Vehicle Description
1972 Porsche 911E
Porsche 911 "R"
Magnesium engine case, stroked 2.9-liter engine
Stayed in original owner's possession for over 26 years
Original ordering paperwork with listed options
Restoration done by Wilhoit Restorations
Large file of original documents and maintenance paperwork
Short 3rd, 4th and 5th gears with Quaife limited slip
differential
Equipped with factory air conditioning
Upgrades done by Canepa in 2008
Ordered on March 9th 1971 and completed on September 8th, 1971,
this Tangerine orange Porsche 911E began its life with Staff
Sargent Willie J. Small. Originally intent on ordering a 1971,
Small was told that Porsche was no longer taking orders for '71
cars at the time. Changing his original order to a 1972, he
optioned the 911E with black leather seats, USA-equipment for left
hand drive, factory air conditioning, a Blaupunkt "Frankfurt"
radio, tinted glass all around and a rear tow hook for a total of
$9,080.36. He shipped the Porsche from Stuttgart to Houston, Texas
on December 17th of 1971 and started his 26+ year ownership of the
car.
Shortly after the 911 was delivered to Small, records show that he
and the Porsche moved to California. An ever-caring owner for his
car, the 911 would remain well serviced during Small's entire
ownership with numerous records and maintenance documents to show
for it. With the last registration for the car indicating Willie
being the owner in 1998, the Porsche would then change hands for
the first time and be sold to John Wilhoit of Wilhoit Auto
Restoration. Wilhoit purchased the car on behalf of its new owner,
Carl Akins, in late 1999. With the 911 now in his possession, Akins
would put the Porsche through a meticulous restoration that yielded
the perfect result: A built, bespoke and truly world-class outlaw
Porsche 911.
Beginning at the end of 1999, Akins would start the restoration
process for the 911 and take more than two years to carry out this
meticulous project. In charge of completing the restoration,
Wilhoit began by stripping the Tangerine tub down to every last
piece of hardware, cleaning and prepping the tub as they went
along. Color matched to the original Tangerine orange from the
Porsche factory, the now prepped Porsche tub was resprayed to
perfection. The interior was given due attention, making sure that
it would be something to enjoy being in at all times. Factory Sport
Recaro seats were installed, along with the rest of the interior
given new finishes and materials. With the rear seats removed to
save weight, the interior was covered with leather. With the custom
sound system installed by Wilhoit, the interior of this 911 causes
feelings of withdrawal as soon as you step out of the car.
The mechanicals of any 911 restoration are something to spend some
time on, but Akins decided that his car should be something unlike
anything else underneath. Scott's Independent, Inc. in Anaheim, CA
worked closely with Akins and Wilhoit throughout the build. The
engine from the case up is anything but ordinary, sporting a NOS
Porsche 911 magnesium crankcase, along with a NOS crankshaft.
Custom Carillo connecting rods, Mahle 2.9 liter lightweight pistons
and cylinders, special copper head gaskets, custom Elgin camshafts,
racing valve springs and titanium retainers, magnesium throttle
bodies ported to the Carrera heads, custom rebuilt mechanical fuel
injection pump, twin-plugs with an ANDIAL distributor, and SSI
headers with a custom sport exhaust that gives the 911 a
spine-tingling wail at full throttle. This in combination with
other engine components is good for a 257 naturally aspirated
horsepower on the dyno, almost doubling the 911E's original output.
Scott's also rebuilt the 5-speed transmission from the ground-up,
adding a shorter 3rd, 4th and 5th gear to the box, a more modern
shifter along with a Quaife limited slip differential.
Suspension was a critical component to harness all of the extra
power now being created, and Wilhoit was keen on which
modifications were needed. New bushings were installed everywhere,
new torsion bars (22mm and 26mm), new sway bars, new Bilstein sport
shocks and struts were added with raised and decambered spindles,
new Porsche Boxster brake calipers with drilled rotors, stainless
steel brake lines and Pagid sport pads taking care of the corners.
Custom steel wheels were made by Wilhoit to have an understated
presence but wide enough to use larger and stickier tires. New
aluminum trailing arms, late adjustable spring plates, sport engine
mounts, and a strut tower brace were added to ensure handling
matched the car's newfound performance.
While these major upgrades were being completed, other items on the
Porsche's list were checked off. Every piece of plating was
refinished to factory specs, A/C lines and components were either
replaced or rebuilt, new headlight and tail light assemblies were
sourced, and NOS fog lamps were installed. Then as a special homage
to the 911R, the 911E emblem was replaced with a custom badge that
was created by a jeweler that was placed on the rear decklid. With
its final pieces completed and assembled in early 2002, the Wilhoit
and Scott's built 911 "R" was finished for Carl Akins to enjoy.
The 911 arrived at Canepa on February of 2008 with 6,201 miles on
the odometer. Unsurprisingly, such a unique Porsche sold within a
month of it arriving and would sell to its new owner on March 21st,
2008. Before leaving Canepa, the owner requested that a 1972
Porsche 911S bumper with splitter be added to the front of the car,
giving the front end of the car a more aggressive presence. With
its work done, the owner would take the car and put it in his
collection and keep it for more than a decade.
Upon arriving back at Canepa just recently, the 911 was looked over
with familiar eyes and does not disappoint. Restorations done by
Wilhoit Automotive Restorations hold up quite well and stand the
test of time, and this 911R homage is no different. The paint is in
immaculate condition, with the interior looking as though the final
pieces of leather were just stitched together and put into place
inside. The engine growls at idle like a car that has something to
hide, with its revving and acceleration letting you know there is
something much more underneath than your regular flat six. Only
needing a slight cleaning and a light foam pad polish to present
the car as it looked a decade before, this Tangerine 911 "R" is
sure to delight any Porsche fan. With its contemporary style with
mechanical underpinnings intent on making the driver enjoy every
minute of being in the 911, this is a driver's car through and
through.