1973 911-T that I bought in 1986. It was an original 73.5 CIS T still sporting "American Ride Height" meaning it had to duck to go in the garage. ;)
The car was used pretty regularly in good weather. It was the only CIS car on which I ever blew an air box. It was also the only pre-Carrera Tensioner car where I actually "lost" a tensioner. Limped it home undamaged and installed "mechanical tensioners".
About 1988-89 a friend I had known for many years approached me about buying the car as he had sustained terminal damage to a '73.5 Coupe he was "tracking" at Charlotte. He took possession of it and then began to run up a war debt in updates and rebuilding.
The engine was "built" in Asheville, NC by a very sharp gentleman whose name now escapes me. The car received all new suspension parts, S Calipers, a roll bar and front oil cooler. I have it on pretty good authority that the sum total was close to $30,000 in receipts.
My friend raced it in PCA track events as he was quite an accomplished driver. Sadly he passed away in 2001 and from conversations his wife knew he and I had the car was offered to me. While I was glad the car was staying "in the family", so to speak, the circumstances were not what I had envisioned.
Once I had it back the 1st job was to put in proper street trim and to make the cosmetics as good as they could be. I embarked on a fairly long cosmetic restoration.
Digressing a bit; right after I got the car a good friend and mutual friend of the former owner contacted me asking what I might end up doing with the car. I told him I wasn't sure but if anything changed he would be the first to know.
Once the car was completed I rode around in it a few times and can say that it is the quickest 2.4 911-S I've ever encountered. After a short while it was apparent to me that I was never going to be able to keep the car with all the memories of my friend still fresh in my mind. I decided that the mutual friend, who by the way, is a PCA Parade FTD Autocross winner should have it. The car was meant to race and if anyone deserved the car it should be him. I know our friend would not have disagreed with my decision.
"Oranjello" would be used as intended. The car has brought home a lot of FTD's including one that I'll never forget when a new ZO6 with an accomplished driver was taken down. Not a 405 car either. A 505 hp model. And I'll repeat, the driver is very accomplished in his own right.
