Wanted an S. Found a T. How disappointed will I be?

[BenGee 2.0L Find all posts View Profile Close BenGee]

Greetings all. New guy here.

So I've been on the hunt for a solid S, preferably a 72/73 like my Dad used to have, but stumbled across an opportunity to buy a well-cared for 72T at a good price. My question, having never driven a T, is how disappointed might I be with a T compared to an S when I've only experienced the latter? Would really like to hear from some of you who have owned both. Thanks. BG.

[Stretch32 2.3L Find all posts View Profile Close Stretch32]

I’m no expert but, having owned a ‘71T and driven a few S or S-spec cars, I would be happy with either. I loved my T because it was a great driver and I would often park my modern car for weeks on end when the weather was nice and daily my 911. A T just seemed to be a very streetable all round 911 in my opinion. It sounded great even with a stock muffler and did everything I wanted it to do. I still regret selling it a few years ago to buy a 356C….

While there’s always something to be said for more power, I felt a T is nice because you can use all of it and, generally, not worry about going to jail. It really depends on how you plan to drive the car. If it’s touring and some occasional spirited driving then a well tuned T is a great 911. If your looking to peel the asphalt up behind you on every drive then an S or hotrod 911 might be a better choice.

I know others with more experience will have a more in depth opinion but I personally wouldn’t be concerned if I’d found / bought a nice T.

Stretch

[georgek 2.0L, for real Find all posts View Profile Close georgek]

A 2.0 or 2.2 S is a great car... when it screams.

an equivalent T is more user friendly, in the conditions where you can't hammer it, which is quite often.

Any good condition early 911 is a pleasure. Don't stop at the type, but at the condition

[Blucille Patina Hunter Find all posts View Profile Close Blucille]

it's much easier and more cost effective to upgrade a great/solid T to an S type driving experience than it is to buy an "ok" S and have to improve the condition of the body/chassis/floors/paint/interior.

[Tom F2 2.4 Find all posts View Profile Close Tom F2]

Based on 32 years of owning and driving air-cooled, torsion-bar-equipped 911s of all kinds, I now see these cars as mostly of historic value, yet they fascinate me as much as ever. There is nothing like a traditional air cooled 911 in terms of enchanting and involving machinery. They're all good. For real performance, there are a multitude of newer, faster, and safer cars, for less.

If you want pride of ownership, you'll want an S. As for which one, Paul Frere tested his own cars when they were new. Frere reported:

• 2.0 S, 0-60 in 6.8 secs., top speed 137.8 mph
• 2.2 S, 0-60 in 7.0 secs., top speed 143.4 mph
• 2.4 S, 0-60 in 6.6 secs., top speed 144.1 mph
• 2.7 Carrera, 0-60 in 5.8 secs, top speed 149.1 mph

This makes the 2.4 the top choice. I do, however, love the integrated front oil cooler in the 69-71 S's. And there also those who fall for the primitive charm of the original 67-68 S's.

Dollar for dollar, a T is the better choice.

Again dollar for dollar, a modified T, or even (shudder!) a backdate, is the best choice for charming and fast. But they just don't amuse me as much as an unmolested S does.

[raspritz 2.0L Find all posts View Profile Close raspritz]

I have a street '69T, which engine we upgraded to stock S-spec when it needed a rebuild. It will happily toodle along at 100+ MPH, which is plenty for the interstate. Great fun. But let's be clear; the performance of any early street 911 S or T pales in comparison with that of any modern grocery-grabber. 50+ years of performance enhancement have seen to that.

[JP aka LiveFromNY Find all posts View Profile Close JP]

I've said it before.. I think when we're talking about cars this old, it's near-impossible to make this judgement. Obviously, as new cars, the performance and driving experience was very different between models. But 50 years later, I'm a big believer that what really matters is how good your car is and who's been working on it. I have an Italian, 72T running Zenith carbs that was gone through by Bob Jones of Jones Autowerks and I feel that it's every bit the car that any of my Esses are. The thing screams. For that matter, I have a 69 912 that was setup by Steve Henry of Eagle Racing and if I took you for a ride in it with your eyes closed you'd swear it's a 911T (at least).

My advice? Buy the best car you can and find someone great to take care of it (or learn yourself). I was once a member of the S-snob crowd and I learned my lesson.

[flatsixer aka rstarga Find all posts View Profile Close flatsixer]

I've said it before.. I think when we're talking about cars this old, it's near-impossible to make this judgement. Obviously, as new cars, the performance and driving experience was very different between models. But 50 years later, I'm a big believer that what really matters is how good your car is and who's been working on it. I have an Italian, 72T running Zenith carbs that was gone through by Bob Jones of Jones Autowerks and I feel that it's every bit the car that any of my Esses are. The thing screams. For that matter, I have a 69 912 that was setup by Steve Henry of Eagle Racing and if I took you for a ride in it with your eyes closed you'd swear it's a 911T (at least).

My advice? Buy the best car you can and find someone great to take care of it (or learn yourself). I was once a member of the S-snob crowd and I learned my lesson.

Absolutely, maintenance is key! There are some crappy running RS's out there.