1975 Porsche Carerra

The first Austrian built two seat Porsche was considered to be little more than a sportier version of the 1948 Volkswagen Beetle. Ferdinand Porsche's sports car project had its origin long before that, however. He formed his own design firm in 1930 after being managing director at Austro-Daimler. He had been granted an honorary doctorate by the University of Vienna and was known as Herr Doktor Ingenieur Porsche. Adolf Hitler some years later granted him the additional title of "Professor."

One of his early projects was the Project 60 that would go on to become the Volkswagen Beetle, the people’s car that had been requested by Hitler himself. After the war they began working on Project 356, a sportier version of the Volkswagen. The early 356's were imported into the United States in 1950 by Max Hoffman, a family friend of the Porsche's. One of the most collectible 356's, the racy open Speedster arrived in 1954. By the mid-50s three quarters of the Porsche's 356's built were headed to the United States.

Late in 1964 the 356 was replaced by the new 911 series that was powered by a 1991 cc flat six engine that was rated at 130 horsepower. Fuel injection became available for the 911 series in 1970 and the engine continued to become more powerful over the next few years.

The next generation of the 911 was introduced in 1974 and had an enlarged engine that was now 2687 cubic centimeters. Two basic models were offered, the base 911 and the high performance 911 S with both offered as a coupe or as a Targa. The new models had body colored integrated bumpers that met U.S. bumper strength requirements. They all had front spoilers and the interiors had new high back seats front seats with integrated headrests. In addition a Carrera edition that was based on the European RS was available.

The 911 Carrera was the most desirable Porsche sold in the United States in 1975. It was also the fastest 911 ever sold in this country as it offered several new performance features. The rear quarters were flared and wider rear wheels were fitted at the factory. This was the first 911 to utilize the factory whale tail when combined with the flares and wide rims made for the most dramatic 911 yet offered. The use of aluminum trailing arms removed weight from the rear which improved handling. In addition the engine was the most powerful yet offered producing 217 HP. Only 395 Carreras were built for the US market making them very desirable indeed.

This particular car is a well documented automobile finished in factory Lime Green and Cinnamon leather. It was delivered new to Kingsport, Tennessee and is complete with records of service, ownership, and other relevant data. $17,000 was recently spent to reseal and freshen the engine and transmission with receipts included. Also included is a ‘Letter of Authenticity” from Porsche documenting the car’s original configuration and color combination. The mileage of 72,000 is documented by the records and there is no history of neglect or prior body damage. This is one of only a handful of 1975 Porsche Carreras that were brought into the United States and this is a rare opportunity to acquire a well maintained and documented example.