68S vs. 78SC

RMartin · 03-23-2004, 02:20 PM

I have a 68S soft window targa, but I've always wanted to own a SC. I finally got to drive a 78SC today (the only other Porsche I've driven was a 72T). I don't want to anger the SC owners but to be honest I was a little dissapointed. Maybe it was just the car that I drove. The handling and brakes were tons better than mine, but my car seemed to be a whole lot quicker. Anybody else have an opinion?

B D · 03-23-2004, 02:28 PM

The early cars are not quicker but nimbler. The swb cars are like go-carts. I perfer the feel of a lighter car over a faster heavier car.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

It depends on the car you drove (I've driven SCs that were dogs, and others that were quite fun), but the early car should feel more tossable since it weighs less. See? All that rusting away is good for something...

zotman72 · 03-23-2004, 03:19 PM

I have a '72 hot rod and the queen of tarts, a 1980 Weissach SC coupe. There is no comparsion which one I would rather drive.
The SC is sitting in the garage right now with its oil drained and I am not hurry to finish the job. The '72 sits on my driveway and beckons for me to come make some noise!

jluetjen · jluetjen's Garage

Quote:

The handling and brakes were tons better than mine, but my car seemed to be a whole lot quicker. Anybody else have an opinion?

Yup (although I'm not sure that the handling is better if they were both on the same sized tires). If I were in your situation the only time that I'd drive the SC would be in the winter and on salty roads.

pjv911 · pjv911's Garage

Finally some truth coming out about the way overrated SC cars.

Kurt Williams

sundaypunch · 03-23-2004, 05:55 PM

Do you have a '68S or is it a '68L? I know that the S was susposedly only offered in Europe. With the weight advantage I would think an S might give the SC a run for it's money but a lower-powered L wouldn't be much of a contest.

Superman · 03-23-2004, 06:19 PM

Yeah, well...... your mother dresses you funny.

RMartin · 03-23-2004, 06:35 PM

My car is an S. The former owner told me it was imported in 73 by someone in the army. Both cars are similar in horspower, so maybe its just the weight difference.
I really didn't want an early 911 but I got extremely lucky on this car. The guy needed money in a bad way and it turns out that only around 400 S soft window targas were made in 68. I still like the body of the later 911's better but I don't think I would buy a SC. Anyone got a C2 that they would let me drive?

jluetjen · jluetjen's Garage

RMartin, I've driven a C2 and it's more of the same as an SC. It's a great car, lots of nice "luxury" features and the bigger engine pulls well "out of the hole".

But it's bigger and heavier still. It doesn't have the nice light shifting of the 901 transaxle. The motor is quiter, it doesn't rev as high, etc. etc. In 4 words -- not as much fun.

RMartin · 03-24-2004, 03:08 PM

OK, so whats everone's idea of the ultimate fun Porsche. An early car with a 2.7 RS spec motor?

Early_S_Man · 03-24-2004, 03:59 PM

RMartin,

The factory 0-60 performance numbers for SCs and Weber-carbed 2.0 911S are similar ... in the 7-second range. But the responsiveness of the engines, auditory character of the exhaust, and gearing differences make for quite different sensation/experience through the gears! The SC is hauling an extra 4-500 lbs that your car isn't so that evens out the 20 hp advantage that the SC has ... 160 hp DIN vs 180 hp DIN. Your tires, suspension, and brakes must not be quite up to snuff if an SC impressed you in that department A 1969 article by Ron Wakefield in Road & Track stated that a 'normal' solid-disk-brake equipped 911 was capable of 198 foot stops from 80 mph on then-current race tires, so your brake system hardware is not a real limitation compared to an SC!

An RS 2.7 engine would be nice in an early car, but not necessarily the ultimate! A 908 engine behind the seats, or maybe a 3.2 916-based MFI screamer sounds more like an 'ultimate' street machine ... to me!

Grady Clay · 03-24-2004, 04:58 PM

RMartin,

Someone could trade you straight across; your ’68 911S Targa for a reasonable early SC. I don’t think that would be a good trade from your standpoint.

Do the work. Spend the money. Make it back to original. Well…. perhaps a 2.5S or so but keep the original S engine.

Best,
Grady

1982911sc · 03-24-2004, 05:36 PM

Even my 69 912 with a four cylinder and carbs had an entirely different feel than my SC. Much more raw, tossable, all you could do in that car was drive. You are so connected you couldn't even think about talking on the cell phone. I really liked that car. My SC is very different, still very cool. More refined, more comfortable, it is easier on you as a person but can still tear it up when asked upon. It really depends on what you are looking for. I should have kept both!