Porsche 911E.
Contributions to this, the image gallery corner of OCC, are always welcome, and Keith has sent over a large number of photographs featuring the varied mix of interesting cars that he's owned over the years. This page remembers a dashing brown Porsche 911E that he owned (his light-brown Porsche 912 has already featured), initially registered FDH 791L before his private plate - that has seen active service on a number of cars - usurped it.
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To begin with, a rear view of the 911 with its original registration. In this snapshot, Stuttgart's finest shares the 35mm limelight with a couple of plodding Leyland Sherpas - one a blue panel van, the other a self-drive (headwind-challenging) Luton-bodied version. Parked in the background sit lone examples of Fiat's 127 and Ford's Mk5 Cortina, both common sights at the time (unlike the 911). The Porsche's "911E" and "2.4" badging are both clearly visible in this view.
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Deciphering Porsche's badging for the various iterations of 911 that rolled out of the factory's doors over the model's lifespan, is not a work of moments, but for the 1972/1973 model years, the 911E's air-cooled flat-six engine had a capacity of 2,341cc, hence the badging shown below, fed by fuel-injection (E = Einspritz, or injection).
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Next, a front view of the Porsche taken at the same sitting. The chap in the background with his un-remarkable Datsun 120Y estate looks on, perhaps with a hint of wistfullness, at the 911's curvaceous lines. Despite being an expensive machine, and one designed with covering the ground at pace in mind, the factory deemed that just one exterior door mirror would be sufficient.
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The proud owner and young exec features with his 911 in photograph three, by which time private reg. no. "KDB 27" was in place.
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The final photo in this quarter sees the 911 enjoying a moment's rest in a layby, the winding challenging twists and turns of the road disappearing
into the distance. It was in environments such as this that early 911s gained something of a reputation for being a little wayward in when being pushed to the limit, thanks to its engine being mounted in the tail, coupled with drivers that perhaps had been brought up on a background of predictable, front-engined, rear-wheel-drive, cars, and were not experienced in the ways of tricky on-the-limit 911 handling.
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Many thanks for the pictures Keith.
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Return to Page 21 in the motoring image archive, or visit the main index of vintage & classic photographs here.
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