1972 Porsche 911 – Project Profile

There will be few classic car fans out there that wouldn’t include a Porsche 911 of some description when curating their dream garage, us included. Whether it be an early ’60s blueprint or something a little more bespoke Stuttgart’s finest regularly pops up in top ten lists, whether it be genre-defining models, design icons or simply the greatest production cars ever made the 911 has certainly made an indelible mark on the automotive landscape and the fact that it is still being produced today – a massive 60 years after its inception – speaks volumes as to its enduring appeal and popularity. Porsche may have moved away from those early, air-cooled models nowadays, consistently evolving its design and development, but those early cars have a place in a lot of folks’ hearts and this 1972, 2.7-litre version is one such example.

The “G-Series” 911, a group to which this particular car belongs, was introduced a decade after the dawn of the original and saw a distinct update in design by Porsche and this, along with the top of the range 930 of the time is quintessential Porsche as far as we’re concerned. This was the model that adorned our bedroom walls as kids and one that we still have a great deal of reverence for. Widow maker it may have been but all we knew is that we wanted one. Produced until ’89 the G-Series remains Porsche’s longest running production variant of the 911 and the German giant sold close to 200,000 of the things. Proof indeed that the car not only won our hearts as formative young whipper snappers but also those of the general sports car buying public.

What is it?

This 1972 G-Series Porsche 911 then, at least for us, represents a wonderful opportunity to pick up a legendary Porker for potentially not a lot of beans. Why? Well, because despite the odometer showing a mere 6,590km it isn’t exactly in road-going shape. We can tell that alarm bells are already ringing for a lot of you but bear with us as this project shouldn’t be written off just yet. Beginning life as a factory 2.4-litre with a manual gearbox the car has been upgraded with the 2.7-litre version of Porsche’s famous flat-six in the early ’90s. There’s a decent history file included that also shows that the car has had some restoration work in the past, including a bare metal respray but time has come for a little more TLC and the car is being sold as a non-runner.

Why is it a project?

This may not be as bad as it sounds, however, as the current owner did in fact drive the car into storage where it subsequently sat for a while and so it likely will just need a thorough going over and full service to bring it back to life. As for the exterior all of the trim is in good shape, as are the factory alloys, it’s just the paintwork that’s looking a little down at heel currently. There are some areas of flaking paint and surface rust but a full strip and respray will easily see this 911 back to its former ’70s glory. It’s a similar situation on the inside with the interior presenting in pretty good shape overall. This is far from basket case material, in fact it isn’t even in the same postcode. There is no damage, everything works and with a few tweaks and some fresh carpet up front it’ll be back to factory fresh condition in no time.

Five things to look for:

1) Engine

As mentioned, the engine hasn’t been run in a while. The exact time frame isn’t disclosed but however long it’s been laid up you need to approach the car’s air-cooled, fuel-injected, flat-six with kid gloves. Make sure it turns before even thinking about attempting to start it and the motor will need a thorough inspection and service at the very least. Have a look through the car’s history folder for a service and maintenance schedule and to see if the cam-chain tensioner has been replaced as these are known to fail. The good news is it’s a mechanically simple affair, especially with the absence of forced induction and If the mileage is correct then the need for a rebuild is doubtful but factor it in to your budget just in case.

2) Body and chassis

From the photos included with the listing the corrosion that is present on the shell doesn’t look to be too severe and should be easily remedied. The chassis also appears to be solid but it’s still pertinent to get underneath and have a poke about. While this isn’t the lairy turbo version it’s still a rear-wheel drive Porsche 911 with decent horsepower and no driver aids which all combine to make the chances of a mishap all the more common.

3) Steering, suspension and brakes

The brakes aren’t seized as the car rolls freely but you should still check for deteriorated hoses and corroded lines. A noisy or knocking from the rear is indicative of worn CV joints but it might be hard to investigate if you can’t drive the car. It would pay to get the thing off the ground to look for any excessive play in any of the steering and suspension components. Dampers can deteriorate and become ineffective too so administering the old bounce test on each corner is a must.

4) Interior

The 911’s interior is pretty hardy in the grand scheme but there is mention of a sticky passenger door as well as a damaged driver’s side door card. The dash isn’t cracked though and the seats look to be in fine fettle. It isn’t a sunroof model either and so water ingress shouldn’t be an issue. Despite that it’s worth having a look under the carpets to assess the state of the floors and turn everything on to make sure it’s all fully functional. Factor a replacement carpet into your budget too as this seems to be the cabin’s major let down.

5) Paperwork

Our main piece of of the puzzle to scrutinise would be the engine swap. If there is a paper trail then all the better. There is a large number of invoices and receipts in the car’s history folder so sit down and go through the lot to ascertain the car’s story as well as what restoration work was carried out, and who by earlier in its life.

What should you do with it? 

On the face of it this particular 911 doesn’t appear to require that much graft to get it back on the road where it belongs. If we were the winning bidder we would make sure the engine is in top condition by way of a thorough overhaul and service and barring any crucial mechanical or chassis issues take it straight to the MOT station for a test. The sooner you can get behind the wheel of this Porsche 911 the better off you’ll be and you can then address the interior niggles and bodywork requirements as you go.