| Classic Drive | Oxford, England | 1972 Porsche 911 2.4 S |
Key Facts
Pricing: £69,500
Engine: 2.4-litre flat-six petrol
Transmission: rear-wheel drive, five-speed manual
Body style: two-door coupé
Rivals: a new Porsche 911, Jaguar E-Type, a boat/plane
Top speed: 144mph
0-62mph: 7.0 seconds
Power: 198hp
Torque: 217Nm
In the Metal: 
Looking like a toy parked alongside a current Porsche Boxster progress in car terms means scale. This 911 from the 1970s is tiny, its wheels and tyres together more or less the same diameter of the alloy wheels alone on the Boxster, and those classic polished alloy and black painted five-spoke 15-inch Fuchs rims are barely bigger than many supercar's disc brakes today. It's beautifully proportioned though; the small wheeled, narrow, short, slim-pillared and upright headlamps are unlike anything else, the 911's shape instantly recognisable.
Chrome outlines the window lines, while Porsche decals on the door bottoms and trailing edge of the rear engine cover and a large white circle on the doors suggest this is more than a mere road car - this 911 S is used occasionally in classic racing. That's obvious inside too, the rear taken up with a half cage and the heavily bolstered Scheel competition bucket seats featuring racing harnesses in addition to the usual inertia reel belts. Otherwise it's simplicity itself: a steering wheel, three pedals, a gearstick, indicator stalks and some ventilation controls. What else do you really need?
Driving it:
You could argue for some sound-proofing, but then you'd be kind of missing the point. The 2.4-litre flat-six engine slung out back sounds glorious, its melodious mechanical noise filling the narrow interior. You feel as much as hear its presence, the 2.4-litre unit's connection to your foot instantaneous, the merest prod of the accelerator seeing the tachometer's needle rouse and the revs raise accordingly. Those used to the sanitised, disconnected feel of a modern sports car would be shocked by the sensations. The steering is heavy initially, the thin-rimmed wheel writhing around as the 911's nose finds its way down the undulating tarmac. You're aware of every contour, the feel the steering delivers being rich in information - allowing you to perfectly position the car on the road and approach its levels of grip with confidence.
That, combined with the response to the accelerator, gives a connectedness that you'll simply not find in a modern sports car, the driver being the key component in the car's make up. You need to be smooth, measured and skilful with your inputs; heel-and-toe downshifts are an absolute joy. Get it all right and the 2.4 S is an easy, yet still scintillatingly quick car, its performance useable, and enjoyable at speeds not so in excess of what's legal to have to rein yourself in like you would in its modern relations trying half as hard.
The ride quality is remarkable too, even here on more focused Bilstein dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars. The tyres' large sidewalls give it a suppleness that's admirable, this old road racer riding more like a luxury car than it has any right to. The brakes too, a mix of cast iron callipers (rather than the original, flexible alloy ones) racing brake fluid and very little actual mass gives superb stopping power, though without ABS you need to modulate the brake pedal if you're to prevent it locking up in the wet. If you enjoy driving, really revel in the skill of operating, and extracting the best from a car, then nothing really comes close.
What you get for your Money:
Buy anything 911-shaped new - with the exception of the 4.0-litre RS - and you'll be throwing money away. Buy a good 911 of this vintage and it's unlikely to ever lose you a penny, the market for such cars incredibly stable. If anything it's likely to appreciate, though if you're buying it for that reason, please don't, spend your money elsewhere and leave the old cars for people who'll buy them to drive and enjoy, rather than treat like an asset.
Worth Noting
Just under 200hp might be puny in the current performance car climate - a 3.8-litre 991 911 has 400hp for instance - though with just over a tonne to shift the 2.4 S still feels properly quick. The sensation of speed is only enhanced by the connection with it, this classic car thrilling in a way no modern performance machine could hope to - even if they'd eventually leave it trailing on the road.
Summary
This or a new Porsche 911 or Boxster? If we're not going to use it every day then we'd have this car in a heartbeat. Modern driving isn't joyless, but the thrills are scant; with something like this in your garage every drive is an event, demanding something from you and rewarding you at the same time. That it makes economic sense only makes the argument for it even more persuasive.
