1978 Porsche 911 SC Sportomatic

The Porsche 911 is a timeless design and the car dominated its class as soon as it was launched in September 1963. The name 'Targa' came from the Targa Florio road race in Sicily, in which Porsche had notable success, 11 victories in total. Porsche had, at one point, thought that the U.S. Safety Administration would outlaw fully open convertibles so came up with an ingenious approach to the first soft-top 911. The Targa featured a hefty roll-over bar to protect the occupants in the event of an inversion, together with removable roof and rear hood sections, which were storable in the boot.

"LGC 691T" is a left hand drive, 3.0-litre Targa SC Sportomatic built in 1978 for the European market. It was first registered in the UK in January 1984 and since that time has only had four keepers, the current owner keeping the car for the past 12 years.

Accompanying the car is a comprehensive history file in which details can be found showing that the engine and clutch were rebuilt in 2002. It also notes regular maintenance since then. A number of past MoTs are present including the current certificate until October 2016. The odometer reads an unwarranted 96,000 kilometres.

Mechanically the car is sound, the engine sounds and runs very well with no smoke when starting. The Sportomatic gearbox is smooth, suspension tight and brakes are true. Cosmetically it could benefit from some improvement but generally it is solid and a very useable everyday classic that over a period of time could be stunning again.