1972 Porsche 911 S

model history

The Porsche factory’s general intention was to try and restrict major model changes to every two years, but this policy became a little clouded through the 1960s when engineers were rushing to develop the 911. Factory discipline strengthened after that and in August 1971, two years after the engine was enlarged to 2.2 litres, the 2.4 litre engine arrived.

Whereas the previous capacity increase was achieved by enlarging the bore, this time it was the stroke that was increased taking capacity of the engine to 2,341cc which, although closer to 2.3L, the Porsche marketing team labelled ‘2.4’ because this seemed a more attractive increase in size.

The S spec 2.4L engine produced 190 bhp at 6,500 rpm, 10 bhp more than the 2.2S and only 20 bhp less than its bigger brother the 2.7RS which arrived the following year. The larger engine could take the car north of 145 mph.

The gearbox for the 2.4 was all new too, known as the 915 gearbox, doing away with the dog-leg setup that 911’s had used since their inception in favour or a more traditional ‘H’ pattern box, coming in 4 and 5 speed variations, although all ‘S’ model cars had the 5 speed.  

this car

Chassis 9112300863 was specified in Light Yellow on a Brown Leatherette interior which the car retains to this day and was sold in March 1972 by Porsche dealer Ian Anthony of Bury to a Mr Harris. Mr Harris, clearly delighted with his new purchase, remarkably covered 52,000 miles by the end of 1977. His enthusiasm for the car did not end at using it as he took extensive care to maintain it as evidenced by many original invoices from the supplying dealer, AFN and Prestbury Garages which remain on file today.

After Mr Harris sold the car in 1977, the car passed through the hands of 3 more owners before the fifth, a Mr Alan Jelly of Wimbledon purchased the car in 1996. He had the car inspected by the Porsche Club GB Early 911 Registrar, who confirmed the excellent original condition of the car and rarity of such for a right hand drive 911 that had lived in the UK for 35 years. Mr Jelly subsequently renovated the car, with much of the documentation still on file. Well-known marque specialists Parr Porsche were tasked with the work in late 1998. The car was media-blasted but the original paint left in the bays. Small amounts of metalwork were required before the car was repainted in its original shade of Light Yellow.

Following the competition of the work, Mr Jelly used the car and commissioned another specialist, Tognola Engineering to rebuild the engine in December 2006. Mr Jelly eventually sold the car in December 2009, having overseen the odometer rise to 81,000 miles under his ownership.

The car joined the collection of its current owner in July 2015 and made a fitting addition to his special collection of right hand drive Porsches including numerous Carrera 356’s and highly original pre-73 911s. Under his ownership, the car has been highly maintained by some of the best Porsche specialists, including BS Motorsport and JAZ Porsche. Total expenditure in this time has topped £28,000, a clear reflection of the owner’s desire to keep the car in very good condition as he continued to use it regularly, affectionally nicknaming it ‘Mellow’.

The car has most recently been serviced by BS Motorsport and displays just under 93,000 miles, which we believe to the total mileage of the car from new.