1967 Porsche 911 'SWB' Soft-window Targa
Registration no. SVN 99D
Chassis no. 500017
Engine no. 911124

"During a meeting with his staff, as they discussed how automakers appropriated racetrack names for car models, sales director Harald Wagner came up with the name 'Targa'." – Randy Leffingwell, The Complete Book of Porsche 911.

It was back in August 1965 that Porsche applied for a patent to cover its new 'semi-convertible' and, in the autumn of 1966, work began on the assembly of a series of pre-production examples. As yet, the new model didn't have a name to differentiate it from the regular coupé versions of the 911 and 912 but, following a meeting held at The Fleischauer dealership in Cologne, at the suggestion of Porsche sales director Harold Wagner the term 'Targa' was decided upon in honour of the company's victories in the Targa Florio road race.

Built in 1966 on the original short wheelbase, the car offered here is one of the very first 911 Targa models to leave the factory; indeed, '017' may pre-date the first Targa delivered to the public, which sources list as chassis '500021'. '017' was delivered to the Fleischhauer dealership in Cologne sometime prior to its registration on 31st January 1967. This very early 911 retains its matching-numbers engine although the reference books list it as 'earlier' than those records suggest. The factory Kardex (the written record retained by Porsche showing the build date and specification of each new vehicle, a copy of which accompanies the car) shows that the engine number '911124' is a 911 (Type 901/01), part of range '909001' to '912050', although Targa engines were listed as starting from '911191'.

'017' appears to have remained in Germany until imported into the UK in 1982. Registered 'XEF 88Y' on 17th September 1982. In November 1990 it was issued with the current age-related number (SVN 99D). The first UK owner's identity is not known, but on 26th April 1983 the car was registered to a Mrs Barbara Hutt of Middlesborough. Mrs Hutt was followed by John Bennett of Prudhoe, from 10th March 1989, passing into the ownership of the Weighell family, three members of which would own the car, on 6th June 1990.

Registered to Mr Alfie Weighell of Darlington on 20th March 2003, '017' was acquired by the current owners in January 2017 requiring complete restoration. Since then, the car has been the subject of an exacting four-year restoration carried out by world respected marque specialists Williams Crawford of Saltash, Cornwall. Documented photographically, the rebuild involved over 900 man-hours of painstaking attention to detail and research. During that time, the number '017' was discovered stamped into the door, body and engine lid, confirming these were original panels. It should be noted that the car is fitted with genuine 4.5Jx15 Fuchs wheels as used on the contemporary 911S of 1967. Although these wheels do not appear on the Kardex, they are believed to have been fitted in period by the first owner, and have been retained as they form part of the car's history. The original 'Kardex' build sheet is with the car, which also comes with an extensive and most comprehensive history file (inspection recommended).

Now presented in its original Polo Red, the Targa is finished to a standard far beyond what was achievable in 1966. With only a relative handful of miles covered since its restoration, this piece of Porsche history is ready to join the finest of world class Porsche collections.