Brian Leask's 1981 930 Euro
His first car was a '71 Datsun 510. After heavily modifying three of those he was ready for a Porsche. After becoming an engineer, "And making a decent salary," he says, "I realized I could actually own one. My colleagues had early '70s 911s. A friend of theirs had a 930, but they said it was the quintessential money pit."
When Porsche released the 930 to the public, with technology originally developed for the Can- Am 917/30, the result was a very quick but very demanding car. The 911 Turbo, as it was known in the States, was prone to violent bouts of oversteer. This characteristic combined with significant turbo lag and a short wheelbase sent more than a few drivers on detours to Spin City, sometimes with dire results. This didn't deter Leask: "The rush of finessing a fast 930 around a canyon road or race track is like no other."
He eventually located a Zinnmettallic European import that supposedly didn't leak a drop of oil. "I saw the car sitting there and it was one of those 'love at first sight' moments," Leask says. "It felt much faster than the previous U.S.-spec cars I had driven earlier. Even its gearbox and suspension felt more solid."
After an accident bent the front suspension, Leask delivered the car to Dave Bouzaglou at TRE Motorsports in Hollywood, Calif., for a complete upgrade. TRE swapped out the stock torsion bars for stiffer 23 and 31mm hollow units from Sander Engineering. Elephant Racing PolyBronze bushings were installed on the front control arms and all the compliant rubber bushings were replaced with spherical bearings. The front control arms themselves were replaced with powdercoated Fabcar units a half-inch longer for increased negative camber and an improved scrub radius for the front wheels. Bilstein RSR front struts and custom Bilstein rear shocks were also specified. The dampers were custom valved by Smart Racing Products, which also provided 27mm "thru-the-tub" and 23mm adjustable anti-roll bars.
Up front there's a rebuilt steering rack and ERP bump-steer kit and Elephant Racing triangulated aluminum front strut tower brace, and the fender lips were rolled in anticipation of the 275/40 front tires. Once the exact offsets were determined, Leask shipped a set of four 6x16-inch Fuchs wheels to Lindsey Racing, where the outer rim portions were machined off, leaving only spoked center sections that were then pressed and welded into a spun aluminum outer rim. The car was then corner balanced and aligned. With slightly more than a half tank of gas, it weighs in at 2,705 pounds. According to Leask, the car is easy to drive and well-balanced: "The steering effort required at low speeds hasn't been negatively affected by the modified front suspension geometry."
The engine received upgrades to not only boost power output but also to reduce turbo lag and aid in driveability. ARP head studs. A massive BlownSix Design 1020 CFM intercooler designed for a 964 Turbo and all-factory Porsche plumbing. B&B stainless steel headers installed with a hybrid K27-HF (High Flow) turbocharger and a modified fuel distributor from Imagine Auto. A 46mm Tial wastegate set to 1.0 bar for normal street use with springs for 1.1 bar installed on rare occasions. A ported and Extrude Honed intake manifold, a rebuilt air-flow meter, and an Evolution Motorsports high-flow intake with a custom fabricated mount allowing for less turbulence and greater flow into the air-flow meter. Fabspeed dual-outlet stainless steel mufflers, the right side for exhaust duty and the left for wastegate discharge.