1968 Porsche 911 (SWB)

According to its Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, this early left-hand drive 911 was built in late 1967, finished in Irish Green with Black Leatherette, and optioned with 911S Instruments, rubbers on the bumper horns, tinted glass, chrome wheels, Blaupunkt radio with an aerial and speaker and a pair of fog lights before being shipped to the USA. It was supplied new by VW Pacific of Culver City to its first owner, a Mr L.C.George, and registered on the 1st January 1968. The car remained in his possession until 1977 when it was sold to a Mr Pate of Ridgecrest, California who, according to invoices in the file, owned the car until 2010. During this period the car’s colour was changed from green to blue, but it appears that it was just a colour change for the sake of it, and not a renovation.

The 911 subsequently crossed the Atlantic and, in 2015, was sold by Silverstone Auctions to its next owner, a UK Porsche collector who was attracted by the car’s originality. The following year, the Porsche was entrusted to Lincolnshire-based Gantspeed, respected specialists in these early cars. They were asked to paint-strip the complete car to bare metal and return it to its original colour of Irish Green, attend to the damaged and warped interior trim and rebuild the front seats (retaining the original covers), completely rebuild the suspension, brakes and steering and generally make good any minor items requiring attention. The over riding brief from the car’s new owner was to keep the car just as it left the factory. This was not to become a restoration, purely a renovation retaining its originality and patina.

At this point, we can quote from Robert Gant, “During this process it became clear that this was a remarkably original car. With the body stripped to bare metal, it was clear to see that all of the panels were original, all of the welds were factory welds, there was no sign of accident damage and no signs of rust other than on the top surface of the floor pan due to water ingress, mainly from the perished window seals. Not only that, the doors, bonnet and engine cover were stamped with the last three digits of the production number.

Furthermore he confirms that “Having completed all of the works, road tested and set up the suspension geometry, the end result was a truly remarkable car, true to its original factory specification, and an absolute delight to drive as only an early short wheelbase car can be.

It now presents superbly in Irish Green with smart chrome rims and the Porsche and 911 script on the engine cover in gold. This is a rare thing, possibly a once in a lifetime car. We at Silverstone Auctions see lots of restored 911s, some that have benefited from a significant investment and look fabulous, but they are fully restored. There is no substitute for an original car like this with its distinctive 'old car' smell, familiar creaks and groans and gentle patina, none of which can be recreated.

It’s accompanied by two comprehensive history files which include a substantial number of invoices and photos of the work carried out by Gantspeed.

This matching numbers 2.0-litre 911 is one of only 473 built for the US-market in 1967 and we can’t imagine that there are too many others in this glorious, original condition. 2023 is the 60th Anniversary of the 911 and, with lots of events hoping to attract interesting examples, an early short wheelbase car is bound to generate lots of interest and may turn out to be one of your better investments.

As always, we welcome and encourage you to come along and view this venerable 911 in the metal.