﹒Full £20k body restoration

﹒Complete £10k engine rebuild with just over 8,000 miles

﹒Huge history file

﹒Porsche Certificate of Authenticity

The Porsche 911 enjoys a legacy that few cars can match. The form has evolved and engorged over the generations, but any era of 911 is still recognisably a 911 even after fifty-six years – the combination of swooping curves, cartoon-eye headlights and, most significantly, an engine slung out behind the rear wheels has kept this iconic model at the top of dreamers’ wish-lists for decades. 

With the early models of the 1960s and ’70s, there was a fairly logical approach to badging and naming structure; unlike today when the halo model is labelled ‘Turbo’ despite all the other ones being turbocharged too, back in simpler times it was easier to decode: with the classic 911T, the ‘T’ stood for ‘Touring’; the 911L offered ‘Luxury’, the 911S was ‘Super’. And the 911E? That little letter was short for ‘Einspritzung’ – the German word for ‘injection’.

Produced from 1969-73, the 911E replaced the 911L (and thus sat within its luxuriously-appointed niche) and sported a mechanical fuel injection system developed between Porsche and Bosch. The Comfort package came as standard, meaning generously-stuffed seats and deep carpets, leather steering wheel, aluminium brake callipers with ventilated discs, and tasteful chrome trim. Arguably the jewel of the model range, it offered fabulous performance and eager handling along with a cosseting ride and superior appointments. A truly alluring proposition in the classic 911 market today. 

Presented in its original 8888-code shade of Gold Metallic paint, this is a 911 which has received a lot of care and attention over the years. One of only 1,302 long-nose cars to feature the Bosch CIS mechanical fuel injection system, its rarity and desirability has long been appreciated by its owners and this is proven by the specialist attention it’s received in recent years. With a full body restoration costing £20,000, and an engine rebuild to the tune of a further £10,000, this is an honest matching-numbers 911E with a huge history file to back up all of the work that’s been carried out.

Originally supplied to a buyer in San Francisco in 1973, it’s latterly been expertly converted to right-hand-drive with all other elements of originality retained. The Porsche may say 911T on the deck-lid, but rest assured – this is a full-fat fuel-injected classic imbued with all of the luxurious appointments befitting the historic 911E badge.

There’s a pleasingly substantial file of paperwork accompanying this car, detailing all of the extensive restoration works and much more besides. An official Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche Cars Great Britain shows the 911 to have been built on 01/05/1973 and supplied to its first owner via Porsche Cars USA in San Francisco – this also documents the car’s original colour-way as being the present 8888 Gold Metallic, with contrasting black leatherette interior with basketweave inserts. Also optioned from new was the electric sunroof, along with the 911S-spec oil tank, 20mm front and 18mm rear anti-roll bars, and door-mounted speakers.

The history file features a full and comprehensive photographic record of the restoration, showing the car being stripped down and having all rust eradicated, with assorted new panels where required, before being refinished in its original shade of paint; the full extent of the work is meticulously itemised in the accompanying documentation. An invoice from specialist Xavier Auto Clinic in 2008 details the full engine rebuild, in the region of £10,000, and a number of other significant invoices from this company show that it was considered a safe pair of hands by a former owner. The file features dozens of other invoices and receipts dating back years from a variety of other specialists, proving how lovingly the 911 has been looked after.

There’s something transcendent about sitting in a 1970's 911. In modern cars you get used to the compromises in visibility brought on by the necessity of having chunky pillars all around, but a vehicle like this reminds you of the delicacy cars used to have. It’s a beautifully presented interior too, with the 911’s black trim contrasting neatly with the vivid exterior. The conversion to right-hand-drive has been carried out to the highest quality, and everything else is present and correct in original form – including the original-option electric sunroof.

The front seats are a little careworn here and there, a few cracks and minor tears but wearing the patina of their forty-seven years with grace, whereas the rears show little evidence of having been used at all. (This is not uncommon with classic 911s, of course – the diminutive size of the rear accommodation means that it’s more often than not a neatly upholstered shelf for your coat rather than a place to transport people.) The headlining is in excellent condition, and the dash-top is entirely free of the cracks that can so often plague these cars. All of the original gauges are in place and operational, and the audio has been upgraded with a Becker Grand Prix head unit (with CD, radio, mp3 capability, and a device connector hidden in the glovebox) and upgraded speakers.

Inside the front boot we find an excellent carpet set covering a correct Fuchs spare wheel, twin batteries, and the original tool kit and jack. The car is also fitted with an immobiliser and alarm, which is all certified in the documentation.

This shade of Gold Metallic really complements the stylish lines of the 911, and the quality of the restoration work is evident from every millimetre of it. The shut-lines are all superb, the doors, engine lid and boot opening and closing with surety, and the paint is fabulously lustrous and really sparkles in the sunshine. The brightwork is excellent, with all of the correct lamp lenses, grilles and trim pieces present and correct. The attention to detail with the restoration is evident, with every nut, bolt, clip and screw having been renewed, and it’s clear that it wasn’t the intention to over-restore – while the exterior is beautifully presented, the retention of the original patinated interior exudes the feel of a period survivor that’s been cherished. The money has been spent in the right places. The only blemish we could find is the cracked mirror glass in the wing mirror, but that would be a very easy thing to remedy.

Underneath, the car is extremely straight and solid. All indications of a car that’s been loved and is ready to enjoy.

With a £10,000 engine rebuild in the history and very few miles covered since, the 2.4-litre motor runs extremely sweetly – supremely smooth, with that trademark flat-six sound that imbues these cars with such character. We can see that the mileage on the speedo is reading a little over 8,000, and this is a pretty accurate record of the number of miles on the rebuilt engine; the MOT history shows the mileage at 98,000 in 2007 before resetting the following year; the mileage going around the five-digit clock roughly coincided with the fact that 2008 was the year in which the 911 received its full engine rebuild. 

The transmission is equally sweet, the original 5-speed manual ’box shifting just as it should. The brake callipers were rebuilt in 2014 and are in proper working order, and the seller reports no issues with the suspension or the steering – everything is as it should be. The wheels are genuine Fuchs items, all wearing excellent tyres. The car has very recently been serviced and inspected by renowned specialist Tower Porsche, who remarked upon the impeccable quality of the restoration and the right-hand-drive conversion.

There’s no mystery to the appeal of a 1970s Porsche 911. That elegant and timeless profile, backed up by sublime handling and creamy-smooth flat-six, it’s simply an intoxicating formula. And this particular car represents a truly delectable set of boxes ticked: matching-numbers, extensive restoration work, full engine rebuild… all the jobs have been done, and done extremely well. It’s a car that wants for nothing except an eager character sitting in the driving seat, with an eye on the horizon and a head full of dreams of adventure.

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