll hang on in there, too. All the while, the non servo-assisted steering gives you enough feedback to know when things are going to start getting interesting.

For extra reassurance and as another concession to the modern motoring world, 993 spec callipers have been included in the 930 Motorsport upgrade. Even though they still do need a good prod to get them going, their stopping power is unarguably streets ahead of the originals and a welcome complement to the engine's 21st Century power levels.

Clearly you still need to concentrate if you hope to keep out of trouble, a point Martin Pearse, owner of both the 930 here and MCP Motorsport, suppliers of such rareties, is well aware of. "When you approach a corner too fast in this car, you have to remember not to back off the power at once or you'll be in even bigger trouble," he warned.

So why would a man who makes a living from selling cars buy such a focussed model, and one that needed a fair amount of work into the bargain? "It is unusual for me to buy something this rare," he admitted. "I did know it needed work when I bought it, just not as much as it turned out. I have never bought a car and spent so much money on getting it up to scratch, but there are so few of these cars in the world and Kremer are the masters of Porsche tuning."

It sounds very much like a labour of love, and although a successful businessman would never admit it, that's probably what this Kremer 930 is to Martin. He was even torn over whether to sell it or not, but his head won the battle over his heart. Still, you have to expect to face these dilemmas when you sell cars you lust over owning and driving yourself.

Martin finds most of these cars through his contact in Germany, a man he met by chance years ago. "Buying cars in Germany is just as difficult, if not more so than it is here. You have got to know the language, and then all the usual things like whether it is stolen etcetera. If you don't speak German it is fraught with danger, but I've never had a problem with any of the cars I've imported."

As with many of MCP Motorsport's cars, this one was found in the showroom of Martin's German source of such machinery. "It just happened to be sitting in the corner but before he found it, it was just sitting in a collection, which is never good for them," he recalled. "It was obviously a Kremer but it didn't have any paperwork to prove it. So I took it to the factory in Cologne for them to verify its provenance" he continued. Once the car was back in the UK it went straight to 930 Motorsport for a once over and any necessary work. "Naturally there was a bit of work to do which meant I had to wait a while before I could get behind the wheel" he continued.

In today's world of heady 500+bhp, twin-turbo 996 Turbo's appearing on daily basis-at least that's how it seems - it comes as a refreshing change to experience an example of yesteryear capable of delivering 2002 levels of enjoyment. A car such as the Kremer makes an even stronger point for itself when you consider an example could be parked on your driveway for a reasonable £21,995, it's not only the Kremer's heritage and performance which will sell it to you.