A piece of motorsport history at the Techno Classica: from April 6 to 10, 2016 in Essen, Porsche Classic will be presenting, for the first time, a 911 2.5 S/T that its shop specialists have fully restored.
Perfect shop restoration: the 911 2.5 S/T race car from 1972
Porsche Classic is showcasing the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer’s expertise in vehicle restoration with the 911 2.5 S/T from 1972. This sports car – which a collector and enthusiast discovered a few years ago in the USA in terrible condition –was carefully restored over a period of around two and a half years.
The body of the 911 2.5 S/T, in particular, posed a challenge to the Porsche Classic experts during restoration work. Not only had the 911 been converted to the later G-model, but accident damage which had not been properly repaired was also found. This made the work on the body with the demanding rebuilding and handcrafted reproduction of the wing extensions very complicated.
Ordered by the US race car driver and motor racing filmmaker (“The Speed Merchants”) Michael “Mike” Keyser in 1971, in the 1972 season the 911 2.5 S/T competed in numerous races in the USA and in the World Endurance Championship with Jürgen Barth at the wheel. First, in February 1972, it competed in the 6 Hours of Daytona, followed by the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Targa Florio and the 1,000 kilometre race on the Nürburgring. In the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it not only raced to a class victory for GT vehicles with a displacement of up to 3 litres, it also finished in a formidable 13th place in the overall ranking. In the 1972/73 racing season it also participated in additional races in Watkins Glen and in Indianapolis.
40 years of transaxle sports cars
Another focus at the Techno Classica is the success story of transaxle sports cars. As a special exhibit, Porsche Classic is presenting a prototype of the 924 of 1974 from the Porsche Museum collection. Like the first production vehicle of 1976, the engine is at the front while the transmission is forward of the rear axle. This meant that the sports cars had an almost balanced axle load distribution and outstanding driving dynamics.
This is also underpinned by other exhibits from the museum’s holdings that include a 944 chassis, a 968 cutaway model and a 928 GTS from 1995, the last year of production. The Porsche Museum, which is paying tribute to the 40th anniversary of the transaxle with a special exhibition that begins April 27, is also represented at Techno Classica.