Factory Restoration in Perfect form: Porsche 911 S Targa

First Porsche 911 S Targa delivered in Germany is back on the road again

By: Porsche | Photos Courtesy of: Porsche

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Its owner, a long-time collector and Porsche enthusiast, discovered the car in the USA. “The Targa stood there for almost 40 years in a doorless garage, covered by a plastic tarpaulin. The owner at the time had seemingly just forgotten about the car,” says Uwe Makrutzki, Head of Porsche Classic Factory Restoration at Porsche AG. “The 911 S Targa was delivered to the Porsche dealer Hülpert in Dortmund on 24 January 1967. The restoration is a special project for us – after all, one of the first 911 Targa models has found its way back to Zuffenhausen.”

Porsche 911 S Targa Factory Restoration
The first Porsche 911 S Targa delivered in Germany is back on the road again after comprehensive factory restoration that took more than three years.

As a soft-window version, this early Targa has a soft rear window instead of the glass window that was available from 1967. Only 925 units with S engine, short wheelbase and soft window were produced by Porsche between the end of 1966 and 1968. The rare sports car was in a wretched state. After serving as a demonstration car for the Porsche dealer, it was sold to a customer in the USA in 1969. The open-top 911 was then parked in the above-mentioned garage in Long Beach (New York State) from 1977 to the end of 2016. On the positive side, it was complete – which was particularly pleasing in view of its many optional extras such as Webasto auxiliary heater, tinted windscreen, Blaupunkt Köln radio, leather seats, halogen fog lamps and outside thermometer.

Porsche 911 S Targa Factory Restoration
The first Porsche 911 S Targa delivered in Germany is back on the road again after comprehensive factory restoration that took more than three years.

The philosophy of the Porsche Classic Factory Restoration department is to restore the vehicles so that they as true to the original as possible. The search for authentic small parts such as cable clamps, rubber grommets and sealing plugs for the 2.0-litre S engine proved to be difficult. “Replica parts from third-party suppliers are out of the question for us. Luckily we can reach into our ‘treasure chest’ in such cases,” says Makrutzki. Porsche Classic does not just have access to the central warehouse with currently more than 60,000 different genuine spare parts: the in-house specialists also have at their disposal the original straightening sets, frame gauges, data sheets and technical drawings.

Porsche 911 S Targa Factory Restoration
The first Porsche 911 S Targa delivered in Germany is back on the road again after comprehensive factory restoration that took more than three years.

Custom-made roof cover for the 911 S Targa

The second great challenge was the outer skin of the Targa roof. “Today’s material has a different grain and is more robust than the original. But our customer did not like it. For this reason, we had a visually identical cover produced especially for this project. In spite of their decades of experience, our experts still had to work gradually towards achieving the right finish, that is to say its bonding and stitching,” explains Makrutzki. This has the advantage that a suitable, contemporary Targa roof cover is now already in stock for the next 911 Targa soft-window model.

Porsche 911 S Targa Factory Restoration
The first Porsche 911 S Targa delivered in Germany is back on the road again after comprehensive factory restoration that took more than three years.

The paintwork of the 911 S Targa

The client also had a special wish for the coating used for the chassis parts, engine panels and air cleaner system: instead of the especially robust powder coating normally used today, he decided in favour of true originality and therefore chose application of a two-component paint in black – corresponding to the delivery condition in 1967.

Porsche 911 S Targa Factory Restoration
The first Porsche 911 S Targa delivered in Germany is back on the road again after comprehensive factory restoration that took more than three years.

Polo Red as paintwork for the 911 S Targa

After around 1,000 hours of work on the body, the 911 Targa was painted by hand in the same colour that it had before its delivery over 50 years ago – in Polo Red. Because the owner does not just want to collect the sports car but also drive it, he decided on application of a painted-on paint protection film with a slight matting effect. This technology does without adhesive and can therefore be removed without any residue even after many years.

The 911 S Targa after factory restoration

It took a total of more than three years until the first 911 S Targa delivered in Germany was finally restored to a like-new condition with the manufacturer’s know-how – including the charming patina. The next project of the Targa owner and passionate Porsche collector is already standing in the Porsche Classic workshop and waiting for its restoration – a very early 928.

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