Transmission - time capsule 915

[Hayden Burvill]

Today I opened up an early 915 for a customer who is having our guide tube upgrade.
This is an early 915, with the integral, cast-in guide tube. Cases are marked week 28, 1972.
from the hardware and other manufacturing clues I would say it was from a later than mid '72 (chassis) or an early '73.
I am certain I am first to open this since it left the factory.
The numbers are scraped away off the bottom of the case, but it did have the telltale Shell Oil aluminum label and the ZF LSD.
Strangest thing, it is a 4 speed...
Customer removed it from a 1973 911 S.
Seems like a strange combo for a '73S to have an LSD and 4 speed?
Unit is very, very low mileage, perhaps as low as the 20K on the odo that was assumed to be already once rolled over...

How common would a 1973 911S 4 speed LSD car be?

Regards

Hayden

[gulf908]

No wonder it has so few miles on the car.
How would you like to be the dealer trying to sell it when the car was new ?
A four speed just wouldnt sell today , let alone in 1973 !

Cheers,
Dennis.

[pwd72s]

Somebody must have forgotten to check the 5 speed box on the options list. Crazy as it seems, 4 speeds were standard, 5 speed optional. To have built a 4 speed with limited slip? Has to be very rare...

[Rick Cabell]

I would say someone liked the ratios in that peticular set up. The opposite of close ratio.

[pwd72s]

I would say someone liked the ratios in that peticular set up. The opposite of close ratio.

Which makes it an even stranger request for a 911S...

[Hayden Burvill]

It seems I didnt have all the information at first.

The transmission was put into the 1973 S at about 100,00 miles, now 120,000.

The transmission does look like 20K miles wear except for a couple of crazy anomalies, possibly linked.

I am pretty sure the LSD was the original install, or at very least a dealer install, as the Shell tag / label on the side cover would indicate.

The 4 speed was the standard ratio group, AZ, HW, OR, SN.

Regardless, still seems very unusual to have a 4 speed LSD assembled for any reason.
Were there some old SCCA regs or something that favored, or required 4 speeds?

Regards

Hayden