DT: 1978 Porsche 911SC Coupe
Vehicle Details
- Year: 1978
- Make: Porsche
- Model: 911 SC
- VIN: 9118201607
- Mileage Shown: 119,283
- Transmission: Manual
- Title Status: Clean
- Color: Minerva Blue Metallic
- Seller Type: Dealer
- Location: Upper Wakefield, PA 18940
- Dealer Fees: None
- Lot #: V-0048809-DT
The Porsche 911SC debuted for the 1978 model year with the desire to bring together the strong points of the 911S and 911 Carrera, featuring a 5-speed manual gearbox paired with a 3.0-liter flat-six engine. This inaugural-year example was ordered from the factory in Minerva Blue Metallic over black leatherette upholstery and has been modified with a lowered suspension, European-market headlights, a Kenwood Bluetooth module, an oil pressure-fed hydraulic timing chain tensioner kit, and additional mechanical upgrades. Showing approximately 119k miles on the odometer, this 911SC is now available for auction by its seller out of Pennsylvania, accompanied by a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.
This example is said to have been previously refinished in its factory-specified shade of Minerva Blue Metallic. Front fog lights are equipped, while modifications include European-specification headlights and a lowered suspension. The car rides on 16” Fuchs front wheels and Euromeister Fuchs-style rear wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires from 2020. The selling dealer notes the rear decklid was replaced, and the roof, doors, and rear quarter panels were refinished under prior ownership. Additionally, the windshield cowl was professionaly refinished under the current ownership. Detailed images are provided in the gallery.
The cabin is trimmed in black leatherette with a matching dashboard, door panels, and carpets. Equipment includes a leather-wrapped 3-spoke steering wheel, cruise control, power windows, a sunroof, and a Blaupunkt cassette stereo linked to speakers on the rear bulkhead upgraded with a Kenwood Bluetooth module. The seller notes that the stitching on the passenger seat bottom was repaired, the rear seat retaining straps were replaced under current ownership, and the air conditioning system is inoperable. A March 2023 invoice indicates a burned dashboard wiring harness was replaced with a used component.
This 911SC is powered by an air-cooled 3.0-liter flat-six engine producing 180 HP, paired with a Type 915 five-speed manual transaxle that was overhauled in April 2024. Under previous ownership, the engine was reportedly rebuilt with the addition of steel head studs. In 2019, service included installing an oil pressure-fed hydraulic timing chain tensioner kit, as well as replacing the oil pressure switch, rear main seal, valve cover gaskets, and spark plugs. That year, the clutch disc, release bearing, main shaft seal, and lever shaft seals were also replaced. Under current ownership, a powder-coated replacement cooling fan and housing were installed, and the warm-up regulator and fuel distributor were overhauled.
This sale will include a clean title and a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.
The seller would like you to know: “Well documented first year SC in a great color, big port 3.0 with fresh trans overhaul, tons of documented work done over the last 5 years to make this a fantastic running and driving SC.”
Comments (68)
This car is No Longer Available.
Thanks for the comments and bids. Can't sell it there but there is a chance to meet on price in the after hours market.
@chief01 The car also has had the trans over hauled, the WUR and fuel head rebuilt, the fan and shroud powder coated, the seat seam fixed with OEM material. The car needs to sell and maybe less than you think
sorry, new market. But very nice ride. Love it
Given the info the chief just shared, doesn't look like this one is selling today.
Bid in the amount of $63,500
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It was bid to $78k this summer on bring a trailer and didn’t sell and he paid $81k for it earlier this year
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Bid in the amount of $30,750
I am headed back to the farm shortly, and I will be standing by for any late questions.
This SC is one of the most well sorted cars you'll come by. It really runs and dives beautifully. The Minerva Blue is one of my favorite Porsche colors. Like I mentioned before, anywhere I have gone in this car it gets thumbs up and accolades from Porsche people and anyone who see it. Yes, the paint is not perfect, however it the car still shows nicely and looks great on the road.
Bid in the amount of $30,500
@GT3forme recent leak down and compression results are in the gallery on an RO, as well as the RO showing the head studs. I do not know the specifics on the top end job.
Bid in the amount of $30,250
You mention the engine was rebuilt, was the cylinders honed, rings, bearing, valve springs, 3 pt valve job, any head work other then new head bolts?
Can you provide a leak down and compression test?
Thanks in advance.
Bid in the amount of $30,000
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@palien sunroof works.
Does the sun roof work?
Bid in the amount of $17,750
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@HowS Thanks
@npoole1 as has been mentioned in the comments, and as can be seen the gallery, the AC compressor and rear deck condenser comes with the car.
AC compressor
@OldSchool I am not with Performance Auto. I don't call myself a "mechanic". I was an institutional derivatives trader for 20 plus years. Now I am a sole prop dealer. There are plenty of jobs on these cars I will tackle myself just from having learned them over the years but I am not a trained mechanic. All of the work done on this car since 2019 was done by one or another qualified shop in the Philly area.
@Quackbury Thanks for the comment! This was originally a no spoilers car. The COA is in the gallery. Prior to me buying the car back in 2019, the PO had added the spoilers. The owner whom I initially sold the car to back in 2019 decided he did not like the rear spoiler, he replaced it with a no spoiler rear deck lid. The deck lid with spoiler is pictured in the gallery and comes with the car. To your point about the balance, Porsche's old TSB recommended not running the car with only the rear spoiler, it didn't mention only having a front lip. These cars are so well engineered that even at triple digit speeds they're remarkably stable even without any spoilers. However, I agree with you and I also find that when I see a G series car with only a rear spoiler, it looks odd to me without the front lip.
@zollerm, as anyone who has owned an SC will attest (mine was a 1983), the A/C in these was basically non-existent. 50 years ago, Germans did not see any reason why Americans would want A/C in a performance car. They'd never spent a summer in the Deep South nor in Phoenix. With the A/C removed, you really ain't missin' much.
@HowS i't glad to see the Carrera tensioners were installed. I'm actually surprised it took 25 years to do that, as its almost a miracle the engine survived. The other critical mod to these was a pop-off valve in the airbox. Do you know if that's been done?
Worth noting to anyone who hasn't owned an SC: Like this car, mine was delivered with a front lip spoiler but no rear deck lid spoiler. You really should have both, or neither, as the car is arodynamically unbalanced at speed with only one but not the other. I learned this the hard way in the Downhill Turn at Lime Rock. Not a concern if you just want to drive to Cars and Coffee, but if high speed shenanigans are on yiour agenda, the current setup is no bueno.
@froggycar I have the idle set a little higher than 900, however once properly warm the idle stays right around 1000 to 1100. Its pretty simple to drop it a bit if you like. In the video its just me with my foot on the throttle.
@HowS - This looks to be a very nice 911SC. Thank you for offering it for sale here on PCM. During the driving video, I noticed that the idle stays up around 1800-2000 RPM during stops. Does this car's idle return to around 900 RPM when cold-started and warmed to normal operating temperature while being driven? Thanks again.
Dear Seller are you with Performance Auto or a shade tree mechanic?
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@zuch thank you for the kind words and the comments on the car. It was a pleasure meeting you too.
@Tennktm there is no dent at all, it's just a shadow in the pics from that angle. If you look at pic 12 you can see a broad side shot and can even zoom in on that area. It's easy to see there is no dent or flaw there.
it was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for the kind words about the car too.
This is as nice a running and driving SC as you will find. The paint is acceptable but not showing quality. Everywhere I've taken the car it receives complements.
Bid in the amount of $10,000
I recently saw/drove this car. It is exactly as described. Very nice in every way, other than the paint, which is not bad, but is not show quality. As stated, from 5 feet it looks phenomenal. The car looks, sounds and drives fantastic. The steering is very tight and there isn't a single squeak or rattle. The seller is also a class act and extremely helpful when going through the buying process. I have no skin in this game but saw this come up and had to add my $0.02. @tennktm there were no dents when I saw the car.
Picture 9, is that a dent in front fender….
@zollerm the compressor and the rear condenser are pictured in the gallery and come with the car. When the PO went to the tailless rear deck lid he did not reinstall them.
The AC is inoperable or unavailable, as I see no compressor in the engine compartment? Thanks.
Thanks for looking at my auction for this fantastic 1978 Porsche 911 SC
I know this car very very well. I first purchased the car in 2019, and I sold it on another site. The buyer was local, and we stayed in touch. Over his 4 plus years of ownership he made some nice upgrades, and he improved an already nice car. Things like pressure fed tensioners, brakes, clutch etc etc were all upgraded. He enjoyed the car for 4 plus years. The biggest issue with the car was the paint. It is a no-hit solid car, with a respray in its original color of Minerva Blue. The respray was not the best and when he purchased the car there were areas of poor prep work where the paint was lifting. He also didn’t care for the Weissach style spoiler, so he replaced that with a standard rear deck lid. He had the paint worked on and resprayed in areas, but the paint remains a solid 5 footer. There are areas of patina and orange peel, but no rust. Whether on the street or in photos the car still looks fantastic in iconic Menerva Blue.
This past winter the owner who I sold the car to asked me to sell it for him. I sold it on another site. The buyer whi is the current owner lives in Texas. He’s one of the nicest people I have met in my time in the online auction business. We discussed the car and he commissioned me to make some further improvements to the car. During this past winter, I had the 915-gearbox overhauled, replacing the 1st and 2nd gear synchros and associated parts. Had the WUR and fuel distributor rebuilt, replaced the fan and shroud with a freshly powder coated set. I also had a seam in the passenger seat repaired using Porsche NOS material. The receipts for all of this work are in the gallery.
This is easily one of the best driving 911SC’s you will come across. The 915 gearbox shifts smoothly up and down the gears. You can easily downshift into 1st while the car is moving, there is no pop out in any gear. The car starts easily every single time and holds its idle just as it should, no matter what the outside temp. The interior shows very nicely as the whole car really does.
Sadly, when I was about to ship the car to Texas for the new owner, he and his family suffered a death of a close family member. I was happy to hold onto the car over several weeks while they sorted out the future and the family business. About 6 weeks later I got a call saying it was just a really bad time for him and his family, they needed to go a different direction with the cars, so he asked me to sell it for him. He never even saw the car in person, let alone had the chance to drive it. It’s a sad situation and I have been charged with assisting in the sale of the car.
As I mentioned, this is one of the nicest running and driving SC’s you will come across, it still turns heads everywhere I have taken it despite the 5 footer paint. The car is absolutely a blast to drive.
@carplanet In the gallery is a record for the head studs. The original owner chimed in on the auction this past winter and confirmed the top end being done. There are recent leakdown and compression numbers on one of the RO's in the gallery. There are RO's for the huge amount of work through the last 5 years in the gallery too. There is a huge organized three ringed binder for a vast amount of records.
Bid in the amount of $9,110
Any records of the engine rebuild?