A Porsche enthusiast will know exactly what they are looking at when they see this 1971 911 E Targa: Marketed by Porsche as the most luxurious and comfortable model in the 911 range, the 911 E slotted right in between the 911 T and 911 S, replacing the one-year-only 911 L. “E” stood for Einspritzung—German for “injection”—as the 911 E was, like the higher-performance 911 S, fitted with a Bosch mechanical fuel injection system. The removable targa top provides an open-air driving experience without sacrificing the 911’s timeless profile. By 1971, the E engine had been greatly improved and bored out to 2.2 liters; Fuchs lightweight alloy wheels were also standard for the model. Meanwhile, examples of the Targa body style now received a fixed, electrically heated rear windscreen as standard equipment.
This particular 1971 911 E 2.2 Targa is one of just 935 examples produced for the model year, and it is clad in its factory-correct and attractive color combination of Gemini Blue Metallic over cream leatherette. Delivered to the US market in late November 1970, this fully restored and eminently presentable 911 E was acquired by the previous owner—himself a professional Porsche specialist and master upholsterer—from a Pennsylvania dealer in 2005. Having just four owners of record, he purchased the car with the singular intent to restore it; it took the past sixteen years to do just that, with the assistance of various specialist shops in Southern California.
From 2005 until 2020, the car’s cosmetic and mechanical restoration was undertaken (in stages) by the noted experts at CPR Classic Restoration of Fallbrook, California. Accompanying invoices show that the car’s numbers-matching 2.2.-liter engine received a complete teardown and subsequent rebuild, and every major system was completely refreshed with new parts. In all, invoices on file indicate several hundred line items were addressed in order to bring this 911 E back to roadgoing brilliance.
The interior work was executed by the previous owner’s hand and presents impeccably; the correct-type sport seats are finished in a polychrome blue pepita and cream leatherette which perfectly compliments the factory-spec carpeting and door cards. A Becker Europa radio is fitted into the dashboard. The car presently sits on a set of correct and restored Fuchs wheels clad in fresh period-style Pirelli P6000 tires, and a pair of external Cibie fog lights have been added—a tasteful addition which evokes a period road rallying aesthetic.
This attractive, fully restored and eminently presentable 911 E 2.2 Targa is now accompanied by an incomplete tool kit, jack, and a suite of service invoices recording the car’s sixteen-year restoration by CPR Classic Restoration.