1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Race Car

Highlights

• Rare and desirable Carrera 3.0

• Fully stripped for racing

• Raced in Porsche Club Championships

• Porsche Certificate of Authenticity

• Believed to be matching numbers

Overview

These days, there are dozens of boutique manufacturers making race cars and track day specials. Usually they’re made from carbon fibre and a host of the world’s rarest and most expensive minerals, all liberally draped over a thousand horsepower drivetrain that comes with more electronic nannies and system than you can wave a stick at. Perfect if you’re Oscar Piastri and you’re looking to shave hundredths of a second off a corner. Less ideal if you want an old-school, raw, analogue experience and, most importantly, a heap of fun.

Racing should be fun, evocative and raw. And this brilliant and rare 1976 911 Carrera 3.0 has all the right ingredients to deliver fun by the bucketload. It’s been a race car since the 90s, having competed in the Porsche Club Championships as well as the Birkett Relay and numerous track days all over the UK and overseas. From the fat rear haunches hugging gorgeous Fuchs forged wheels to the iconic whale tail and slammed suspension, you can see straight away that this car means business.

That burbling flat-six puts out in the region of 200bhp, which may not sound like a vast amount until you realise that the car only weighs about a ton. That’s a much better power-to-weight ratio than a S2 Lotus Elise, for instance. In a world of ever more complex engineering and electronic nannies that pull control away from the driver, it’s incredibly refreshing to drive something brutal, analogue and focussed on just having a hell of a good time.

It also mustn't be forgotten that this is a bonafide classic too. The ‘G’ body 911 is much sought after as both a road car and a track car. Particularly with the 3-litre engine, it offers a level of driver interaction, feedback and instinctive ‘rightness’ that little else can touch. The recipe may be a simple classic, but when it’s this good, who cares?

History and documentation

• 1976 model year car

• Purchased new in Germany as a RHD car by a British Army officer

• Registered in the UK November 1982, when the officer was posted back to the UK

• Converted to race car specification sometime in the 90s, before being raced in Porsche Club Championships and used on track days

• Purchased by the vendor from Pistonheads Classifieds in November 2012

• The current owner raced the car in the Porsche Club Championships for a couple of seasons, as well as in the Birkett Relay and on various track days in the UK and overseas

• Stored by the vendor in a heated garage

• Non-sunroof model

• Believed to be a ‘matching numbers’ vehicle

• Porsche Certificate of Authenticity

• 9 previous owners

• V5 present in owner’s name

• HPI clear

Interior

• Recaro fixed back bucket seats, finished in black fabric

• The interior has been largely stripped out for competitive racing

• Full black roll cage installed

• Multi-point race harnesses – these would need to be refreshed for competitive driving

• Momo Prototipo racing wheel

• MP gear knob

• Composite door cards and heel plate

• Fixed fire extinguisher by Safety Devices – showing as fully charged

• Electrical trigger is working, but would require an inspection before the car could be used in competitive racing

• The rev counter is misreading at the time of writing this, but will be sorted before the new owner takes possession

• We’re told that the speedo and milometer have not worked during the present keeper’s ownership

• There are blemishes, wear and scuffs to the trim and switchgear, as you’d expect – this is no trailer queen, it’s a proper race car

• Overall the interior is in good, solid condition, with no issues or problems we could see

Exterior

• Supplied from the factory in Light Yellow

• The paint is in pretty decent condition for a car that’s spent most of its life on the track – there are some chips, cracks and blemishes as you’d expect – but we adore this genuine racing patination, the car’s history is written across every panel

• Changed to silver/blue at some point in the past, but refinished in its current yellow and black colour scheme in July 2003

• Black ‘Carrera’ side stripes and ‘73’ roundel graphics

• The bodywork looks straight, solid and tidy for a race car, with no significant damage or corrosion

• Iconic ‘whale tail’ spoiler at the rear, front rubber chin spoiler

• The front valance is a little rippled, we noted a small dent on the front offside wing and a small scab on the rear screen surround

• In 2017 the nearside rear wing and windscreen surround were repaired and repainted, and new rubbers were fitted to the windscreen

• There is a small crack to the offside of the windscreen

• Quick release bonnet and engine cover pins

• External electrical cut-off on the scuttle panel

• Underneath everything looks straight and solid, with a little surface corrosion to some areas

• 15-inch forged Fuchs wheels, with black centres and polished barrels/lips

• A matched set of Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres has been fitted, 225/50 to the rear and 205/50 to the front, which all look to be in good order with plenty of tread and no sidewall damage we could identify

Mechanical

• 2,956cc naturally-aspirated flat-six, rated at c.200bhp from the factory

• The engine bay looks nice and clean, with no issues we could discern

• 5-speed manual ‘915’ transmission, which requires a deft touch but is endlessly rewarding in operation

• Limited slip differential which develops plenty of grip and keeps the rear end in check

• In 2022 the vendor had a new CDI (Capacitor Discharge Ignition box) and Condenser fitted

• Front brake cooling ducts have been added

• Front strut brace

• Bilstein suspension

• We’re told that the car will be sold with new brake discs and pads fitted, as well as received a fresh oil service

• As you’d expect, the car is visceral and lively in operation, with stiff suspension and an intoxicating exhaust note

• The vendor assures us that there are no mechanical issues that they are aware of

Summary

If you love the physical act of driving, and you’re reading this so we assume you do, then nothing beats a classic 911. In some ways they’ve become the cliché answer to the “what’s the best sports car” question. But that’s because they’re nearly always the right answer.

This particular example exemplifies what makes them so great, particularly as race cars – no frills, just all of Porsche’s magnificent engineering DNA, but refined and tweaked to the maximum. We’re not sure there’s anything else we’d rather take on a track day.

Raw and rewarding, this historied and intriguing race car may be yellow, but it’s anything but mellow. Get your bid in now.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Newbury.