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We’re approaching the end of our review of some of the bespoke Porsche builds that have come through our workshops in 2018. The penultimate build is perhaps the archetypal early 911: a 1965 short wheelbase 2-litre Porsche 911, finished in Slate Grey as per its original factory specification.
12 Builds of Christmas 11: 1965 Slate Grey Porsche 911 2-litre
We’ve built many notable 2-litre 911 race and rally cars over four decades in business, but this one – our latest 1965 car – is memorable for the condition of its body shell. This was definitely the best 2-litre shell we have seen in some time!
We supplied the donor for this build. Arriving at our workshops painted in metallic black, a quick check of the authenticity details revealed it as an original Slate Grey car. We work with whatever colour the owner wants their car, but when the new owner decided to refinish the car in its original shade, we were delighted.
The donor was stripped and the parts set aside for checking and refurbishment. While some parts would be retained, this 911 would be rebuilt using mainly brand new parts with just the rarest original 1965 parts cleaned and refitted.
The bare shell was sent off for media blasting and a coat of weld-through primer. When it returned, we could see just how clean it was. There was some corrosion to the rear seat pans, parcel shelf, a couple of speaker holes cut in the inner quarter panels, but the main panels and core bodyshell were near perfect.
The original doors and engine lid were still fitted to the car and were retained. The inner and outer sills were perfect, as were the floors, so we added our usual strengthening, arch liner mounts, oil cooler mounts, custom seat mounts and mounting plates for the bolt-in roll cage. We welded in the new rear seat panels, repaired the firewall and parcel shelf corrosion and the shell went back to the paint shop for the next stage.
In the body shop, the shell went through several cycles of hand sanding and cleaning before it was rolled into the spray booth. We painted the entire shell in Slate Grey, again flatting (sanding) and polishing the paint after it had hardened in the oven. The roll cage and bumpers were also painted and polished. A new headlining was then fitted before it was declared ready to move on.
The finished shell was then sent to to the competition workshop for reassembly. A new wiring loom was fitted, with new fire extinguisher kit and oil, fuel and brake lines. Our wooden dash went in, with a mix of new and restored gauges. The final pictures show the current point, with the engine and transmission yet to go back in and the new interior also to be finished in a very attractive colour – more on this later.
We’re looking forward to seeing this car out on track for its first event, which will be the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Pomeroy Trophy on February 16th. The car will then head for Barcelona and the opening round of the 2019 2.0L Cup. A busy year lies ahead for a wonderful Porsche restoration!
