Upgrading a classic is more than some people can bear, but this 911S is a perfect example of doing it for the right reasons

In 1965 Ralph Nader published Unsafe at Any Speed. The book was scathing in its account of automakers’ resistance to introduce safety features like seat belts into cars, and a general reluctance to spend money improving occupant protection and vehicle safety. Nader’s persistence, and GM’s subsequent attempts to discredit him using underhand tactics like hiring prostitutes to catch him in compromising situations, lead a groundswell of public and political support for new laws. In 1966 the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was unanimously passed in the USA — a result not just of Nader’s relentless campaigning, but also the very real fact that grisly traffic fatalities were all too common, and escalating rapidly.

The Act brought a raft of requirements for automotive manufacturers including shatterproof windscreens, energy-absorbing steering wheels, head rests and safety belts.

Safety fast

No auto manufacturer can ignore America as a market, and in 1974 the Porsche 911 G Series was released to the US market, having received fundamental and significant body modification for the first time in its history as a result of impact laws. The most noticeable change was the requirement for functional bumpers. These stipulated that a car must be able to withstand an 8kph impact without body damage, and resulted in the bumpers being much thicker, and mounted higher.

At the front the grille was deleted and the indicators integrated into the bumper, which wrapped around with bellows and detail lines flowing right back to the wheel arch. The rear also featured corner bellows, along with two black over-riders (housing the number-plate lights), all sitting below a red non-reflective valance inscribed boldly with ‘Porsche’.

Along the sill, a black rubber trim strip was applied, and all other detailing — door handles, window trim strips, wing mirrors and headlamp surrounds were highlighted with brightwork for the 911 and 911S.
A 911 Carrera was also introduced, and a top of the range 911 Turbo was presented at the Paris Auto Show.

California dreaming

Imported new into the USA in 1975, our featured 911S started life as a white example in San Francisco. The standard six-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine managed to squeeze out 129kW from its 2687cc. Fortunately the 911S weighed just 1090kg, giving reasonable acceleration for the time — 100kph (62mph) could arrive in 7.6 seconds, and a top speed of 225kph (140mph) was possible for the brave. A five-speed transmission and limited slip differential were options at the time, and it’s believed this Porsche had the optional five-speed but no LSD — it’s only noted as a 915-type on the documentation (915/16 was the four-speed, while 915/06 was the five-speed).

All Porsches through to the 1998 996 were air-cooled via a grille beneath the rear window. The 911S didn’t feature the whale-tail spoiler which came standard on the Carrera RS, but many owners invested in one to help tame the tail-happy handling at higher speeds. The previous owner also added a small black lip spoiler at the front, similar to that on the 1975 911 Turbo.

Updating a motoring icon

In 1997 this 911S began its journey to New Zealand. It was a true California car, arriving here as if it had never seen the rain, with the bodywork in almost as pristine condition as the day it rolled out of the factory 22 years prior. On arrival the car had all glass and panels removed. Each panel was individually stripped and sprayed yellow inside and out, removing any trace that this car was once white.

The headlight surrounds, which would have been chrome, are now yellow, mimicking the colour-matching that was applied on Carrera RS models. The door handles and window trim have been painted black, like a 911 Carrera.

The 2.7-litre engine was discarded in favour of a 3.2-litre mill from a 1984 Carrera to make the 911S more responsive and driveable. These engines are also more reliable, and come with the benefit of electronic fuel injection.
Europacific, in Pirongia, took the engine apart and resealed it, then remounted it with the new wiring harness and ECU. In the process the rocker covers and cooling fan cowling were detailed in yellow. A rebuilt five-speed gearbox and new clutch replaced the four-speed original. This didn’t require many changes, as the body shape of a 1970s 911 is not significantly different to that of an early 1990s model.

With the increase in power from 129kW to 170kW the original 15-inch wheels with 185/70R15 tyres were deemed to be too skinny — older 911 models were twitchy at best, and could exhibit severe lift-off oversteer because of the rear-engine layout. Seventeen-inch wheels from an early ’90s Carrera were installed. These run 215/45R17 tyres at the front and 235/45R17 at the rear.

The standard brakes were retained, and these have no servo; therefore thighs like a shot-putter are required. As with all early 911 Porsches, the pedals are slightly offset and the brake pedal is way too high. The heavy brake pedal is connected to two-pot brakes and ventilated discs on all four corners.

Mellow yellow

It wasn’t just the exterior that got the yellow treatment. The original front seats were discarded, and replaced with lighter weight black bucket seats with yellow trim. These offset the increase in weight caused by the addition of central locking and an alarm/immobiliser system. A new Momo steering wheel was installed with yellow trim and a Momo gear knob was found in, you guessed it, yellow. They were still not satisfied with the amount of yellow in the interior of the car, so a yellow-faced stereo was installed

The carpets and mats were replaced — in black, with yellow trim, of course, all except for the boot (in the front) which just has black carpet. A space saver spare wheel nestles in the boot, partially surrounded by the fuel tank. This wheel comes flat and can be inflated with the supplied electric compressor.

The remainder of the car is standard, though some components such as the shocks were rebuilt.

Several months were spent working on the car from when it arrived in 1997 to its first registration. Over $20,000 of mechanical work was undertaken, not including the respray — all the receipts are there, along with shipping documentation, photos of the original car being stripped, and an original 911 brochure from the early ’70s.

Retina magnet

Walking up to the 911S I felt what must have gone through the mind of the original owner in New Zealand — a sense of trepidation and excitement.

The 911S cranked over a couple of times then fired up, settling into a raspy and menacing bear-like growl. The driver sits looking forwards between the deep channel created by the fenders and those iconic lights. Blip the throttle and Stuttgart’s engineering sounds off.

Back away slowly, gather yourself together, take a look around. A yellow Porsche is a retina magnet, so you know people are watching you. The first time you pull away in something innocuous or anonymous, there’s no real apprehension, but I have embarrassingly stalled conspicuous cars before (for example, a Radical SR3 at the pit lane exit of Eastern Creek raceway), so I’m always a bit more generous with the revs the first time. The clutch bit near the top and in no time second gear was required and I had cars right behind me.

Being left-hand drive, it was the first time I’d had to change gears right-handed. The gearbox in a 911 doesn’t like to be rushed. Treat a gear change like you would your faithful old Labrador — take it out, let it do its business, then encourage it back in again with a firm and guiding hand.

Throw into the mix the four feet of car now on your right hand side as opposed to your left, and your brain is busy calculating revs and road position, and remembering to raise your foot slightly higher than usual for the brake.
Performance is brisk because of the uprated engine and the 911S’s lack of encumbrance — it feels like a low six-second pass to 100kph could be easily achieved, and that ties in well with the quoted performance figures for mid-’90s Carreras.

Back to the present day

Our comparison car in the 911 range is this 911 Carrera cabriolet with the 997-style body. The DNA is strong in this line. They undoubtedly share the same heritage from the outside, but on the inside it’s a totally different story.
A modern Porsche is tractable at low speeds, civilised, pleasant and jammed full of driver aids and items for your comfort, but capable of surging forward aggressively.

An old Porsche has far fewer requirements — it simply exists to raise your adrenaline, and get you from A to B while ensuring you know you’ve driven every centimetre, some of it in abject terror (depending on your mood and the quality of the road). The steering, like the braking, is heavy. There’s no point in adding the weight of power steering paraphernalia when the 911S is supposed to be sporty and manly.

By comparison, the 997 is luxurious — sumptuous, but in a sporty way — with its nicely weighted steering, stitched leather interior and beautiful-sounding entertainment system. Like all 911s it suffers from low-speed power understeer, but generally it does go round corners like a bobsled full of Austrians, gripping you in its superb electronically adjustable bucket seats. Newer Porsches have rubber-mounted sub-frames that dampen the bumps, and combine that with tyres almost a foot wide, PSM traction control, and huge cross-drilled brake rotors, and vast tracts of countryside can be covered in the shortest ¨of times.

So, do you go for the supremely confident $220,000 option — the 997 with its myriad of electronic trickery, a beautifully finished interior and 30 years of chassis and engine development? Or do you go for the supremely exhilarating and raw 911S?

The 997 Porsche could be a daily driver. You can simply cruise around admiring its quality interior finish, or you dial up variable levels of excitement depending upon the angle of the throttle pedal.

By comparison, the 911S is typical of cars of the ’70s — straight lines on the dashboard, no LCD readouts or climate control air conditioning; it is beautiful in its own perforated vinyl way. It is also very exciting. There’s more to think about and more to involve the driver. Whichever one you prefer, the final choice will, no doubt, depend upon your driving experience.

1975 Porsche 911S (as modified)- Specifications

Engine
Six-cylinder horizontally opposed, air-cooled, rear-mounted

Capacity
3.2-litre

C/R
10.3:1

Max power
170kW at 5900rpm

Max torque
284Nm at 4800rpm

Transmission
Five-speed manual

Suspension
Front: MacPherson struts; rear: multi-link. Porsche Active Suspension Management

Brakes
Ventilated discs

Wheels
17-inch alloy

Tyres
215/45R17 (F), 235/45R17 (R)

Dimensions
Length/width
4291mm/1610mm

Weight/height
1090kg/1320mm

Performance 0-100kph
approx 6 to 7 secs

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet (997) – Specifications

Engine
Six-cylinder horizontally opposed, water-cooled, rear-mounted

Capacity
3.6-litre

C/R
11.3:1

Max power
239kW at 6800rpm

Max torque
370Nm at 4250rpm

Transmission
Six-speed manual

Suspension
Front: MacPherson struts; rear: semi-trailing arms

Brakes
Ventilated and cross-drilled discs

Wheels
18-inch alloy¨(optional 19-inch wheels shown)

Tyres
235/35R19 (F), 295/35R19 (R) (optional)

Dimensions
Length/width
4427mm/1808mm

Weight/height
1480kg/1310mm

Performance 0-100kph
5.2 secs

Words Darren Cottingham Photos Dan Wakelin