Every so often, I have to scratch my brain for fresh Porsche story ideas. My history with Porsche goes back to—egad—1975, so “been there, done that” applies more often than I care to admit. Happily there are times that ideas fly in “over the transom” (younger readers can Google that, or look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls). That’s what happened when I received an e-mail from Greg, the Editor of Excellence, telling me about a reader who’d written in about his modified 993-generation 911 Carrera S and plans to build a motorcycle course on his property out on Long Island, New York. Bait set, hook thrown, I was all in!
The old jokes about calling a bald guy “Curly” and a towering basketball center “Shorty” do not apply when referring to New York’s Long Island geography—it’s an accurate description. So, when I contacted the owner of our subject 993, Dan Duffy, I had to plan my traveling arrangements around the legendary Long Island Expressway’s (the Big LIE) celebrated traffic. I once photographed a Ferrari for our sister publication, Forza, out near the end of the island and had to make overnight sleeping accommodations at the halfway point with a friend. Yeah, traffic can be that bad.
After mapping out the location and calculating the route and travel time, I decided that this trip wouldn’t be that tough and planned to make my trek on a pre-Memorial Day weekend. I wanted to shoot my photos in “good” light—i.e., really early or really late—so I was up at Zero Dark Thirty, pointing the family truckster east into the pre-dawn gloom.
Most of my knowledge of Long Island comes from a college geology course (confession, I’m a science nerd). The whole place is what’s called a “terminal moraine”, formed as a mile-thick glacier receded at the end of the Ice Age. As I got closer to my destination, I noticed that the topography was basically level with almost no hills or valleys. When the GPS got me close, I called Dan Duffy, and he gave me the info I needed to navigate the last mile.
Duffy’s property is a former winery that he and his family have cleared to make way for his hoped-for conversion to a motocross venue. While unloading my camera gear from the car, I surveyed the acres of undulating land. I could already picture the course taking shape across the land. Was this overly ambitious? Then I reminded myself that the famed Bridgehampton race track was just a bit further east, and that determined people have a track record (pun intended) of making dreams come true. With the rising sun, my skepticism faded.
You don’t have to do much research on my work to learn that I am a die-hard fan of the last air-cooled Porsches. Just before the arrival of the water-cooled 996, I was given a thrill ride around Porsche’s super-secret Weissach development center in one of the soon-to-be-replaced models. While I already loved the look and admired the technology, riding in the right seat as one of the factory hot shoes drifted a 993 through the corners cemented the model’s place in my heart as my favorite 911.
Duffy’s 993 sat silently alongside his home, and as we chatted, he began to explain the motocross project. His enthusiasm for the vision convinced me that he was the kind of person who could bring it to life. I wished him well. I surveyed the landscape and directed Duffy where we should place the car for the best pictures in the morning sunshine. When he fired up the flat-six, the raucous music of the exhaust revealed that this was not your grandpa’s Porsche.
It’s hard to take a bad picture of a Porsche (although I admit I have managed it), so in the beautiful light and surrounded by the rural landscape, I clicked away, ticking off the kind of images that I hoped our art director would find useful for the story.
As Duffy carefully placed the car in the best light, I listened to the rumble of its engine and sensed something special was under the lid (more later). He said that the sound I was admiring came from custom-fabricated “cat-back” bypass pipes and stainless equal-length headers from B&B. I was interested in whether he did the work himself—his in-depth knowledge of the car was so encyclopedic that I figured he had to have had a hand in the work.
He admitted that he had help from a local shop called Lynmore Motorsports in Lindenhurst, New York. I had never heard of them, so Duffy described their bona fides by identifying the genius who worked on his car. “My car’s builder was Richie Bedell.” He said Bedell worked on race cars for The Racer’s Group and Flying Lizard. While that is an impressive resume, he is currently also the mechanic on record for PCARMARKET. I knew there was more to the story, but the sun was scudding across the sky, so we delayed talking details…back to work.
Since we were chasing the sunlight (morning light is good but gets harsh as the day progresses), we decided to do the “action shots” to complete the story’s required image catalog. Duffy obliged as he drove along the gravel driveway at sensible speeds, the roar now echoing off the low hills with each pass. The crisp acceleration and snap of the exhaust were magical. If you have ever heard a well-driven 993 roar by at speed, you know what I mean.
Once the basic shots were “in the can,” we headed out of his property and onto the twisty country roads around the area. Duffy did the driving first since he knew the territory and where it was “safe” to release the hounds. I’ve ridden shotgun with plenty of Porsche owners, and the experience ranges from “Geeze, does this guy know how to drive?” to “I’m glad I’m wearing my brown pants!”.
I am happy to report that Duffy demonstrated what I like to call “gourmet driving”. His shifting was precise, throttle applications smooth, and his line through the curvy blue roads was spot on—I give him high marks. This is, I thought, a driver in complete sync with his car and the road. I happily admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
As we worked our way further along a road that paralleled the Big LIE, he suddenly made a right into a more industrial area where the famous Long Island aircraft industry grew and flourished. I was curious as to why we left the “fun roads” to drive past huge factory buildings. However, there was a method to his madness. At the intersection of the next corner, we pulled into a fenced-off display of genuine (and gigantic) retired military jets, mounted on pedestals as a celebration of the contribution the local aircraft manufacturers had made to our country. We kicked around new story titles but couldn’t figure out how to work in “Top Gun” or “Need For Speed”. Still, we had fun and took a few pictures to honor the creations of dedicated American workers.
There are perks to writing for car magazines. Meeting fun people. Visiting interesting areas. But most of all, it’s driving great cars. This assignment was no different. When our time at the display of military jets was over, he tossed me the keys and said, “Your turn”.
I can’t remember how many 993s I have driven, but I can tell you, getting in behind the wheel always brings back a flood of good memories. Duffy’s 993 was no different. Back in the Road & Track days, their writers would scribble lines like, “…the shifter fell readily to hand”. Well, with this 993, I can steal that cliché along with others that describe the welcoming and inviting interior of this now-vintage 911. Like reconnecting with a longtime friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, driving a 993 rekindles the good time memories and promises new ones.
Exiting the parking area, I had to accelerate quickly to blend in with the traffic. The strong push of my back in the seat told me that there were a few more Teutonic ponies in the engine than most of the 993s in my memory bank. When we got onto the twisty roads, I tried to connect with the car like Duffy had done during his drive. I was able to place the car where I wanted on tight corners and after the apex, track out without violating the center line. Turn-in, something I look for in a well-engineered suspension, was nearly perfect. I wondered what it would be like on a track like Lime Rock or Watkins Glen. Duffy has never “officially” driven this car on a race track. Because of the suspension work and engine modifications, he would have had to install full racing harnesses—something he didn’t want to do to his car’s stock interior. However, when pressed a bit, he said he did manage to “unofficially” drive his Porsche on an undisclosed track and said it was “exciting”.
After exploring the local roads, we drove back to his home, and Duffy brought out the list of the technical changes he had made to his Porsche. Guided by Richie Bedell, they modified the engine using a Porsche Motorsport 3.8 RS spec conversion kit from Andial in Santa Ana, California. The kit is a treasure trove of genuine racing parts, complete with RS-spec cylinder heads atop RS-spec 3.8 barrels and pistons.
The build also included RS camshaft and RSR solid lifters. The fuel rails are also from the RS parts bin. The engine sports an RSR flywheel and an RSR oil pump sourced through Patrick Motorsports and the connecting rods are from Pauter. To handle all of these new engine parts, the engine control unit (ECU) had to be remapped. This was accomplished through Specialized ECU Repair in Oakland Park, Florida.
With all this “go,” you have to also address the “slow”. This was done with factory 993 Turbo “Big Red” brakes with Pagid Red pads. In my street driving, they worked smoothly and with only a slight squeal, unlike some track-spec pads I have driven. Up front, Duffy added cooling ducts in case he ever did venture out on a track more seriously.
Safety concerns were addressed with a Brey-Krause roll cage with Sabelt three-point harnesses. The car was lowered using H&R springs connected to Bilstein PSS10 struts. There are 18-inch factory hollow Turbo Twist wheels at each corner. Continental Extreme Contact Sport 02 tires spin all around with 295/30 ZR-18s out back and 225/40 ZR18s up front. On the street, with me behind the wheel, they work well.
The only non-factory change Duffy made to the cabin is the installation of a Momo Prototipo steering wheel. I had one in my dear departed 944 and loved it. It fits beautifully in this 993 and is an easy conversion back to the original unit if ever needed.
You can tell this 993 is well-loved and well-cared for. The changes made by Dan Duffy show respect for the basic 993 design and it is modified with some of the best parts money can buy. The result is a machine that is a joy to drive, fun in the corners, and safe at the limit. I’m happy to report, Duffy is not one of those Porsche owners who has a “garage queen”. He drives his 993 and says that he enjoys it “all the time”. After fifty years of chasing Porsche stories, it’s good to be reminded that the best ones still arrive “over the transom”—from people who know that a Porsche’s true beauty isn’t in its polish, but in the way it moves.
