1973 911 Targa

[Andyleach]

Do you have a 1973 911 Targa?

On the "how many left" site it says that there are 4 1973 911 Targas on the road in England taxed and being used. I would like to track down the other 3 owners just to see a picture of their cars and see how the cars are doing. If you have one or know someone that has one let me know.
Thanks
Andy

[hot66]

Rhd or lhd ?

[Bootsy]

The how many left site is usually woefully wrong

[Alan @ CanfordClassics]

I have one a RHD 73 T in deep storage for a future resto, plus a 73 S RHD in for works (customers car) plus have pics of 5 or 6 more 73 RHD Targas cars on file, so there's 7 there.

HTH

Alan

[Andyleach]

It doesn't surprise me if the "how many left" site is inaccurate. From memory it says there are 11 of which 4 are currently taxed.

Mine is RHD. I was just interested in seeing pictures of some of the other cars.

[210bhp]

I'm thinking this is referring to RHD 1973 S targas. There were about 11 known survivors out of 46 made but one or two more have surfaced recently.

Regards
Mike

[Bootsy]

I'm guessing the site just takes it's number from Dvla data. Unless a car is registered correctly then it doesn't appear. How many Targas are registered correctly on their log book? Especially any imported ones

[fcd911]

If I recall correctly, digging deep into my memory from around the time I acquired my car (I am only referring to 911S F Series Targas because that is all I know) there were approximately 490 (?) F Series S Targas produced (RHD and LHD). Am I right in thinking that there were no RHD Targas produced prior to the F Series cars?

Of that total, as Mike says, 46 (I thought it was 49) were RHD S Targas imported into the UK

In the very early ‘90s the consensus was that there were 13 RHD S Targas remaining in the UK.

In the late 90s I met a guy at Oulton Park who had an S Targa that he had exported to Australia where he lived.

I think there was an olive (coloured) car which was for sale a couple or three years ago which may have gone to Australia as well.

That ties in with the theory that there are now 11 known examples of the RHD S Targa. However, I have always been sceptical about the specific number remaining, primarily because the attrition rate (46/49 > 11) looks high. Bearing in mind that the figure of 13 remaining was from a period when these car were only about 18 years old. There are always other make “barn finds”, our Porsches should be no different, there will be some hidden away for sure. As Mike indicates one or two more have surfaced recently. There was a “RHD” car for sale last year but it was actually a LHD-RHD conversion so does not count.

There are those who have more detailed data and I stress that my sketchy memory is only related to the 911S.

Because so few RHD Targas were made the T, E and S seem to get lumped together so that legend seems to indicate that the total built and the number remaining referred to above covers all RHD Targas. I think it would be really good to detail them separately by model. In fact I suspect there will be even less RHD E Targas.

Of course I look forward to being corrected by those with a more detailed knowledge

John

[210bhp]

John

You have made a nice summary. The only thing I would say is that in the 80's and 90's a few, maybe three or four, Rhd 2.4S targas were re-imported from South Africa back to the UK and these of course now appear on the dvla list. They are still only part of the whole total of 46 production but it made it look at the time that they had been 'discovered' and the UK total swelled from about 8 to 11 or 13 or whatever figure you believed at the time. Subsequently, as you point out, at least a couple have now been re-exported and the UK registered total has gone back down again.

You are correct to point out that the Rhd targa only came with the introduction of the F series and the total made in the 73 MY were,

46 S's
50 E's
80 T's

I have a record of eight Rhd 2.4 S targas but sadly I first started noting down the cars 20 years or more ago and at the time I neither recorded chassis numbers, engine numbers or owners names, just colours and where I had seen them.


Regards
Mike

[fcd911]

Mike

It is interesting that you refer to cars being re-imported from South Africa back to the UK.

Do you know what the reasons for that kind of movement were, did cars, when new come into the UK before going to SA?
Was there no Porsche importer/dealer network in South Africa.
If so do these cars form part of the 46 total - not forgetting the other 130 cars (E & T) I assume the story is similar with those.

John

[210bhp]

John

46 cars built, worldwide production. Yes there was a SA dealer or two. Some production was always earmarked for SA, Australia etc but as their values climbed to over £10k in the 80's here in the UK (and most were rusty by then) the search abroad began for nice dry targas. I remember Mark Waring had at least one light ivory re-imported SA car for sale at his company World Wide Classics back then.

Regards
Mike

[Arfor Jones]

For many, many years, Lindsay Saker Motors of Johannesburg have been the official Porsche importers and distributors, and as far as I know, they still are.

Arfor.

[IanMcLeod]

For many, many years, Lindsay Saker Motors of Johannesburg have been the official Porsche importers and distributors, and as far as I know, they still are.

Arfor.

Yes that is right Arfor and it is in the official service center list for 1972 as the official importer.

16 - 18 School Street was the address then.

Ian.

[Arfor Jones]

I venture to suggest that they are in rather more luxurious premises now - more befitting of an Official Porsche Centre of the 21st Century!

Arfor.

[Pettycoatloose]

This one across the pond !


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk