YOUTUBE VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/VmS56gcIN0E
1973 Porsche 911 S Coupe
Numbers Matching with Houndstooth Sport Seats
Restoration by Jerry McCarthy with KAM Motorsports
VIN # 9113301139
ENG# 6331814 (911/53 7R Case)
Less than 10,000 Miles Since Restoration
Black on Black with Pepita/Houndstooth Inserts
5-Speed Manual Gearbox (915)
Clean and Clear California Title
Straight and Dry Chassis
Tasteful Factory Porsche Sport-Purpose Parts
Porsche Certificate of Authenticity
Offered at $274,990
Many collectors have been discussing the enthusiasm for early (longhood) Porsche 911s. Yes, the prices have skyrocketed. But, these are important cars and relatively inexpensive in comparison with their Italian contemporaries. In fact, the 911 was voted one of the top 5 cars of the 20th century. In this buying frenzy, many over-represented/lipstick on pig examples have surfaced. Unfortunately, this detracts from good clean cars, which are becoming increasingly difficult to find.
This 911 S began its ground up/bare metal restoration 17-years ago and wasn’t finished until 2001. Over $100,000 was invested in the restoration, which was ludicrous at the time considering you probably could have bought a decent RS instead. Since its restoration, the car has lived with 2-owners and traveled less than 10,000 miles. Both owners were excellent custodians and understood how to properly care for these cars. As a result, this Porsche is in great condition and ready to be enjoyed by the next owner.
Originally, this 911 was delivered new to Italy. Sometime in the 1980’s, Ruf Automobile GmbH federalized the car for delivery to the United States. A well-known literary agent purchased it for part time/weekend use. By the late 1990’s, this owner decided to restore the car and money was no object. He simply wanted the best and hired the best. He employed Jerry McCarthy of KAM Motorsports in Connecticut. Jerry has been one of the most respected Porsche restoration specialists for many decades. Although now retired, his superb work frequents many concours fields.
For the next three years, this extensive restoration become an all-consuming project. The stack of receipts is quite impressive as well as the many hand-written correspondence between Jerry and the owner. Much of it involves ideas of how the car should be finished. The ultimate goal was to create a show worthy specimen that would also carry on the spirit of early 70’s sport purpose. In a sense, this owner wanted a gentleman’s sleeper. Fortunately, many factory special bits and pieces were available at the time. Now, most of these items have become unobtainium and unheard of being used on a project such as this.
Some of these exclusive details include:
Factory 911 R (7R) rear wheels: yes, the real deal.
Factory 911 RS (380mm) thick leather wrapped steering wheel
Factory 10k tachometer
Factory rear muffler skirt
Factory 100-liter plastic RS fuel tank (stamped ’73)
Factory aluminum deck lid
Factory sport seats with houndstooth inserts
Factory short shifter
In addition, the owner wanted the car to have a bit more oomph when it came to the mechanicals. So, the following mechanicals were included:
Limited slip differential
Stainless steel SSI heat exchangers
Numbers Matching engine built to 2.7 RS Specifications
Carillo Rods
Chain tensioners
9.8:1 JE Pistons
Carrera oil cooler
Aluminum rear arms
Front and rear sway bars with end links
Carrera oil cooler
Koni shocks/struts
Lightweight flywheel
The car was finally completed in 2001. For the next 6-years, it was driven only on dry days as a fun weekend touring car. It traveled 9,000 miles before being sold to the current California owner.
The current owner is a long time Porsche enthusiast and collector who has an eye for unique 911s that are tastefully done and done right. This one caught his eye and he purchased it in 2007. For the next year, he spent a considerable sum bringing this 911 S to the next level. He located and installed factory original steel front and rear bumpers. When he bought the car, the interior had a lightweight-look setup. So, he had Tony from Autobahn restore the interior to stock specifications including fresh sport seats, correct German Perlon carpet, restored door panels/pockets, and restored rear seats. Finally, he had the mechanicals looked over and decided to install a new factory clutch and have the lightweight flywheel resurfaced. Once completed, this 911 was used for light touring around the Monterey Peninsula and as a result, the owner added less than 800-miles for the next 8-years. Regardless of its limited use, it did see frequent oil services and any other routine maintenance.
The paint is in remarkable condition considering its age. It appears to be the correct factory single stage black paint. It has an incredibly deep and dark luster to it. It almost looks liquid. The paint bill in 1999 was nearly $20,000! There are some very minor nicks on the hood from 17-years/9,800-miles of light driving, but that’s about it. The factory Fuchs (15x6 front and 15x7 rear) are in excellent condition and wear new Pirelli tires.
The interior is like new considering it was restored less than 1,000 miles ago. It still smells like fresh leather. Everything is crisp with hardly any signs of use. All the gauges operate properly. The Blaupunkt radio is original to the car but does not power on. The glass is in great condition and original except for the new windscreen.
In my opinion, this 911 S would make the ideal vintage rallye/touring car for some of those more exclusive events. It is elegant and has a great stated look to it, but it is secretly a canyon screamer. The 2.7 MFI motor is probably one of the closest I’ve felt to the real deal. It has incredible low-end torque with that patent scream starting at around 4,500 rpm. I found some receipts that show the car producing over 200hp at the rear wheels on a dyno. The previous owner claimed the dyno results were 185hp to the rear wheels. Either way, it is the perfect amount of power for this 2,300lb chassis. The handling is incredibly nimble and turn-in is almost intuitive. The steering is so light and effortless. The brakes have a great initial bite with no fade even under hard progressive application. The shifting is one of the better 915 boxes I’ve driven. It easily slips into first gear with no synchro complaints. Shifting through the gears is precise and smooth.
California registration is current and good through April of 2016.
This Porsche comes with extra keys, the original owners manual/folder, tool kit, original date stamped spare wheel, jack, Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, and a large stack of receipts and photos of the restoration.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Paul at 714-335-4911 or paul@autokennel.com
For tons of pictures, either cut and paste the following URL into your browser, or click here: http://www.AutoKennel.com
This vehicle is sold “as-is” with no warranty, written or implied. In some cases, the vehicle does have the remaining factory warranty still in place and will be described above if that is the case. All taxes and fees are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the listed price. All vehicle sales will require a $65 document fee. The vehicle listed is described to the best of our ability. The information is based on our own research and statements made to us by the previous owner(s). To the best of our knowledge, the above information is accurate. We are not responsible for errors in our description of options or any other details. The above-mentioned vehicle is used and can be expected to show some wear and tear. It is not a brand new vehicle. We do welcome all local pre-purchase inspections on vehicles in order to verify condition.
