SMURFING OVER THE EAST COAST
PORSCHE 911 TARGA OWNED BY Bjoern Marek FIRST CLASSIC 1949 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe DREAM CLASSIC Porsche Carrera GT
I was born and raised in Germany but, having spent a large proportion of my lifetime there, in March 2017 my wife and I had the opportunity to relocate to Miami for business reasons. Since then we have had the chance to not only work here in the USA, but also to enjoy the beautiful weather, the ocean and – last but not least – the unbelievable cars you see here on a daily basis.
Since arriving I have owned a 2000 Dodge Viper GTS and a selection of Porsches including 1995 911 Cabriolet, 2001 turbo and 2013 Carrera. But my alltime favourite is my current 1974 911 2.7 targa, nicknamed ‘The Smurf’ (for obvious reasons). I get out and enjoy it every time the warm temperatures here in Florida let me, bearing in mind that my targa is not equipped with the all-important air conditioning.
I bought the 911 in 2019 from a family that had driven it about 45,500 miles since new, and it had only changed hands a few times within the same family. It came with service and repair documents dating back to 1976 and going up to 2019, tons of papers showing the history of the car in every detail.
From the factory, The Smurf was painted in very rare Mexico Blue (paint code 336, confirmed by the Certificate of Authenticity I got through the Porsche Club of America) and was equipped with the rare Sportomatic gearbox by its first owner. This technology mates the traditional four-speed gearbox to an automatic clutch and torque converter. It’s quite impressive to see how the transmission knows that as soon as I move the gearlever it must disengage the clutch, let me change gear then engage the clutch again afterwards in super-fast time. In the beginning I had to get used to the idea of an automatic that forces me to change ratios by hand without being able to use a clutch pedal, but I now enjoy it a lot.
Would I trade it for the same car in the same spec but with a manual
’box? Maybe. Would I convert my particular car to a manual? No, The Smurf should stay as original as possible – or at least as original as it was when I became its owner.
It’s not perfect in every detail, but that’s okay by me because it wears its 46 years of history with pride. For example, it had a small low-speed accident in a parking lot some time during the ’80s that damaged the right front wing and door, and afterwards these specific places were repainted poorly.
I notice it, non-enthusiasts don’t, but for me this simply tells a story of the life the car has led, though I may still repaint these few parts some time in the future. Not yet, though: in the end I don’t want it to be too perfect, giving me a slight heart attack every time I follow a truck for fear of a small stone-chip on a perfect paintjob. It’s about enjoying it, and keeping it alive.
It’s a light, nimble and charming car that gets a lot of thumbs-up when I drive it around Ocean Drive and other beauty spots here in Miami, or when taking part in tours with our local friends from the regional chapter of the Porsche Club of America. So a big thankyou to the guys in Zuffenhausen for creating one of the finest automobiles on this planet.