The Bonhams Market HQ, Abingdon, UK
1969 Porsche 911E Targa
VIN: 119210015
Engine: 6290064 (Rebuilt to 2.2L)
Trans: 7090137
Color: Blue Metallic/Black
Mileage: 89,422 (indicated)
Auction Estimate: £90,000 - £120,000 / US$106,050 - $141,400
Sold for: £79,500 / ~US$95,345 (Reserve Closed)
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Seller's Description:
Built in 1968, the Porsche 911E offered here is a 1969-model-year car, constructed on the longer wheelbase.
It is, in our opinion and that of virtually anyone else you might care to ask, one of the best you could hope to find anywhere.
Not just aesthetically, but mechanically and dynamically.
It’s hard to believe that this car is over half a century old.
It starts, goes and stops with all the style, pace and engineering integrity that the brilliant engineers at Porsche could muster.
And that’s a lot.
It feels thoroughly sorted and fettled and presses on with a degree of urgency that lets you know that the car’s engine was properly rebuilt as a genuine Mahle 2.2 litre in 2008 and has been measured delivering 192.6 hp on a dyno.
The vendor has owned the car since 2015.
He bought the car from Phil Sewell, a man extremely well known to early 356 and 911 aficionados and a respected authority on all things Porsche.
In fact, Phil Sewell is so well informed that he managed to point out to Porsche themselves that, contrary to what their records seemed to suggest, this car was never a ‘Sportomatic’ and had been optioned with a manual box from new.
Apparently, Porsche admitted (we imagine very quietly) that they just might have made a small mistake with their record keeping.
Whoops.
The vendor is extremely unusual in having successfully bought a car from Phil “I don’t sell cars” Sewell, who has earned a thoroughly deserved reputation for buying the best possible Porsches, making them even better, and hanging on to them very tightly.
Some time prior to Phil Sewell’s ownership and his subsequent restoration and curation of this very special vehicle, the car was originally imported to the UK by Nicholas Faure, an 11-times Le Mans competitor and an ex-Porsche Works racing driver with a particular penchant for early 911s.
So, as you can see, the ownership history and provenance of this vehicle is pretty much gold-standard and really can’t be over-estimated.
It’s in the right, original Porsche colour. It has the very rare chrome wheel arch and rear valance brightwork that came new with the car (often ordered for cars destined for somewhere hot – like California).
It is in extraordinary mechanical and aesthetic condition.
And it drives and handles sublimely.
It really is as good as they get.
On the Outside
It’s a dazzlingly good-looking car from any angle.
The vibrant blue paint has all the lustre and depth of shine you could hope for.
The bodywork is solid and free from any dents, dinks, creases, ripples or folds that we can see.
The panel gaps and shut lines are consistent and even.
The doors slam home with a weight and precision that would be impressive in a modern car, let alone one that was put together in 1968.
The wheels, which are probably the car’s original set of Fuchs, are unmarked and excellent.
The chrome work, lights, lenses and badges are all as they should be.
The Targa roof fits, stows and performs as impressively as everything else on this car.
On the Inside
The interior, you won’t be surprised to learn, is every bit as good as the exterior.
Eagle-eyed observers among you will have spotted that the black leather Recaro seats are from a later, 1970’s 911. They may not be period correct but they are considerably more comfortable than their original counterparts and make long journeys in this car even more enjoyable.
They are also in very fine condition, as are the door cards, carpets and mats.
The steering wheel is excellent, as are the dashboard, gear lever and handbrake.
As far as we can tell, every button, switch, toggle, dial, instrument, lever and knob does exactly what it’s meant to do.
There’s a small paint scuff just below the kick plate on the o/s.
Underneath
The undersides of the look to be entirely commensurate with the rest of it – solid and possessed of plenty of structural integrity.
It’s the same story in the very clean, dry engine bay.
History Highlights
The following, apparently accurate, history of the car is taken from an earlier description of the car by Historics.
“It was supplied by the Porsche Centre, Mannheim, Germany to a American citizen - possibly a US serviceman - who took it back with him to Los Angeles, California and sold the car to a friend Mr George J Leetma in 1970/71. The next owner Dana Denfus of Marina del Ray, California owned this Porsche up to 1997, when it was sold and imported to the UK with the mileage of 73,000 miles on the odometer. The first UK registered keeper of this car was Nick Faure, an ex-Porsche GB racing driver and 911 specialist dealer. At the end of 1997 it was sold to Mr Kurk Bredenbeck who lived in the Barbican, London.
When he purchased the car the price included new carpets, fit retrimmed Recaro sports seats and a new dash top. He owned the car until 2004 and in his ownership spent over £21,000 on the car; including a complete re-trim in black leather by Southbound (apart from the seats) and body repairs, plus a respray by Bodytechnics of Slough.
In 2004 it was purchased by Christopher Smith, who had the car until June 2006. In his ownership he had some work carried out, including a big service and some restoration work by Nine-Meister in Warrington.
It was then acquired by Phil Sewell, a well know air-cooled Porsche expert based in Wales. When he bought this rust-free example, he described it as ‘cosmetically ok’, the interior as ‘very, very nice’. But the mechanical side as a total disaster, so he set about sorting the car out with him purchasing the parts and sending the car to some of the top Porsche specialists in the UK.
In 2008 with a mileage of 87,034 miles it went to Porsche specialists Unit Eleven where it had a total engine rebuild including new camshafts, new genuine Mahle pistons and barrels increasing it from 2 litres to 2.2 litres, which in Porsche world is regarded as a non-invasive modification. It also received a crankshaft regrind and new bearings. Cylinder heads fully done. Belt tensioner modification. New oil pump, oil tank, hoses, flywheel and clutch set. The engine was dyno checked and this work increased the horsepower from 140hp to over 180hp. The gearbox was fully rebuilt by Unit Eleven and Tuthill Porsche. After which he did approximately 1000 miles in the car.
In December 2010 it went to Porsche body specialists RS911 in mid-Wales. Here it was stripped down and new sills and kidney bowls fitted both sides, two new genuine Porsche front wings fitted and then repainted, top and bottom in the original colour of Porsche blue metallic/6853.
When reassembled, paying attention to making sure the ‘shut lines’ are perfect, they used all new rubbers, fitted a new windscreen and fitted a lot of new brightwork. All five Fuchs wheels were fully and properly refurbished by Jasmine PorschaLink and fitted with Avon road/race tyres. It was then finished off with a new engine cover grille and it has the ultra-rare wheel arch trims and the muffler skirt fitted. The attention to detail is second to none. It has an original radio but has a high-end Beckman CD player fitted in the glove box, a very professional installation with correct speakers.
The exceptional Porsche 911E is supplied with a V5 registration document, a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, a 911 handbook pack, a large file containing copies of old UK registration documents, invoices since the car has been in the UK, and correspondence between the owner and Phil Sewell.”
Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.
If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.
What We Think
This matching-numbers LHD manual Porsche 911E is really very special indeed.
In theory, there may be examples out there in even better condition. To see one you’ll need to buy a ticket at a car museum and queue up to stare at it sitting in a static display case.
This car is no museum piece.
It wants and needs to be driven. It’s properly screwed together, fettled to perfection, comes with the best possible provenance and history, and is simply glorious in every respect.
We’re happy to offer this world-class vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £90,000 - £120,000.
Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Kiwi
Originally Posted by 911kiwi
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