1973 911S Coupe

Introduced in 1967, Porsche’s Sportomatic transmission was an innovative semi-automatic transmission that was designed to combine the ease of an automatic with the driving engagement of a manual. To accomplish this, the transmission operated without a clutch pedal, but the shifting of the gears was done manually as the clutch was engaged by a microswitch when the gear lever knob was depressed slightly to operate the vacuum clutch.

This 1973 911S Coupe is one such Sportomatic-equipped example. Finished in Gold Metallic over Black, this 911S came equipped with a factory sunroof, tinted glass, an extended steering wheel hub, and air conditioning. Originally a California car, it’s now offered out of Holloway, United Kingdom.

The Gold Metallic exterior shows some normal wear along with rust around the windshield and in the driver’s door jamb. On the inside, the Black interior shows normal wear such as cracking on the seat bolsters and some wear on the high-touchpoints. Currently, it is stated that the sunroof and air conditioning are in-op and the car comes with a number of service records, with the most recent being from 2023.

While 2.4-liter 911S have averaged just below $180,000 over the last twelve months, the vast majority of cars in my data are equipped with 5-speed manual transmissions. In fact, I don’t see a single comp for a Sportomatic. Had this been a manual, the $93,500 bid would put it at the bottom of pricing, down with other cars offered out of Europe and in lesser condition. And while I don’t know the previous bids, I do know that this example failed to sell twice before on Collecting Cars out of the UK. It’s a tough sell when you consider transmission, condition, and location. Probably should have taken the money here.

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