911 1968 Sportomatic

[lars1965]

Hi

I have been offerd a swb 1968 L sportomatic from Germany. Do any of you from this super forum have any expirence with driving or own a sportomatic.?

Is it a big deal to convert to manual gearbox? and what need to be changed

new gearbox
Pedal cluster
New Carbs


Thanks

Lars

[gulf908]

Lars

my advice FWIW is not to change to a manual trans.
There are too few of this original configuration left in the early 911 world.
In the '80s too many Sporto trans were converted to 5 speeders due to fashion and lack of spare parts.
After the 'new' had worn off with the second or third owners,the Sportos were never really appreciated for their mission in Porsche life ie to be a 'commuter' 911 which could be used to drive to work on a daily basis with some driving pleasure.
..... just my 02c worth .....
having said that,lets see some pics,please .....

Cheers,
Dennis.

[edmayo]

I'm with Dennis, leave it as sporto if at all possible. I used to own one, perfect traffic car, and now very unique.

[JT912]

I just got my Sporto on the road and it is oddly entertaining. Also a '68, it is a bit lazy around town, but it starts to shine once you get your foot into it and start rowing through the gears.

[Mikael Berg]

Sporto is super nice to drive ! this is a new restored 72S some of the test drives https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6c...kteUNsSlE/view

Thanks

Micke

[raspy2point2]

In 2.4 911S form, a Sporto is fun. But a 130 HP 68 911L; you are going to be behind the 8 ball with a sporto with that kind of power linked to a lagging sporto. If it breaks down on the road in the country somewhere--good luck. Chris

[ELSPORTO]

I have an Aussie delivered 1968L with Sporto with SSI's and it's a ball tearer.

Just got back from a 300 mile trip with wife and kids through the mountains and it went hard. I also drive it to work and back everyday in traffic and it's a breeze.

If you don't know how to drive one or fix one, your experience maybe diminished.

It's a 1968, 2 litre car ... if you want high performance, buy a 993TT.

If you want a unique SWB car, grab it with both hands.

[DanPez]

I have a 73 T-V Sporto and love it!
It's not a high performance vehicle but when well tuned the 138hp has plenty of power to overtake the new more modern cars.
Having the clutch control on the shift takes a getting use to. (Just don't rest your hand on the shift)
Enjoy!

[MrJTP2001]

I'm in the final stages of restoring a 68 Sporto. I bought the car in 69 and loved the transmission. Sold it in 1994 and decided to buy it back in 2005. (long story, it was being abused) Some say it isn't a high performance car but I have a few trophys from gymkhana racing. Once you learn to take advantage of the properties of the torque converter it becomes a lot more lively car. Keep it like it was when it came from the factory.

[Bullethead]

Love driving the usual manual gearboxes... but sometimes a Sporto is just right. My wife drives a '68T Targa Sporto as everyday transportation. (I also had a '68S Targa Sporto, since sold). Bought the car for her in 2006, taught her to keep her foot in it and shift when needed. Properly set up, they offer very entertaining performance more than capable in modern traffic. We did a bare-tub resto in 2011 after 207,000 miles and it's supremely dependable.

The caveat: Sporto owners quickly learn that some parts are getting very hard to find, especially the small bits associated with the vacuum system.

When you find that kind of stuff, hoard it.