BergMeister Tour inspires Dream Engine…Could be Yours

Sweet Memories

Lex and I are organising  the many, many parts gathered over many, many years. It’s a Herculean task, particularly on Lex’ part, because he’s been the crow all these years, as it turns out!  Organising the parts is one thing, but cataloguing them falls mostly in my lap.

As I was adding parts to what will be an outstanding spares list, I suddenly realised that we have the components in stock to build the ultimate torquey BergMeister engine.

Obviously you can go with a late 3.6 and stick it into the back of your early 911 and have power without end under your large toe. I know Steven Harris wouldn’t have it any other way and it works great for him. The other end of the spectrum is to go with a high torque, high horsepower alternative, which remains closer to the engines of the period.

For spirited driving in hilly terrain you want to have a medium final drive, so shorter than the later 915 gearboxes and longer than the early 915’s. I drive with a 8:35 in a lightweight ’74 915 gearbox. I find this ideal.

If you like the character of the earlier revvy engines, then you’d want to build on that character. However, you find yourself drifting through hairpins, merely to keep the revs up in second gear! 2.2 and 2.4 engines, and even the 2.7 RS engines lack a bit of torque for use in the mountains. So if you could keep the revvy character of the early engine, yet add some torque, then this would hit the spot.

Part of the obstacle towards this goal is the stroke of the otherwise powerful 2.4S and 2.7RS engines. They are built for a compromise which leaves you with good torque and a good amount of horsepower. If you want to increase on both fronts and still run a bullet proof engine there is and alternative, be it an exclusive one…

935 66mm short stroke crankshaft for sale

Years ago I bought a crankshaft and titanium con rods with the thought of building a super 3.0 liter block. As we went racing more intensely, these parts were stored and not used for competition. Until they resurfaced last week! The crankshaft is a type 935 and the matching Titanium con rods have the special bearings with cheeks which protect the titanium material. With the memories of the BergMeister Tour fresh in my mind, I combined a few of the above thoughts and figured that the optimal BergMeister Special  engine would consist of the following components:

  • SC block, properly flowed
  • 935 short stroke 66mm crankshaft
  • Titanium con rods
  • Modified 95mm pistons to reduce compression to just below 10.0:1
  • SC heads with the smaller ports
  • 964 camshafts
  • Weber 40mm carburettors with KN sport filters
  • Single ignition on points for an aggressive spark
  • 3 pin CDI box
  • Lightened flywheel
  • WEVO Streetlite Clutch for 9 bolt

Titanium Con Rods for 935 crankshaft

This package will give you an engine that spools up like mad and  its 2.808 cc volume in short stroke, 964 cams and relatively small ports will guarantee a torquey, revvy, spectacular character. And the good news is: we have most of the components on the shelf! It’ll be an exclusive item, but a tough and reliable one as well.

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