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911e sporto barn find
Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 10:30 pm
by myatt1972
Ok here goes, recently came across a 73 911e sporto that had been stored in a long narrow stable converted into a garage. The car had a stable mate in the form of a 73 914 2.0l , couldnt see them parted so did a deal on both cars.
The 911 is generally in good condition and has a believable 20k on the clock, the only rust on the car is under the rear bumper and a small patch on the front bumper. The car is covered in dust and cobwebs.
A few pics.
http://s853.photobucket.com/albums/ab97 ... /73%20911/
It will be a slow restoration as I will be doing all but the bodywork myself, the car is up and running, I removed the fuel pump as it was not working and replaced the rubber fuel lines, after giving the pump a gentle tap while applying 12volts it suddenly burst into life. Fresh petrol, new plugs and points and away she went as sweet as a nut.
The sporto box is a different story, cant get the gears although the clutch is operating and the reversing lights are permenantly on even though the switch is ok.
Keith...
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:22 am
by johnM
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:56 pm
by myatt1972
Cheers John,
I must learn how to do that.
Keith...
Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 12:26 am
by 210bhp
You have dropped on a great car. Great original parts and patina ....nice orange bonnet badge, window stickers, wheel arch trims, recaros, lenses all in good nick and just look at those panel gaps.
If you can verify that low mileage then it may not just be a great car but could be a nice reference car. I would spend some time taking photos of every litle detail inside and out before you even touch it.
It appears to be one of the best 'original' finds I have seen for a good long time. Everyone has their own opinion of course but if it 'scrubs up' well I would be tempted not to repaint or over-restore. (I like the way the owners of the Beirut RS treated the 'restoration' of that car). You are a lucky guy to find such a time warp 911. Reminds me of the time I found my first 911 in the 80's (same colour, same year, same engine but manual box). However, it was not in the same condition as yours.
The only fly in the ointment is that key alarm cut into the front wing but that is fixable without destroying the originality.
Look forward to seeing it sometime in the future. Good luck and keep us posted on progress. Lots of photos would be great.
I doubt there will be many more like this one yet to surface.
Regards
Mike
Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 7:46 am
by johnM
210bhp wrote:You have dropped on a great car. Great original parts and patina ....nice orange bonnet badge, window stickers, wheel arch trims, recaros, lenses all in good nick and just look at those panel gaps.
If you can verify that low mileage then it may not just be a great car but could be a nice reference car. I would spend some time taking photos of every litle detail inside and out before you even touch it.
It appears to be one of the best 'original' finds I have seen for a good long time. Everyone has their own opinion of course but if it 'scrubs up' well I would be tempted not to repaint or over-restore. (I like the way the owners of the Beirut RS treated the 'restoration' of that car). You are a lucky guy to find such a time warp 911. Reminds me of the time I found my first 911 in the 80's (same colour, same year, same engine but manual box). However, it was not in the same condition as yours.
The only fly in the ointment is that key alarm cut into the front wing but that is fixable without destroying the originality.
Look forward to seeing it sometime in the future. Good luck and keep us posted on progress. Lots of photos would be great.
I doubt there will be many more like this one yet to surface.
Regards
Mike
Totally agree, if it’s not broke, don’t fix. It may scrub up very well. I think most of us on the forum are the same colour as the car

As for the gearbox, it may be a simple fix take it to a specialist who has experience with these box's. Mike Bainbridge has worked with these, but I am sure others will have too. Good luck and keep us posted.
Kind Regards
Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:48 pm
by myatt1972
Thanks for the comments guys, I will be taking your advice and keeping the car as is. I havnt even washed it yet!
As for the gearbox I will be trying to move the reverse shaft tomorrow as I have access by removing the fork. The shaft marked "this shaft" in the pic is the offender and is holding the reverse lights on.
Keith...
P.S I seem to have mastered posting pics on here so now there will be no stopping me!
Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 10:24 pm
by mrsimpson
Amazing find, when I see these barn find threads I always think 'how do you find a car in a barn!?'...Do you go knocking on doors asking to look inside barns? :D
What are your plans for the 914? Will you post some pics?
Congratulations on the cars my friend, excellent work, very excited for you.
Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:17 pm
by myatt1972
I also have a resto thread going for the 914 with some pics.
As for finding the cars, a good friend of mine does house clearance and he put me onto the cars, there were a number of other cars at the site, including a 1958 Roller.
Keith...
Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 7:28 am
by decapman
yup
they are only original once.
Preservation class is a growing trend in the US, original cars with original paint and patina, ultimately they have more beauty in my eyes than a trailer queen
Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 7:31 am
by pmjt
WOW

just stumbled on this thread - what a great find

Lovely car in a wonderfully preserved state. Good luck with her - look forward to seeing her around some time
Philip
Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 9:45 pm
by myatt1972
Just got back from a holiday in the lakes and had a great week but the highlight (for me) was calling in to see Mike Bainbridge at mb porsche engineering. What a great bloke, very helpfull. I think I will be visiting again soon with a sporto box under my arm.
If you read this Mike, thanks for your time and advice.
Keith...
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 10:09 pm
by myatt1972
Had a great afternoon working on the 911, have dropped the engine and box out so that I can take the box to Mike Bainbridge. Was quite painless getting the engine out, all went very smoothly. I made a little trolley that made things easier.

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Keith...
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 10:19 pm
by Gary71
What's the tank on the crossmember? Is this a sporto thing?

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 10:24 pm
by johnM
Gary71 wrote:What's the tank on the crossmember? Is this a sporto thing?

Vacuum tank for the sporto
Regards
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 11:34 pm
by myatt1972
I dont know why the vacuum tank is so big, the clutch will work half a dozen times after the engine is turned off. All the vacuum hoses need replacing, when I tried to remove them they fell apart.
Keith...