1967 SWB Targa restoration
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 12:04 pm
For more than two years, we set out to restore a very early SWB 911 Targa which we had acquired as a project.
Chassis number 500017 is one of the earliest examples known to survive. Records suggest that it predates the first Targa sold to a member of the public, which is known to have carried the chassis number 500021.
As many here may know, back in August 1965 Porsche applied for a patent to cover its new ‘semi-convertible’ and, in the autumn of 1966, work began on the assembly of a series of pre-production examples. As yet, the new model didn’t have a name to differentiate it from the regular coupé versions of the 911 and 912 but, following a meeting held at The Fleischauer dealership in Cologne, at the suggestion of Porsche sales director Harold Wagner the term ‘Targa’ was decided upon in honour of the company’s victories in the Targa Florio road race.
On completion, chassis number 500017 was delivered to Fleischauer and first registered on 31st January 1967. Chassis number 500018 was delivered to the USA on the same day, suggesting that these two cars could well have been used to promote sales of the new model in both the domestic and the largest export markets.
The factory Kardex shows that the engine – number 911124 – is original to chassis number 500017. While this engine (type 901/01) forms part of the range 909001 to 912050 as installed in 911s of this era, it predates the engines fitted to production Targas, which began with number 911191.
The car remained in German hands until 1982 when it was imported into the UK, at which point it was registered as XEF 88Y on 17th September 1982. In November 1990 it was issued with the current age-related number (SVN 99D). The first UK owner is unknown but the second, Barbara Hutt of Middlesbrough, acquired it in 1983 before selling it to John Bennett in Prudhoe in 1989. Mr Bennett kept the car for only a short time, selling it to Darren Weighell of Northallerton a year later. From that point on it remained in the same family (with a further two registered owners) until it was taken off the road several years later. After several years languishing as an abandoned restoration, it eventually ended up in our workshops in Saltash, Cornwall where our resto guru, Graham Kidd, set to work.
Here are some photos to tell the tale...
As we found it – not an auspicious start, partly stripped and left to fester. The problem is with a project like this, you never know what parts are missing!
More to follow.
Chassis number 500017 is one of the earliest examples known to survive. Records suggest that it predates the first Targa sold to a member of the public, which is known to have carried the chassis number 500021.
As many here may know, back in August 1965 Porsche applied for a patent to cover its new ‘semi-convertible’ and, in the autumn of 1966, work began on the assembly of a series of pre-production examples. As yet, the new model didn’t have a name to differentiate it from the regular coupé versions of the 911 and 912 but, following a meeting held at The Fleischauer dealership in Cologne, at the suggestion of Porsche sales director Harold Wagner the term ‘Targa’ was decided upon in honour of the company’s victories in the Targa Florio road race.
On completion, chassis number 500017 was delivered to Fleischauer and first registered on 31st January 1967. Chassis number 500018 was delivered to the USA on the same day, suggesting that these two cars could well have been used to promote sales of the new model in both the domestic and the largest export markets.
The factory Kardex shows that the engine – number 911124 – is original to chassis number 500017. While this engine (type 901/01) forms part of the range 909001 to 912050 as installed in 911s of this era, it predates the engines fitted to production Targas, which began with number 911191.
The car remained in German hands until 1982 when it was imported into the UK, at which point it was registered as XEF 88Y on 17th September 1982. In November 1990 it was issued with the current age-related number (SVN 99D). The first UK owner is unknown but the second, Barbara Hutt of Middlesbrough, acquired it in 1983 before selling it to John Bennett in Prudhoe in 1989. Mr Bennett kept the car for only a short time, selling it to Darren Weighell of Northallerton a year later. From that point on it remained in the same family (with a further two registered owners) until it was taken off the road several years later. After several years languishing as an abandoned restoration, it eventually ended up in our workshops in Saltash, Cornwall where our resto guru, Graham Kidd, set to work.
Here are some photos to tell the tale...
As we found it – not an auspicious start, partly stripped and left to fester. The problem is with a project like this, you never know what parts are missing!
More to follow.
