1979 PORSCHE 911

This is my 1979 Porsche 911 SC Targa 3.0 for sale with a cherished “911” registration number. It has done 140K miles. This is a project car for an enthusiast. This is a running car that can either be restomoded, backdated or restored as original.

I’ll start with some history on the car. This belonged a very close friend of mine of over 20 years. He owned the car during that entire time (It actually was registered to his wife). Prior to that it was owned by his wife’s father. When the father passed away, it was handed to his wife (and him). This close friend of mine was a Porsche Specialist / mechanic for over 40 years working mainly on the older air-cooled models. You may have known him. He operated out of Fulham in London for 20 odd years and then out of Borehamwood and then High Wycombe.

He looked after the car very well during his 2 decade+ ownership. However, due to his personal circumstances, the car was put into dry storage in May 2007. It hasn’t moved since until now. My friend lost his battle with cancer 3 years ago. He left the car to me as I am an engineer and that I would know what to do.

I don’t have the time to take on a project at this stage. So I have taken the car out of storage and given it a light re-commissioning. I have listed the specifics of what I have done to it and what I have found below. If you want to discuss anything please call. I won’t be engaging in back and forth email. I am willing to discuss sensible offers but NOT over the phone. If you have a serious interest, call me, come and see the car and I am open to having a discussion then. I am based near Virginia Water in Surrey.

I have 2 videos on YouTube that are unlisted. One shows the car starting up and being driven back and forth on the drive. The other is a full walk around of the car. Call if you are interested and I will send you the video links.

Vehicles details:

1) I have the V5 document of the car in my name.

2) I have only 1 key. There is no immobiliser / alarm on the car so another key can easily be cut.

3) The V5 shows 7 previous owners. Out of those the previous two I know and the car has been in that family for around 30 years. This means that there were frequent owner changes very early in its life but in single family ownership for the past 30 years.

4) Matching engine / chassis numbers.

5) Car has a Historic taxation class so therefore is exempt from MOT, ULEZ and Road Tax.

6) I don’t have any other paperwork for the car (other than the receipts for the light recommissioning work I have done).

7) The front bonnet, rear engine lid, etc are all metal and not fibreglass.

Mechanicals:

1) After transporting the car to my place, I initially checked if the brakes and engine were seized. They weren’t. I removed the spark plugs and put a small amount of oil down the bores and turned the engine several times over by hand and it turned very easily.

2) I drained the old oil and emptied out the fuel tank.

3) I then put fresh oil (20W-50) along with a new oil filter.

4) I put in a new battery and cranked the engine without the spark plugs to see if oil pressure built up and it did. The dash gauge registered the oil pressure.

5) I tested each ignition lead for spark and they all work.

6) I put in brand new spark plugs, a new fuel filter, a new fuel pump, fresh “Super” E5 fuel into the tank along with injector cleaner, a new air filter and a new sump plate with oil drain plug. (The original sump plate did not have a drain plug so had to remove the whole sump plate to drain the engine block of old oil.)

7) After priming the fuel pump, I attempted a proper start and the car fired up after a few attempts.

8) I cycled through all the gears when the car was on the lift and nothing seemed awry. The car can be driven back and forth on my drive. The indicators, hazards, headlights, reverse lights, brake lights, radio, all work. (I had to replace the flasher relay as it was sticking.)

9) Car is currently SORN.

Condition and faults:

1) Windows worked initially but then stopped after a couple attempts. The switches on them tend to go bad and are an easy (and cheap) replacement.

2) There is a small oil leak under the engine. With the car standing you will typically get maybe 4 or 5 drops a day. It doesn’t seem get worse when the car is running. Looking at it, it appears to be from the oil return tubes (which is very common) and they are not a difficult or expensive replacement.

3) The squeaking noise you hear from the car in the startup video is the alternator bearing (not the fan belt). This is common on cars stored for long. The alternator itself is currently working and can be verified by putting a multimeter across the battery when the car is running.

4) There are rips in a couple of places in the upholstery.

5) Some of the general trim inside needs attention (headlining etc) – see the picture and walk around video

6) Pirelli Tyres are from 20 years ago. They still hold air but probably not roadworthy.

7) The blower motor isn’t working.

8) The radio ariel looks like it is the auto extending and retracting one but I can’t see it working even though the radio itself works and you do get reception through the speakers.

9) No major rust. You can see a couple of small areas (which appears to be surface rust) which I have tried to show in the pictures.

If you ignore the cosmetics, the car can be brought into road use fairly easily with some basic items done (which are not expensive), such as new brake calipers, discs, and pads, new tyres, maybe new injectors or have them ultrasonically cleaned so the fuelling is spot on. However, I am hesitant in doing so as if someone wants to do a restomod, etc. then they will want different sized brakes, wheels, etc. and it then no point trying to sell the car for more money if that puts off someone who is then going to undo that work.

Project 911 cars with a healthy core are difficult to come by. So if you are looking to build something bespoke for yourself (restomod, backdate, etc.) then this makes a very ideal base to start from. And if you are not sure, then simply do the minimal to get it on the road, use it and then decide. Meanwhile, they will still be appreciating in value as this is now a historic car with all the relevant exemptions.