Bob has a long and outstanding mechanical background, in particular with Porsches and Porsche racing. The stories below are some highlights of his favourite cars and historical events either campaigned or attended.
The RSR 1980 - written by Bob Whyms
In 1980, whilst on a parts sourcing business visit to Germany, I came across a 3.0 RSR engine in a wrecking yard. I wanted to purchase the engine only, but the wrecker was not interested in selling the engine without the multi-coloured body shell with single race seat, roll cage and no interior that was buried in a dark corner of his warehouse. As the shell was in a pretty sorry state, I advised him I was not interested in the shell, only the engine. A true salesman, the wrecker went on to inform me that the shell was a genuine 3.0 RSR body and he had the racing log books to prove it.
All 3.0 RSR's were photographed by the Porsche factory when completed, and the photo then inserted into the racing log book where the history of the car and it's racing record were subsequently noted. This particular log book indicated the car had finished as a Group 4 racer and had some body configuration changes, such as bolt on flares (like those on a 934). Amazingly, the numbers in the log book matched the chassis, engine and transmission and, after haggling over the complete package price, the car was granted another lease on life and found it's way on the boat to Australia.
When we started restoration, we discovered the gearbox was virtually molten metal and had to be oxyed apart and the engine, which was supposed to have been re-built, had more bent valves than straight. As a result, we were forced to turn a full-body restoration into a complete mechanical restoration as well! We had no choice but to source all compatible parts from the Porsche Motorsport division in Germany.
We started on the body work by initially converting the car to right hand drive. 15x15 inch Simmons 3-piece wheels were fitted to the rear and 11x15 inch to the front, to accommodate the Dunlop racing slicks. Before spraying the car, Geoff Harrison, from Autohansa, installed a new fully welded roll cage and the American MITCOM body kit, except that nothing fitted properly and Geoff was forced to modify the front spoiler to accommodate the 11 inch flares, and the rear bumper to align with the 15 inch flares.
The engine was stripped because the valves had damaged the pistons and we then decided to convert it to 3.2 litres. The somewhat radical decision was then made to fit Shrick racing camshafts, with cam timing of 7.2mm (2.7 Carrera cam timing is 5.2mm) which gained the engine power from the factory output of 330bhp to a whopping 360bhp. The power band was then between 5,000 and 9,000 rpm, which we used for sprint racing as the factory only recommended 8,000 rpm maximum for endurance racing.
This particular 3.0 RSR came with the slide injection, though some had the high butterfly injection. The car had been used for Group 4 racing in it's final days and the original RSR distributor had been removed due to regulations limiting the cars to running single spark heads. As a result, we fitted the vehicle with a 935 distributor and converted it back to twin-plug configuration.
3.0 RSR's had a gearbox cooler on the 915 5-speed box, but as the pipes supplying this had been crushed, we had to run all new pipes up both sides of the vehicle and replace the engine cooler. The RSR front cooler was no longer available, however we were able to purchase and run a 908 oil cooler. This part alone cost $8,000…in 1981!
RSRs, when they were supplied new from the factory racing department, came with the option to purchase gear ratio sets for different tracks throughout Europe. We received these originals with the car, although some, as could be expected, were not in too good a condition.
Finally, after two years of work, we fired up the engine and ran it on our vane two-wheel-drive dyno in our factory at Northmead. Justin Reed was a student at Northmead High school at the time and I can remember him saying he could hear the engine as we were testing it in our factory. The local barber in the shopping centre nearby came down and complained that the resonance from the exhaust transmitted through the ground was keeping his baby awake!
We tested the car at both Amaroo and Oran Park before proceeding to Malala in South Australia for the Porsche Nationals. Before driving this car, my previous racing experiences had been in an 1835cc modified Volkswagon beetle! The RSR was like a missile in disguise, if you got off the cams below 5,000 rpm the car was a pig to drive, but between 5,000 and 9,000 rpm you couldn't change gears fast enough. Bruce Harris from the Victorian Porsche Club had brought his 934 from Melbourne to compete at this event. This car was powered by a mechanical injection, single turbo 934 engine producing around 620bhp. When Bruce saw the RSR in it's restored state he informed me that something that looked that good could not possibly be quick! Paul Edwards, a friend of mine from England, was on holidays at this time and I had invited him to come and drive the car in Adelaide. On the day of the Sprints the heavens opened up and did not relent. Paul, being a typical Pom and a competent Porsche driver in the wet, was in his element in the rain and was 5 seconds faster than Bruce Harris in his turbo. Paul won the Sprints and the RSR won first place in the modified section of the concourse. We also won outright concourse with our 3.3 Turbo. Overall, a fairly successful and very satisfying event!
The car was sold in 1989 to a car collector from England, after which it changed hands a few times, ended up in Japan and then onto the United States, where it was for sale through Starkey Cars not too long ago.
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Le Mans, France 1982 - written by Bob Whyms
This was our third trip to Europe. We had been in Germany for two weeks prior to making our way to London and the British WOTY (Weekend of the Year) event where we met Paul and Diane Edwards. This meeting subsequently resulted in Paul inviting me to work with him on Richard Cleare's 934 at the Le Mans 24 hour race, to be driven by Tony Dron.
On arriving at the track, and after initial testing, we found the springs were way too heavy and the team had to get a new set from London. During qualifying, the car went like a missile in a straight line (developing somewhere near 620bhp) but, being a highly developed rear engine 911, we were no match for the Porsche factory 956 Gruppe C cars. To give you a better indication, Jackie Ickx qualified his 956 in 3 min 28s, our fastest time was 4 min 04s, over 30 seconds slower. Tony said that the 956's passed him in the corners so fast that he thought he was standing still! We qualified well back in the field, but it was awesome to see the three factory 956's well up on the grid.
During the race, in the middle of the night, the grease on both CV joints melted and the driveshafts seized. We had to change these underneath a red hot exhaust. Later, during the night, we also lost all the lights when Tony was in the middle of the Mulsane straight, this took approximately 30 minutes to repair and, having lost 45 minutes changing the driveshafts, we were well back in the field by Sunday morning. We continued to run, however. With 2 hours to go we lost number 5 cylinder which had to be isolated to continue the race.
Despite all these dramas, we managed to finish the race first in class Gruppe 4 and 13th outright. This goes to show that if you can finish the 24hours of Le Mans, you generally finish well up in the placings. All this happened in front of 250,000 people…what an unreal experience! For the record, the Porsche factory cars finished first, second and third and were so far in front of the fourth placed car that they could juggle the finish without consequence.
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Monterey, California 1998 - written by Craig Whyms
This was Porsche's 50th Anniversary celebration, a long weekend jam packed full of historic racing that we can only dream of here in Australia. You couwould never fully appreciate the scale of the event by comparing with Historic's here - just think of multiple 550 spyders, 917k's, 917/10 and 30's, 934/935 and RSR's (to name just a few) all racing and participating at the one circuit. For the four days that we were there, we went non-stop from 6:00am to 12 midnight. This was absolute Porsche Heaven - the stuff that dreams are made of!
The first day consisted of a 'meet and greet' at the local dealership followed by the start of the tarmac rally that coincided with this meeting. We then made the trip to Laguna Seca Speedway where for the next two-and-a-half days we were kept spell bound by Historic racing. The first afternoon was a practice session and we were able to wander around the paddock with ease, as the crowds were not expected until the weekend.
Fate sometimes works in strange ways, and this was no less the case in Monterey. As Dad and I were walking around, we came across a pantec which had on display a 917/30 painted in the Sunoco colours, a 924 Carrera GT, a 936 Spyder and an orange 934. After a lengthy conversation with the mechanics, we discovered that the 917/30 was actually the spare car that Alan Hamilton had purchased from the factory in the 1970's and run in the 1984 Adelaide Grand Prix demonstration race and the 934 was the very same car that Dad had worked on all those years back in Le Mans. Once the connections were made, we were given the royal treatment and Dad was asked to shed some light on the 934's history for the brief period that he worked on it. Later that day, the mechanics fired up the 917 for us...truly an amazing experience and one which attracted quite a bit of attention. I even was given the opportunity to sit in it - talk about a dream come true!
At the end of the afternoon, as the sun was setting, it was picture time as the press and photographers got some fantastic shots of selected Porsche cars from across the years, all poised on the track. It was then time for dinner and we joined our Aussie counterparts , Justin Reed, Dennis Brooks, Tony McKnight, Warren Riddel and Dennis and Barbara O'Dell, for a night out on the town.
Days two and three were once again filled with lots of racing action, plus a fantastic display from the Porsche factory museum which included priceless 20 cars. The first ever production 356 would have been in this display had it not been for the poor driving skills of the airport fork lift operator who dropped 'Number 1' whilst in transit and caused untold damage to this classic. As this car's body was made out of hand formed aluminum, someone wouldn't have very popular. =) An interesting note, the RSR that Dad had owned was actually present at Monterey, we probably went right past it, but did not find out until 2003 when the car was for sale through Starky Cars.
Day 4 consisted of a concourse de-elegance at Pebble Beach Golf Club and we were graced by the presence of Jerry Seinfeld with his blue 993 targa, the last 993 brought into America.
The 917/30 in the corkscrew is Alan Hamilton's old car (painted in the Sunoco colours that Mark Donoghue raced in the 1970's), the 934 in the corkscrew is the car Bob worked on at Le Mans - both mentioned in the above articles. Finally, a picture of a 917/10 at Pebble Beach Concourse - check out the size of those turbos!
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Bob Whyms' Carrera RSR - From Porsche Club of NSW Magazine 'Porsche Power'
Having been asked to write a report on the Oran Park Driver Training Day held on 30 January 198, I was faced with a problem. Sure the day went well - excellently from all accounts - but how do I describe a Driver Training Day in which I only did twelve laps in my own car, but many more laps in other cars including an unusual 911: white in colour and with a speed exhaust to quieten things down.
We all picked up some good tips on the art of high-speed driving (notice I didn't say control) but this pales into insignificance for me as I feasted my eyes on the white 911.
Most of us have sat and dreamed / drooled over this particular vehicle as it either sat waiting for its master to exercise it, or as some professional, like Bill Brown, showed us glimpses of what it must have been like in its heyday. By now most locals will have worked out that the vehicle in question is Bob Whyms' Carrera RSR.
This particular car was the 67th produced out of a total of 109 made by the factory and came out as a 945 kg, 3 litre, 330 bhp, Type 4 RSR with 11" rear and 9" front rims as standard. The vehicle has had several owners and was raced regularly at circuits like Hockenheim, Norisring and Zandvoort. As far as can be ascertained, it has never raced at Le Mans.
In 1981 Bob came across the car in a wrecking yard in Germany and, on returning to Australia, undertook the monumental task of restoring the vehicle to its former glory. To give you some idea of the job, Bob had to oxy the gearbox apart for starters. It wasn't in the wrecking yard for nothing!
Bob made some modifications to the vehicle as he rebuilt it. While the gearbox is standard, the motor is now 3.2 litres and produces 360 bhp. Because RSR ignitions were not available, a 935 ignition system was installed. The wheel arches were flared even further to allow 15" rear and 11" front Simmons wheels to be fitted. In the interests of noise reduction, an exhaust / silencer system, which took twelve months to design and manufacture, was installed with no loss of power. At one stage Bob was contemplating road registration and so converted the vehicle to RHD. Imagine chasing it down the Comenarra! Why was I allowed to drive it? You may well ask as the answer evades me as well...
Ludwig Finnauer has just completed some hot laps in the car, showing Bob the finer points on how to drive it. So it sits, audibly crackling and creaking as it cools off. I look at Bob and ask if this would be a good time for a run. (Hell, I figure even 2 a.m. would be a good time for a run in this car.) Perhaps Bob wouldn't think so, but he nods in agreement. Before he has a chance to change his mind, I've grabbed helmut and gloves and gone for the quick jump into the driver's seat.
Mistake number one. You must ease yourself through the roll cage, bottom first, duck your head and swing your legs in last. I thought this would be a cramped driving position. However I was pleasantly surprised, finding myself in familiar territory. The seat is comfortable and, in fact, the car seems not much different from any 911. Oh, sure, a little bit more spartan inside and a couple of large red switches for a fire with the extinguisher system and battery isolation switch, but that's about it.
I look at the dials and they, too, seem familiar, except that there is something odd and it takes me about ten seconds to figure out what it is. The tacho is calibrated to ten grand and the speedo to 300 km/h.
Bob adjusts my harness from his passenger seat - he's along for the ride too. I sit waiting for instructions from him. You know, things like keeps the revs under four grand and be very gentle with my baby etc. But Bob merely tells me the gearchange is similar to any modern 5-speed 911 and the key is in its usual place and that's it!
I select first gear and let the clutch out very slowly, expecting it to grab suddenly. Mistake number two. The car idles away fairly evenly and I gently accelerate down the main straight. S-l-o-w-l-y I ease through the kink and apply the brakes, expecting to feel half of the travel available before the car starts to slow, but no. The RSR slows instantly and with very little pedal pressure. These brakes are good - then I remember an article I had seen, a road test of a 1974 3 litre RS 911. It had the same brakes as Bob's car and were taken off the Porsche 917. No wonder they felt good, and yes, I also remembered the cost of the brakes alone was comparable with the cost of the average family car of the day!
Second gear, and around the sharp left-hander at the end of the straight and I feel my way around the track for the next couple of laps using light throttle and gentle brakes. The car feels very easy to drive at this pace and as I become accustomed to the cat the speed starts to increase. I am wary all the time of what I am driving. My first ever session behind the wheel of a car on slicks and they feel great compared to my worn A008s.
I glance over at Bob. Just as well he can't see the grin behind my full-face, he might have thought I wasn't concentrating (which wasn't the case). Coming out of BP on to the main straight I use 8000 in second, third and fourth - sheet! - does this thing go in a straight line. I thought 1 min 30 sec was quick around Oran Park, but this vehicle is capable of beating that time by a mile.
Down the main straight and a light dab on the brakes after the kink and it's back to second for the left-hander. I'm waiting for the tail to kick out, but nothing happens, the car just goes around the corner like it's on rails. I guess the 15" rubber on the back helps, too!
I accelerate hard out of the corner and grab third before passing under the bridge. I have no sooner glanced at the instruments than it's back to second which I hold half-way up the hill and on to the bridge. As I grab third and start to flatten the throttle, something tightens in my stomach and I am not game enough to come off the bridge full-noise in third in a 360 bhp RSR.
As the laps pass (quickly!), I notice Bob is smiling!! That's right, he seems to be enjoying the ride as much as I am. He keeps telling me to give it a real boot, but I am wary of the responsibility that has been entrusted to me.
As with all dreams, you eventually wake up. But, what's this? People are really asking me what it was like. I pinch myself just to make sure - ouch!
In summary I feel I must point out the single most impressive feature of the car was its ease of control at the speeds at which I drove. No other 911 felt as neutral as this car did. Obviously the power is immense, but it was the total package that impressed. It seems like Porsche has gone backwards since this vehicle was built. Certainly a modern 911 is more comfortable, but the way a new Porsche handles compared to what can be achieved, I am surprised the newer 911s are as popular as they are. Perhaps we all dream of past glories and what was - and still is - achievable with a 911s handling.
Many thanks, Bob!
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