“Monterey Week” is almost upon us. What better place to be in mid-August than on the Monterey Peninsula? PML will be hitting the Monterey auction circuit in full force this year. Russo & Steele, RM, Gooding, and Bonhams all have Porsches consigned, so the action ought to be fast and furious all weekend long. At Russo & Steele, the action starts Thursday, August 12th (click here for the schedule).

We present here a few of the listings from Russo & Steele. They have a fairly broad selection ranging from 356s, to SWB and LWB “Longhood” 911s, a track-only 911, a US-spec Carrera, an unusual “delete spoiler” M491 Cabriolet, a 930 Turbo Coupe, and a 996 Twin Turbo Coupe**. Pre-auction estimates were not available at press time. (Please note: this is not a complete listing;cars are still being added to the auction line-up). For any car guy with 120 octane in their veins, this is truly a “pilgrimage to Mecca”… We hope to see you up there. Please click here for the auction location – a downloadable pdf map is available.

Scroll down the page to view the offerings – for further information on any of the cars, simply click on it’s image. (When clicking on the links; be sure to hit your browser’s “back” button to return to this page afterwards).

**PML has not inspected any of these cars, nor do we have any vested interest in their sale.

'65 356C Cabriolet - Nardi wheel, COA, Excellent example

'60 356B 1600 Super Cabriolet - Outstanding Restoration, COA, Reutter Body

'63 356 Super 90 Coupe - T-6 body, COA, Fresh Maintenance, Great Show/Driver!

'67 911 Coupe - SWB Car, Numbers Matching, Recent Restoration, Multi-purpose Show/Driver

'67 911 Coupe - SWB Car, Bahama Yellow, Original Drive Train, COA, Excellent Original Car

'70 911T Coupe - LWB Car, High-end Driver Quality Example, ONE Owner From New!

'73 911S Coupe - LWB Car, Rust Free CA Car, Original Engine Upgraded To 2.7 Spec.

'77 930 Turbo Coupe - Track Car, Highly Built and Yes, It's Fast!

'75 911 Carrera Coupe - Only 395 Were Built For The US Market

'88 Carrera Cabriolet - M491 Body With Very Rare Spoiler Delete

'84 930 Turbo Coupe - Euro Spec, Federalized For US

'04 996 Twin Turbo Coupe - An Absolute Hoot To Drive!

The Porsche 911 Carrera RS of 1973 is still considered by many enthusiasts of The Marque to be the “The Ultimate 911″.  There’s plenty of reason for the high praise – plentiful enough to keep the US market value of an immaculate Carrera RS hovering around the $350k mark.

This video – courtesy of the Porsche UK Driving Centre via YouTube – will demonstrate the simple fact that Porsche has gone far beyond the ’70s high water mark of 911s, with the 996 & 997 series GT3 platforms. Here at PML, we have been fortunate to experience not only the original Carrera RS of ‘73, but both the 996 & 997 GT3 cars as well.

All we can briefly say is; “They’re not kidding…”

The newer generation GT3s are phenomenal cars and leave nothing to be desired.  At 7:30 minutes long, this is a longish video – but that’s ok…go get a bag of popcorn and turn it up.  Enjoy.

2.4-litre / E and F series (1971–1973)
The 1972–1973 model years consisted of the same models of 911— the entry level T, the midrange E and the top of the line S. However, all models got a new, larger 2,341 cc (2.341 L; 142.9 cu in) engine. This is universally known as the “2.4L” engine, despite its displacement being closer to 2.3 litres— perhaps to emphasize the increase over the 2.2 L. The new power ratings were 130 hp (97 kW), or 140 hp (104 kW) in the U.S., for the T, 165 hp (123 kW) for the E and 190 hp (142 kW) for the S.

The 911E and 911S used mechanical fuel injection (MFI) in all markets. The 911T was carbureted, except in the US where it also used MFI, which accounts for the 7 kW (9 hp) power difference between the two. In January, 1973, US 911Ts were switched to the new K-Jetronic CIS (Continuous Fuel Injection) system from Bosch. These CIS-powered cars are usually referred to as “1973.5″ models by enthusiasts.

With the power and torque increases, the 2.4 L cars also got a newer, stronger transmission, identified by its Porsche type number 915. Derived from the transmission in the Porsche 908 race car, the 915 did away with the 901/911 transmission’s “dog-leg” style first gear arrangement, opting for a traditional H pattern with first gear up to the left, second gear underneath first, etc. Some say this was because the dog-leg shift to second gear was inconvenient for city driving, other say it was due to Porsche’s desire to put 5th gear outside the main transmission housing where it could easily be changed for different races. The Sportomatic transmission was still available but only as a special order.

In 1972 a tremendous effort was made to improve the handling of the 911. Due to the 911’s unusual engine placement (rear-mounted, with most of the vehicle’s weight concentrated over the rear axle) early 911’s were prone to oversteer when driven at the limit, and could easily spin in the hands of an inexperienced driver. In an attempt to remedy this, Porsche relocated the oil tank from its position behind the right rear wheel to in front of it. This had the effect of moving the weight of almost 9 quarts (8.5 L) of oil from outside the wheelbase to inside, improving weight distribution and thus, handling. To facilitate filling of the oil tank, Porsche installed an oil filler door (much like the fuel filler door on the left front fender) on the right rear quarter panel. Unfortunately, this unique design was scrapped after only one year, some say because inattentive gas station attendants were putting gas in the oil tank. The oil tank was subsequently moved back to its original position for model year 1973, and remained there until it was moved back within the wheelbase for the 964 models.

911S models also gained a discreet spoiler under the front bumper to improve high-speed stability. With the car’s weight only 1050 kg (2315 lb), these are often regarded as the best classic mainstream 911s. For racing at this time, the 911 ST was produced in limited numbers (the production run for the ST only lasted from 1970 to 1971.) The cars were available with engines of either 2466 cc or 2492 cc, producing 270 PS (199 kW) at 8000 rpm. Weight was down to 960 kg (2166 lb). The cars had success at the Daytona 6 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, the 1000 km Nürburgring and the Targa Florio.