In 1976 Porsche switched from doing a partial galvanization to a new process of dipping the entire body of each 911. This galvanization process protected against the rust that earlier 911s, and other period cars, were well known for. Fortunately when #9050 was previously painted the paint shop didn't take the paint down to bare metal which ensured that the original galvanized coating remained on the car when we stripped off the paint.

Jon has been working on the time consuming process of careful chemical removal of the paint which ensures the original galvanized coating isn't damaged by more common and abrasive blasting measures. Using aircraft stripper and plastic putty knives the original paint has slowly been taken off, leaving the galvanized metal exposed except for minor areas where previous repairs were done and bondo was lazily applied. As you can see in the door panel photo above the galvanized coating was perfectly salvaged. You can even see the original sanding marks from the factory near the door edges as the Porsche factory works fitted all the panels to the body. This factory sanding process removed some thing layers of the galvanized coating before the body was originally painted, but the majority of the body itself would still have the galvanization.

Similar to saving the original galvanized coating we are also trying to save factory undercoating and textures.  Each area, such as the fender wells and engine bay, are carefully inspected for signs of rust and if none is found we are carefully cleaning up and preparing for those areas for paint while leaving the original texture in place.  Areas which appear to have any chance of rust are taken down to bare metal, repaired, and the texture will be reproduced as close as possible to what left the factory prior to painting the car.

Despite the few areas of rust and minor impact damaged I've been thrilled at the condition of this tub since I first laid eyes on the car ... which was prior to the car even being available for sale.

Layer by layer the previous paint and primer has been removed by chemical stripping.

The only areas of serious rust that need to be sectioned and replaced are the lower corners of both the front and rear windows.  This is a typical area of rust on early 911s.

Another 1974 Carrera 2.7 is up for sale, this time RHD chassis #911 460 020 located in Australia. The seller states this is Viper Green, which wasn't a color available after 1973 except by a completely custom paint order. It is unknown what the original color this Carrera was painted in. The black mirror, backdated F-series style RS interior and black centers on the Fuchs are several of the incorrect details for a 1974.

Description from the seller:

porsche 911 factory right hand drive 1974 rs carrera vin 9114600202, with the 2.7 mfi rs engine 5speed gearbox all fully rebuilt 2 years ago car has been stored and only drive 400 klm since a full restoration , viper green ext ,and full new rs black interior, with basket weave new seats,paint and trim are like new,all anodised bolt all over, rs duck tail ,sports steering ,7and 8inx15 original fuchs wheels.new ssi exhaust and comp muffler ,cross drilled disk all round,extremly quick, exellent condition
quick sale car is worth over $120k 

Offered for $89,000 AUD (approx. $93,000 USD).

Overall this orange 1974 Carrera MFI 2.7 with a supposed 59k kilometers looks quite nice. However there are a number of things that stand out as not being correct fora Carrera. First is the artistic license with gray Carrera door script, which was only offered in black and gold for 1974, and "Carrera RS" decal on the ducktail.  Both should be fixes assuming they weren't painted on. Most noticeable, and more costly to fix, is the mirror is mounted way too far back on the driver's side, and should also be chrome instead of black for 1974. There are a few other minor details that could be fairly easily corrected.

Otherwise the car presents fairly well and clearly someone put a significant amount of effort into this car.  The unique blue-black interior from the early Carreras appears to be in very good shape. Bilstein shocks all the way around. The restorer attempted to get details correct that are often overlooked (black paint on chassis stamp as well as behind chassis tag). These mid-70s Carreras really look great in period colors such as the orange presented here.

Original German description from the seller:

Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 aus 2. Hand in perfekt originalem Sammlerzustand. Das Fahrzeug wurde mit den Optionen: Heckbürzel, Klimaanlage, Rechteckige Nebellampen weiß und getönte Scheiben ausgeliefert. Matching Numbers mit dem legendären RS Motor 210 PS. Veteraneneintrag und neu Bereift auf 15 Zoll Fuchs. Ein Sammlerfahrzeug der Extraklasse.Irrtümer, Fehler und Zwischenverkauf vorbehalten

Rough edited translation from Google Translate:

Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 in perfect original condition for collectors. The vehicle was delivered with the options: ducktail, air conditioning, fog lamps, white fog lights, and tinted windows. Matching Numbers with the legendary 210 hp RS engine. Veterans and new entry on 15 inch frosted fox. A collector vehicle class. errors, mistakes and intermediate sale reserve

Offered for sale by Lutziger Classic Cars.

The latest April issue of 911 & Porsche World has an article on the 1974 Carrera MFI 2.7.  The article, written by Adam Towler, features a RHD black 1974 Carrera 2.7 with chrome trim, ducktail, and Cibié rally lights.  Does anyone know the chassis number or any additional details on this Carrera?

I checked the local Barnes & Noble this morning but the April issue hasn't hit the newsstands here yet.  However, here is a quick excerpt to get you excited about picking up this issue:



For more reading on the Carrera MFI 2.7 also see "Out of the Shadows" from the October 2009 issue of Hemming's Sport & Exotic.

Tim and Jonathan at German Master Tech have continued removing everything off the 1976 Carrera 2.7. Everything, including the wiring harness, has been removed and the shell is ready to start the next phase of metal work.

The chassis and body panels have been delivered to Jon, an experience pick and file metalworker.  Jon will carefully strip all the paint prior to replacing metal in the few areas where we found rust. Additionally he will fix minor impact damage to the front driver side which wasn't properly repaired sometime in the car's past.  Tim sourced replacement metal sections from Porsche as well as a section cut from a donor car to be welded into place.

Back at German Master Tech each part has been carefully cleaned and sorted in preparation to be sent out for zinc, cad, or chrome plating depending on how it originally left the factory.  The window trim is being reconditioned and polished in preparation to be sent out to be re-anodized with the exact factory finish.

The 1976 Carrera 2.7 used cast iron A-type front calipers, replacing the S calipers used in previous years.  The front and rear calipers are heading to PMB Performance for complete restoration and rebuild.  The 15" Fuchs wheels will also soon be heading to Harvey Weidman to perform his restoration magic.

One significant benefit of restoring this specific Carrera is that it is largely original with very minimal changes since new. Given these 1976 Carrera MFI 2.7 are extremely rare and few other examples exist to compare against, particularly in original condition. The few things that were changed during its lifetime include changes for DOT import and California emissions such as two extra engine bay stickers, headlights and rings to US DOT spec, cast iron door bars, and a few other items such as seat covers, radio, PMO carbs, KYB rear shocks, and two of the wheels being later date coded Fuchs. Otherwise the car is entirely original which helps ensure the original parts are reconditioned properly and, if absolutely necessary, any parts replaced match exactly how it left the factory.

Stay tuned for more other posts covering the restoration of '76 Carrera MFI 2.7 #9050.

Update 1/24/2013: Asking price has been raised to 125,000 EUR ($167k USD) after being painted.

Posted 3/10/2012: Sport Wagen Service in Germany has a 1975 Carrera MFI 2.7 (chassis #911 560 0343) that has been stripped to bare metal and ready to be completely restored for the new buyer.  Originally in Grand-Prix White this Carrera was built February 1975, and has been in storage since 1988.  Aluminum chassis tag appears to have been removed, but has correct looking chassis number stamp.

German description from the seller:

This early white 1974 Carrera 2.7 MFI is located in Austria and has been modified with Turbo flares and fitted with a later Turbo or '76 Carrera whaletail.  Appears to have a 2.7 MFI engine with the red shroud and the engine serial number is in the right range to be matching with the car. Prospective buyers should verify it is numbers matching.  As this is an early 1974 model year car this should have RS flares (not SC flares) and an original ducktail, which could be a fairly costly proposition if someone wants to return this to original form.  Black Fuchs are available with the car.

German description from the seller: