Porsche 911 T

The only omissions from original factory specification today (which are all reversible if required) are black horn grills and black edged external lenses from a 73 model, a modern Porsche Classic radio and a new set of PMO carburettors to replace the original zenith items which were fitted at the owner’s request during the restoration at the time. The carburettors are worthy of a special mention, as they are very similar in specification to the Weber carburettors fitted to earlier S specification 911s, giving this 911T a significant boost in performance without losing the low down driveability that is part of the original cars appeal.

Anyone with an enthusiasm for Porsche will know that this year the marque is celebrating its 75th anniversary. During this time, many successful models have been created from the early 356 to the dominant 919s, current 963s and of course the immortal 911.

Certainly, every Porsche enthusiast will have a favourite, but arguably the 911’s produced up until 1973 are the prettiest of them all. Technically advanced for its time, any 911 of this period was capable of showing a clean pair of heels to most cars down a twisty piece of road and unlike many of its peers, with Porsche reliability too.

Initially powered by a 2.0 flat six and then a 2.2 litre version of the same engine, these were replaced for the 1972 model year by a new 2.4-litre unit (actually 2,341cc) that had already been tried and tested in endurance racing. To handle the extra performance and torque available, a new stronger type 915 5 speed gearbox was fitted too. The most obvious external change from the 2.2-litre models, was an external oil flap (Oel Klapper) fitted in the right-hand rear wing and used to fill the centrally located tank beneath. This oil tank had been repositioned to further improve weight distribution, however, as is well documented elsewhere, it caused more than a few engine failures when errant petrol pump attendants mistakenly used this side filler to refuel the car with petrol instead of oil. Porsche reverted to putting the tank in the rear of the car for 1973, where it was originally located and filled via the engine compartment. This makes a 1972 model 911 not only more desirable for its unique appearance, but slightly sweeter handling too.

Available in three different models, T, E and S, each were visually similar with the engine power available being the main difference between the cars, as each model could be optionally specified with the same internal and external trim and equipment levels if required.

The S produced a headline grabbing 190BHP, at a lofty 6,500RPM and in sheer performance when used in anger was the quickest of the three variants, however, if more normal driving resumed, it didn’t hit peak torque until 5,200 RPM whilst this arrived in the T a full 1600 RPM lower, meaning the T was (and still is) the easier car to drive briskly on a daily basis.

Whilst the official production figure for a 911T Coupe was 1963 units in 1972, the actual number of RHD units is believed to be just 106 and today only 19 of those are still registered in the UK, making them an increasingly rare sight on our roads today.

The 911S is of course equally rare in RHD and prices accordingly reflect this rarity, with around £260,000 required today to secure a `best of breed` matching numbers example.