The first of countless upgrades to the perennial 911 came 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 adopting 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 Osnabrook factory. By this time the models on offer had stabilised at three: the entry-level 911T, middle-ranking 911E, and top-of-the-range 911S, all of which were available as either a closed Coupé or Targa convertible. With the 2.2-litre engine's arrival, a common type of cylinder head was adopted, the differing power outputs being determined principally by valve timing rather than valve sizes as had been the case hitherto. In 1972, all 911 variants received the 2,341cc (nominally 2.4-litre) unit, which in 'S' specification produced around 190bhp, 60 more than the original 911 of 1963. For 1972, in addition to the larger engine, the' E' series had a further two revisions. An aggressive new front spoiler was incorporated below the bumper and in an attempt to move as much weight as possible towards the centre of the car, the oil tank was re-positioned inboard of the right rear wheel arch, resulting in the introduction of an external oil filler cap on the right-hand side rear wing behind a flap ('Oel Klappe'). The propensity for petrol station attendants to fill the oil tank with fuel, and the resulting warranty claims, quickly persuaded Porsche to change the design and 1972 'Oel Klappe' cars became difficult to sell, possibly resulting in their comparative scarcity today. As is often the case, that rarity has resulted in the 'Oel Klappe' cars now being the most sought after.

The car on offer today is a left-hand drive 1972 2.4S finished in Sepia Brown with a black interior. It was originally supplied to Italy and following a number of years there, it was purchased by a Dutch enthusiast who retained the car until 2002 and looked after it well judging from the number of invoices on file from a Porsche specialist. The 911 arrived in the UK in 2002 and was obviously in largely original condition at the time as indicated in a pre-purchase inspection report completed by Andy Prill.

The 911 has remained in the UK ever since 2002, passing through a few Porsche collectors over the past 20 years, who all used well known Porsche specialists during their ownerships such as Gantspeed, Autostrasse, Autofarm and Peter Chambers Automotive with invoices on file detailing the work carried out on the car over this period of time.

In more recent years, under current private ownership, the 2.4S has been entrusted to the renowned Classic Porsche restoration specialists, Historika, who carried out a full £20K plus engine rebuild in 2021, again with invoices on file detailing the extensive work.

This 2.4S really is in super condition with good detail yet retains a really nice original feel. Reported to drive well and has clearly been sorted and well set-up offering all those wonderful 911 qualities that make these early cars so addictive.