2021’s BEST BUYS
Experts pick their top ten for the year ahead.
Too numerous. Too basic.
Too blunted in its delivery of performance. These are all criticisms that have been levelled at the 911 SC over the years. While it’s true to say there’s a gulf between the power and aggression of an SC and the same-age 911 Turbo (930), to dismiss the naturally aspirated model is to make a huge mistake, especially when taking into account how accessible it continues to make ownership of a classic 911.
“These are truly brilliant cars,” beams James Patrick III, founder of Phoenix-based classic Porsche parts manufacturer, Patrick Motorsports. “I’ve owned a wide variety of air-cooled 911s over the years. Each time
I’ve bought a car, it’s been a ‘level up’ over my previous Porsche, but now, for the first time, I find myself wanting to revisit an old favourite — the 911 SC. It is by no means the quickest or fastest air-cooled 911, but it’s a very agile car and is great at sucking up uneven roads.”
He goes on to tell us why he thinks the SC has remained so incredibly popular since its introduction in 1978. “It’s an excellent choice for anyone new to old Porsches, particularly buyers looking to start a long-term love affair with air-cooled 911s. There’s enough luxury equipment to provide a pleasing amount of comfort, which is reassuring for inexperienced drivers who might initially struggle to familiarise themselves with the peculiarities of the way these cars behave. Of course, a skilled driver will know exactly when to throttle on and off, and a passenger ride in an SC with someone who knows how to get the best out of the model is sure to open the eyes of any doubter guilty of thinking 200bhp or less isn’t worth getting excited about. Make no mistake, though — the 911 SC is a great driver’s car. I’m looking forward to a return behind the wheel.”
The SC reintroduced the Super Carrera badge for the first time since discontinuation of the 356. The three-litre machine became the core 911 offering and shifted almost 60k units during a five-year production run ending with the arrival of the Carrera 3.2. Such high-volume assembly (certainly as far as period Porsche production is concerned) means there’s a huge number of surviving examples to choose from, and though the SC marked a streamlined 911 model line-up, the wide variety of SCS manufactured means there’s an entertaining choice of body styles and
trim specification to choose from. Indeed, the SC heralded the introduction of the very first 911 Cabriolet, signalling the first true Porsche convertible since the 356 almost twenty years earlier. Fast-forward to today and SC droptops and Targas are your cheapest options when on the hunt for an air-cooled 911.
Throughout the SC’S prodigious production run, various changes were made to overall specification, including increased performance, relocating of side repeaters and the discontinuation of optional Sportomatic transmission. Special edition models came and went (notably a celebratory, burgundytrimmed Meteor Grey SC commemorating fifty years of Porsche, as well as the rolling out of Flachbau (slant-nose) bodywork through the brand’s exclusive Sonderwunschen (Special Wishes) programme), but to get hung up on colour or fabric type is to miss the point of why an 911 SC is worthy of your attention in the present. “It was the first 911 marketed to the masses,” James confirms. “Consequently, through a simplified 911 product line, the SC is the sports car that brought awareness about Porsche’s excellence in engineering to an audience outside those already in the know.” It’s also the car that proved to Porsche phasing out the 911 in favour of the transaxle family was a lost cause.
An unusual-for-the-age zinc-coated steel monocoque is one of the reasons so many SCS have survived, and though it’s absolutely true to say purchase prices have remained low when all other 911 values have skyrocketed, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to track down a tidy example at low cost, which is why we think now is the time to buy, before the last remaining sensibly priced SCS disappear. Enter into the purchase of an old sports car with open eyes, though — don’t be tempted to buy the cheapest example you can find simply because of a pleasing price point. Many of these cars will have been subjected to accident repair and poor quality restorations at a time when splashing out big numbers on an SC made little financial sense. Find a good one, however, and you’ll be rewarded with a huge amount of fun, no matter the body style, no matter the trim.