Porsche 911 E 2.2 LHD coupe 1970

A genuine Porsche survivor – has never been apart, has never needed to be.

Many 911 of this era have been restored or are in desperate need of it. This pretty little 911 E is different. It is a survivor, a particularly original car inside and out, with a matching numbers engine. If properly cared for, there is no reason why it should ever require any major ‘surgery’.

You can’t recreate originality once it’s gone, no matter how hard you try – 911 like this are becoming increasingly unobtainable.

Complete with an official Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, its original book pack, service book and driver’s manual, it may not have an extensive paper trail, but what is there tells a fascinating story.

Beginning life in Italy in 1970, before venturing to the other side of the world in 1985 for a new life in Canada. There it remained for the next 30+ years before its arrival on UK shores in 2016.

First supplied to Italy in March 1970 by Delcar, the official Porsche centre for the town of Varese, in Burgundy red (code 24) with beige leatherette and corduroy, a no cost option.

As was typical for the Italian market at the time, enhancements were commonly applied by the factory or regional distributor to meet local market expectations and requirements. This 911 E was factory equipped with a range of 911 S ‘extras’; 15 inch Fuchs alloy wheels, sportier suspension, uprated brakes, and the Deluxe Appearance Package which included ‘S’ instruments, a leather trimmed steering wheel, chrome rocker panels, aluminium door sills and gold badging to the rear.

The first owner was a Dr Pierluigi Trolli, an eminent figure in the Italian footwear industry. From as early as 1870, the ‘Calzaturificio di Varese’ factory was famed for their high-end shoe production. As President, Dr Trolli, alongside his cousin, further established the company throughout the 1970’s before selling to the Benetton Group in 1982.

15 years later, the 911 was shipped to Canada and sold by Caliber Automobiles in Toronto. Apparently driven sparingly over the next four years, spending some time in storage, it was sold again in 1989, remaining in the same ownership until late in 2015.

When offered for sale by the then 81-year-old owner, his account of his time with the car reads as follows:

“Purchased with 40,000 miles (km?) on the odometer. After a very careful recommissioning, including a recalibration of the MFI system, the car was driven at a very low yearly rate of 1,000 miles (km?) a year. The car has not been driven in the rain in the 26 years of my ownership.

This Porsche 911 E has never had any rust and never need any rust repairs – even for surface rust, The original Wurth undercoating is still in place. This car has never been apart for restoration, so it is a very honest unrestored car that has been partially repainted once, but has never had any panel repair for accidents or rust. The front trunk where the batteries are located is completely original and rust free. It has only been repainted with rust protection paint (black).

The car has its original interior that is in ‘like new’ condition with all but one of its original (rare) corduroy seat panel inserts. The dash has never had a radio installed in it. There are absolutely no holes cut in the car for speakers. The notorious speaker area of the dash top is original a crack free. The carpets are original and in like new condition as is all of the leatherette in the interior.

Mechanically the car is in excellent condition, being carefully maintained and driven. The engine has never been apart and has all the original parts including the MFI system. The engine has had a sympathetic update of the later pressure fed chain tensioners, including new timing chain rails, for reliability and long engine life.

Overall, a beautiful condition 1970 911 E that has been carefully preserved in its original factory condition and was not ruined by restoration.”

This information attracted the eye of a UK buyer, and by March 2016, the 911 was on British soil and registered.

Since then, the odometer suggests just a further 2,600 miles or so, yet there are several invoices documenting significant and worthwhile maintenance, including a top end engine rebuild.

There’s little more we could add that hasn’t already been said; the car speaks for itself.

This special 911 would sit comfortably amongst a collection or be welcome at car shows and events anywhere in the world.

Opportunities to own an unrestored, matching-numbers survivor of this calibre are few and far between – once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Odometer reads: 12,178 km