'74-'75 Carreras if properly sorted are some of the nicest driving 911s ever made...I'd drive one of these over a G-50 Carrera any day.
'74-'75 Carreras if properly sorted are some of the nicest driving 911s ever made...I'd drive one of these over a G-50 Carrera any day.
That was a fun day Brian! No often does one get the chance to drive a well sorted example of a 68S, 70S and the 74 Carrera virtually back to back. Made for an interesting compare and contrast in Porsche technology changes from 68-74.
Thanks again for that great opportunity!
Scott
Early S Reg. #1694/R-Gruppe #638
74 Carrera
Scott,
I too would be very interested to hear the driving comparison for each of the cars!
Please indulge us.
It was a really fun comparison. Starting with the 68S, it has a very delicate feel about it. All the controls work with little effort, clutch, brakes all smooth as silk. The 2.0 liter makes glorious sounds and comes to life at 5400 rpm with a rush to redline. It changes direction almost telepathically. These cars are just so unique it's hard to imagine any other car of this era that comes close to the driving experience.
The 70S takes the 68S experience up a notch. The clutch, shifter and steering are all just step heavier. Below 5400 rpm the increased displacement fills in the bottom end so you don't have to be on top of it all the time. Directional stability is quite improved at the expense of the fabulous turn in of the 68S. The overall, the light, frisky feeling of the 68S is replaced with a bit more seriousness.
The 74 Carrera has an even heavier feel to the controls than the 70S. The clutch is stiffer as well as the throttle, you can tell their are bigger parts at work. Handling is similar to the 70S, but high speed stability greatly improved due to aerodynamics, it just feels planted at all speeds. The rush to the redline is completely gone, replaced with a very linear powerband with lot's of torque. The CSI system is very smooth and feels less aggressive than an MFI or Weber setup. However in everyday driving, it feels MUCH faster than the numbers would suggest.
So there you have it, 6 years of 911 evolution. All the cars were very unique in their on right, yet very much share the early 911 feel. You can tell Porsche was adapting the 911 platform to a rapidly changing world. In 75 Porsche significantly changed the Carrera (and the rest of the 911 line up) Thermal reactors robbed horsepower and decreased reliability. Longer gearing and increased weight from sound deadening made for a less inspiring drive. Later 3.2 Carrera and SC's recaptured the lost performance. They are terrific cars and significantly refined, however they just don't have that direct, tactile feeling of the earlier cars.
Last edited by saz; 08-20-2013 at 04:52 AM.
Scott
Early S Reg. #1694/R-Gruppe #638
74 Carrera
Sounds like a whole lot of fun driving these back to back. Great color on your 74. What is it?
On a related note, I think someone mentioned a 74 Carrera approaching $90k this past weekend at one of the auctions but not selling???
1968 911S
1986 Carrera
2006 Carrera S
1973 BMW 3.0CS - Frances (gone but not forgotten)
Thanks Peanut! My Carrera is paint to sample and interior to sample. The color is close to Slate Gray, but darker and the interior is a a steel blue gray. Many of the Carrera's were loaded up with options. Mine is unique as it was ordered sunroof delete and no A/C.
I have heard of private sales of 74 Carrera's that were in the 80-90K range already. With only 528 coupes produced in 74 they are getting very hard to find.
Perhaps Brian can chime in with his Traverse City driving impressions
Last edited by saz; 08-20-2013 at 05:12 AM.
Scott
Early S Reg. #1694/R-Gruppe #638
74 Carrera
I would echo your comments Scott. Although I still haven't driven the 68S (affectionately called 'Jim') the 2.2S and CIS Carrera are quite different. The 2.2, as has been discussed, very peaky in it's power range, whereas the Carrera smooths that out. The Carrera is is very planted and the steering is notably heavier for sure, but still very tactile.
The acceleration in the Carrera pleasantly surprised me. I don't know if someone along the way sprinkled some pixie dust on the engine, but it sure feels like it.
I can now understand why someone who had possibly been priced out of an MFI Carrera or a 2.4 E or S would have considered buying one of these cars. Seems the price gap now has narrowed though.
Brian
'71T
R Gruppe #299
Scott. What color is this? Dark blue?