[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [New Search]
On 26 Mar 2003 at 7:00, Daniel Baum wrote: > > It looks like the 311 S version was used on these AT type 34s. > > Assuming this is true, and this piece of info has come up before on this > list, has anyone ever seen an "S" distributor? It's the extremely rare type 3 enthusiast's version. Made in very small quantities and sold only over the counter at a lone warehouse to those who knew the password, these distributors have been the holy grail for type 3 owners since the introduction of the 1967 2.8L Porsche Stealth 911S, AKA the Type 343SS. It appears in the parts book, in disguise, as the correct part for a 69 Type 34 with automatic transmission. Production of the 343SS peaked in 68 at 23 units, and even those had to be picked up at the factory in person, but without the 311 905 205S distributor which was the key to unleashing the astonishing power of these engines. Prospective owners were interviewed at the factory to determine their worthyness, and then they were presented with the rather mundane 311T distributor and asked to install it. A few prospective owners received nothing more than an explanation that the T distributor superseded the older S version. Owners deemed worthy were sworn to secrecy and given the password, a non- replaceable and non-transferable claim check, and the address of the secret warehouse in Albania. It was assumed that deserving owners would find a way to get to that warehouse and back out from behind the iron curtain without being caught. Factory rally team cars did not have to go thru this process, but none of those cars are known to have survived. There are, however, rumors.... Few examples of the 343SS distributor remain today, so few, in fact, that they are seldom mentioned for fear of driving up the already appreciable price. They occasionally come up on ebay but seldom with a correct description. I bought mine at a swap meet in La Plata, outside of Buenos Aires, in 1985. It is NOS, never installed, still in the original tetrahedral package which was to ward off the effects of ageing. The 3 titanium flyweights on the electro-mechanical advance are still as bright and shiny as the day it was first handed over to the eager young owner, who, unfortunately, did not survive his attempt to escape Albania with his prize. -- Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711-3054 USA ------------------------------------------------------------------- List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org