1979 Porsche 911 SC Coupe - Sportomatic

Vendor Chris Gorne has owned this matching numbers SC Sportomatic since 2013. ‘I sourced it from Ian Holly, a chap who bought cars and re-commissioned them before selling them on. Prior to this it’d been in storage for some time.’

The first thing Chris did was to entrust the car to local, and well renowned, specialist Autofarm. ‘As a result of the long lay-up it had a clutch issue and they gave the car a general look over, which highlighted some other problems.’

These were rectified at the time, with Chris then enjoying the car for several years. ‘In 2016, I decided to have the car lightly restored. At the time I had a property on the Algarve in Portugal, and a friend there in the classic car restoration business. As his hourly rate was 17 Euros – a fraction of the price in the UK – I had it transported by trailer to him.’

A full glass-out re-spray was carried out in the original Copper Brown, with the body going back to bare metal where necessary (mainly around the headlight surrounds). ‘It required no panel replacements or metal restoration, other than de-oxidisation of the front bumper and some small rust bubbles.’

A number of items were replaced at the same time and included: battery, fuel pump relay, driver’s door seal, driver’s window regulator, gearshift leather boot, front bumper trim and bellows, horn blower, front fog lights, heater flaps and cables, heater hoses, auxiliary oil pipes and front disc backing protection plates.

For the last few years it remained in Portugal and was situated in an air-conditioned local Porsche dealer’s showroom, departing now and again for a quick blast. However, Chris recently sold his property over there, returning to the UK and having the car shipped back. ‘It’s remained UK registered, but it’s now time for someone else to enjoy the car. It’s a really nice classic 911 and reeks of nostalgia.’

It’s had recent further comprehensive works at Autofarm, which are detailed in the History Highlights section below. ‘The clutch was slipping, so they took the engine and gearbox out and rectified that issue. In 2016 the gearbox had been serviced and a new clutch plate, release bearing and seals fitted. However Autofarm found that the release bearing had been incorrectly fitted, so corrected this. I only took delivery of the car a few weeks ago.’

The car comes with a huge history file (with receipts and MOTs going back to 1982) and a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, which confirms the mileage of 94,000 as correct.

The V5 shows 12 former owners, and Chris has detailed this history in a file. It will also retain its current 911-based UK registration plate on sale.

The paintwork on this 911 is a joy – you really can lose yourself in its Copper Brown Metallic finish. On the day that our snapper took his pictures it reflected the autumn light gloriously, and that can be seen in our photo gallery below. There isn’t a hint of corrosion, just an original bodied 911 with excellent fit and finish.

All chrome trim is blemish free with a nice level of shine, and there’s no sign of any window rubber perishing. Likewise the rubber elements of the body-coloured bumpers are in exceedingly good condition.

Those striking star-shaped Porsche alloy wheels are extremely smart, and suited and booted in Pirelli P6000 rubber that’s plenty of life left in it yet. This is certainly one of the best 911SCs on the market at the moment,

If you thought the outside was good, then it’s even better in here. The ‘Cork’ interior is the orgasmic Seventies at its best and the perfect accompaniment to the exterior colour.

‘The interior is in very good condition,’ says Chris. ‘The passenger seat squab did come away, but I had it professionally restored. Perhaps the only thing needing a little TLC are the carpets.’

We think Chris is maybe being a little fussy, as they remain perfectly serviceable. Underneath them you’ll find lovely solid metal.

The odometer stopped working a year or so back, but he had it whipped out and rebuilt. All electrics function, as they should. After experiencing the interior we can only think of one word: want.

This generation 911 was one of the first to have the galvanised chassis and body, however the underside was also given a protective Waxoyl coating during the body restoration in 2016. As you can see from the pictures in our photo gallery below, it’s still in top condition.

‘It’s a beautiful example of a 1970s original car and everywhere you go, due to its classic retro colour scheme inside and out, it turns heads,’ says Chris.

We’ve only had it here at The Market for a short while, but ye gads we can confirm that. On the move, it’s quintessential Porsche 911: punchy, eager and supremely well balanced.

The Sportomatic ‘box takes a bit of getting used to, shifting as it does via the gearlever-mounted pressure switch, and isn’t quite as swift-shifting as a regular manual unit – although it’s very of its time and rare, especially in RHD form.

 ‘Autofarm have confirmed it’s in good working order.’ says Chris. ‘There’s also a minor issue with the engine re-starting from warm. It’ll do so immediately, but in an hour won’t, then after a further hour, it will. I just might not have got the knack. That aside, it runs very sweetly. It steers great, brakes well.’

‘The engine was rebuilt a long time ago,’ says Chris. It is possible judging by the invoices & receipts that it had a conversion applied and was up-rated to 3.2-litre and 231bhp, but we cannot warrant it.

The history file is very comprehensive, with a whole host of previous MOT test certificates and specialist invoices. The most important of the latter are the most recent ones, of which you’ll find one for the recent work carried out by Autofarm (at a cost just shy of £2k).

The vast majority of this car’s maintenance has been carried out by Bicester-based company and Essex-based Autostrasse, with a number of other specialists also utilised through the years. A quick glance through them will leave prospective buyers in no doubt that it’s been very well looked after. You’ll also find that all-important Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and maintained to the very highest standard.

What a lovely car this is. A Seventies 911 in a wonderful period hue, with complementary cabin trim and in fine mechanical fettle – what more could you want? Well, how about rarity: and in right-hand-drive Sportomatic form you get exactly that.

There’s no doubt that this is one to buy and cherish. The body hasn’t been messed with, and you can be confident that it isn’t hiding any horror stories. It’s been restored to a high standard, and looked after (in Chris’s ownership, and prior to that) by one of the best specialists in the business.

Pricewise we think it’ll go for £24,000 to £32,000, which in the world of classic 911s is not a lot of cash at all (as a miniature magician may once have said, or not) – and especially not for one in this condition.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at The Market’s Abingdon headquarters; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.