Chassis No. 11801124
Engine No. 4081409
Transmission No. 2281721

A digital copy of this 1968 911 S Coupe's Kardex warranty card reveals that it was first sold via MAHAG Porsche of Munich, Germany on 20 June 1968. Finished in the highly desirable shade of Blutorange (Tangerine) over a Black upholstered interior with Corduroy seat inserts, the coupe was selected without any additional options, a light weight specification of sorts—most notably ordered without an electric sliding sunroof. Powering this second-year 911 S was the highest performing series production engine available. While Porsche's flat-six now seems eternal, it was just four years old at that point yet had already been modified to produce 40 additional DIN horsepower, now clocking in at 170 per period Porsche sales brochures. Naturally, the sporting five-speed manual transmission and lighter forged Fuchs wheels were standard on the 911 S, rather than an additional extra as on other 911 models. So too were strengthened struts, Koni adjustable shock absorbers, stiffer sway bars, a leather-covered steering wheel, additional instrumentation, fog lights, and thicker carpets among other items.

As is well-known, the top-of-the-line 911 S model was withheld from the United States in 1968 due to Porsche's fears regarding new emissions regulations and, as a result, the model is rare stateside. Being told the best 911 of the year was unavailable hit Dave Evans hard enough that the San Diego, California resident traveled to Europe in December 1968, found this 911 S Coupe—chassis number 11801124—in Germany, and imported it to the U.S. before the end of that year. The acquisition began a 37-year ownership span with the car stored within a shipping container for the majority of it, beginning in the late 1970s.

In 2005 the car passed to a longtime friend in La Mesa, California for a short period and then reluctantly to its third owner, Christopher Bramwell of El Cajon, California in 2006. It was Bramwell who utilized a number of the Golden State's “who's who” to individually restore certain components of the 911. Autobahn Interiors recovered a pair of period-correct sport seats to match the original upholstery specification, Al Reed Polishing correctly refinished the Fuchs wheels, Just Dashes refinished the original dashboard, and a repaint in its correct shade of 6809 Tangerine was conducted by Euro Sport. In 2011, the car was acquired by Jeff Lewis after spotting it at the 2010 Dana Point Concours. Lewis showed his “Tangerine Dream” at the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea during the 2011 Pebble Beach Car Week, and later it would be featured in the April 2013 issue of Excellence. In January 2016 the 911 S entered the highly regarded Porsche-focused collection of the current owner. Before leaving Southern California for the first time in 48 years, the new caretaker brought the 911 S Coupe to Henk Baars' well-known Carparc in Costa Mesa for an engine rebuild and major service that totaled approximately $27,000.

This exceptional, show-worthy, matching numbers example of Porsche's most sporting 911 for 1968 remains just as desirable today as when Dave Evans traveled to Germany 57 years ago. It is arguably finished in Porsche's most evocative late 1960s shade of Tangerine and ordered without a sunroof. Simultaneously, it boasts a known chain of dry-climate Southern California owners and has been serviced by many of the best names in the community, in effect forming the perfect storm for those searching for the ideal short wheelbase 911 S.