Porsche 911 T

History of the 1972 911

First-year of the 2.4 liter 911 with a newer, stronger transmission, identified by its Porsche type number 915. Derived from the transmission in the Porsche 908 race car, the 915 did away with the 901/911 transmission’s «dog-leg» style first gear arrangement, opting for a traditional H pattern with first gear up to the left, second gear underneath first, etc.

In 1972, a tremendous effort was made to improve the handling of the 911. Due to the 911’s unusual engine placement (rear-mounted, with most of the vehicle’s weight concentrated over the rear axle), early 911s were prone to oversteer when driven at the limit and could easily spin in the hands of an inexperienced driver. To remedy this, Porsche relocated the oil tank from its position behind the right rear wheel to in front of it. This had the effect of moving the weight of almost 8.5 L (9 US quarts) of oil from outside the wheelbase to inside, improving weight distribution and thus, handling. To facilitate the filling of the oil tank, Porsche installed an oil filler door (much like the fuel filler door on the left front fender) on the right rear quarter panel. Unfortunately, this unique design was scrapped after only one year, some say because inattentive gas station attendants were putting gas in the oil tank. The oil tank was subsequently relocated to its original position for the model year 1973 and remained there until it was relocated within the wheelbase for the 964 models.