1972 Porsche 911T 2.4 (2.7-Litre)

The first of countless upgrades to the perennial 911 came in 1966, two years after production had commenced, with the introduction of the 911S. Easily distinguishable by its stylish Fuchs five-spoked alloy wheels, the 'S' featured a heavily revised engine producing 160bhp. In 1967, the 911T (Touring) was introduced as a new base model, initially with the 2.0-litre engine in 110bhp form before gaining the 2.2-litre unit along with the rest of the range in 1969, at which point the 911's wheelbase had been extended by 57mm to tame the occasionally wayward handling. By this time, the models on offer had stabilised at three: the entry-level 911T, middle-ranking 911E and top-of-the-range 911S, all of which were available as either a closed coupé or Targa convertible. With the 2.2-litre engine's arrival, a common type of cylinder head was adopted, the differing power outputs being determined principally by valve timing rather than valve sizes as had been the case hitherto. In 1972 all 911 variants received the 2,341cc (nominally 2.4-litre) unit, which in 'T' specification produced a maximum of 130bhp, the same output as the original 911 of 1963.

According to its accompanying Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, this smart, original right-hand drive 911T was completed on 01/02/1972, finished in silver metallic (8080) with a black leatherette/Dogtooth inserts interior and optioned with sport seats, rear wiper and tinted windows before being despatched to Porsche Cars GB and subsequently UK-registered as PGC 689K.

David Lees, one of the previous keepers of the T, successfully raced a 911E for Parr Motorsport (47 KOC) and some time later was looking for another one and that search resulted in PGC 689K, then a road car, being selected. It was subsequently built up to race spec and he continued racing this car successfully for Parr Motorsport with many wins and a significant second place in a big grid at the 1989 PCGB Party. David Lees duly retired and Parrs rebuilt the car for Rupert Bullock (there is a detailed invoice for £23,000 in the file) who very quickly passed it on to Liam Dowling over in Ireland who again had great success with PGC (lots of further detail in the file). During his ownership, the legendary Bob Watson was commissioned to rebuild the engine to 2.7 RSR-spec (over £20,000 in the 1990s!) and, running mechanical fuel-injection, the Dyno report in the file indicates an impressive output of just over 250bhp; very competitive in 911 club racing.

The nicely bound history file contains dozens of photographs of the car at various circuits/events throughout the period, lots of invoices for parts and works completed, correspondence and a fairly comprehensive list of previous keepers. More recently, it has benefited from all new brakes, an engine/fuel injection service, new clutch just fitted at Pro 9, new Rennsport Recaros and the rare 7/8" Fuchs alloys have been refurbished. There are a couple of recent invoices from Stuttgart Classica totalling around £7,000.

Now on the button, this fabulous 911 with its huge history is on the market for the first time in a while. It's a fast, early UK-RHD 911 in a great colour, offering a powerful RSR-spec engine with great handling and, in the right hands, will continue to be competitive for years to come. It appears very attractively guided considering its specification and provenance and we welcome and encourage you to come along to Race Retro and have a look for yourself.