Skip advert
Advertisement

Porsche restores iconic 1972 Le Mans winning 911 race car

911 2.5 S/T sees complete restoration by Porsche Classic

Porsche Classic has completed a full restoration of an iconic 1972 Le Mans winning 911 race car. Only 24 versions of the S/T were produced, making it exceptionally rare. Designed as a factory racing version of the 2.4S, the car initially came about to fulfil demand for customer racing in Group 3 and Group 4.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The Porsche Classic restoration was originally purchased by American racing driver Michael Keyser before being used in the 1972 world endurance championship. It managed a class win at Le Mans and placed 13th overall in the race.

The restoration took no less than two years to complete, with the S/T being transformed from extremely poor condition to the state you can see in the images today. Challenges included the fact that the car had been crashed at somepoint in its lifetime, with substandard repairs used to bend its frame back into shape. The car had also been converted into a later specification 'G-model'.

>Read our Porsche 911 by Singer review here

Worse still, the entire roof of the car was bent following repeated impacts from children jumping up and down on it. Rust was also present throughout virtually all the car's metalwork.

The end result was a restoration which required much of the 911 to be completely rebuilt by hand. The flared wheelarches were hand-built, while a new roof was fitted. The car was then finally painted in its original shade of light yellow.

Porsche Cars GB is currently in the process of restoring a 924 GTP as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations of the 924. Originally entered into Le Mans, the car was piloted by teams from Germany, the UK and the USA. Each vehicle had a livery that matched up with its teams' national colours. For those interested, you can see the restoration process on the Porsche website here.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Aston Martin Vantage Roadster 2025 review – the Ferrari Roma Spider's toughest rival
Aston Martin Vantage Roadster front
Reviews

Aston Martin Vantage Roadster 2025 review – the Ferrari Roma Spider's toughest rival

Developed in tandem with the coupe, the new Vantage Roadster has a welcome sense of togetherness for an open-top sports car
11 May 2025
Alpine A110 2025 review – one of the all-time sports car greats will soon be gone
Alpine A110 review
In-depth reviews

Alpine A110 2025 review – one of the all-time sports car greats will soon be gone

The Alpine A110 is not long for this world, with its electric replacement due to arrive in 2027 with much more power (and weight).
9 May 2025
Updated 2026 Chevrolet Corvette fixes one of the C8’s biggest flaws
2026 Corvette
News

Updated 2026 Chevrolet Corvette fixes one of the C8’s biggest flaws

Chevrolet has significantly updated the interior of the Corvette, with a more conventional ergonomic layout and updated tech with a new Performance Ap…
8 May 2025
Morgan Supersport 2025 review – Malvern's alternative to a Porsche Cayman GTS
Morgan Supersport review
Reviews

Morgan Supersport 2025 review – Malvern's alternative to a Porsche Cayman GTS

Morgan’s new flagship is its most versatile car yet. Does modernising mean losing the magic?
8 May 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Ford Sierra RS500: the anatomy of a BTCC racer
Ford Sierra RS500
Features

Ford Sierra RS500: the anatomy of a BTCC racer

Group A was a golden era in touring car racing, and nothing captured hearts and minds quite like the wild, bewinged Sierra. We look under its skin
11 May 2025
Alpine A110 2025 review – one of the all-time sports car greats will soon be gone
Alpine A110 review
In-depth reviews

Alpine A110 2025 review – one of the all-time sports car greats will soon be gone

The Alpine A110 is not long for this world, with its electric replacement due to arrive in 2027 with much more power (and weight).
9 May 2025
Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good
Mini JCW – front
Reviews

Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good

The petrol-powered JCW lives on – for now. But in its latest incarnation, has this supermini survivor become too hardcore?
8 May 2025