“The Classic Sports Car Evolves”
For 1980, the SC version of Porsche’s long-running 911 continued with the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injected 172 bhp 3.0 liter/183 ci flat six. With the standard five-speed manual transmission, Car and Driver reached 60 mph in 6.0 seconds, with a top speed of 130 mph in the 2,700-pound 911 SC (the 2025 911 Carrera weighs approximately 3,350 pounds). Fuel mileage was 16 city/28 highway by the day’s standards with premium gas. With a 21.2-gallon gas tank, a 911 SC’s proud new owner could expect a 340 to 375 mile range with a 10% fuel reserve.
The 911 was certainly not an entry-level Porsche: in 1980, that was left to the 924 (starting at $15,970). The 911 SC’s $27,700 base price is about $119,300 in 2025 dollars and within 10% of what a 2025 911 Carrera coupe costs. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included a front spoiler, tinted glass, a front oil cooler, rack and pinion steering, and four-wheel vented disc brakes. Inside, reclining front bucket seats, a center console, fold-down rear seats, power windows, an air conditioner, a quartz clock, a driver’s side mirror with electric defrost, and an electric rear window defogger were all standard.
Weissach Special Edition & Individual Options
For 1980, American customers were offered a Special Edition 911 SC Weissach for a substantial $32,000 ($137,900 now or about what a 2025 911 Carrera T coupe costs). Porsche built 468 units, with included a flexible lip on the front spoiler, the original 911 Turbo Carerra’s wing on the decklid, Bilstein shocks, Fuchs wheels with Platinum Metallic painted centers, Pirelli CN30 radial tires, and Doric Gray leather front bucket seats with burgundy piping. Half were built in Black Metallic and half in Platinum Metallic.
Individual options for the 911 SC included metallic paint ($625), front rectangular fog lights, an electric sliding sunroof ($850), sport shock absorbers, Pirelli tires, and forged alloy wheels ($1,510). Inside, you could add genuine leather front bucket seats ($895), cruise control, a Porsche CR stereo, and an electric antenna with four speakers.
Period Reviews & Production Numbers
It’s hard to believe at this point, but in 1980 it was thought the 911 was on its way out, and car magazines considered this when they reviewed it. Car and Driver‘s tagline for their appreciative review was The Golden Oldie Hangs in There. Road & Track‘s equivalent was The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Porsche sold 4,242 911 SC coupes in the United States in the 1980 model year.
The View From 2025
911 SCs from the 1980s have held their values very well. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1980 Porsche 911 SC coupe in #1/Concours condition is $128,000, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $59,000. A targa version can sell for up to $123,000, while a Weissach Edition tops out at $133,000.
Porsche 911 SCs have (of course) excellent club support from many sources and are often available in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. As I updated this blog entry in October 2025, a Zinc Metallic 1982 coupe with a tan interior and 142,000 miles is for sale on Hemmings, asking $60,000.
Make mine Oak Green Metallic, please.
Other eighties Porsches I have written about include the 1980 924 hatchback coupe, the 1982 924 Turbo hatchback coupe, the 1982 928 hatchback coupe, the 1985 911 Carrera Cabriolet, the 1986 911 Turbo coupe, the 1986 944 Turbo hatchback coupe, the 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe, and the 1988 944 hatchback coupe.
Last updated October 2025.
Eighties Cars 