1968 Porsche 911 Sportomatic

1968 Porsche 911 Sportomatic

Porsche's perennially popular 911 sports car first appeared at the 1963 Frankfurt Show as the '901', but shortly after production proper commenced in 1964 had become the '911' following Peugeot's complaints about the use of '0' model numbers.

The preceding Type 356's rear-engined layout was retained but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the chassis/body and dropped the 356's VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement.

In its first incarnation, Porsche's single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat-six engine displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3.0 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower. The first of countless upgrades arrived in 1966, two years after production had commenced, with the introduction of the 911S.

Easily distinguishable by its stylish Fuchs five-spoked alloy wheels, the 'S' featured a heavily revised engine producing 160bhp. In 1967 the 911T (Touring) was introduced as a new base model, initially with the 2.0-litre engine in 110bhp form before gaining the 2.2-litre unit along with the rest of the range in 1969, by which time the 911's wheelbase had been extended by 57mm to tame the sometimes wayward handling.

Such was the 911's success that within a few years Porsche was selling cars faster than it could build them, a state of affairs that led to a substantial proportion being manufactured by coachbuilder Karmann at its Osnabrück factory.

Among many iterations of early 911s offered by Porsche was the ‘Sportomatic’, introduced in 1967.

“Sportomatic is nothing more than the time-honored Porsche 4-speed transmission connected to the engine with an automatic clutch and a torque converter. Even near imperceptible movements of the shift lever actuates a microswitch which, through a solenoid, activates a vacuum system. A single plate dry clutch, inspired by a vacuum cylinder, interrupts torque flow so the manual transmission can be shifted. The purpose of the torque con¬verter is clear: it allows the 911 to be stopped with the brake without declutching or engaging neutral. Moreover, it multiplies engine torque in the lower speed ranges to reduce the need for selecting a lower gear when greater acceleration is required.”

‘Car and Driver’ magazine, March 1968.

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