1980 Porsche 911SC Targa Coupé
Registration no. Not UK registered
Chassis no. 91A0131920
Engine no. 6309040

A 'modern classic' if ever there was one, Porsche's long-running 911 arrived in 1964, replacing the 356, and is still in production today. The 356's rear-engined layout was retained but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356's VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, Porsche's single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six-cylinder engine displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out over 300 horsepower. The first of countless upgrades came in 1966 with the introduction of the 911S, the latter easily distinguishable by its Fuchs five-spoked alloy wheels and featuring a heavily revised engine. A lengthened wheelbase introduced in 1969 improved the 911's sometimes-wayward handling and then in 1970 the motor underwent the first of many enlargements - to 2.2 litres. In 1977, Porsche rationalised the 911 range, reducing it to just two models, SC and Turbo, the normally aspirated 3.0-litre SC having 204bhp at its disposal by 1981, an output good enough for a top speed of 140mph-plus.

Back in 1968, Porsche had introduced what it termed 'automatic' transmission - the Sportomatic - though it had no fully automatic setting. Sportomatic employed a conventional torque converter coupled to a vacuum-operated single-disc dry clutch ahead of the modified 911 four-speed gearbox. When the gear lever was moved, the clutch would disengage, re-engaging as soon as the driver's hand was removed. As larger, more flexible engines were introduced, the Sportomatic became a three-speeder and in this form lasted through 1980. The concept of an 'automatic' 911 then lay dormant for some ten years before Tiptronic arrived in 1990.

One of the final 911s to be equipped with the Sportomatic transmission, this right-hand drive 911SC Targa is a Porsche-certified matching-numbers example that was ordered new in Germany to be taken to South East Asia. It has the country code for Hong Kong but is believed to have been delivered new in Germany and then brought to Malaysia. Registered in Malaysia in June 1980, the car was brought back to Germany in 1981 and stayed with one owner there until 2011 with the registration 'NU-YX-10'. It has covered only 13,000 miles from new and is described by the vendor as in 'mint' condition, retaining its original light blue paintwork. Offered with current German registration papers.