1983 Porsche 911SC

The Porsche 911 replaced the 356 beginning in the early 1960s and was originally designated as the 'Porsche 901.' After 82 cars were built wearing badges as 901s, the name was switched to 911 following protests from French automobile manufacturer Peugeot, claiming the name infringed upon its exclusive rights to car names formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle.

The Porsche 911 SC 'Sport Carrera' was produced from 1978 through 1983, bridging the gap between 'classic' and 'modern,' with designs devoid of the early 1970s' non-impact bumper and 'long-bonnet' motif, and lacking the hydraulic chain-tensioners and more efficient Motronic-managed flat-six engine from the visually identical (driving lights excepted) 3.2 Carrera model built post-1984.

The Porsche 911 SC was the company's first attempt to build a model that was suitable to world markets. Its task was great, and it replaced three models - the 911S, the 2.7, and the Carrera 3.0, although it was visually identical to the latter with its more bulbous rear wheel-arches.

The Coupe and Targa body styles of 1978 were joined by a Cabriolet drop-top in 1983. The 3.0-liter flat-six engine was based on the 930 Turbo unit as installed in the Carrera 3, albeit with an aluminum-alloy crankcase instead of the earlier model's magnesium-alloy unit. The J x 5 and 7J x 5 'Cookie-Cutter' wheels were standard and 16-inch Fuchs alloys were optional.

Initially, exterior trim included polished aluminum and chrome items, but from 1980 forward, all such pieces were finished in black, with headlamp bezels color-coded appropriately.

1983 Porsche 911SC
The 1983 Porsche 911SC was available as a coupe, Targa, and cabriolet. Pricing began at just under $30,000 and rose to $34,450. This was the first time that Porsche offered its customers a true open cabriolet and only a limited number were produced. Powering the 911SC was a horizontally opposed, overhead-cam six-cylinder engine displacing 2993cc and offering 172 SAE and 190 lbs.-ft of torque. The engine was mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and there were four-wheel disc brakes.

The 1983 Porsche lineup included the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive 944 which served as a replacement for the previous 924 and 924 Turbo. The affordable 944 was priced at nearly $19,900, had four-wheel disc brakes, and its 2479cc inline, overhead cam four-cylinder engine developed 143 (SAE net) horsepower. At range-topping 928 gained an 'S' suffix (now 928S) and a larger V8 engine under the front bonnet, displacing 283 cubic-inches and developed 234 (SAE net) horsepower.

Between 1978 through 1983, Porsche produced 58,914 examples of the 911SC.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2011