1976 Porsche 911 S 2.7

This 1976 Porsche 911 S has a 2.7-litre fuel-injected flat six and a five speed manual gearbox. It was originally sold in California which is why the steering wheel is in the wrong place, and also why there’s no rust, and no evidence whatsoever that this 47 year old car has ever seen a welding torch.

Finished in white with black leatherette seats, blue carpets and period perfect coconut floor mats, it’s covered 102,500 miles, but had a comprehensive engine rebuild less than 10,000 miles ago.

The car was imported into the UK in 2003 and the owner has the original 1976 bill of sale, which was for $14,500, after the lucky buyer opted for 7 inch Fuchs alloy wheels, a sports steering wheel and Bilstein dampers.

This is a very original looking 911 S and the current owner reckons the bonnet, roof, front offside wing and door are original, but suspects the front nearside wing has been painted.

He also thinks there are two palm sized patches on both rear wings above the wheelarches that have been painted, although he says it’s very hard to see these repairs unless you have the car under artificial lights.

There are some very minor stone chips on the front valance, and a small paint chip on one of the vents above the rear screen, plus evidence of paint repairs on the leading edge of the nearside front wing, under the headlight area.

But overall this 911 S looks lovely, and has a wonderful air of originality about it, highlighted by a rear side window still having the Californian authority exhaust emissions test sticker on it.

We’d leave it as is, apart from those Federal rear bumper rubbers – a switch to European spec parts would make an already pretty car even prettier.

There’s a wonderful simplicity to this period of 911 interior, and this one is in beautiful condition. All the rubber door seals are in nice shape, the seats are excellent, as are the carpets.

There are no cracks on the dash, and the owner assures us that all the instruments work, along with the heater fan. The back ‘seats’ are all in fine condition too. The only caveat is that the owner thinks the clock not be working.

There’s a stylish Momo steering wheel fitted but the original part comes with the car, as does a box of old parts.

The current owner has fitted the following parts:

Four new Toyo Proxes tyres

New ignition leads

New Distributor cap

Spark plugs

Air filter

New fuel pipes

Fuel filter

Oil and filter

New breather heat exchanger pipes

New brake discs pads front and rear

New rear calipers

New brake flexi hoses front and rear

New brake fluid

The owner says:

‘The engine’s obviously been out and they’ve sprayed the gearbox in underseal for some reason. The engine, however, looks quite fresh. These engines can be a bit oily and leaky, but someone’s put the better Porsche Turbo sump on this one. Since I’ve had it and changed the oil it’s not dripped at all.

‘I took it to a garage I know well and asked them to do the brakes and at the end of the day I went back to pick it up, expecting them to have found a long list of faults. Instead they said the car is like brand new underneath.’

It certainly sounds very healthy, as you can tell from our video. Air-cooled 911s can make a bit of a chaotic clatter, but this one is smooth and silky. The only thing we’d do is possibly lose the US spec catalytic converters, which would likely free up a few more horsepower.

After coming to Britain in 2003 this car sat in a garage unused for more than 10 years, and has covered very few miles since emigrating. The current owner has the bill (included in the documents section of this listing) for the engine rebuild, which was carried out in California in 1997 at a cost then of more than $6000. A new clutch was fitted at the same time.

The enthusiast owner has carried out recommissioning work as listed in the mechanical section of this listing, and says:

‘Over all the car is in super solid shape underneath – it’s hard to believe how good it is compared with a car that spent its life in the UK. It’s never been welded, doesn’t need any welding, and if you wipe the underside with your finger you just find white paint.

‘I’ve had it for about six months and have the original bill of sale from the Porsche dealer in California. There’s another document which is the original window listing of the car when it was for sale in the dealer. The original handbook is there, and there are lots of nice little quirky bits of paperwork.

‘In terms of engine work there’s a bill from a Californian specialist from 1997 for a complete engine rebuild, including a list of all the new parts fitted. The car had done 94,000 miles at this point and it’s only done 102,000 now.

‘I was looking for a Porsche 912 but a friend told me about a 911 he knew had been sat unused in a garage for more than 10 years. Eventually I managed to prise it away from the guy in Mansfield.

‘To be honest the car is a bit of a time warp. It’s incredibly clean underneath – there’s no rust under it anywhere. In the wheelarches you can see the white paint. I was going to steam it all off and clean it up even more.

‘It’s had a proper full service and I’ve done all the brakes, fitted new tyres brake discs and pads and new rear calipers. It now purrs really nicely and has just had an oil change. I must have spent over £2500 on it easily. It drove horribly when I got it as the tyres were square and the engine was running rough. It was unhappy, but it’s transformed after all the work, and drives really well now.

‘The gearbox works nicely with no crunching, and the car also has a new battery. I’ve cleaned the engine up and fitted new breather pipes for the heat exchangers. Plus new windscreen wipers and a new Momo steering wheel. It also has a has a nice period Tag Heuer stop watch where the stereo would be.’

The 911 comes with the original handbook, a V5 in the current owner’s name and three keys.

This a about as original a 911 from this period as we’ve seen. It’s in lovely condition and has an engine with very few miles on it since a thorough rebuild. It’s ready to go.

Our estimate for this car is £40,000 - £45,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located in Retford, Nottinghamshire. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.