1982 Porsche 3.0SC Targa

By the mid-1970s, the 911 had already been on sale for 15 years and Porsche had decided that a replacement model was long overdue.Unveiled at the Frankfurt Show in September 1977, the 911SC was thus seen by the Stuttgart firm as the swansong of this iconic rear-engined, air-cooled sports car before it was replaced by the radically different 928 with its front-mounted, water-cooled V8. How wrong they turned out to be.Available in either Coupé or Targa forms, the new 911 proved such a success and so reignited Porsche's enthusiasm for their howling flat-six that it has remained in production to this day - although the modern water-cooled versions are in many ways a far cry from the air-cooled legends of old.Essentially the new 911SC was very similar to the previous Carrera 3.0 with the same basic specifications, styling, and features, sharing the same 2,993cc engine as the brutal Turbo model but with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and no turbocharger. Power was up slightly from the previous 2.7 model, and a flatter torque curve made the car a little easier to drive.In 1980, the SC's engine received modifications increasing the power to 188bhp while improving fuel economy by 10 percent. Driving through a 5-speed manual gearbox, the 1979 SC could reach 60 in just six seconds on its way to a top speed of 142mph with a fabulous mechanical wail from the flat-six engine. Further improvements in 1981 pushed the power up to 204bhp making it good for 145mph with 0-60 coming up in 5.7 seconds. Simple, quick and bulletproof, the SC is widely regarded as one of the most user-friendly of all the 911 range and good ones are more sought after today than ever before.Most manufacturers struggle with torsional rigidity when trying to convert their coupés into convertibles (the other way around is often easier), and Porsche were no exception in the early sixties when trying to let the breeze into their new 901 (later 911). The solution was to build the car with a roll hoop as part of the chassis and when this was streamlined and cosmetically enhanced it worked well, and the result was an attractive "half-convertible" that was stiff and handled predictably. At a marketing meeting to decide a name for this new concept, Cologne dealer Walter Franz threw "Targa" into the hat conjuring up images of their success with an open-top car in the hard-fought Targa Florio under a glorious Sicilian Sun. Whilst considering this possibility, someone pointed out to Harald Wagner, the marketing director that "targa" was Italian for "shield" and signified strength and safety, which obviously appealed to the Teutonic sense of responsibility, and so the name was adopted and is still in use today. This 'Super Carrera' was originally registered on 6/08/1982 and lived most of its life North of the Border, being sold by its fourth keeper to David Stuart Ross from Glasgow on 17/04/1985 who kept the car until purchased by our vendor on 25/03/2011. Just prior to that Stuart Ross had substituted his cherished plate (5DSR) for the registration HBA 325Y which is still worn by the Porsche today. From the document file, it appears that Stuart Ross' use of the car was sporadic and it was continuously SORN'd from 1/11/04 until 31/10/10 although there are a number of periods when the car was MoTd during these years. The pile of MoTs runs from 3/07/93 (mileage 37,127) until 03/04/2015 (50,309) with gaps when the vehicle was presumably off the road, but most importantly it currently has one. The invoice file has the usual bills for routine maintenance, tyres etc. The car is supplied with the Porsche book pack containing the Drivers Manual (dealer stamped up until 1991) and the 'Lifetime Guarantee of Repair' authentication. This, 3 litre SC, looks fabulous in unmarked Guards Red which contrasts perfectly with the Black roll hoop, Targa panel, wheel arch protectors and other detailing. The wheels appear recently refurbished and with their black centre sections look just right. The interior is in excellent condition and the Brown/Beige 'Pascha' combination is very rare, only being an option for a couple of years.All in all, our vendor has returned this lovely, early eighties Porsche to sparkling good health, and it's offered for sale with a fresh MoT and V5, ready to be enjoyed by a proud new owner.