1972 Porsche 911S 2.4 Targa


Details

The Porsche story is a fascinating one and its roots go back to the 1930’s when Professor Ferdinand Porsche was instrumental in the design of the first Volkswagen and also Auto Union race cars. By 1939 he had built three Porsche cars to compete in the 800 mile race from Berlin to Rome. Unfortunately the race was cancelled due to the war and Porsche was forced to focus on supporting the German war effort, however, he had always wanted to build his own cars and that dream lived on. In 1944 Porsche was forced to leave Stuttgart and he set up a small operation in Gmünd, Austria. Soon after the Porsche family and many of their engineers were captured and sent to jail. Ferdinand Porsche’s son Ferdinand junior, or ‘Ferry’ as he was known, was released six months later and he returned to Gmünd to rebuild the family company. Things moved quickly and Porsche was involved with cars again and shortly thereafter in mid-1948 the first Porsche 356 was built. It is understood Porsche built some 50 hand built aluminium bodied cars in their small factory at Gmünd before relocating back to Stuttgart, Germany. The rest they say is history as the 356 evolved into one of the most successful sports cars ever built. A hard act to follow indeed . . . but its replacement, the Porsche 911 went on to become a legend!

The evolution of the Porsche 911 is probably the greatest sports car story of all time. First introduced in 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and then designated as a 901, the successor to the 356 took the world by storm. To avoid conflict with Peugeot who claimed exclusive rights to car names with three digits having a ‘zero’ in the middle the car was renamed as 911. The first production 911 was built in 1964 and were powered by an air cooled 1991cc 6 cylinder engine. The car evolved with increases in engine capacity to 2.2 litres, 2.4 litres, 2.7 litres, 3.0 litres and 3.3 litres with styling changes also, but one always recognised the car as a 911. Today the first series of 911’s is recognised as the cars built from 1963 to 1989 and included the very popular Porsche 911 or 930 Turbo models. Of these the ‘small bumper’ or ‘pre impact bumper’ cars built up to 1973 are today regarded as the real classic 911.

Aside from the 911 Carrera RS 2.7, the late model 911S 2.4 is arguably the most desirable and sought after of the original small bumper 911’s.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a 1972 Porsche 911S 2.4 Targa. The 1972 cars featured the unique external oil filler flap which is also highly regarded by collectors.

This particular example was sold new into the USA and the books confirm its first owner was a Mr Walter Gaisford from Pasadena (near Los Angles) in California. The car was delivered on the 3rd August 1972 and the service book was stamped by the delivering dealer Bozzani on the 3rd October 1972 at 600 miles for its first service. All subsequent service entries were by the Porsche service centre in Utah.

It is understood the car had an engine failure in the late 1980’s and its then owner, thought to be Mr Gaisford, sold the car as a non-runner to the Porsche specialists who had the car. The drive train (including the original engine) was rebuilt and at that time the odometer was 69,485 miles. This is stamped in the service book as 1988. There is a subsequent stamp in the service book in July 1989 at 71,445 miles noting an oil change.

The car was then sold through a classic car dealer in Los Angeles to an Adelaide based Porsche enthusiast and restorer. He travelled to the USA to source the best car he could find to import into Australia, convert it to RHD and ‘restore’ as needed. He duly acquired this car and over a period of time converted the car to RHD and changed its colour from ‘sepiabraun’ to red. The car underwent a bare metal repaint and the body was reported to be in excellent condition at the time. The car’s owner used it sparingly taking it on the odd long distance journey and club event. It was a concours winner back in the 1990’s. The car was re-trimmed in the mid 2000’s and the trim colour was changed from brown to black.

After 20 years of ownership the car was subsequently sold to a client in circa 2010 who on sold the car in 2015. The current owner, a Brisbane based private collector, acquired this 911 back in March 2017. He immediately embarked on the process of taking a really good car to the next level. He spent a fortune on the car over the next 12 months with work including: overhaul the brakes & fuel injection system (including the fuel pump), a major service, fitted new exterior trim (including badges), fitted new interior trim (including door cards & pockets, sill mouldings & caps) and luggage compartment carpet. The majority of the work was completed by Brisbane based Porsche specialists DHM Auto Solutions.

Today the car presents and drives magnificently. The colour scheme is striking and the paintwork is virtually unmarked and in excellent condition. Similarly, all of the external trim, badges and glass are also in excellent condition. The interior is almost new and it presents as such. The targa roof fits snugly and it is in very good condition. The engine bay is exceptionally clean as is the front luggage compartment. The photographs speak for themselves . . . this car is hard to fault!

This Porsche 911S drives as good as it looks! The engine pulls strongly through the rev range, the gear change is excellent and the car steers & stops as it should. A new set of Faulken tyres have just been fitted. It is incredibly tight on the road and it provides the ultimate 911 driving experience.

This car would suite the most fastidious Porsche collector and it is ready for the show circuit or better still an amazing weekender that can be used and enjoyed. It presents and drives every bit as good as it would have done when it rolled off the production line in Stuttgart all those years ago. It has travelled just over 1,000 miles in the last three years and today the odometer reads 91,817 miles.

The car has books (including its original maintenance record book, owner’s manual and pouch), a good history file with service receipts, a tool kit and a copy of the original Kardex and Porsche production sheet.

The Kardex confirms this car retains its original ‘matching numbers’ engine.

The current owner is now refining his car collection and this Porsche 911S 2.4 Targa is reluctantly offered for sale.

 


Specification

  • -
  • Porsche 911S 2.4 Targa
  • 1972
  • Coupe
  • Manual
  • 91,804 miles
  • 2341cc

SOLD

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