1969 Porsche 911 T

Like your humble scribe, this Guards Red Porsche 911T was built in 1969. It then provided sterling service for the next 45 years before coming here from California to be fully restored – and when we say ‘fully restored’ we mean it because it was stripped to a bare shell and acid-dipped before being repainted and refitted by a series of artisan craftsmen.

We’ll go into the full details later but this was a Proper Job.

Overseen by Classic and Iconic Cars of Leeds, the work took years to complete. Mindful of the temptation to rush a job, the seller tells us he started the restoration in 2015, taking his time thereafter. His aim was to get everything “just so”, investing, he says “love and affection” into every aspect of the restoration so he had a car “he could be proud of”.

The bare bodyshell was acid-dipped and any remaining rust cut out and replaced, including a new floor section. It was then carefully reassembled before being painted in the classis colour of Guards Red. The attached invoices detail the hours invested in body work alone - and we stopped counting at 100…

But, doesn’t it look magnificent? We’re used to seeing swollen-hipped and bespoilered examples from the late seventies onwards, so it’s a real treat to see how pure and elegant the early cars are, especially when they’re as well presented as this.

It’s delicate and subtle too, and how often to you get to say that of a Guard’s Red 911?

The finish is superb, helped by the fact that all the body brightwork mouldings were replaced, as were the headlamps. The overall effect is to shimmer and glint in the sunlight, red coachwork vying with the chromework for your attention.

And, it goes without saying that the panels are both immaculately presented and beautifully aligned. Even the bits most people don’t think about, like the wheelarch lips, the door shuts, and the rim against which the engine bay cover sits, have been exquisitely painted.

Fuchs wheels are a classic for a reason and the reason is the one you see here: they just work. Finished in black and chrome and just 15 inches in diameter, these four are fitted with matching Pirelli HP tyres, all of which have good tread.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Of course, as with every classic car there are jobs that need doing. For example, we can see most will want to straighten the offside front air intake as it’s ever-so-slightly wonky (#19) but that this is the only flaw we can see speaks volumes about the quality of everything else.

If the quality of the exterior leads you to expect a full retrim you’re in luck because that’s exactly what happened. The work was comprehensive and included a new headlining plus finding and fitting the correct door cards and door pockets.

As you can see, it looks spectacular but then that’s what £5,604 buys you.

The black seats, with their perforated centre panels and solid outers as per the factory finish, are as firm and supportive as John Bercow if he retrained to be a counsellor.

Even the frames beneath them were restored, with the rotten metal cut out and replaced with fresh before the whole lot was either powdercoated or chromed, depending on its original finish.

The vestigial rear seats and the door cards are trimmed in a matching material and look every bit as effortless elegant as the seats; if Porsche was known for its sometimes questionable colour schemes in the late seventies and early eighties, those of the late sixties and early seventies are in impeccable taste.

The dark grey carpets are simple and low-loop. Unpretentious and hard wearing and sitting on top of the newly fitted floors, they’re protected by similarly unassuming, thin rubber mats; this is not a car that requires fripperies to herald its top-flight status.

Speaking of which, while everyone else fits three-spoke, fat-rimmed steering wheels to its sportscars it’s lovely to see a classic, slim four-spoke example taking pride of place in front of the (left-hand) driver.

As does the rev counter. Whereas most manufacturers either put the speedometer centre stage - or fudge it by giving both instruments equal placing – Porsche sticks the rev counter there because it knows a 911 driver wants to know what the engine is doing and to hell with everything else.

And everything else is a bit hellish because Porsche might be among the most diligent engineers in the world, they didn’t really get the hang of ergonomics until the nineties, flirting only briefly with the subject before delegating interactions betwixt machine and man to a touchscreen like everyone else…

That’s Porsche’s problem though, not our seller’s because he’s done the very best he can with the factory design and produced something that manages to be so much more than the sum of its parts. It’s utterly lovely in there and the only job we can see that a fastidious owner might like to carry out is to replace the gearknob, which is a little more patinated than most would like to see (#10).

The frunk is decent too, and while the spare wheel is a matching Fuchs, it’s a little tired and is fitted with an el cheapo tyre (#70). That makes three jobs that’ll need doing inside, which isn’t a bad list, is it?

The refreshed bodyshell was refitted with suitably restored components – and if you’ve inspected the photos in detail, you’ll have noticed that this work was done with the same diligence as everything else.

The suspension, for example, was stripped and then powdercoated before being reinstalled with new bearings and bushes. The braking system was refurbished and reassembled with new discs, pads, and handbrake internals, too.

Of course, the engine was stripped and refreshed with new bearings to the crankshaft and big ends, plus new gaskets throughout. The work was carried out by Ashby & Anderson and Classic and Iconic Cars, two of the seller’s favoured craftsmen. All-in-all, the engine work came to around £10,000.

All the engine tinware was cleaned and powdercoated too, and a new oil tank was fitted along with new camshaft covers.

The carburettors were stripped and ultrasonic cleaned and the fuel tank overhauled. It’s all been beautifully detailed - and if you think you’d prefer fuel injection can we humbly refer you to The Gold-Plated Porsche by Stephan Wilkinson?

Another 22 hours went into the gearbox; throughout the project, the seller chose his workmen as carefully as everything else, relying on craftsmen and artisans he’s used before. His engine man used to work for Post Vintage, the Aston Martin specialists. The paintwork was done by a chap well used to respraying Ferraris and Porsche for the local dealership network. Four Leaf Clover fabricated the floorpan.

As you can see in the accompanying video, it starts beautifully, idles perfectly, and revs like a dream.

The underside is solid and well protected by a thick coat of underseal but it isn’t quite to the same high standard as everywhere else. There’s some underseal overspray here and there (e.g. #245) and the odd bare patch (#259), so if it were ours we’d be tempted to get it tidied up.

This definitely a job for Future You and very much in the Nice To Do category.

There is a Stainless Steel Innovations exhaust under there though, plus plenty of evidence of recent expenditure.

The 911’s history file contains a huge amount of information, with every job recorded in fastidious detail. That Classic and Iconic Cars went to the trouble of doing so speaks volumes as to its dedication to providing the very best service possible, a service that is echoed in the Porsche’s condition.

Make a cuppa and browse through them, taking the time to mentally add them all up. It’s a hefty sum but then there are few things more satisfying in life than watching someone else do all the hard work for you…

There’s a copy of its Californian title, too plus a few more bits and bobs from its time Stateside, including its Driver’s Manual and Operating Instructions.

The Porsche has a current MoT certificate until October this year - although it is of course exempt due to its age.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear.

Solid and beautifully finished, this wonderful Porsche 911T brought to mind Jay Leno’s guiding principle to buy a car, restore it to a 100-point concours quality, and then drive it until it’s a 40-point car before restoring it all over again.

The thing is, this is one that someone else has already invested in, doing all the heavy lifting so you don’t have to. We haven’t added up all the invoices in the 911’s history file and we doubt the seller has either because some things are better left unknown…

As to its guide price, we think the dust will settle somewhere between £55,000 and £65,000, a pitifully small sum that probably represents only a fraction of the sum invested in it.

Classic car ownership doesn’t get any better than that.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.