Highlights

Rare 3 litre Carrera Targa
Fully rebuilt engine
Five speed manual gearbox
Partly restored with some work remaining

The Appeal

Originally introduced in 1965 the Targa was again offered when Porsche launched the second generation 911 in 1973. Usually found with the 2.7 litre engine just 1,125 Targas were built with the larger 3 litre derived from that of the 930 Turbo.

Introduced in the autumn of 1975 as a 1976 model, the 3.0-litre Carrera was destined for a relatively short life, disappearing when the 911 range was upgraded to 'SC' specification for 1978. This attractive Targa was originally registered in Sweden, and came to the UK in 1997.

Purchased by the last owner’s family in 1999, it was then registered to the seller’s husband in 2006 and then registered to his company in 2020. It was driven regularly until 2011 when it then spent a spell in storage before being delivered to a Porsche Specialist in early 2019. A restoration commenced, with the engine in particular found to be in need of attention. It was removed and given a complete rebuild with photos and an invoice for £28,000.

Since then various other jobs have been completed, but the Targa hasn’t been driven any distance. Now being offered for sale by the Owner’s sister who is the Executor for his estate it remains in good overall condition, but will require some structural welding (and perhaps fresh paint) to complete the project.

History and Paperwork

Built in LHD in 1976
First registered in Sweden
Swedish test documents
Some invoices and Swedish documents from 1990s
Imported and registered in the UK in 1997
Purchased by the last owner in 1999
Original purchase invoice from 1999 on file
Originally registered in Owner’s name
Re-registered in Company name in 2020
Stored from 2011 to 2019
Recommissioning commenced in 2019
Engine completely rebuilt in 2019 at a cost of £28,000
Over £40,000 of recent invoices on file
Large history folder with dozens of older invoices
Letter from Graypaul Porsche confirming original specification from 2000
Some remedial structural welding required to “kidney bowl” areas
A partly restored project with much expensive work completed
Three keys
Owners manual, Service book, 911 Specification book

The Interior

Black leather interior in good condition
Black leather seats in excellent condition
Clean carpets with newly fitted mats
Targa roof requires some attention

The Targa retains its original black leather interior. The leather seats have lasted well showing just some light wear on the driver’s side bolster. The black carpets are clean, and are covered with newly fitted mats that are very smart.

The instruments are all clean and undamaged, as is the steering wheel which shows only the lightest of wear. As usual the rear seats look to be unused, and the rear carpet has new mats too. We did not remove the Targa roof as it is thought to be non original and hasn’t been off the car for some time.

Overall we would say the interior is nicely preserved with nothing that needs immediate attention.

The Exterior

Black paintwork with a good shine
Paintwork requires attention in some areas
Correct 16 inch Fuchs wheels with black centres and unused Michelin tyres

On the outside the Targa looks quite presentable with a good shine to the paintwork. Upon closer inspection it becomes obvious that the paint needs attention in several areas. It appears that the Targa has had some areas repainted at some stage and perhaps the surface preparation was somewhat lacking.

There are patches of micro blistering and orange peel, and areas where the paint has lifted from the body. This is noticeable where the front wing meets the bonnet. There are areas of peel below the headlights and on both front and rear wings.

The wheels are the correct 16 inch Fuchs alloys, and all four are undamaged, with just age related wear to the centres. Tyres are unworn Michelins.

The glass and plastic lenses are all undamaged, but again show age related wear.

There isn’t anything that would stop the new owner driving the Targa, but it’s likely they would want to address the pant issues to improve the appearance of the car.

The Mechanics

Complete engine rebuild completed in 2019
Tidy underside with light surface corrosion
New battery installed in September 2022

The Targa hasn’t been driven any distance since the engine was completely rebuilt. There are photographs that show the dismantling and reassembly of the 3 litre block, with a 9 page invoice for parts which, when labour was added, totals £28,000. There are other invoices for various work, and some replacement parts and service items.

When we visited it was noted that although the Targa does not require an MoT, in its current condition it would be unlikely to pass as it requires some remedial structural welding to the “kidney bowl” areas, located within the rear door jambs. Once this has been completed the Porsche will be ready for the road.

Summary

This is a great opportunity to acquire a rare 3 litre Targa that has already had a substantial amount of money spent to restore it to useable condition. The interior is mostly original and in great condition, and mechanically the Targa is in great shape. With a little further investment this will surely become a desirable example of a rare Porsche 911.

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