Description
A ‘modern classic’ if ever there was one, Porsche’s long-running 911 arrived in 1964, replacing the 356. The latter’s rear-engine layout was retained, but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356’s VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, Porsche’s single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower.
Porsche’s first take on a 911 convertible had been the Targa model of 1965, a ‘halfway house’ design chosen because of fears that a genuine soft-top would not meet US Federal safety regulations, but by 1981 the company felt able to proceed with the genuine article. Introduced in normally aspirated 3.0-litre form in 1982, the 911 Cabriolet lost little, if any, rigidity with the deletion of the Targa roll-over bar, while its speedily raised/lowered top featured a detachable, zip-fastened rear window. Introducing a ‘proper’ soft-top proved to be a shrewd move by Porsche, as sales immediately exceed those of the Targa version.
This fantastic and very rare early 911 Cabriolet rolled off the Stuttgart production line in 1983, the last year of production for the SC model, and also the first for the new cabriolet format.
With just over 103,000 kilometres recorded from new, this beautiful Porsche has clearly been well looked after during the intervening years. Finished in white with a tobacco brown leather interior, this is a wonderful and exceptionally well made modern classic.
