This 1975 Porsche 911 may appear to the naked eye as any old 911, but you would be mistaken. It is a 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 MFI European(Euro) specification. This specific car is Chassis No. 1 of 1975 and some consider it as “the most important surviving example left in the world by a large margin”, but we will come back to this.
The Euro spec Carrera in 1975 was a COMPLETELY and I emphasize a COMPLETELY different car from the 911 Carrera sold in America. While the American market got a mundane and heavy CIS Injected 911, the rest of the world got a light 911 Euro spec Carrera with the 2.7 liter mechanically-fuel-injected (MFI) flat-6 engine from the world renowned 1973 Carrera RS. The 1974 - 1976 911 Euro spec Carrera 2.7 MFI was really the next generation of the Carrera RS as it kept the same motor and maintained the same weight, but went to the G-Body instead of the original “long nose” 911 body as Porsche had to improve their crash safety. The advantages of this, although rarely spoken about, are substantial. The G-Body car is far more stable, dynamic, and capable of higher speeds than the earlier “long nose” 911 as they had a tendency to tramline, were a handful to drive at higher speeds, and the cars with the “duct tail” had extremely light front ends as it would create downforce on the back, but did not have downforce on the front to balance the car.
There were roughly 1,000 Euro spec Carrera’s produced between 1974 and 1975 with 15 or 16 special order cars produced in 1976. This is roughly double the production of the 1973 911 Carrera RS, but since the 1974-76 Euro spec Carrera was never delivered in America, it is likely that the Euro spec Carrera is far more rare than the Carrera RS in America.
PTS 991.2 GT3
This specific Euro spec Carrera is considered to be “the most important surviving example left in the world by a large margin” because it is Chassis No. 911.560.0011 and body number 105.0001 which means that this is the very first 911 Euro spec Carrera 2.7 MFI produced in 1975. Starting with the 911 models in 1966, the cars always started production at chassis number 0011, but starting in 1969, Porsche had a new body numbering system where the chassis numbers still began at 0011, but the body numbers all started over each new year at 0001 which is why this car has body number 0001 and chassis number 0011. As the first chassis, Porsche used it as a prototype car for numerous new developments which made it an extremely influential car in Porsche’s history.
Being treated as a prototype, this car was built in June of 1974 by the “Works” division, race department, of Porsche. Initially, Porsche tested the Bosch K-Jetronic injection system on it for new emissions requirements worldwide, but once testing was complete, this car returned back to the original 2.7 MFI specifications. This was also the very first G-Body 911 to have the rear integrated “whale tale” spoiler and front air dam which remained on the car and were developed as a replacement to the “ducktail” spoiler. The final noticeable changes included reduced sound deadening, lightweight glass, and a lengthened fifth gear which kept the car the same weight as the 1973 Carrera RS and allowed Porsche to break the 150+ mph marker with the 911. This vehicle was used for eight to nine months of continued development at an instrumental time in Porsche’s history as they made a switch from the “long hood” 911 body to the renowned G-Body which they produced until 1989.
Once Porsche finished their development with the vehicle, the car was sold out the back door through the German Porsche dealer Freisinger Motorsports to a favored client. The car lived in Germany until 1991 when it was sold to an individual in Japan in 1991. The car lived there until 2012 when the German Porsche dealer Freisinger Motorsports bought it back and sold it to a collector in the United States. Once in the US, the motor and transmission were pulled out and completely rebuilt by a handful of the best shops (Dennis from Midnight Machine, Mark from Performance Porsche, Scott from Virtuoso Performance, Gus from Pacific Pump, and Jay Lee from Mirage) using all Porsche parts. The car was then enjoyed until 2020 when it was sold and it now resides in beautiful Northern California with the matching engine and transmission in it.
The driving experience is simply one of the most engaging experiences you can have. No one movement is perfectly precise, it takes finesse to shift the 915 transmission and there's no automatic cold start sequence, you have to do everything yourself and that is the beauty of it. There is no traction control, abs, stability control, air conditioning, radio, or power steering, it is just you, the car, and the road ahead. There is no room for error, but once you master the technique and you are able to make the car do exactly what you want when you want it to happen, there is no greater feeling. The lightweight flywheel on the 2.7 MFI motor makes for one of the snappiest and most responsive combinations of any air-cooled Porsche. In addition, the raspy sound, lopey idle, and distinct smell never lets you forget what you are driving and makes the experience 10 times more exciting. Beyond this, the lightweight aspect of the car sitting on the 7 and 8 inch Fuchs wheels in conjunction with the Bilstein shocks sets up a platform that is nimble and ready to turn into any corner with ease.
The sport seats with extended bolstering hold the driver and passenger in snug for spirited driving, but at the same time are padded in a way that they are comfortable for long trips. With the lengthened 5th gear, you can cruise on the freeway without stopping at gas stations every hundred miles and without making your ears hurt. The Euro spec Carrera is truly a car that you can knife through the canyons or throw your overnight bags in and take a trip. It is one of the greatest, but not most recognized, air cooled Porsche’s to ever be produced.
