With any restoration there is always a grand vision of what the finished product will look like in all of its finished glory.
While fantasizing the completed car is easy for the imagination, the process of finding the right starting point is anything but easy. Bruce Canepa decided that he wanted to assemble the coolest 911S ever and began to search for the perfect baseline. A ’67 911S in Washington state provided an excellent foundation for the project with the chassis being in excellent condition, all while retaining its original sheet metal and factory spot welds. Understated, tasteful and powerful were all things that Bruce required this “hot rod” 911S to be, and eventually it came together as one perfect symphony of early air-cooled excellence.
Restored using only the most tried-and-true methods that yield concours-level quality results, everything cosmetic and mechanical was addressed. Each and every system from the brakes to the transmission were rebuilt and restored. With the phrase “nut and bolt restoration” tossed around so freely these days, often carelessly, this restoration is the prime definition of the phrase. Every single part was stripped and recoated in its correct finish from zinc and cad plating, and the suspension was powder coated. Going through the car including creating a new wiring harness to replace the aging wiring loom to ensure strong connections to all auxiliaries. Factory “Deep Six” Fuchs wheels were sourced and restored by Harvey Weidman to have the same satin anodized finish as an original ’67 911S. These iconic wheels were fitted with new 185/70/15 Avon tires, perfect for street driving and with more than enough grip for sudden adventures off in the backroads. The entire car was lowered for a more aggressive stance, and the front bumperettes were removed to simplify the front bumper for a cleaner and pleasing aesthetic. The entire car was painted in black and polished to perfection, looking the part wherever it goes and challenging anyone to fault its superior mirror paint finish.
With the exterior and mechanicals taken care of, the 911S was given ample time to be retrimmed with all new (and correct) materials to maintain a vintage cockpit with only the finest materials. From the rare unobtanium NOS leather Recaro seats (to the tune of $15,000 for a pair) with competition seatbelts to the newly stitched black leather steering wheel, the interior transcends what a 911S should have been. With all components being replaced or rebuilt, it is a sure fact that this car looks far better now than it did even when it left the Porsche factory for the first time.
While the wonderful 2.0-liter 911S engine from the factory was the most powerful variant in 1967, Bruce wanted more. The matching numbers engine was sent out to the experienced Porsche engine builder, Rothsport Racing. Led by Jeff Gamroth, Rothsport enlarged the engine by stroking the engine to 2.2 liters, all while blue printing, installing new Rothsport pistons, bearings, bolts, timing chains, oil pump, and performing the oil bypass modification. The engine retains its original S camshafts and Rothsport worked their magic to pull out almost approximately 200 horsepower.
The 911S found a new owner in February of 2019 who in a year drove approximately 1,300 miles in total. The car then returned to Canepa recently in the same fantastic condition that it had left in, and Bruce is now offering this “one-of-one” for sale for the next lucky owner. If you want to experience pure driving joy in an early 911S, this is the car for you.
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Report by canepa.com
