Porsche 911 S/T. – PISTON.MY
Two versions of the Porsche 911 S/T, separated by more than fifty years, now share the same garage: the original 1972 race car and the modern reinterpretation from 2024. Both are finished in Light Yellow, paint code 117, a colour that ties their very different stories together.
The first car began life as a 911 2.5 S/T and famously won its GT class at the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans. What happened afterwards is less certain. By the time it was discovered decades later in a barn near San Francisco, it was a wreck. Rust, accident damage, and layers of poor repainting had erased almost all traces of its past.
The last documented race was in May 1975 at Riverdale, with Don Lindley driving.
The task was extensive. At Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur in Zuffenhausen, the car was stripped down to bare metal, with its body realigned and missing components fabricated using original technical drawings and sheet-metal gauges.
More than 1,000 hours of skilled handwork went into the bodywork alone.
Once rebuilt, the bare shell received modern cathodic dip coating to protect against corrosion, before being repainted in its original Light Yellow. After two and a half years, the restoration was complete in 2016.
The car was returned to its owner as it had left the factory in 1972, down to period-correct decals and the number 41 it carried at Le Mans.
The story continued when the same owner commissioned Porsche Sonderwunsch to create a modern 911 S/T in the same colour. The 2024 model wears Light Yellow, code 117, a shade absent from Porsche’s palette for decades. Applying the paint to carbon fibre components required particular care, as the light tone offers low coverage, but the Sonderwunsch team achieved a flawless finish.
The car is fitted with lightweight forged magnesium wheels in Darksilver, black brake callipers, and a black interior.
Underneath, the modern 911 S/T retains its factory specification: a naturally aspirated four-litre flat-six producing 525PS, revving to 9,000 rpm, and paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. With a kerb weight of just 1,380kg, it continues the lightweight spirit of its predecessor.
Porsche 911 S/T. – PISTON.MY
Together, the two cars illustrate different ways of preserving and extending a legacy. The 1972 S/T was returned to its exact original state through painstaking restoration and historical documentation.
The 2024 S/T, by contrast, shows how Porsche can reinterpret heritage through its Sonderwunsch programme, blending design cues from the past with modern engineering.
In both cases, the same principle applies: every car built or restored under Porsche’s care must meet the standards of its series-production vehicles, backed by the same warranty. The result is not just nostalgia, but tangible proof of how the past and present can coexist in Porsche’s approach to craftsmanship.