Lot 68: Porsche 911 Targa

After a lengthy gestation period, the now ubiquitous Porsche 911 entered production in 1964 and, despite Porsche's own attempts to replace the model with the 928 in the 1970s, much evolved versions of it remain in production to this day, 45 years later. The design was the work of Dr Ferry Porsche's eldest son, Ferdinand 'Butzi' Porsche and the company's joint founder and chief body engineer Erwin Kommenda. The car featured rack-and-pinion steering and both torsion bar suspension and disc brakes all round. It was initially powered by a dry-sump, air-cooled, 2-litre, flat-six engine which was overhung at the rear and allied to a five-speed manual transmission. Power output was restricted to 130bhp, though with an all-up weight of just 1,080 kg this was sufficient to provide the new car with a top speed of over 130mph and a very respectable 0-60mph time of just 8.5 seconds. In 1968, the 911's wheelbase was increased by 57mm, and the rear overhang reduced by the same amount. At the same time, some 22lb was saved from the (overhung) engine crankcase by switching its manufacture from aluminium to magnesium. These changes greatly improved the car's handling. Since its birth, the 911's story has been one of continual evolution. Early on, the engine capacity had been increased to 2.2 litres and during 1971 it rose to 2.4 litres and in 1973 to 2.7-litres. The Targa top option for the 911 was introduced in 1967 and was an immediate success. Initially it featured a folding rear window but fairly soon acquired a fixed rear screen. The 2.7 Targa on sale is a right-hand drive 1977 model finished in white with black upholstery. Reportedly benefiting from the recent fitment of a new clutch and brake discs / pads, 'BHG 78R' is further understood to have been treated to a respray some 2.5 years ago. Apparently the speedometer / odometer ceased working a few hundred miles ago, but the engine and five-speed manual gearbox are described as "very good", while the bodywork and paintwork are rated as "straight" and "very clean" respectively. Sporting a "tidy" interior, it is MOT'd until December this year.