Porsche 911T - Part 1

This is a car that will split you guys. It's a car I love and after nearly twenty years of ownership still puts the biggest smile on my face every time I take it out. It's just so intoxicating. Here's the story.

Few things stir the soul like one of these

Back in 1999, I moved my then business to London. We had managed to raise some investment, our target market was there, but we weren't. I had been driving around in a Punto Turbo, all wheel spin and understeer when the question of owning a car while living in London raised its head. A car in London doesn't have to do the same job as a car in the sticks. I'd always loved the classic 911 look from the day as a young lad, I saw a brown Targa parked up. The Fuchs wheels looked so brilliant on my Dinky Toy version.

Old paint doesn't like rain, particularly grubby city rain. By 2005 my dear old girl was starting to look a little sorry for herself.

It took a while but thanks to a very helpful dealer I found 'my car - a Californian import 1969/70 911T, showing 21k and with precious little history. I secured a bank loan for 5 years and paid £9,700 to include some paint touch-up, a little clutch work, and a full service. Later in life I found myself in a fortunate enough position to be able to buy a new Aston V8 Vantage; of the two, picking up the 911 was way more exciting.

Back then, very early 911s weren't really sought after. Market prices weren't strong enough to justify the huge expense a full restoration might cost and there weren't many really good ones around. I had been lucky; the Porsche specialist who ran the pre-purchase survey had enthused about how 'straight it was. I remember this point sticking after seeing another silver car, bought by someone else at the same time, from the same supplier, in pieces at the body shop where my touch-up work had been done. It had the classic rot behind the rear seats with huge amounts covered by layers of underseal. The bodyshop guy has become a good friend over the years and looks after all the cars; he is totally, unflinchingly honest. His opinion back then was that it wasn't worth restoring. Let's hope the owner stuck it in a garage somewhere. It was a 1970 'S' in silver.

And so started my journey with my first 911

I moved to London and parked it on the street in Clapham. My then girlfriend lived in Bristol, so every 2 weeks it got its legs stretched regardless of the weather; we did a wedding in the Dordogne and numerous trips around the UK, all within the first year. It never missed a beat.

Old paint doesn't like rain, particularly grubby city rain. By 2005 my dear old girl was starting to look a little sorry for herself. The market had still to move, but in any event, I knew I couldn't imagine ever selling her, so that aspect was academic. And so gradually, the idea of improving her started to form. And this is where I will split you: hotrod/outlaw 911 or as original as possible?

Need For Speed

Fast 911s are wonderful things. I'd been in a few and the old ones were really special. It's interesting to see what Singer has created; same with Magnus Walker. That's where my head was back in 2005; I decided to turn mine into a faster, better-handling expression of a classic - an ST replica with a few extra comforts. The decision was made.

I'd actually had my flights booked but with weather on my side I decided on another trip. So good.

Phil at 911 Sport suggested the 2.7 block as it 'spun up' better. I said 'great!'. To make sense of that, 3.2 brakes and Koni Classic shocks were sourced. The engine was built from scratch with all new components. It looked amazing. My bodyshop guy Nigel was lined up for the paint work and Mark at Rennsport sourced the period door cards, leather strap handles and ST race seats. An 'S' badge was added. Sad, I know.

The first trip was down to a wedding in Clermont Ferrand. I literally picked the car up from an extensive rebuild - September 2008 - and drove there. It was amazing. A couple of months later, another wedding in Southern Ireland. I'd actually had my flights booked but with weather on my side I decided on another trip. That too was so good.

And so here we are. Porsche prices have gone through the roof, but despite the quest for originality in the market, hotrod/outlaw cars remain popular. I'm split. I still have the old matching numbers engine and box but I'd also love to finish the conversion and race the car. The next bit of work would mean cutting the arches; I've not managed to take that leap but I might yet. My inner voice tells me that I can always return it to its original form - I have the seats and other bits in storage. What would you do?

I think this is the car I'm most excited about sharing content on. It's something really special even though it's not currently in its original form. Either way, this channel gives me a reason to either take it to the next stage of return it to standard. We'll see. Very much a first-world problem and I can't afford to do anything else at the moment anyway, so it's somewhat academic.

But while you ponder it, here's a little video of tick-over: