1980 Porsche 911 SC Targa

The arrival of the 3.0-litre 911 SC in the 1978 model lineup brought some semblance of order to the Porsche range after the mid-seventies. The middle of this decade was a period epitomised by the once-maligned "impact or big bumper' models, and when launched, the SC looked modern, clean and fresh in comparison to the dated overall appearance of the original 911, now over a decade old. With new and innovative design features like the reflective red strip between the tail-lights with PORSCHE capitalised across it, the '78 cars looked altogether sharper.

With an engine based on that of the 930 Turbo, the SC was a real gem with a strong reliable drivetrain. The 2994cc engine produced 180bhp at launch, rising to 188bhp in 1979 and then, just one year later, to 204bhp - only 6hp shy of the output of the legendary 1973 Carrera RS! It used the same strong 5-speed 915-series gearbox as its predecessors but was the first 911 to feature servo-assisted brakes. The SC was offered as a Coupé, Targa and, in late 1982 (for the '83 model year), as a Cabriolet.

These were very capable cars, accelerating from 0-60mph in around six seconds and reaching a top speed of close to 150mph and were offered with several options, including the classic Fuchs alloy wheels. However, as time passed and the 911 evolved further, these models started to be less desirable, resulting in them becoming a very easy route into first time Porsche ownership and were not necessarily looked after properly by their impecunious new owners. Today, with the benefit of hindsight, they are seen as being properly engineered sports cars that drive well with the classic look and feel of an era that is now rightly back in fashion.

Offered in beautiful Chiffon White with the desirable Targa roof, this 911 SC is an original right-hand drive car that has been in current private ownership for the past 14 years. Our vendor recently decided, for cosmetic purposes, to paint the car and as a result spent over £5k using specialist water-based paint, and the results are superb. There is an invoice in the history file detailing the work carried out.

Accompanying the aforementioned invoice, the car is also supplied with its Service Record and driver's manual, stereo manual, and a number of invoices and older MOTs from various points in its life. A stainless steel straight through "Dansk" exhaust system is also fitted and the car now shows just over 85,000 miles on the odometer. This is a true driver's car that should provide many more thousand miles of Porsche motoring.