The "New 1999 four-wheel drive Porsche 911" was described in this
weekends Wheels section of the Toronto Star. Here is an excerpt
describing the "new" viscous coupling system:

       "To send variable amounts of torque to the front wheels, the
     911 C4 uses a  relatively simple viscous coupling, consisting
     of a housing filled with a special silicone fluid containing
     two series of circular plates.
         In normal driving, the rear wheels push the car, which in
     turn pushes the front wheels, and there is almost no relative
     motion between the two sets of plates; the fluid stays thin
     enough that only about 5 per cent of the engine's torque is
     transmitted to the fronts.
         Should the rear wheels start to spin, the fluid thickens,
     and as much as 40 per cent of the torque goes forward.
        Herold (Thomas Herold, project leader on the new car ed.)
     says the viscous coupling is effective and it's both lighter
     and more compact than competitive mechanisms.  He didn't
     mention cheaper, but it is that, too.
         The viscous coupling is part of the front axle, rather
     than the rear.  This concentrates the 55 kg weight gain over
     the rear-drive 911 onto the front wheels, where it can do the
     most good."

Now where have I heard this before? I guess the Vanagon Syncro was just
too good a design to resist. But will next year's 9-1-1 have a granny
gear?

Larry, Avery and Fritz our Syncro Westfalia

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