Year of manufacture 1974 Recorded mileage 113,278 Asking price £252,405 Vendor Classic Throttle Shop, North Sydney, NSW, Australia; 0061 2 9922 2036; classicthrottleshop.com WHEN IT WAS NEW Price DM42,950 Max power 210bhp Max torque 188lb ft 0-60mph 6.3 secs Top speed 149mph Mpg 26
Buying a car on the basis of its colour is madness. As we all know, you should buy on condition first and foremost; perhaps take into consideration history and specification, too, with a preference for sensible mileage. Fortunately, this sensational 911 has the lot – which means I can pretend that I didn’t pick it solely on the basis of its amazing magenta hue (officially Karminrot).
The colour palette for early ’70s Porsche 911s is without peer. Sludge green? But of course. Poo brown? Step this way… So, just because you’re choosing the world’s most ubiquitous sports car, it doesn’t mean you can’t be an individual. And this 911 is a particularly rare choice: 1036 MFis were built, 117 of them right-hookers, 42 of which were targas – and just two in this colour.
The best news is that the (factory option) black ‘Carrera’ script down the flanks isn’t just for show. Because, mechanically at least, the Bosch-injected ’74 Carrera MFi was essentially the same as the iconic ’73 Carrera RS 2.7, with 210bhp at 6300rpm – comfortably outgunning the 150bhp 911 and 175bhp 911S. With a relatively flyweight 1075kg to propel, that equates to 60mph from rest in 6.3 secs and a top speed just shy of 150mph. It was specified from new with the evocative ‘ducktail’ rear spoiler – and of course you couldn’t get an RS with a targa top, which adds an extra dimension to this example. I also like the mix of classic ‘narrow-body’ 911 shape and chrome-ringed headlights with the chunkier impact bumpers and matt-black trim of the later cars.
Ordered new in the same sp
