Vehicle Description
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https://www.flickr.com/gp/149927902@N02/2nKi41
2.9-liter, Magnesium engine - 275 H.P.
Original ordering paperwork with listed options
Stayed in original owner's possession for over 26 years
Restoration/upgrades performed by Willhoit Restorations, Scott's
Independent, and Canepa
Large file of original documents and maintenance paperwork
Short 3rd, 4th and 5th gears with Quaife limited slip
differential
Equipped with factory air conditioning
Ordered on March 9th 1971 and completed on September 8th, this 1972
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 leatherette with 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 Willhoit of Willhoit Auto
Restoration. Willhoit 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
"R-gruppe" 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,
Willhoit 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 Willhoit, 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 Willhoit 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 was good for 275 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 Willhoit 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 Turbo brake calipers with drilled rotors, stainless
steel brake lines and Pagid sport pads taking care of the corners.
Custom steel wheels were made 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. With its final pieces
completed and assembled in early 2002, the Willhoit and Scott's
built 911E was finished for Carl Akins to enjoy.
The 911 arrived at Canepa on February of 2008 with 6,201 miles on
the odometer. Bruce fell in love with this car, and proceeded to
tweak it in subtle ways - adding a 911S front spoiler, wider steel
wheels, exhaust mods, 911S front and rear bumper deco trim
including deleting side lower molding trim, etc.
Restorations done by Willhoit are timeless in quality and
appearance, and this 911E is no different. Now showing just 7,700
miles since restoration/modification, the paint is in concours
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 911E 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.
