Every now and then, a good car slips through the cracks and ends up in the hands of an owner that doesn’t know how to properly care for it. That is exactly the case when it comes to this 1972 Porsche 911 2.5 S/T. According to Alexander Fabig, the man in charge at Porsche Classic,->ke1 this 911->ke282 is one of only 24 ever produced. When it was delivered to Porsche Classic for “restoration,” however, it was clearly evident that someone failed to realize what a piece of history they possessed over the years.

The car had a good history, at least to start out with. It was purchased in 1971 by U.S. racing driver Michael Keyser and was used in several races in the U.S., as well as in the endurance world championship in 1972. It even ushered in a class win in the 1972 Le Mans->ke1591 circuit. It saw service in the Daytona 6 Hours and the Sebring 12 hours, and in the 24 hours of Le Mans, it claimed 13th place overall. What happened to this 2.5 S/T after that is somewhat of a mystery, but as you can see from a photo taken before restoration began, it clearly didn’t have a good run.

After an obviously rough life out in the wild, this 911 2.5 S/T was rediscovered by a U.S.-based collector, who came to Porsche Classic to have a complete restoration done. Against all odds and some very extensive work, this baby has been returned to its original operating condition, including the racing->ke447 livery that it wore all those years ago. So, with that said, let’s take a look at this piece of Porsche racing history and talk a little about it.

Continue reading to learn more about the 1972 Porsche 911 2.5 S/T.

Exterior

If you look at the post-restoration photos, it’s really hard to believe that this is the same car that was dropped off with faded and rusty blue paint, missing body panels, no glass, and a smashed roof, but it is. According to the Porsche Classic restoration experts, the car had been converted to a “G-model” and had suffered accident damage that had been improperly repaired. In addition to that, there was deformation of the tunnel and side rails and a serious cancer-like rust problem that plagued the roof, tunnel and wheel houses.

In the end, this 911 was given a brand new roof and tank bottom. The flared wing extensions were difficult to restore and had to be done, at least in part, by hand. All the other rust and damaged body were properly repaired, and then the vehicle was coated by cathodic dip painting to prevent further corrosion. Basically, the car was put through the current series production process and was then painted in the original light yellow color, code 117. As you can see, Porsche Classic also went the distance to provide livery identical to that of the car when it was originally purchased, including the No. 41 decal, the arrow decals on the front hood, and a complete lettering package all the way around.

Interior

As far as the interior goes, Porsche Classic has yet to release any shots of the interior. Considering this is a full restoration, I would expect to see all of the required components for racing back in the early 1970s. We can make out that there is just one seat and a roll cage, which also had to be restructured based on the pre-restoration image. It looks like most of the original race dash was still in the car, so it is likely that Porsche Classic got away with restoring it to like-new condition. Outside of this, I would expect to see a fire extinguisher, three pedals, and a shifter. The door skins are likely flat leather panels with leather pull straps. Hopefully, we’ll see some images of the interior when this 911 makes its appearance at Techno Classica in Essen, so stay tuned for updates.

Drivetrain

Unfortunately, Porsche Classic didn’t drop us any photos of the restored 2.5-liter engine mounted in the rear of this 911 S/T. On top of that, official specifications are hard to come by, to say the least, and there aren’t any reputable resources out there that break anything down into detail. According to Stuttcars.com, the 1972 911 2.5 S/T produced 199 kW, which converts to about 266 horsepower. That sounds about right for the time frame, but as far as torque output, internal workings, and actual performance numbers, we have yet to be enlightened.

Pricing

Putting a price on this car now is more than difficult, and I’m sure its current owner paid a very pretty penny for this level of restoration. When new, the car was sold for 49,680 German Marks, which computes to about $27,055 at current exchange rates. In 1972, however, the conversion to USD would have been closer to $15,573 based on the 1972 average conversion rate of 3.19.

Competition

Ferrari Dino 246GT

In the 1972 Le Mans, the GT 3.0-liter class was dominated by Porsche models, but one other contender in the class was the Ferrari Dino 246 GT. It was built by Ferrari between 1969 and 1974 and came equipped with a 2.4-liter V-6. Total output is said to be 195 horsepower, which was sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. In the 1972 Le Mans, Jean-Pierre Laffeach and Gilles Doncieux drove the No. 46 Dino 246 GT. It completed 265 laps and came in 17th place overall, losing to a number of Ferraris, Fords, and of course the No. 41 Porsche 911 which came in 13th overall with 285 laps.

Read our full review on the Ferrari Dino 246GT here.

Conclusion

I have to admit that I love it when cars like this one are found and restored to their original condition. It’s sad that someone would beat down and abuse such a piece of history without any care in the world, then leave it to rot for who knows how long. Luckily, a collector here in the U.S. found this beauty and was will to spend what it took to give her a new breath of life.

The future of the No. 41 Porsche 911 2.5 S/T is unknown from this point forward, but you can bet it will probably take an apocalypse for it to ever return to the shape it was in when it was lugged off a flatbed at Porsche Classic. One a side note, I have to express the utmost respect for the guys over at Porsche Classic. I knew they were capable of some pretty crazy restoration work, but what they did with this 911 is nothing short of miraculous. Good job Porsche Classic, because of you, this Le Mans class winner will live to be admired for a long time to come.