A 1969 911E

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Sir,

I read with interest Mr. Jennings’ letter in June’s Motor Sporrt headed “The Pitfalls of Used Exotica”.

I was in the position described by him (no thanks to Ernie) about a year ago in having £3,000 to spend on a used car. There was absolutely nothing to interest me in “run of the mill” vehicles and after much searching through old road tests I began looking for a used 911IE.

The car I bought privately, which incidentally was sold as a 1969 2-litre 911E, was a 1970 2.2litre 911E with 55,000 miles on the clock, a noisy engine, a few specks of rust and half a dozen minor faults, and cost me £2,000. These minor faults, e.g. one headlamp not working on full beam (fuse blown due to water seeping past a perished rubber rim seal) were cleared over the first week-end of ownership. I decided to strip and rebuild the engine and over a period of several weeks completed the job on the kitchen floor (it was January and an understanding wife helped a lot!) and the car is now back on the road.

Returning to Mr. Jennings’ letter the obvious pitfalls are cost and availability of spares, insurance and unless one is a competent mechanic, garage labour costs.

Taking spares first, items like wiper blades, points and even spark plugs are not readily purchased at the local “Motorshop” and major items are normally available only from main agents e.g. complete engine gasket set £70 plus, but I personally have had very good service and advice from “Autofarm” at Amersham.

Insurance in towns could be a real headache, but “out in the sticks” I had very little difference in quotes from various companies. The time it can take to do basic jobs e.g. tappet adjusting, could run up enormous garage charges and my engine rebuild took around 150 hours of near surgical skill and cleanliness, plus over £390 for parts.

Do not despair Mr. Jennings and others, there is a lot of joy as well! Accelerating hard to around 110 m.p.h., changing into top and still feeling that relentless push in the back is indescribable, driving round corners glued to tramlines and having to consciously hold your body against the g force is an experience not to be missed, the very feel of being in control of such a car may tempt you towards poetry! Personally I have never felt as safe in any car knowing that its capabilities exceed my own by so much. One further point which always amuses passengers, there are no more traffic light GPs, the boy racers don’t trouble me at all and the way cars move aside on Motorways (even at 70 m.p.h.) proves that some motorists use their mirrors from time to time.

In conclusion I would say, if you have the time, the money and the inclination then “jump in the waters lovely”. I’ve not regretted one moment or one penny of the experience.

Appleton P. DOWLER