Porsche 911 chassis #303804 was completed in March 1966, 18 months after the 911 first entered production. It is one of the very first to have received Weber rather than Solex carburettors from new. It also benefits from the shorter ratio type 902/01 gearbox, rear anti-roll bar and adjustable front suspension mounting points introduced by Porsche in late 1965.
The car was first delivered to Portland, Oregon (USA) in a fairly basic specification, the only listed option being a radio. It stayed in the Oregon region through a succession of American owners until 2005 when it was imported to the UK by well-known early Porsche aficionado, Robert Barrie. He sold the car to Richard Clark, who would commission a thorough refurbishment using Maxted-Page Limited. In 2011 the car was sold to Jonathan Procter, the respected Swiss-based historic car dealer for his own personal use. Procter sold the car to the present owner in 2015.
The current owner has invested much time and effort improving the car during her stewardship. In 2017 the body was stripped to bare metal, minor corrosion repaired and repainted in the original Light Ivory colour by Panel Craft Elite. In 2019 the engine was fully rebuilt on the original cases by Jaz Porsche and was upgraded by installing S cams and high compression pistons. It has been measured on the rolling road at a very healthy 165hp, slightly more than the factory figure for Porsche’s 2 litre “S”.
The interior is largely to factory specification except for some tasteful period enhancements. The standard front seats have been replaced with a Recaro lightweight bucket seat for the driver and a Recaro Sports seat for the passenger. The wheels are 5.5” wide genuine Fuchs, which while not available until late 1967 do allow the car to run with slightly wider than standard 185/70 Avon CR6ZZ tyres.
The car has been carefully set-up and drives extremely well. It is easy to use but satisfying to drive more quickly. It has the feeling of a well-cared for car that has been used and maintained regularly and indeed that is the case, with the current owner having driven the car around France this summer.
It has a comprehensive history file with service records dating back to 1977.
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