Porsche 911 SC - Euro Vision

By: Dave Morley, Photography by: Nathan Jacobs

Date: 27.09.2023

Bedroom wall poster cars often remain just that. But this 911 SC was a case of when, not if, one would be acquired

For some folks, that bedroom-wall-poster thing never goes away.

Oh sure, some of us grow up and do sensible things with money, like buy houses and investments and school shoes for the kids.

But some people, even if they have done all that sensible stuff, just never scratch the itch to own that special set of wheels. Until they do. Luis Rivera is one such individual.

"When I was a little kid, I had a poster of a black Porsche 930," Luis coughs up during his Unique Cars therapy session.

"The shape was always one of those things… the sound is unmistakable. You could hear one anywhere and know it was a 911.

"I have an interest in a wide range of cars; I love 50s cars, chrome bumpers, you know. But that sound and the go-kart feel of a Porsche always dragged me back."

By 2015, Luis was still to make good on his promise to his young-fella self, and while his wife `got’ his passion, seems she was the designated grown-up.

"Over the years, I kept asking, can I get one? No. Can I get one? No, let’s focus on the house. But eventually, this one came along with everything I wanted and I got the green light."

"I found it on an online site at about 9.45 at night. I remember thinking, is it too late to call? But I called anyway.

"The car was in Queensland – it was previously a Melbourne car – and a bloke had bought it for his wife, who was a drag racer. She hadn’t exactly lost interest in it, but racing must cost a lot. So I was the lucky one who got to free up her finances."

42 and still killing it.

An emailed video, some more pics the next day, one cheque in the mail and a transport truck later and the 911 was back in Victoria.

The car itself is a 1981 911 SC. For a while, the SC was kind of the poor relation of the G-Series cars.

Those looking for a regular drive wanted a 3.2, purists wanted a 2.7 and wannabe racers were chasing 3.0 Carreras. Which left the poor old SC somewhere in no-man’s land, hanging out with draughty Targas and oil-dripping 964s.

But hey, have a look at the prices of G-Series Targas right now or, even more so, the stickers on the windows of 964s, and you can see how that has changed quite a bit.

And when you stack the SC up against its asking price, it starts to look pretty good. For a start, the post-1976 bodies were the first fully-galvanised ones meaning rust is a much smaller problem.

The SC was also the first 911 to get (mildly) boosted brakes and Bosch’s old-faithful K-Jetronic fuel injection was added.

The engine is embiggened by 300cc over the 2.7 and the crankcases are alloy, not the earlier car’s magnesium which was a fair chance to suffer pulled head studs in the normal course of things.

Flat six with an unmistakable soundtrack.

Fact is, the three-litre SC engine is reckoned to be one of the stronger units out there, helped possibly by the fact that it’s a bit under-stressed in the first place.

And, yes, it needs plenty of revs to deliver but when the tacho hits about four-grand, boom, we’re off to the races. And hey, why did you buy a 911 Porsche in the first place? To stooge around at 2000rpm? Yeah, nah.

Luis reckons his car has seen its share of love over the decades, too, and even though it’s a private import, starting life in the UK, the engine was given a big freshen-up a couple of owners ago.

There’s also a set of stainless headers, and somebody – possibly the original owner – specified option SO50 which was a set of 7X16 and 8X16 Fuchs alloys (6 and 7-inches were standard).

Wider Fuchs wheels finish it off.

The car’s UK birthplace also explains the factory-fitted rear spoiler otherwise found on the 3.0 Carrera and sunroof (the latter was a delete option in Australian-delivered cars). Crucially in some circles, this is also a matching numbers car.

"The car has been in Australia since the late 80s or early 90s. I’ve also got a big folder of receipts for general maintenance and even the paint touch-ups.

"As I understand it, that spoiler was available on the 3.0 but was much harder to get hold of in Australia. It was a much more common option in the UK.

"The wheels? I think maybe it had seven-inchers on the rear, but somewhere along the line an owner has changed the wheels. But I can’t bring myself to change them back, plus it looks great as it is…

"The other non-standard things are the dials. At some stage in the early 90s, it was cool to stick white dials over the black. So, a crime was committed.

White face gauges were an early addition.

"I’ve looked into changing them back, but apparently, you can damage the genuine ones underneath. But they’re like the spoiler and bigger wheels; definitely something I can live with."

And anyway, some of the mods, Luis is all over.

"The Momo steering wheel is a Prototipo. The feel of it is fantastic.

"It does feel nicer with leather gloves on cold mornings, but being smaller (in diameter) it sharpens things up and gives me more knee-room as well making the car feel even more go-karty."

With just over 200,000km on the odometer of this car, you can see from the photos that this is not a pristine, trailer-queen. Loved, yes, but not at the expense of memory-making; a task it excels at, according to Luis.

And those memories are not just the photo-album kind; they’re engraved into the car. Literally. Check out those factory-option leather seats.

It can tell a tale or two.

Sure, they look a bit battered; a bit scuffed up, but as well as being the originals, they’re the keeper of a few of the car’s secrets.

"There are actually a few drawings on the (seat) backs where kids have got bored (my kids and others) and decided a bit of artwork would improve the seats.

"The reason I haven’t redone them is that they tell the car’s story. It’s the same at the front; the front spoiler is worn away a little, and there are a few chips in the paint on the bonnet.

"But that’s all just the character of the car. Also, you can enjoy them more when they’re like that and you’re not stressing about picking up the first stone chip.

"It’d be unfair to call the car rough, but it’s definitely not pristine. But it still presents well and it starts perfectly every time. I’ve been so fortunate; all I’ve had to do is service it, maintain it and enjoy it."

While the future is never easy to predict, Luis has pretty firm ideas on what’s going to happen next to the 911.

"Ultimately, the car will end up in my son’s hands. Well, that would be my dream.

"Of course, you never know what’s around the corner financially, but the plan is to eventually hand it down. He has always adored the car, from the moment he clapped eyes on it as a toddler.

"Back then and even now he spends a lot of time washing it, and I have some great photos of him as a little kid helping me wash the car.  He’s eight now and he absolutely adores it.

"He regularly asks me to pick him up from school in it. It would be incredibly rewarding to be in the position to hand it on to him in coming years.

"We’ve created some wonderful memories with that car. And, again, that’s why I don’t want to change anything on it: He’s helped me enjoy the car since he was just a tiny kid, and if I keep changing things, it won’t be the car he remembers."

If it was ours, we'd be smiling too.

Now, readers, I don’t know about you, but here’s a bloke who not only tolerates a bit of impromptu artwork on his 911’s upholstery but actually sees merit in it.

He not only drives his 911 in a manner Porsche would approve of, but he also does the school run in it and has plans to hand it to his son when the time is right.

Luis’ car might not be about to win any concours trophies, but I reckon the man himself could be a strong contender for Father of the Year.

VITAL STATS

PORSCHE 911 SC (1978-1983)

Number built: 60,265

Body: All-steel, unitary construction two-door coupe and cabriolet

Engine: 3.0 horizontally-opposed six cylinder

Power and Torque: 134kW @ 5500rpm/265Nm @ 4200rpm

Performance: 0-100km/h – 6.3secs, Top speed – 202km/h 

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Suspension: Front: independent with torsion bars, rear: torsion bars 

Brakes: Disc front/disc rear, power assisted

Tyres: 205/55VR16 (front), 225/50VR16 (rear)

From Unique Cars #482, August 2023

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