FIRST BEFORE EQUALS

Porsche redefined the 911 in 1968, with a longer wheelbase and fuel injection. This ex-Jo Siffert 911 E is the very first of them

- Steve Bennett

Where even to start? To all intents and purposes, this is nothing special. A white (well, Light Ivory) 1968 911 E. Beautifully restored, yes, but beautifully restoring Porsche 911s has been a 'thing' for a good few years now. The year denotes that it's an early long-wheelbase (LWB) B-model 911, which is kind of significant. And 'E', of course, means Einspritzung, in reference to Porsche's first series-production mechanical fuel injection system.

Slide behind the characteristically wieldy, four-spoke steering wheel and the driver's seat feels bouncy; the vital controls have a spring-loaded action, from the over-centre, cable-operated clutch to the organ-pedal accelerator, opening and shutting the six spring-assisted throttle butterflies. To start, tickle the hand-throttle situated between the front seats, to prime the pump. Twist the key and the air-cooled flat-six churns and catches with a shriek, settling to a fast, offbeat idle, punctuated by the odd sniff and cough. No seatbelts to worry about in 1968, so pull back and left on the dogleg Type 901 gearbox, ease the clutch to the biting point and trickle out into the London traffic, building up sufficient momentum for the tricky upshift to second. Jo Siffert would probably have made a better fist of it, I'm sure.

Come again? Now that's a bit more special. Yes, Siffert did operate these very controls, possibly not in London, but then he was just one of three competitive custodians of this 911 E. And that's merely to scrape the surface of this remarkable 911's history.