1971 Porsche 911 Coupe

Historic Porsche racer, Steve Pfeffer, and noted member of the Auto Associates of Canton, Jim Newton, would partner together to build a beautiful recreation of the legendary Porsche 911 R. The result would be an amalgamation of Porsche history and performance all wrapped up in an icy cool livery.

Steve Pfeffer is quite well-known within the Porsche racing community. Having scored top ten results in the 1998 Lime Rock GT and the 1999 3 Hours at Watkins Glen, Pfeffer is also a well-respected sportscar racer. Jim Newton is best known for the greatly respected east coast vintage Porsche shop called Auto Associates of Canton. These two men would combine their talents in a project to build a Porsche classic.

To build a 911 R means neither Pfeffer nor Newton already had one in their presence. They would take from bits and pieces to create the legend. It would all start with one of Pfeffer's own 3.3-liter race engines. This was the beginning. Another step in the process would be taken when the two men managed to procure a 1971 European-spec 911 T. This particular car was well known by Newton as Auto Associates had serviced the car for years before it came to serve a larger purpose.

The two men had a couple of the major components. They had a European-spec 911 T and they had a 340bhp, 3.3-liter twin-plug air-cooled six-cylinder engine. But, the men still had a ways to go to create their vision of the classic narrow-body factory 911 R racer.

Attention would turn to the front and rear grilles of the car in order to fashion it according to their ultimate vision. This would then move on to the bumpers and then even the tail lamps. Other such details would include slight rear fender flares to allow for wide alloy tires and a rebuilt 915-type gearbox with short gears.

The outside of the car would receive a good deal of attention. The same would be said of the interior. In fact, the interior would be quite an extensive amalgamation of 911 model years. The dashboard of the car would be a 1967/1968 model but it would have 1970 vents and rebuilt gauges. A 2001 Porsche radio would be incorporated into the car and hidden door speakers and a sub-woofer would all be added. The carpeting found around the interior would actually be 356-style close-weave carpeting and the seats would be lightweight cloth resting on Recaro rails.

The final touch to this project would come on the outside of the car. The car's original paint would be thoroughly stripped and removed. It would then be decided to refinish the car in Porsche Arctic White. But the finish didn't stop there. Since the vision of Pfeffer and Newton had been to turn a 911 into the iconic narrow-body factory 911 R racer, the two men couldn't just stop at the readily apparent appointments of the car. Their idea was to recreate the legendary car, which meant recreating the whole car. Therefore, even the undercarriage of the car would receive attention. This meant a thoroughly painted undercarriage.

Pfeffer and Newton wouldn't be done. Since this was to be their vision of what the legendary R race should have been, they would add such tweaks as Bilstein shocks and would include SC-style rebuilt Porsche brakes. Featuring PMO downdraft carburetion and a custom 911 R style exhaust, the 'R/T' Coupe absolutely jumps off the line and has the kind of power to give the car truly remarkable performance.

Acquired by its current owner in 2010, the car has been driven just around 100 miles since its creation. Having the iconic looks of the past but the kind of modern performance of a modern-day Carrera, Pfeffer and Newton didn't so much recreate the legendary 911 R racer as much as they created a retro version of the model; a retro version that would do the original proud.

This recreation of the famed 911 R, chassis 9111199323, would be made available for sale during the RM Auctions 2012 Monterey event. Prior to auction the car was estimated to garner between $90,000 to $110,000 and would be offered without reserve.

Sources:
'Lot No. 159: 1971 Porsche 911 'R/T' Coupe', (http://www.rmauctions.com/featurecars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r164&fc=0). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/featurecars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r164&fc=0. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

'All Results of Steve Pfeffer', (http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/results/Steve-Pfeffer-USA.html). Racing Sports Cars. http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/results/Steve-Pfeffer-USA.html. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

By Jeremy McMullen