Porsche 911 S

The first of many improvements to Porsche’s legendary 911 sports car came in 1966, two years after production had commenced, with the introduction of the 911 S. Easily distinguishable by its stylish Fuchs five-spoked alloy wheels, the S featured a heavily revised engine producing 160 bhp.

In 1967 Porsche tested a new “Sport-o-matic” transmission at the 84-hour Marathon de la Route held at the Nürburgring. Four Porsches were entered, two of which were equipped with the Sportomatic transmission. The transmission proved effective, with the #14 Porsche 911 R equipped with the Sportomatic winning in impressive fashion. The success led Porsche to introduce what it termed as an automatic transmission, the Sportomatic, though it had no fully automatic setting, in 1968. The Sportomatic employed a conventional torque converter coupled to a vacuum-operated single-disc dry clutch ahead of the modified 911 four-speed gearbox. When the gear lever was moved, the clutch would disengage, re-engaging as soon as the driver’s hand was removed. As larger, more flexible engines were introduced, the Sportomatic became a three-speed, and in this form it lasted through 1980. It is believed that only 227 911 S models were built with a Sportomatic for 1968, many of which were replaced because of their unconventional operation.