1977 Porsche 911 SC – Classified of the Week

A car like this gorgeous 1977 Porsche 911 SC doesn’t need much in the way of ‘selling’ speak. Just look at it. There is no middle ground with a car like this. You’ve either fallen in love with it already, or it’s a bit too much for your tastes. If the latter, that’s fine. Racy cars aren’t for everyone, and this car is very racy – legitimately, which we’ll get to shortly. If you’re in the camp of the former, let us tell you a bit more about this eye-catching piece of Porsche perfection.

This car started life as a normal SC, though Porschaphiles may want to note that being a ‘77 built ‘78 model year car, it could well be one of the earliest right hand-drive SCs around. For a little over a decade, this 911 was nothing more than an SC. In the ‘90s, however, that all changed. The car was taken off the road and built into race spec before being entered into herd-edged series such as the Pirell and BF Goodridge Porsche Production Cup. Owned and driven by Jon Fletcher, the car was a formidable machine on track, and as the current vendor enthuses, could often be found at the front of the pack. But this isn’t pub talk. No, this car comes with stacks of paperwork including race results that serve to prop up its competitive past.

The current owner, an avid petrolhead and lover of all things Ferdinand, bought the car in 2016 and soon put into motion a plan that would once again transform the car. It was put back on the road, though only in the sense of legality – it’s still a race car, just one with a registration plate! As such, the interior is stripped and painted, there is a roll cage, bucket seats, harnesses, the works. It’s not a car for those who like things quiet!

The current owner took the car to Croatia, a trip during which the engine sadly failed. Once back in the UK, specialists revealed blocked oil lines to be the issue. Rather than just rectify it, the engine was instead removed and completely re-built to original specification, with the exception of 964 cams. Other works were carried out, such as underbody rust proofing and such, and there is a bill of £15,000 to show for it.

But the journey didn’t end there, as soon the 911 was once again in the workshop, this time to have a full complement of fibreglass, wide 3.0RS panels along with a genuine rubber-lipped Porsche rear spoiler. Professionally fitted, the car was then painted silver externally and black internally. The bumpers were painted bright orange, and then the body was hand painted in the livery of Freres Ravenel, who finished fourth in class in the IMSA category of the 1977 Le Mans event. This work, along with the custom-made three-piece split-rim staggered alloys, came in at over £20,000.

It’s a car that stands as a wonderful homage to that race version of ‘77, though in reality it’s more than homage, because this is a race car. If you like your cars loud, raw and captivatingly visceral, there are few that can beat this. It’s not a car, it’s an event, a celebration of the combustion of petrol. A race car for the road, and one that looks like nothing else. It’s proof that, with the vision such as that employed by the current owner, you can stand out from the crowd.