Peter Gregg--sporto

[fg1227]

In another thread about a bromos car for sale there are several stories as to why Peter drove sporto's.My own experience is limited to just one time,when I bought a '73 S sporto and drove it back home,Wash DC to englewood,NJ. I was quite impressed!The car did everthing right on this 4 hour ride,shifting was great, preformed like an S was made to.Drove most of the trip on I-95at 80-90 mph thru construction sites and rest areas.It was a real experience,quite pleasurable.I think these sporto's are knocked for the wrong reasons,I think that people who knock them have never driven one,my only advice is to drive one you will be impressed.I just wanted to know what experience others have had with sporto's.What do you guys think?

[Carl Bauer]

It seems like everything would have to be adjusted correctly and feel fresh to have a good time. An older, out of whack Sporto probably wouldn't be a whole lot of fun to drive.

[fg1227]

question remains the same,have you driven one and what do you think. this thread was meant to be objective not subjective

[Jens]

An out of whack ANYTHING is not a whole lotta fun to drive. The 915 manual with worn out shifter bushings can be quite a hunting expedition and create a very negative remembrance.

I'd love to hear more sporto driving experiences as well as maintenance and repair experiences (hands on, real world).

[72targa]

Any ideas of sporto's produced? I would think they're quite rare. I've never driven one.

[fg1227]

Very rare;consider that iN '73 dealers didn't stock an S;THEY ALL HAD TO BE ORDERED FOR A CUSTOMER,but a sporto S was definitly a special order.the car I BOUGHT IS SIGINAL GREEN S TARGA WITH FULL CREAME LEATHER INTERIOR INCLUDING SPORT SEATS.ALSO THERE IS NO SPORTOMATIC ON THE ENGINE LID, all trim with S EQUIPMENT.It's quite spectaular looking

[Carl Bauer]

I've only driven a sporto once... and it was in a Karmann Giha coupe. The linkage was a little off but it was an interesting experience! I kept hunting for the clutch pedal.

When I was at the factory museum a few years ago there was a dark green debadged Sporto 911E on display. Bischoff said it was Mrs. Piech's runabout and she didn't want to let on she was driving a Sportomatic! Nothing to be ashamed about, right?

[reed]

I've driven one sporto S (also a 2.4) and found it to be a decent compromise if you're trudging through traffic. I do think it lacked the crispness of the five-speed, just like any automatic of that era.

If I were driving my 911 every day and commuting through traffic, I would definitely consider a sporto. But for how I use my thirty year-old 911, they're not much more than a novelty.

By the way, Frank I think your '73 Sporto S was the '73 show car for the New York auto show.

[sweetE]

I've driven a "Sporto" several times when I'm at our office in Sydney, AU.

It is a 74 Targa and is great to drive around in the city. It is right hand drive and presently for sale.

[B D]

Sporto’s are great! How do I know? I have 68 911L Sporto and it's a blast. The only thing I don't like is it's a 4 speed and a 5th gear would be great on the Hwy. The car performs great and shifts well. Once you got your timing down and keep your hand off the gear shift your set. I can shift the car just as quick as any manual, or as smooth as an auto. The car is a blast in the corners you can just stay in 2nd and 3rd all day long and car pulls strong. One downside is parts new torque converters are hard to find and one of the seals is NLA but you can make your own.

Now for repair it's a very simple system to trouble shoot once you understand how it works. I have repaired the system once when the pin that held the servo arm and actuators arm together came loose. I was able to put it back together and get it adjusted after a while (trial and error). I admit the second time it broke I gave up, all the systems that I could access were working. The problem was internal I had a leaking tranny that got the clutch wet, but that could happen to any car. I had Andial do the work and they replaced the clutch and also put in a NEW torque converter they had on shelf which they gave me a great price on since it has been just sitting there and they knew it would be a while before someone would want it. I almost always do my own work except for transmissions and looking back I could have done it myself. But I am glad I took it in, I was never sure how well the system was supposed to perform. Now I know it works just as good as day one.