Not knowing a cars origin?

[smiles11]

I'm in the process of acquiring a 1973 911S Targa. The car comes with the original owners manual & maintenance documents going all the way back to 1998 (all in California). However, the original dealer stamp wallet & burgundy owners manual folder are gone.

This essentially keeps me from knowing the origin of the car, where it was sold, what maintenance was done between 1973 & 1998 etc.

Given the price of the car... $250k

Would this be an issue? Is there any way to recover this information from Porsche?

[MyFlat6]

i also do not know the selling dealership of my '72. i tried contacting Porsche and had no luck getting this info. the earlier cars seem to have much luck as you can still get the Kardex. good luck - if you figure it out, please let me know

[RSTarga]

I am pretty sure US cars had an orange drivers manual the grey was for euro cars. So it may have been imported later. Then again that may not be the original manual.
Your car was thoroughly restored so the early maintenance doesn't seem to be much of an issue.

[smiles11]

This might be a euro spec car that was imported.

Car is at the shop now getting an oil change/brake flush & found euro spec oil cooler. Assuming this isn’t on US cars?

[jrwilson]

Much to my surprise the available documentation for these cars isn't great. General Motors and Ford did a better job of documenting their vehicles.

[Marine Blue]

If the car has been fully restored the earlier maintenance records won’t matter, what matters is who did the restoration and mechanical work. There are some well known restorers that do excellent work and then there are some shops which cut corners.

Having said that, knowing the cars history is definitely a plus and cool to have. Worth investigating further IMHO.

[HaroldMHedge]

Originally Posted by smiles11

This might be a euro spec car that was imported.

Car is at the shop now getting an oil change/brake flush & found euro spec oil cooler. Assuming this isn’t on US cars?

This cooler was never used on a 73. I believe it was first used on an 80 Euro 911SC and may have been installed on some later US SCs.

[group911@aol.co]

The VIN will tell if it's a US spec car or not

[smiles11]

Originally Posted by group911@aol.co

The VIN will tell if it's a US spec car or not

Will euro vins look different? Here is the vin:

9113310517

[Hlcass]

Looks like is it a ROW Targa S

1973 (F Series) VIN from: lake:
911 T Coupe US 911 310 0001 911 310 1252
911 T Targa US 911 311 0001 911 311 0781
911 E Coupé 911 320 0001 911 320 1366
911 E Targa 911 321 0001 911 321 1055
911 S Coupé 911 330 0001 911 330 1430
911 S Targa 911 331 0001 911 331 0925
911 T Coupé 911 350 0001 911 350 1875
911 T Targa 911 351 0001 911 351 1541
911 Carrera RS & RSR 911 360 0001 911

[RSTarga]

Except for certain detail equipment specs the 73s were the same,
The VIN will not tell you where the car was delivered.
That came later.

[RSTarga]

Differences were headlights, seat belts, tailight colors,
Rubber bumper extensions.

[smiles11]

What is a visual difference with the rubber bumperettes? Did ROW cars not have them?

[ed mayo]

Euro spec cars don't have fuel filler necks with a vent or unleaded restrictors.

[group911@aol.co]

This sounds like a good place to ask questions. Nice car.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/4503466-post1.html

[RSTarga]

A really nicely done car.

[GH85Carrera]

50 years ago when your car was new, Porsche was a very small company. Nothing like today. The cars were mostly hand made, and robots were just a thing in science fiction movies.

The record keeping of the day was poor. And certainly not computerized. For a German company it does seem unusual that the records are so bad. Germans usually keep excellent records.

And only if you are planning to enter top level concours does it matter to anyone. If the car was restored, likely more than once, all originality is long gone. Enjoy the car you have. Drive it as it was intended. If you bought it just as an investment or to flip it, you will have to sell it as is with modifications done long ago. Or you can take it to some ultra expensive place like John Willhoit and have a perfect 100 point restoration with all original options. Your choice. I suggest drive it, maintain it, and go meet new friends in your car.

[Matt Monson]

None of it matters anymore. You bought a fulyl sorted and restored hot rod. What it is like right now today is all that matters.

[FA-18C]

Hop onto the Early911S board and see if the VIN is in the registry. There may be some info out there ...

[smiles11]

Thanks, I did that yesterday & Chuck mentioned it was on the registry. Just paid for the membership so I can see that.