I’ve got a new favorite Porsche.
This isn’t my first Stuttgart rodeo. Over the years, I have owned a 1968 911L, a 1978 911 SC, a 1991 928 S4, a 2000 911 Turbo, a 2000 911 Carrera and a 2000 Boxster S. They each spoke their Porsche dialect with a distinct accent.
The 911L presented like a mechanical jewel box, the 928 like a powerful, stealthy submarine, and the Boxster S like a well-sorted but rather ordinary sports car.
I didn’t think I’d like our 1975 911S Sportomatic as much as I do.
These “mid-year” 911s reflected Porsche’s struggle to meet tightening smog and safety regulations. They have a reputation for running hot and breaking head studs. In addition, Sportomatic aficionados are few and far between.
With my handicap, however, if I wanted to manually shift an air-cooled 911, a mid-year was my first choice.
Swapmeet special
We bought the 911 over the phone way back in October 2022. It was parked in the Hershey Swap Meet Car Corral. An SCMer owned the car.
The “For Sale” sign in its window said, “Two-owner, 46,000 original miles, factory A/C, runs 100%, $47,900.”
SCM Contributor Lowell Paddock was there, so he did a quick walkaround and listened to it run. He found the Sahara Beige over original-tweed interior unusual and appealing.
The attractive asking price had several other people interested in the car as well. I would have lost the deal had I insisted on a pre-purchase inspection, so I decided to take my chances. How wrong could I be?
I would soon find out.
Meanwhile, the seller had the original warranty booklet from Holbert Porsche Audi in Warrington, PA, dated July 16, 1975. There were also a few service records that supported the mileage.
I checked with our 911 guru, Jim Schrager. He said at that price I had room for error, the car seemed good, and encouraged me to buy it.
The seller and I agreed on $46,000, and I wired the money. On Friday, October 6, 2022, the car was loaded on a transporter headed to Portland.
The next 18 months could be a novel about what it takes to bring a long-stored example of an obscure model back to life.
Expert opinion
We had the 911 delivered to Al Blanchard at A&P Specialties. The shop has been around since 1985, but Al starting working on Porsches in 1972. He cut his teeth at Gateway Porsche Audi, a now-defunct local dealership here in Portland, so he has known these cars since they were new.
“Runs 100%” turned out to be an optimistic description.
Al started with a comprehensive inspection of the car. The first sentences of his report read, “Compression great at 133 psi to 140 psi. However, one engine stud is missing and likely others are broken. To repair will require an engine rebuild.”
The estimate for that was in the $25,000 range.
We tabled that discussion; however, I was still quickly using up all the “room to make improvements” funds I had figured into my purchase price. From sitting, the car needed everything serviced. In addition to the braking system being rebuilt, Al installed a backfire valve, the tires were replaced, and it needed shocks.
I had the non-functional A/C removed, along with the smog equipment. I also had him lower the car to European spec and add an Elephant oil cooler.
It took a while to get the Sportomatic to play nice. The transmission came out of the car twice, and a new micro-switch needed to be installed at the base of the shifter.
We are now into the car $71,000. I’ve been advised that as long as the compression is good, I should just keep enjoying the car and not stress about the head studs.
Despite all these travails, the car is just great to drive.
I’ve never owned a mid-year 911 before. It is more robust than my 2.0-liter 911L was. The 1975 is frisky, and feels light and energetic compared to my SC, partly due to it weighing over 300 pounds less.
The Sporto adds an unusual element to the package, with three very long gears. There’s not a lot of shifting to do, but plenty to enjoy from the symphony of the 911’s flat-6 winding out to its 6,200-rpm redline.
It’s that quintessential air-cooled Porsche sound that’s most impressed my son Bradley. He drove the car 500 miles to Bend, OR, and back, and it has quickly become his favorite. He also likes the light, precise steering. When we drive on an 800-mile Porsche Club tour this summer, he will be taking the 911.
Regrets, I’ve had a few
Should I have bought the car? Could I have acquired a better Sporto for the same amount?
Maybe. There was also a Mexico Blue 2.2-L I had inspected that seemed solid, but I passed. It sold for $70k, which at the time I thought was just too much money.
Of course, I wish my car had truly “needed nothing” — or at least not more than a few thousand dollars spent returning it to roadworthiness. I remember thinking I was going to spend last summer cruising down back roads with cold A/C blowing (and no broken head studs).
That didn’t happen, but still, this is a three-owner, 46k-mile car that has never been hit or rusted. Most important, I love driving it.
You gamble every time you buy an old car, and some hands you are dealt play out better than others.
What I’ve spent on this one seems fair to open a new chapter in my life with classic Porsches. ♥