Lot 677: Porsche 911 3.0-Litre Cabriolet

A 'modern classic' if ever there was one, Porsche's long-running 911 arrived in 1964, replacing the 356. The latter's rear-engined 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. The 911 Cabriolet proved a hit from the moment of its debut at the Geneva Salon in March 1982 and by the end of the 1983 model year had sold over 4,000 units, a total some 50% higher than that achieved by the cheaper Targa version. A right-hand drive, manual transmission model, this Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet benefits from an engine rebuild undertaken in 1998 by R M Restorations, of Birch, Essex. The vendor advises us that the brakes were overhauled in 2003 and that further extensive refurbishment was carried out from 2004 to June 2008, including the installation of a new hood, for which bills totalling in excess of £10,000 are on file. Finished in red with cream leather interior, the car Is offered with current road fund licence, MoT to July 2009 and Swansea V5 registration document. The provision of a CD changer is the only notified deviation from factory specification.