Today’s post comes courtesy of Tom Williams. Tom is a freelance auto journalist from Milford, CT who has written for the Suburban Express serving the Mainline area of Philadelphia, PA, and The Westport News in CT. Tom first joined PCA as a member of the Central Pennsylvania Region in 1994 when he bought a 1987 924S. He rejoined PCA, this time with the Connecticut Valley Region in 2004 after he purchased his 1976 911S Targa.
While there is little doubt that the Porsche 911 is one of the greatest and respected sports cars of all time, it may come as a surprise to some that not all 911’s are universally loved.
The mid-1970’s were dark times for auto enthusiasts, but in those dark times, Porsche was a beacon of hope. This was a transition period for the 911, but I would be reluctant to say (as others have) that these were the 911’s “awkward” years.
This generation still retained the simple, clean lines of the earlier 911’s. The engine was modernized with the introduction of Bosch fuel injection. Porsche 911 bodies were now galvanized steel, drastically reducing concerns about rust. Forced to cope with US Federal bumper safety laws, no other automaker made the new impact bumpers look as good as Porsche did with its 911.
From a driver’s standpoint, the engine has the raw, visceral bark we all know and love of air-cooled 911’s. Even better, the 2.7 911s cater to the driver that wants to feel their ride; no power steering or brakes. The car literally talks to you-allowing you to feel, hear and sense everything that is happening.
Yet, these cars remained overlooked. Why?
1974 to 1977 Porsche 911s can still be had at bargain pricing
In particular, the 2.7 liter 911’s, sold in the U.S. from 1974 to 1977 are often overlooked due to the potential for large-scale mechanical issues. Specifically, these cars are known for having “pulled” cylinder head studs. With the 2.7 liter motor, Porsche introduced new metal alloys (Alusil and Nikasil) into the construction of cylinder heads as well as the cylinders themselves. However, they continued to use common stainless steel for the cylinder head studs. As the new metal alloys heated up and expanded, this placed significant strain on the studs, causing them to “pull” and damage the magnesium casing. While this problem didn’t affect every car, its stigma was enough to mark this generation of 911s.
As the owner of a 1976 Porsche 911S Targa, I feel as if I am enjoying the best of both worlds. The smaller, narrower, lighter body is appealing to me. I enjoy the classic features of the chrome ringed headlights, Fuchs rims and other chrome accents. In an age where stainless steel is all the rage again, the brushed stainless steel Targa bar looks more modern than the matte black treatment SC and Carrera Targa’s received.
As a weekend, fair weather cruiser, I like the simplicity of the roll up windows and no A/C. On the modern end, I love the Bosch fuel injection. The car is easy to drive and easy to live with. The galvanized body keeps my rust worries at bay. And, the big bumpers looked so great they remained part of the 911 design for a decade and a half.
A look at any Porsche classifieds will show these cars are a remarkable bargain. Some owners have been tempted to “update” these cars with later style bumpers, rims, and trim, but in my opinion, love your 911 for what it is, and celebrate its era by staying true to it.
Whether you are an aspiring 911 owner, or someone who owns a 997 and wonders about the older 911’s, the ’74 to ‘76 2.7 liter generation of this iconic sports car is worth a look. If the stigma of pulled head studs still bothers you, simply upgrade to a fan with more blades (for better cooling) or find one that has already had the studs replaced (at this point, most have.) With coupe and Targa versions, base, S, and Carrera trim levels Porsche had something for every 911 fan. The mid 1970’s were dark times for the auto industry, but not if you were a Porsche fan.
As a reminder, I’m always interested in anyone looking to contribute. This post asking for Porsche fans as guest bloggers and this one on “How to Win a Porsche Related Book” provide more details. Lastly, if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to participate in the current poll “What Type(s) of Porsche(s) do you own?“
View Comments (27)
Hello Porsche fans! I agree completely about the value of mid-year 911s.
I also own a mid-year 911 - mine is a '74 coupe that I bought in 1999. I didn't get many records with my 911 so I have been hoping the major problems have been repaired. So far, all of my head and case studs have remained secure so I assume a previous owner had them repaired along with any of the other problems normally associated with the 74-79 2.7s.
A PO had removed and replaced the CIS with Webers but I could never get them to run properly I studied the options and the cost/benefits for refitting and repairing a CIS System, installing more used Webers or having mine repaired (Weber stopped making carbs ~20 years ago to concentrate on their fuel injection business) or my final choice, an EFI system which allows me to tune the FI using my laptop. I went with the EFI as it provides the most modern equipment for around the same price as the other options. I used an EFI kit created by BitzRacing and my only regret is being unable to buy the individual throttle bodies available from PMO.& other companies.
I also repainted my 911 and while doing so I replaced all of the weatherstripping and body gaskets. It also got a new set of carpeting, tires and brakes,. Two calipers were replaced and the other 2 were repaired with "kits". I also replaced the master cylinder. I know all of this may seem extreme but without a history, I like to make sure I know how the safety systems will perform.
Now I just enjoy driving it as often as possible - rain or shine, it loves it all! It really seems like the more it is driven the better is feels. If I let it sleep for a week or two it always seems like it is sluggish until I get some miles on it over a few days. I know some people leave their Porsches in the garage when it rains or snows but I always remember the advertisements Porsche used to put on TV showing Porsches being used in all kind of weather and begging for more! I do draw the line at the kind of weather where chemicals like Salt are used to melt snow an/or to provide traction. While some mid year 911s have completely galvanized body panels, the '74 was the first to receive galvanized panels and unfortunately only some of the panels are galvanized leaving many other areas susceptible to rust damage.
Larry,
Your Porsche sounds fantastic. Even more so the fact that you use it rain or shine. Post a picture of it over on our facebook page so we can see what it looks like. Thanks for reading and thanks for taking the time to comment!
CVR/PCA: WE HAD A 1974 911 "NORMAL" [NOT AN S] AND DID WELL WITH IT. NO HEAD STUD PROBLEMS AND WON THE CLASS AT SUMMIT POINT AT THE 1979 PARADE BY SO MUCH THAT THE TIME WAS GOOD FOR SECOND INTHE NEXT-UP CLASS. A GREAT CAR AND NO RUST, EVEN THOUGH WE TOOK IT TO N.H. SKIING FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH A MOHN SKI RACK ON THE BACK.
ALSO WON MANY AUTOCROSSES WITH IT AS WELL. HAD IT UPGRADED BY STODDARD WITH WIDER BODYWORK AND A WHALE TAIL IN 1979, BUT THE ORIGINAL ENGINE WAS FINE. WE OWNED THE CAR ["HER-911" PLATE AS I GAVE IT TO MY WIFE WHEN WE BPOUGHT A 1977 TURBO [MD-TRBO]]. KEPT THE CAR UNTIL 1984, AND HAD GERRY McCARTHY OF CVR RE-DO THE MOTOR TO 911 RSR 2.8 SETUP IN 1983.
IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR....!!!
FHCMD
I have been on the hunt for a mid-70's Targa and came across a low mileage (41K) 1977 911S. It is an unmolested survivor car - paint, engine, interior - without rust or accidents. This would be my first air-cooled 911 so I was wondering what I should pay attention to engine-wise apart from the obvious issues like leaks.
Mike, are you planning on having a PPI done? We would HIGHLY recommend it.
Besides oil leaks, you should consider a compression test. Is there paperwork to document the mileage? Service history?
Forgot to mention chain tensioners. Have they been updated?
I will absolutely get a PPI done to check compression and general mechanical soundness. I don't think anything has been done to this car. The original window sticker is included and I will have to review the service records. I have read about upgrading to carrera chain tensioners, adding an air box pop off valve and replacing thermal reactors. Good targa roof seals would be a bonus. The only odd thing that jumped out at me from the photos is the speedometer. The outer circle in large numbers show "MPH" up to 160 plus an inner circle in "KM/H" up to 260. All the speedometers I have seen of 1977 911s sold in the US have speedometers reading MPH and only up to 150 with the following lettering at the bottom of the gauge:
M.P.H.
VDO
ELECTRONIC
This has me wondering if the gauge is genuine or if something more serious is afoot like odometer rollback. Hmm.
Pepper Girl, I am going to further educate myself with Jim Schrager's quintessential book, Buying, Driving and Enjoying the Porsche 911 and 912, 1965-1973. Although we have been discussing a MY1977 911, this book covers many important points when shopping for a 911. I've also learned that the Porsche factory sometimes installed combo speedometers for US-version cars during this period.
Sounds like a good plan and you're doing all the right things. Let us know how it turns out!
Some of the VDO gauges had both the mph and the kph on them and were genuine. One book that I have never seen written with photographs is one that discusses the factory released variants of the VDO guage in the 911 and the variants with a discussion of why. Thanks, Alex ford (1974 911 in Factory Emerald Green Metallic Paint)
I have a 1976 Porsche 911s equipped with a 2.7L flat 6 engine. It has already had the cylinder head stud and timing chain upgrades taken care of. I was wondering if anyone out there knows of any decent performance upgrades for this car that wouldn't risk damaging the engine. I've thought about turbochargers and superchargers but can't find any to fit this application- not to mention fear of detonation causing catastrophic engine issues. The car is fun to drive as it is but I think if I could get another 20-30 horsepower out of the engine, it would be well worth doing. If anyone out there has any suggestions, please let me know at E-mail address: waynemcimino@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Hello Wayne,
I have a 74 911 with the same 2.7 you have. First, I hope you have removed the thermal reactors (if legal where you are)? They add to the heat problem of the mid 70s engines. Also, I don't know what kind of intake system you have - your car came with CIS fuel injection. Mine was converted to Webers by a PO. I never did get the Webers to work right - but they were 40 years old or so. So, I had several choices - have the Webers restored, fit PMO 40s, reinstall the CIS or what I finally selected - install Electronic Fuel Injection. The kit I bought and installed was excellent & was from BitzRacing.com.. I can write to you directly if you wish to hear more details. I did not test the HP before and after but others with the same mods were seeing 15-25 additional HP. I can feel additional HP but it's hard for me to know how much I am feeling. I also added another exhaust outlet to the passenger side matching the one on the left - I can feel the instant throttle response that mod give me! It is awesome! I I can plug and unplug the extra outlet to really test the different performance very easily. If you or others are considering this please write me & I'll be happy to tell you my experiences. BTW, I had a article published in Excellence that told how I installed the EFI. It's also easy to tune with free software available (called Autotune) to it and I love connecting my laptop to the ECU and modifying the settings to get better performance! When considering extra HP you should als consider adding a front oil cooler. I have a "Trombone" cooler and it keeps the engine oil cool in all conditions I am willing to drive in- usually less than 90F.
Good luck!
2.7 liltre CIS cars are not nearly as bad as their rep. It's a beautiful and high-revving engine and with a minimum of effort they can deliver 190-200 hp.
agreed
Just bought a 1977 widebody 911,vin indicates it's an s model ,it's a sunroof coupe in silver and black. apparently the 2.7 blew up, how about that,the engine was replaced with a boxster engine out of a Subaru WRX STI rally car 300 miles,it's pushing 10 on the boost and 310hp to the rear wheels,can go to 28 boost and up to 500 hp,haven't recieved the car yEt,but should be interesting. The original wiring loom was used to convert it back should be easy.mileage 52,000
bought it because of the condition of the car. Was looking for advice as to a 3.0/3.2/3.6 engine swap.The suspension has new bushing,shocks etc. turbo twist wheels w/295's on the rear. any suggestions appreciated,brakes/pads etc.
Im in the process of buying a 1976 Porsche 911sc wide body as someone mentioned above
I need some help on this as I have never owned a porsche it does not run it has not been kept up body is straight paint is terrible Black on Black, the steering wheel & stereo is not the original, it has a tail Its a A/C. How do I find out more about this ?
Thank you
Hi, Ben,
How do you find out more about what?
Have had a 77 Targa with a Turbo body kid (extended fenders, whale tail) sitting in storage for 10 years. Finally decided to repair my dream car. After performing minor repairs (spark plugs, oil filter, fuel pump, and replacing the seats with 2008 Porsche bucket seats) it was finally running, even thought the clutch was in rough shape it was manageable. The first time i drove it, (after jump starting it) i figured out that the starter was completely ruined. I discover this when my entire rear end of the car was engulfed in flames from an electrical fire. Moral of my story I guess, make sure you check every possible problem before assuming they are all solved.
I am curious to know more about your '76 targa. I had a blue '76 targa in highschool that looked identical. It had tan interior and a/c. I would love to find that car, if not to own again, to simply know she is still on the road.
Great article!
Hey all! I'm looking to buy a 77. Have never owned a porsche, it's an exciting time. What should i be cautious about prior to purchase?
Hi Alex,
Did you find the 77 you were looking for? I inherited my fathers 1977 911S and it is in very good condition. Garage kept. Possibly looking to sell to right buyer.
Erin
Hi Erin,
I probably should not be replying to your comment. I was just dreaming and reading about these models of Porsche autos, when I came across your recent post.
I have a 2002 Honda CR-V and am a very practical person when it comes to my modes of transportation so, a new CRV would most likely come before a Porsche would. That said, would it be ok if you sent me a photo of the car and what the price might be.? I don't want to be a bother... just dreaming I guess.
I am located in
Orange County CA.
Thank you.
John
Hi Erin
I'm looking for one at the present time. Do you have pictures and condition of the car.