The most unloved, underrated and undervalued Porsche 911 ever

Why is the Porsche 911 SC so cheap?

In recent years the price of air-cooled 911s has soared, especially the 964 and the 993. Some now fetch £100k plus in the UK.

So why is the 1978 to 1983 'Super Carrera' so underrated? (Is that really what the SC stands for? Watch and find out).

Why can you still just about buy one for under £40,000? But how long will these bargain-basement Stuttgart classics stay cheap when people realise how awesome this underdog really is?

[bvgaragebvgarage]

A bit over 6 years I was between a Subaru BRZ and a 911sc.. both were the same money and both had similar performance stats. I bought the 911sc and have been loving it ever since! Best choice I made in my life!

[NickMossEarly]

My first 911, in 1982, was a 1978 911SC Sport in Petrol Blue and the same Cork interior as yours. Excellent memories

[davidmorais]

I have a 3.2 M491 Targa and a 997.2 C4S 6-sp Cabrio. I also have 3 105’s Alfas. I’m just as happy tootling along in my 90hp 1966 Alfa Guilia Ti as I am in the 997. It’s about enjoying these cars for their sheer beauty and engineering marvel. I get a thrill out of each one. Throws you back in time when designers and engineers worked to produce unique machines for a much smaller market. When I drive my old school cars, I’m transported to a gentleman player of that time. They are very cool.

[timbodancer]

Nice video. I own a 911S from 1976. I have to be honest, main reason for me is the look of the car. The younger ones are for sure better performing but I like the 70s models. It took me 5 years to get my car perfect. And I do not want to imagine how much it might cost and take to restore a younger Porsche. What is not there will not break. I love the pure driving experience of a 100% mechanical car.

[lougiovannetti]

I love my 1980 911SC. It truly is a drivers car and is dependable!

[jeremybarker]

What a breath of fresh air. A fantastic video full of great dialog and perfectly on point that you don't meed high HP to enjoy driving. Really enjoyed this.

[neilhurt]

I couldn't agree more my friend. Who really needs 1000BHP in a road car? I was lucky enough to own a 1995 Ferrari F355 with a 'mere' 380BHP and boy was that enough! My little 1996 993 Carrera has 'only' 285 BHP but that certainly feels fast enough in any normal conditions! Loving the vid, cheers from a rather drizzly Otford, Kent, UK.

[danedaniels]

The 78:SC saved Porsche after the disastrous 75-77 thermal reactor cars that burned up their engines. The SC had two problems corrected in 1980. Porsche used hydraulic chain tensioners (instead of mechanical). When they failed, the engine usually suffered sever damage. They also used rubber center clutch plates (to cut down on noise). These would shred causing serious engine overheating revs.

[corym]

In the US I don't think SCs have ever been unloved. That title goes to the mid-year 74 to 77 cars with narrow rear quarters and the 2.7 that had a bunch of problems. The 3 liter SC engine has always had a reputation for being bulletproof.

[adanreinosa]

My 1981 SC has 455k miles...Los Angeles brawler...engine rebuilt at 400k miles...just refreshed it at 455k tranny and all DIY...40 years with 914-6, THIS is a machine, my Gretchen...I entirely agree with you that it is not numbers output HP..PDK...ETC... but the nuance and unique feel that an analog car delivers...yes manual indeed!!....I will take an SC over more modern ....if not, drive an iPhone with wheels, a Tesla...oh please not men. Excellent video thank you so much....

[ism]

The SC is a lovely car and regret selling mine 😢and miss it dearly, but could never pay £40-£50k grand today for one, after paying £12k for one in the early 2000s with £6k rebuilt motor, when you can get a good 997 for £20-25k today.. ok not quite the same but no way a 50% lesser car..

[gprojectnoob]

I worked at a Porsche dismantler for a bunch years specializing in the 911s. I would not compare the 964 chassis to Carreras. They are abaout as different as the 964 is to the 996. The 964 chassis really is very different from the other 911's. The tunnel in the center made them alot stiffer and the coilover/strut suspension over the torsion bar setup is a huge difference too and why i prefered them. None of the steel panels are the same below the roof with the exception of the doors and front hood which were G50 revisions. (doors added single wiring harness hole, hood got washer nozzle holes). 2WD Brake boosters got stuck in between the front wheels instead of under the hood like Carreras. There is very little difference between 74-89 911's. Biggest i would say is G50 cars rear suspension Xmember had an indent to fit the G50 trans. Otherwise most everything else was cosmetic changes and engine displacement. 915 trans were just revisions over the years until the G50 showed up. Top tip, the width of the 964 at the rocker panel seams varied by 5/8" between about 12x 964s i measured. "Handmade"

[MrTimstaaa]

I follow probably close to 100 car channels on YouTube and I only just discovered yours when it popped up on my feed. Great review. You just earned another subscriber 👍🏼

[jamwok]

Enjoyable video thanks, i had a 997.2 then I bought a 1983 SC about 5 yrs ago to go along side it, I paid £50k for it, which was enough money, but it had a box file full of everything it’s had done since day one, bodywork completely restored, engine had been rebuilt some yrs previous, still pulls like a train, interior is original but still very tidy, if I’m honest I’ve probably spent another £10k on it, transmission rebuilt, suspension, engine tin wear, tyres etc etc so I’m most likely in negative equity with it for the foreseeable future but I don’t regret a penny because I love it and never plan to sell it, unlike my 997 which I’ve now sold and honestly don’t miss it at all.

[selwynpetterson]

I had 2 ! Loved them, be very very careful in the wet !

[paulmoor]

Two things I did when I owned 911SCs....change gearbox oil for Swepco....amazing difference.. Also change for oil fed tensioner....I drove mine as daily...year round. A bulletproof 911.

[noahzohs]

My first running Porsche was an SC.... A super reliable God send from Stuttgart. I made 20k after owning the car for just over 2 years too. I miss it.

[Brian-uytj]

No matter what you say, these are the BEST looking 911's of all.

[RovingChestnut]

Can’t believe I’ve not found your channel before! Subscribed today and look forward to watching the back catalogue

[genomedia]

I've been searching high and low to find which cars have the character you're describing between 6:50 and 11:02, and it's honestly shocking how few I've been able to find, just about 3 or 4 cars so far (I'm sure there are more to be found, but the point is that they're really rare). Love your take here