Our air-cooled, classic 1983 Porsche 911 SC provides a fun, engaging drive and is oh so beautiful in Kiln Red Metallic exterior and beige interior.
The 911 SC was our introduction to air-cooled Porsche ownership, and it set a standard that every car since has been measured against. Ours was a 1983 — the final year of SC production — finished in Kiln Red Metallic with a cream leather interior, and it was simply one of the most beautiful things we have ever owned. In certain light the paint appeared almost burgundy; in direct sun it blazed a deep, rich red that no photograph ever quite captured. But the looks were only part of it. Driving an air-cooled 911 is unlike anything else: the flat-six sits behind the rear axle and you feel every nuance of its character through the chassis, the steering is unassisted and wonderfully communicative, and every input matters in a way that modern cars have carefully engineered away. We drove it on canyon roads, on mountain passes, on long Sunday mornings when there was nowhere particular to be. It taught us what a sports car is supposed to feel like, and we have been chasing that feeling ever since.
Why We Loved It
The 911 SC was our introduction to air-cooled Porsche ownership, and it set the standard for everything that followed. There's a purity to driving an air-cooled 911 that's difficult to articulate. the mechanical whir of the engine behind you, the way the car pivots around its rear-mounted weight, the feeling that you're piloting something rather than merely steering it.
The Kiln Red Metallic paint was a showstopper. In certain light it appeared almost burgundy; in direct sun it blazed a deep, rich red that photographs could never quite capture.
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From the Journal
Specifications
Power
204 HP @ 5900 RPM
Torque
188 lb-ft @ 4200 RPM
Top Speed
146 mph
0-60 mph
6.3 seconds
Engine
3.0L air-cooled flat-6
Transmission
5-speed manual (915)
Drivetrain
Rear-wheel drive
Weight
2,756 lbs
Body
Steel unibody
Designer
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche
Production
1978-1983
