1968 Porsche 911L

Production of the successor to the Porsche 356 began in 1964. It had appeared at the 1963 Frankfurt Show under the '901' banner, however, Peugeot claimed that they had a legal right to this number sequence so the 911 was born. Then, almost immediately, the extraordinary process of Porsche evolution began. One of the first upgrades came in 1966 with the introduction of the 911S, which featured a better-equipped interior and a revised engine producing 160 bhp. But, by this time, approximately half of all 911s produced were exported to the USA, where the increasingly stringent emission regulations demanded changes had to be made to the original design and another significant safety change was the introduction of dual circuit brakes. However, it took Porsche time to meet these emissions targets and an interim model, the 911L, was introduced. The 911L was only built and sold in 1968 and around 450 left the factory. It featured the 911S's superior equipment level but retained the torquey 130bhp engine running on Weber carburetors.

Offered here is a left-hand drive, Porsche 911L produced on 6th February 1968 and supplied to its first owner in the US through VW Pacific in Culver City, California. Finished in Polo Red with a Black leatherette interior, the car was originally supplied as a 'Sportomatic', although it now features a manual gearbox. In 1991, the Porsche returned across the Atlantic and was imported into the UK and first registered with the DVLA on 27/06/91 obtaining a UK V5c, however, an invoice from late May of that year indicates that the car's first stop after its long journey was at marque specialists Parr Garage who carefully inspected the 911 and set it up to run sweetly.

Purchased by our vendor in 2006, the car has since undergone a steady programme of re-commissioning work. It was stripped, prepared, and professionally repainted in its original Polo Red and the interior has benefitted from new carpets, new vinyl covering in the rear, and a set of new, period aircraft-style, seat belts provided by Quickfit Safety Belts of Stanmore in Middlesex. The engine has been fully rebuilt by Mani Pou including the carburetors and the car has covered less than 100 miles since.

Looking very smart sat on the correct 5 1/2J, 15-inch Fuchs alloys shod with new Dunlop SP10s, this is a very useable classic Porsche and is supplied with a UK V5c, its Porsche C of A, and a fresh MOT.

Rarely do 911Ls come to market and this lovely Polo Red example represents excellent value.