Restoring a '68 911 Targa Sportomatic

[Ferrer]

Excellent indeed.

Enjoy it (if she lets you drive it, that is).

[kp.sfo]

Hi csl177,

that is one beautifully restored long hood. Congratulations!!

If I could ask: How has your experience with the Sportomatic been so far? Reason I am asking is I am considering to buy a 73.5T Sporto but am not fully convinced that a Sporto is right for me, therefore I am looking for first-hand experience from others.
Also, I've heard that it has become increasingly difficult to find spare parts for the Sporto - what's your view on that? Did you rebuild the transmission during the restoration?

Thanks so much for your input - highly appreciated!

[jcp123]

What a lovely car! Always had a soft spot for these...great drivers. The original 911's manage to look sporty and classy, Porsche's evolution of the styling even allows a hint of the contemporary through too. Though for some reason I have always wanted a 912?!?

Anyhow, car looks tops. What a lucky wife! I'd steal her away from ya just to get the car :P

[thebrochureman]

Nice, great restoration.

[csl177]

Originally Posted by kp.sfo

Hi csl177,

that is one beautifully restored long hood. Congratulations!!

If I could ask: How has your experience with the Sportomatic been so far? Reason I am asking is I am considering to buy a 73.5T Sporto but am not fully convinced that a Sporto is right for me, therefore I am looking for first-hand experience from others.
Also, I've heard that it has become increasingly difficult to find spare parts for the Sporto - what's your view on that? Did you rebuild the transmission during the restoration?

Thanks so much for your input - highly appreciated!

Thanks, we've owned it 7 years now and the car has been trouble free. The transmission wasn't overhauled for the restoration, it worked fine with no indication of wear. Often problems with shift engagement can be traced to the shifter microswitch, a simple (if sometimes fiddly) thing to fix. Proper hoses and seals eliminate vacuum leaks, but usually that's easy to determine. Since most Porsche mechanics don't have any interest in Sportos, many owners learn the system and do their own maintenance and repair. Many of these cars have had standard manual gearboxes swapped in, mainly because mechanics (US especially) don't understand them and can't or won't work on them. Frustrated owners park them, and people who want an early 911 cheap buy them to swap transmissions. That means there's a bunch of Sporto trannies and parts out there, but who knows where? As a result, parts are getting hard to find. A concern is replacement main diaphrams, but they rarely fail. Small parts for the system are still available, but getting expensive.
Most of us own spare systems, just in case.

You're probably already aware that some people consider the Sporto a lesser Porsche. It's unfortunate, but a holdover from the perception that it's an automatic, which of course it is not. If you've driven an early 911 you already know they're entertaining; driving a Sporto properly is more so; you shift the same way but can keep the engine in the power band longer... believe it or not, Sportos are quicker/faster in many situations. I also own a '68 911S Sporto, awaiting restoration. Quite rare, very few were built.

Even huge success couldn't dispell the "slushbox" myth in US buyer's minds:

1967 Marathon De La Route

In order to break the association of automatic or semi-automatic cars with unsporting drivers, Porsche wanted to showcase the sporting potential of the Sportomatic transmission. An ideal opportunity was the 1967 Marathon De La Route, an 84 hour trial at the Nürburgring.

Not quite a race, more a reliability trial, the event ran for three and a half days without a break.

For the event, Porsche entered three cars: a 911R (modified 911S for racing) fitted with Sportomatic, another 911S with Sportomatic
and a final 911S with a 5-speed gearbox. While over 84 hours unsurprisingly none of the cars were without some kind of problem, the Sportomatic-equipped 911R won the event (by 13 laps!!). It was no coincidence that the winning car was crewed with Porsche's finest drivers at the time: Hans Hermann, Vic Elford and Jochen Neerspasch.

Google Sportomatic, study the tech papers at Sportomatic.org and your decision should be made.
They aren't for everyone but those that own them are enthusiasts for a reason.

BTW, your 1973 has the last version of the Sportomatic system that was 4-speed, the 925/10 transmission.

Good luck!

[Parabola]

Wow! Awesome restoration. Thank you for taking the time to share.

[jcp123]

How's the resto coming along?