The 911 S 2.4 Targa: Celebrating A 50-Year Anniversary With A Classic Signed By F.A. Porsche

Signed by F.A Porsche, a 911 S 2.4 Targa from 1972 was restored by Porsche Classic to rejoice in Porsche Design’s 50th anniversary.

This one-of-a-kind creation is a tribute to Ferdinand Alexander Porsche that features the same colours as the legendary Chronograph I watch that he designed. 

The restoration project required Porsche Design and Porsche Classic to work closely together, with much of the design input coming from Roland Heiler from Studio F.A. Porsche in Zell am See.

Porsche Classic’s director, Ulrike Lutz, expressed, "Our vision was to build a historic counterpart for the new 911 Porsche Design 50th Anniversary Edition special model. The new Sonderwunsch programme gave us an opportunity to implement this idea for a unique vehicle pairing. The year of manufacture was the only specific requirement for the donor vehicle on this occasion. The designers and members of the factory restoration team were tasked with carefully transferring the specification from the new car to the classic." 

To paint a picture, the restored 911 comes in solid black inside and out, and features a set of anodised Fuchs rims.

Then, panning to the side, it can be seen with classic lateral stripes with a Platinum satin finish and integrated Porsche Design lettering.

As a special highlight, the Targa roll bar has the same Platinum satin finish with its lettering in matt black, offering a new interpretation of the brushed stainless steel of the classic model. 

Akin to the special edition model, the grille on the engine cover at the rear features a ‘Porsche Design 50th Anniversary’ badge with a reproduction of Ferdinand Alexander's signature.

Diving inside, as aforementioned, the interior also comes in the shade of black. Denoting how F.A Porsche would’ve envisioned it to be.

For example, the trim strips on the 911 gradually switched from chrome to matte Black from 1973 onwards. 

It is thought that this move was prompted by F.A. Porsche at some point before 1972, while he was still the design director. 

Plus, the Chronograph I watch that he designed and presented in the same year was the first watch with a black case and black dial, which was innovative for watch design at the time.

That said, the interior’s unique restoration features a checked pattern that contrasts with the black leather upholstery and forges a link with the modern special edition model.

Notably, the checkered Sport Tex fabric features the classic Black and Cool Grey combination and can be found throughout the cabin. 

Mostly on elements such as the door trims, the central section of the seats and the lower section of the dashboard.

There is also a ‘Porsche Design 50th Anniversary’ badge placed on the passenger side, with the same logo decorating the vehicle document folder and tool bag.

Completing the factory restoration project is a presentation box containing detailed vehicle documentation, a key pouch, which is an F.A. Porsche original, and a model of the restored vehicle.

"Our general philosophy in a factory restoration project is to restore the vehicles to be as faithful to the original as possible. We deliberately took a different approach with this project. We've created a unique vehicle that blends tradition and present day and bears the signature of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche," explained Porsche Classic’s head of factory restoration, Uwe Makrutzki.

On another note, not everything was smooth sailing. For instance, the base vehicle, a 911 T 2.4 Targa from 1972, was in a poor condition and was missing some parts.

While this would normally be a tricky start to a restoration project, luckily on this occasion, it wasn’t a deal breaker for the planned modifications.

"The production sheet normally tells us exactly what equipment a vehicle had when it was delivered and therefore how it will need to look when restored at a later date. We had a lot more freedom to play with the configuration on this anniversary model. Porsche Classic provided a lot of advice on this point, not all modifications will fit with the overall philosophy of a vehicle or be technically feasible," added Makrutzki.

However, the greatest challenge during the whole process was the vehicle interior. The seat covers are a good example of how modern materials had to conform to historic dimensions. 

Specifically, it is the strength and elasticity of the chosen material that made it difficult to finish the 50-year-old seats.

Not to forget, the Porsche Classic experts have also completely upgraded the engine and chassis to the S version. 

Originally in 1972, the top-of-the-range model had a displacement of 2,341 cm3, which generated 187 hp (190 PS) at 6,500 rpm, and it was equipped with mechanical petrol injection.

Makrutzki concluded, "Test drives are done as a quality assurance measure after every factory restoration. It's always a very emotional moment for me when I drive something this unique, after all, I will have followed the process of restoring this vehicle to its former glory for months before we get to this point. The thrill of getting out on the road never wears off."