Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 300184
Engine No. 900237
Transmission No. 100216
For decades, the mantra to follow for those interested in a Porsche
911 was to "buy the newest affordable example." Over time this
changed with the early 911 S (1967-1973) models getting their
well-deserved due. In time, the focus expanded to the earliest 900
series models produced in 1964 - the 901 and earliest 911s. These
early 1964-built cars are a veritable feast for the eyes with
minute details everywhere for those who know what to look for and
where to look. Seats with six pleats, a small brass ignition bezel,
a five-button dashboard, and six-piece teak dash trim are all
notable early interior attributes. A smooth rear engine compartment
latch panel without indents and seal, an engine lid with seal and a
smaller two-piece "PORSCHE" script on the rear lid, a front trunk
with black paint on the reverse are all subtle body and exterior
characteristics that make the Porsche cognoscenti sit up and take
note. Each of these details and more should be more well-known, yet
many early 911s have suffered from average restorations wiping them
away, and worse, the dreaded impact bumper "update" and turbo look
fad that lasted nearly two decades. Yet, there are those 1964-built
911s - rare as they are - that remain relatively undisturbed,
enjoyed for their inherent good looks and performance unconcerned
of the latest trends. This matching numbers 1964-built Porsche 911,
chassis number 300184, is one of these emerging from long-term
ownership assured that their stylish nature and exceptional detail
will be continue to be appreciated.
A detail of these early 1964-built Porsche 911s unmentioned thus
far, however, comes not from the car itself, but a handwritten
ledger created at the outset of production. In it, the most
important aspects of these earliest 911s (chassis number,
completion date, engine serial number and internal number,
transmission number, and interestingly, its Blaupunkt radio serial
number, if so optioned) were recorded. The first production month,
September 1964, only records 18 cars built starting with 901
300001, with the ledger recording this 911, chassis number 184
finished on 14 December 1964. Another interesting detail of this
ledger is that it records that chassis 184 was originally fitted
with engine number 900313, which is then struck and 900237 in
replacement. Its Kardex warranty card, often the only form of
original source documentation, fills in the rest of the build
details. It was finished, as it remains today, in Light Ivory
(6404) with a Black leatherette interior with Pepita cloth seat
inserts. The Kardex only records its second engine serial number
received before leaving the factory along with its optional Webasto
gas heater and Dunlop tires. Furthermore, it was delivered to
dealer "G.W. Schultz" in D�sseldorf, Germany, today known as
Porsche Zentrum D�sseldorf and still held by Gottfried Schultz
Sportwagen D�sseldorf GmbH & Co. The first owner was recorded under
a business, Friedrich J�ntgen & Sohn, located in Solingen, a
30-minute drive from D�sseldorf center. A second owner, also
located in D�sseldorf is recorded on the Kardex with warranty
repair and service work noted for the 911 with the last entry
recorded on 3 March 1968 with 42,638 kilometers on its
odometer.
According to the consigning estate, a music professor touring
Germany in the late 1960s, purchased chassis number 300184 bringing
it to the United States. Approximately a year later, in 1969, it
was purchased by Glen Whitesell beginning a remarkable 54-year
ownership. The next years and decades were perhaps its most
vulnerable. The basic unibody of the 911 did not see wholesale
change until 1997 and as a result trendy updates to the earliest
narrow body cars were rife. Updated bumpers, fender flares,
aerodynamic appendages, "sport" steering wheels, form fitting
seats, and Quadraphonic stereos all threatened the factory-built
originality of not only 300184 but many other early 911s throughout
the 1970s and 80s. Yet, Whitesell remained steadfast against the
rising tide of modifications over the next quarter century and, as
a result, chassis number 300184 retains a stunning level of
unrestored originality, rarely seen in one of the 232 built in
1964.
Most incredible is its interior. The front seats feature the
earliest six-pleat seat insert pattern in the original Pepita
material with Whitesell clearly resisting replacing the lower
driver's seat section with reproduction Pepita or perhaps worse,
generic houndstooth. The original five-button dashboard is simply a
delight, placed atop the six-piece teak facia that remains, as
constructed without a Blaupunkt or modified with a later head unit.
The same goes for the single piece knee pad, loop-style fuel door
release mechanism, aluminum-spoke, teak-rimmed steering wheel,
small brass ignition bezel, and black "mushroom" shift knob with a
single center dimple, an early 911 carry over from the 356 and 904
Carrera GTS.
The exterior features an older repaint, a Golde sunroof said to be
added at Reutter shortly after production in while Germany,
aftermarket fog lights, and added rocker trim. But even with these
subtle later additions, the truly special features of its early
body remain. Perhaps most important to those inspecting an early
911 for the type of originality that this car holds would be the
rear latch panel stamped before Porsche added the gold engine
specification decals to their running changes list. Furthermore,
the engine lid features the very early two-piece Porsche badge
above the rubber seal affording the engine fresh air through its
ultra-rare 20 mm "tall" engine grille. The front end is just as
remarkable with the underside center section of the front hood
finished in black housing an impressively original trunk worthy of
study. With the carpet removed, the original aluminum chassis tag
is set next to the body stamp under an original thin layer of paint
and bitumen.
Mechanically, chassis number 300184 is still fitted with its
original matching numbers engine and transmission per its Kardex
warranty card. An obvious, and welcome, change to the engine comes
in the form of Weber carburetors, yet for those who yearn for the
original Solex 40 PI setup, a single side with intake manifold
accompanies the car. For years the car was serviced by the
well-known hands at N�rburgring Inc. In March 2018, 300184 visited
Porsche Minneapolis, a Porsche Classic Partner, for a "Complete
Inspection" after two years of storage. Porsche Minneapolis
performed a major tuneup, with fresh oil, new spark plugs, new plug
wires, intake gasket replacement, with a carburetor and timing
adjustments. Additionally, the matching numbers Type 901/0
transmission was removed and a new pressure plate, clutch disc, and
throw out bearing were installed. Final work included a shift
linkage adjustment, fuel tank drain and fuel line replacement, a
brake fluid flush, and new hood struts. Additional work was carried
out by Porsche Minneapolis in 2021 and most recently, beginning in
July 2023, Porsche Minneapolis completed another oil and filter
change along with a complete multi-point inspection.
As is well known, the devil is in the details. This is never truer
than with very early hand-built examples of the iconic Porsche 911.
This matching numbers, 1964-built 911 showcases these exceptional
hand-recorded original details better than any other to come to
market in recent memory. Preserved for over half a century by its
owner as a love letter to the unique aspects that make it special,
chassis number 300184 offers a truly unrepeatable opportunity for a
new caretaker to explore and maintain its exceptional originality
just as Glen Whitesell has done since 1969.