Porsche 911 Carrera 2,7

Launched in late 1973 and ten years after the original 911, the 2.7 Carrera along with the rest of the range was receiving its first major facelift, most notably energy absorbing bumpers to meet new safety regulations for the USA, which allowed it to withstand an impact of 5mph without body damage.

With its distinctive safety protruding bumpers and black bellows at their corners providing a solution to the problem, the `impact bumper` 911 was born, paving the way for the appearance of every 911, for the next 15 years.

The US was causing others issues too, with Porsche forced to detune engines to accommodate its standard octane fuel and increase capacity of all models to 2.7-litres to partially compensate. Even the headline Carrera model had a detuned 175BHP engine to meet the stringent emission requirements.

There was still a cherry on the cake though, in the shape of the European 911 Carrera – or Carrera 2.7 MFI, as it better known.

To all intent and purpose, it was mechanically very similar to a 1973 2.7RS with the same 2.7-litre, 210bhp engine and gearbox, but with the new impact bumpers and a Touring specification. It was even available with the ‘Ducktail’ rear wing, Carrera script and staggered 15in wheels, plus a selection of lurid and typically 70s colours. However, unlike the RS, it was also available in Targa form too.

This high performance normally aspirated 911 was only available for three years and somewhat overshadowed at the time by the new 911 Turbo, before being replaced by the curiously less powerful Carrera 3.0.

Equally unusual for many years, it was considered in no way particularly special and priced accordingly. More recently, the market has woken up to this anomaly and Carrera 2.7 MFI prices in line with its RS roots, have entered a new and more befitting zone and if you break it down to yearly production numbers, they are rarer too.

Which brings us to this excellent example of Carrera 2.7 MFI perfection.