To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Monterey event, 15 - 17
August 2019.
Estimate:
$225,000 - $275,000
- One of just 274 first-year RoW 911 Turbos
- Fully restored by marque specialist
- Numbers-matching drivetrain
- Includes Porsche Certificate of Authenticity
The automotive world was rocked back on its heels when Porsche
unveiled its first true production supercar, the 911 Turbo. A
non-running mock-up was shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1973, a
few months after testing of the new pressurized design had begun,
and the following year a fully functioning example appeared at the
Paris Auto Salon. Orders poured in, even with a base price of DM
65,800, or about $27,400.
Intended to be Porsche's new "image builder," the outrageous
flared-fender, whale-tailed 911 Turbo, internally coded as Type
930, put Porsche firmly in the lead of the supercar market, using
technology created for its successful racing program. Deliveries
began to the "rest-of-the-world" markets in 1975 and to U.S.
customers in 1976, even as the new 930 became the basis for the
934, Porsche's first production-based turbocharged race car.
The new 911 Turbo boasted a three-liter air-cooled opposed
six-cylinder engine with a single KKK turbocharger. With maximum
boost of .8 Bar, about 11.5 psi, the engine developed an impressive
260 bhp at 5,500 rpm in RoW form. Shifting through the robust
four-speed manual gearbox produced 0-60 times of about six seconds
and a maximum speed approaching 160 mph. The new Turbo was, quite
simply, not only the fastest production car Porsche had ever
offered, but the fastest production car on the planet.
To deal with that sort of speed, the 930 was fitted with
power-assisted, cross-drilled, and ventilated disc brakes at all
four corners. The Turbo's front fenders and rear quarters were
dramatically flared to accommodate new 15-inch-diameter Fuchs
forged aluminum wheels, seven inches wide in front, eight inches
wide in the rear. The 1975 RoW Turbo also had an additional oil
feed line and catch container, a unique fiberglass "whale tail"�its
design signature�with a smaller air inlet, a plastic air box (metal
on later cars), no rock-guard appliqu�s on the earliest units, a
fuel-enrichment solenoid, and a different interior door trim
treatment. Also, many early 1975 cars, such as this example, lacked
air-conditioning, tinted glass, and an electric sunroof, items that
were made standard equipment when the Turbo Carrera was introduced
to the U.S. market the following year. However, there are
integrated fog lamps and headlamp washers.
Documents supplied with this handsome European-delivery Turbo
indicate that it was eventually imported to the U.S. and into the
hands of David Seabrook of DJS Motorsports in Del Ray Beach,
Florida. It was then registered to a George Merjos of Virginia
Beach, Virginia, circa 1995, with an odometer reading of 68,000
kilometers. In 2000 it was acquired by California Porsche
Restoration in Fallbrook, California, and there enjoyed a
comprehensive bare-metal restoration to original specification,
with detailed invoices exceeding $140,000. It is finished in its
factory color scheme of Grand Prix White with a full black leather
interior, including Sport seats. The engine has been fitted with
oil-fed chain tensioners for added reliability.
This is a gorgeous example of a first-year Turbo, restored at great
expense. It would be an excellent example to drive and enjoy or to
show with great pride.To view this car and others currently
consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo19.
