In 1973, with the manner in which Porsche was scoring racing victories worldwide, it was easy to forget that the vast majority of Porsches are driven in a normal, everyday fashion on the public roadways. That is, if you consider normal to consist of taking a hairpin turn within an inch of your desired line, or tearing down a straightaway without the hint of fishtail, or making a panic stop with nearly perfect control.

With the 1973 introduction of the Carrera RS, a new automotive star was born, and the revered Carrera name made its first appearance in the 911 model line. Development for the rest of the well-regarded 911 line continued as well, and these were available as coupe or targa. For all 911s; the small front horn grilles, indicator surrounds and rear light units were all made of black plastic. On the 2.4-liter model, such as this, wing mirrors were no longer round but rather rectangular in form. The oil tank had been relocated from the right rear fender to its former position behind the rear axle to avoid the times were this cover was confused for the fuel filler and the oil tank received gasoline instead. An 18.5-gallon plastic gas tank and space-saver spare wheel were standard equipment on the 911E, 911S and Carrera RS and optional on the 911T.

In the era the 1973 911E Targa was released, Porsche had begun to tout that comfort was not an extra. Along with being functional in design with well-placed instrumentation and easily reachable controls; the interior boasted unhindered freedom of movement (even with seatbelts) in anatomically contoured seats that were engineered to be positioned around the cars center of gravity for stability in all situations. As a nice supplement to the cars carpeted forward luggage compartment, there is an approximately 8.5 cubic foot cargo area behind the seats.

This exceptional example of 1973 Porsche 911E Targa is reported as being an original, unrestored car that carries its original Black paint and also has factory air conditioning; with its Beige/Tan Leatherette (31) interior, this makes for a “very rare combination.” The car is stated as sparingly driven and the owner believes the approximate 57,000 miles on the odometer are correct. The car was shipped back to the United States and later sold to the second owner

Powered by the 2.4-liter, 165-hp horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine with mechanical fuel injection; this car has the optional and desirable five-speed manual transmission. Accompanied by a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, the original owner purchased the car in Germany in 1973 to U.S. specs with front and rear stabilizer bars, electric antenna with front speaker and noise suppression, comfort equipment, air conditioner with front crash bar for condenser, tinted glass all-around and, in period, Dunlop tires. The factory toolkit in its roll, forged alloy factory wheels, ventilated four-wheel disc brakes and radio are also part of this rousing platform. According to reliable sources; from May 1972 to May 1973, Porsche built 2,470 Porsche 911E Coupes and just 1,896 911E Targas.

One will find; owning a Porsche 911E is more than a matter of money, it’s a matter of style. Porsche owners tend to look beyond the obvious; they understand that beyond the Porsche’s superb performance, technical perfection and motoring comfort there lays a unique driving experience that makes such an automobile the ultimate personal car.