Porsche 911 Backdate

It was a standard 1982 3.0 SC when I purchased it. Black from the factory. I have a number of very full ringbinders of history dating back to the 80s. It was tired in a number of areas when I bought it, but I’d had a few 911s previously, including aircooled, and my plans for it made it a good starting point.

Body and paintwork by Jeff of Fenn Lane Motorsport. The car was stripped to the shell. Any rust was cut out with new steel put in, including kidney bowls, sills and inner front wing. All panels including brand new wings, bumpers etc are steel and properly fettled to fit correctly, not just off the shelf and bolted on. It was all taken back to bare metal, zinc coated, epoxy primed, and painted in twin pack in the original Porsche black, better than it left the factory. It has been under sealed and cavity waxed to prevent any issues in future.

All mechanical work was by RennSpeed Porsche Specialists.

The engine is a 993 Varioram with 60k miles at time of fitting. It’s in rude health and produced 303bhp on ChipWizards dyno when mapped, however this was on a temporary exhaust which was more restrictive so it may well be over that now. It has since had a Bursch GT3 exhaust with their 1 3/4” headers and a genuine Porsche 997 GT3 silencer fitted (£5k in parts alone). It is switchable between normal and loud modes on a keyfob and sounds spectacular but civilised for longer journeys in quiet mode. It has lots of torque and is very easy to drive quickly in any gear with the added theatre of the extra zip when the Varioram cuts in at 4k rpm.

The gearbox is the original 915 unit, fully rebuilt with new dogs, sleeves, synchros and a Quaife ATB which really helps putting down the power. The shorter ratios compared to a 993 box really help the car get a move on and it changes smoothly up and down the ratios. It will happily cruise at autobahn speeds though. It has a lightweight flywheel and lightweight Sachs power clutch. The engine revs very freely with the much reduced rotating mass. Gearshifter is a J West unit and removes any slop found in the original.

The suspension was entirely renewed with Bilstein street sports dampers. There are firmer sets out there but I wanted the car to be a B-road blaster, not a racecar that doesn’t work on the road. All new linkages and bushes (some original rubber, some polyurethane depending on where I wanted compliance or a bit more taughtness). Geometry has been set up by Center Gravity who are the specialists for 911 geometry and thoroughly nice guys to boot.

The engine lid is from a 964 with a custom moving spoiler, controlled from a switch on the dash and also the keyfob if you want to pretend to be Michael Knight. The headlights are CE approved LED projector units from 9elevenheadlights and are a huge improvement over standard.

The interior has been fully refurbished, with new carpets, dash, door cards, headliner and 964 Sports seats with the deeper bolsters. I did have a more period correct looking pair, but these 964 items are the comfiest Porsche seats I’ve ever sat in and that trumped looks for me. The whole interior was restored by SG Stying in Leeds who works on aircooleds more than anything else.

Wheels are genuine Porsche Fuchs 16” by 7&8”. The 8” wide rears are rare and produced one year only for Porsche. They really fill the standard SC arches well and complete the look of the car. They were properly refurbished and anodised by Early911 on the south coast. The tyres are nearly new Michelin PS4 all round.

Brakes are new, standard SC callipers with braided hoses, Brembo discs and Mintex pads. They provide plenty of stopping power and resist fade well.

The car has a current MoT but is exempt given its age. This also makes it ULEZ compliant if that is your thing. I’ve enjoyed the car very much during and after the build. I’ve taken it on long journeys including to the Nordschleife and wouldn’t hesitate to take it again. It could very easily be used as an everyday car and was built with that in mind.

No part of the car has been left untouched and I’m happy that I’ve built it to a fantastic spec and executed it to an excellent finish. There’s lots of parts and work not listed above, but listed in the receipts and history. The car has been featured in Classic Porsche magazine. It weighed under 1100kg with half a tank the last time I had it on the scales. With over 300bhp and good torque everywhere in the rev range it’s a fast, useable classic 911 that turns heads everywhere it goes.

I’m still unsure about letting it go as I’ve been an aircooled fan since a child and this is my dream car built to my perfect spec. The current number plate will be removed prior to sale and an age related one will go on. I’m not looking for offers or trades, except for perhaps a Ferrari FF. It would cost considerably more than the asking to recreate this car, especially given recent increases in parts and services costs in the last few years.

I’m happy to discuss anything about the car with any potential buyer. I’m also happy for you to have the car inspected should you wish, although I don’t spend much time in the UK so viewings and inspections will have to prearranged. Please get in touch through WhatsApp or email in the first instance.