It was simply the best two-wheel drive car made. Whatever the conditions

A few years ago, before Escorts once again became all the rage, Boreham and Abingdon fans used to moan about early 911s ‘taking over’ historic rallying – conveniently forgetting that they had a fine rallying heritage in their own right: their high-pitched fan-cooled whine was no stranger to world-class rally stages.

Just that, rather than coming to Britain in freezing November for the RAC Rally, the factory would rather compete on prestige events such as the traditionally snowy Rallye Monte Carlo, and the tough African Safaris. For both of these you need a softly-sprung rear end whose wheels can dig deep and find traction, at which the 911 excelled, having the weight where it was most useful with the engine slung between the rear wheels. It was tough, too. Handy when you don’t want to break down in the middle of nowhere.

A 911T like this one won the Monte Carlo rally with Vic Elford in 1968, the first for a rear-drive car since 1960, and Bjorn Waldgaard backed this up with Porsche wins in 1969 and 1970. Traction mattered on the usually snowy Monte and, like the Alpine that came before it and Stratos afterwards, on those treacherous cols the rear-engined 911 excelled.

Vic says today: ‘1968 was my best season. I always enjoyed Monte Carlo because I was good in varying conditions, and in the mountains there could be anything from dry roads to ice and snow.’

Inside, this is the most standard looking of our collection, with Porsche minimalist interior. Built from 1968 for customers who wanted to go rallying and racing – its first owner was Dan Margulies -  the T/R was delivered without sound-deadening but fitted with whatever equipment the customer wanted.

Which could include the 12-plug 906 engine, as here, giving 210bhp. Though the standard engine was the 160bhp ‘S’, easily upgradable to 175bhp with carb and exhaust mods, you could also order this Type 901/20, which used titanium conrods, Carrera 6 pistons, lightened flywheel and stronger clutch, and which came with an lsd was standard. This was the forerunner of the legendary RS2.7, with more power and less weight, tipping the scale at only 925kg. A variety of options was available including closer ratios, a long-range 100-litre fuel tank and extra driving lights.

Porsche guru Josh Sadler of Autofarm, which looks after this car, takes up the story: ‘This model was the first true customer homologation special that Porsche offered (homologated in Group 3, but subsequently Group 4 from 1970). Being a 911T it was lighter than all other models yet fitted with 911S mechanics and offered with various Sport options. Therefore, the model could be viewed as a 911S Lightweight.
‘T Rallyes are the forerunners of such sought-after models as the 2.7 RS Lightweight and the first of what was to become a long line of factory limited edition lightweight homologation specials, culminating in the GT2 and GT3 of today. The T Rallye holds a unique place in 911 history.’

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