FEATURE – 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: The Healey Factory

An evergreen in the sports car market, Porsche’s 911 found favour with enthusiasts the world over soon after its launch in 1963. However, it wasn't long before those same enthusiasts wanted more. In the early 1970s – less than a decade after the model had been introduced – they got more in the form of a 911 derivative that’s gone on to become an icon.

The Porsche-Carrera connection was established in 1953, when a works-prepared 550 won its class at that year’s edition of the Carrera Panamerica road race in Mexico. The same car also tied with another factory entry for class honours in the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans. So, had things turned out a little differently, the ‘Porsche Carrera’ could have easily been the ‘Porsche Le Mans’.

In 1954, Porsche introduced a new four-cam four-cylinder engine for their works racers that was powerful (110hp/82kW), fast and reliable. The 550 1500RS using that engine proved to be near unbeatable in its class, while also giving larger, more powerful racers a run for their money in European sports car events.

In the ’54 Carrera Panamericana, a factory 550 1500RS not only won its class, but also finished an impressive third overall. That result cemented the connection between Porsche and Carrera, with the peppy four-cam flat four referred to as the “Carrera engine” thereafter. This engine was still in use and still delivering race results when the 911 debuted a decade later.

A New Arrival

As good as the original 356 and its derivatives had been throughout the 1950s, Porsche knew that a new model was needed for the coming decade. A new engine was needed, too, as the Carrera four-cam was unsuitable for use in production cars.

At the end of 1962, resources from Porsche’s F1 programme were diverted to the upcoming replacement for the 356, which made its public debut in September, 1963, as the ‘901’, changing to ‘911’ soon after.

While a sports car first and foremost, the 911 nudged into GT territory then occupied by the Italian exotics, as well the likes of Aston Martin and Jaguar.

The 911’s all-new body, designed in-house by Ferdinand ‘Ferry’ Porsche, was an instant classic. Only available as a fixed-roof fastback coupe from launch (a Targa came in 1967, with a true convertible delayed until the 1980s), the 911 offered 2+2 accommodation which technically meant it was eligible for touring car racing under FIA rules. Here in Australia, similar CAMS regulations allowed Porsches to race alongside Mustangs, Camaros and Monaros in the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) for a brief period in the late 1960s.

Alan Hamilton, Porsche importer and arguably the marque’s greatest advocate in Australia, came within a hair of winning the 1969 ATCC title in a 911 TR, while Jim McKeown was runner-up in 1970 with a 911S. CAMS rule changes for the 1972 ATCC season excluded the 911, so Porsche owners went to play elsewhere, notably in sports sedan racing, but also hillclimbs, GT racing and rallying.

Younger enthusiasts will associate the 911 with tarmac rallying, thanks largely to the efforts of Jim Richards, who dominated the annual Targa Tasmania in a 911 Turbo (993 initially, then a 996) during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The car featured is a Targa Tasmania veteran from the same period, but more on that later.

Start with Two, then Grow

For Porsche, racing success equalled showroom success, so it was always in their best interest to ensure their cars were as competitive as possible. One of the keys to keeping the 911 competitive against much bigger rivals, like those it faced in the ATCC, was its engine. The 911’s air-cooled flat six (all roadgoing Porsche engines were fours prior to this) had been designed from the outset to be expanded and improved as racing demanded.

As such, what was initially offered in 2.0-litre form grew to 2.2, 2.4 and 2.7 litres through the 1960s and ’70s, with 3.0- and 3.2-litre variants following, all while keeping the same flat six layout and similar external dimensions. In terms of power, this translated to 130hp/95kW from 2.0 litres, with 160hp/118kW achievable from the same displacement with the addition of selected performance parts. When the flat six was enlarged to 2.2 litres, power increased to 180hp/132kW, then again to 190hp/140kW with the 2.4 engine. By the time of our feature car, 210hp/154kW was the norm from a 2.7-litre flat six.

Concurrent with these developments was a recognition that aerodynamics could have just as big an impact on performance as the engine. As such, a front lip spoiler was added in 1972, but it was the tail spoiler on a new 911 performance model Porsche launched later that year later that made a much bigger impression.

Carrera Returns

By 1971, it was becoming clear to Porsche that, despite their success with the 917 in prototype racing, they needed a new flagbearer in production-based racing. The 911R and 911S-T had done well, but a new homologation model was required against rivals that were catching and passing Porsche on the track.

Fitting the existing 911S with a 2.7-litre engine was considered, but Porsche ultimately decided to go further than just the powerplant, fitting a revised five-speed gearbox, thinner metal panels, thinner glass, plastic bumpers, lightweight 15-inch wheels, stiffer suspension, a larger version of the 911S’s front spoiler, plus a bold rear spoiler on the engine cover that came to be known as the ducktail. Porsche had trialled this componentry on a racing 911 earlier in 1972, so when the new car – dubbed the 911 Carrera RS (‘RS’ for RennSport = Race Sport) – made its debut at the Paris Salon d’Auto that October, it had already been proven.

Along with the Carrera RS, Porsche also developed the Carrera RSR, which was a track-only model with a 2.8-litre engine, revised suspension, wider track and more. RSRs also formed the fleet for the first IROC series in the USA in 1974.

Exactly why Porsche chose to apply the Carrera name to the new 911 variant is unknown, but the name, the features and the car’s performance appealed to buyers. A total of 500 units were needed to homologate the Carrera RS for Group 4 GT competition. By the end of the 1973 model year, 1,530 had been built, across raw ‘Sport’ and more comfortable ‘Touring’ versions. That convinced Porsche to turn what was a one-off homologation special into a regular production model.

Change for 1974

The arrival of the Carrera RS was followed by a rationalisation of the 911 lineup for 1974. The 911S continued, but the previous ‘T’ and ‘E’ variants were dropped, replaced by a base 911 with no alphabetical suffix. Both could be had in coupe or targa form, with the regular production Carrera also available as a targa. All 911s for ’74 were powered by the 2.7-litre engine that had debuted on the Carrera RS, but in different levels of tune depending on the model.

There were also differences depending on the car’s destination. Carreras for the US market were less powerful than those for the rest of the world, as the model’s Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection (MFI) system hadn’t been approved for use there. The difference wasn’t extreme, but certainly noteworthy – 130kW and 236Nm (175hp and 174lb/ft) versus 154kW and 255Nm (210hp and 188lb/ft).

Impact-absorbing bumpers, created to meet US regulations, were also applied to 911s for the rest of the world, with all variants getting a front spoiler. Seats were new, with the steering wheel redesigned and some other minor changes made inside.

Due to a series of circumstances, including the first OPEC oil embargo of 1973, total 911 output for the 1974 model year fell by almost 14 per cent to 11,636 (excluding the RS/RSR). In the Australian market, Porsche was still a niche player, but 190 cars were sold here in 1974, thanks largely to the aforementioned Alan Hamilton. It was Alan’s father, Norman Hamilton, who had brought the very first Porsches to Australia in 1951. He later established ‘Porsche Car Distributors (Aust-NZ), Pty Ltd’, to handle Australian distribution, with Alan taking over the business in 1972.

Of the 190 new Porsches that come to Australia in 1974, only 14 were 911 Carreras and the car featured is one of those 14.

Australian Rarity

Currently for sale with The Healey Factory in Melbourne (see breakout), this 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera has had only two owners from new. The first ordered the car through Porsche Car Distributors in March, 1974. The second lived close to the first and apparently coveted the car since first seeing it, but couldn’t get the original owner to part with it until 1995.  

Options requested by that original owner included the ducktail rear spoiler, Carrera bodyside decals, Fuchs alloy wheels and, unusually, an electric sunroof. Another unusual feature is the Signal Yellow paint; a colour discontinued for 1974, but somehow applied to this car, as per the original sales documentation.

Front seats trimmed in vinyl with cloth inserts were standard C1974 fare, as were the vinyl-trimmed vestigial rear seats and a Porsche-branded cassette sound system.

Reflecting the Carrera’s competition focus, there’s a comprehensive dash display, with the tachometer in the middle of a five-gauge cluster, flanked by a speedometer and clock on the right, with engine temp, oil pressure, fuel and oil level gauges to the left.

Well Travelled, Well Loved

In the second owner’s hands, this 911 Carrera was campaigned in no less than 26 editions of Targa Tasmania, starting in 1996 and securing a few class podium finishes along the way. The owner himself drove in 30 Targa Tassies, with a Lotus Cortina his original mount before switching to the Porsche.

The second owner also ran this car in the Targa Wrest Point and Targa High Country, Classic Adelaide Rally, 3 Peaks Rally, Mt. Buller Sprint, Arthurs Seat hillclimb and track events at Phillip Island.

For all that, the odometer reading of just 29,000km suggests this 911 Carrera was reserved for racing and weekend fun, rather than used as a daily.

Ready for More

While the second owner of this Porsche has retired from competitive rallying (hence the decision to sell), the car itself is far from ready to be put out to pasture. In remarkable condition for a 50-year-old, this 911 Carrera would be just as enjoyable to drive in future rallies, sprints, hillclimbs and club-level motorsport as it has obviously been for the past few decades.

If (hopefully when) Targa Tasmania returns, wouldn’t it be wonderful to see this car back on the stages with a new owner and being driven with vigour, just as it was in years past.

For Sale

This 911 Carrera 2.7 coupe is one of only 1,554 produced over a two-year period with the ‘MFI’ (Mechanical Fuel Injection) flat six and one of only 14 delivered to Australia in 1974.

With two owners from new, highlights under the second owner’s possession include 26 entries in Targa Tasmania, along with many other motorsport events.

Mostly original inside and out, the flat six has been enlarged to 2.8 litres and a new factory blank crankcase has been fitted, stamped with the original engine number.

A wallet of invoices, from 1995 to present, are supplied, along with the factory books and a CAMS logbook.

Carrera 2.7 coupes regularly command US$200,000+ at auction, with examples selling for US$368,000 and US$357,000 (AU$555,680 and AU$539,000 approx., respectively) last December and another going for US$434,000 (AU$677,000 approx.) earlier in 2023. That makes the $425,000 being asked for this example very reasonable.

See the advert online at www.justcars.com.au with the ad code JACFD5307743.

For more details, contact The Healey Factory on (03) 9872 3900.