The Fahrzeugbrief documents the 911S’s subsequent two German owners- Walter Glattenbacher and Bern Eckhardt. Eckhardt sold the 911 to Sam Dockery of Santa Paula, CA on January 12, 1979. Mr. Dockery owned a special effects company and was highly involved in the film industry and after working on the set of the Le Mans movie, and had been longing to purchase a 911S of his own ever since. After purchasing the car, Dockery had the car delivered to B+B Auto Exclusive Service in Frankfurt for U.S. compliance modifications. Five months after the car arrived at the port in Long Beach, CA, Dockery is granted an approval letter from the EPA granting approval for the 911 to be operated in the US. Dockery was granted a DMV certificate of non-operation and stored the 911S in a hanger in the Santa Paula airport until November of 1990, when he sold the car to Porsche mechanic and enthusiast Richard Kanes. Kanes embarked on a multi-year restoration to bring the car up to a very high standard, but unfortunately fell ill during the final assembly and was forced to relinquish the project.
It was in this final stage when collector Fred Starr was notified of the project. He had a number of concours-quality 356s and had been in search of a long hood 911 that would suit his tastes and high expectations. He directed the completion of the project, including adding an upgraded air conditioning system in anticipation of retiring to south Florida and purchased the car in 2003. For two years after its completion, he brought the 911S to numerous Porsche outings before selling to its most recent owner in 2005. For the past 15 years, the 911S has been stored in a heated/cooled, and humidity-controlled garage and only driven sparingly.
An impressive file of documentation accompanies the car with documents dating back t0 1973, as well as invoices and correspondence for work performed both during and after the restoration.
The high caliber of the nearly decade-long restoration has held up beautifully over the years thanks to the care of its two most recent owners, and overall the 911S presents incredibly well. More importantly, its performance matches its looks- the 2.4-liter engine is powerful throughout the rpm range, and handling is tight and precise as expected. The air conditioning blows surprisingly cold- “the coldest I’ve ever felt in an early 911” as Tim Kuhn remarked after a test drive.
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