1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

In 1984, when the 911 Carrera debuted, you might forgive the layman for not realizing a new model had come. By all appearance, it didn’t seem like anything had changed, though a careful observer would note the now integrated fog lights. A very careful observer might also notice that the rear decklid was adorned with a Carrera badge. Porsche had resurrected the Carrera name for this new model, a change that has continued through today as every subsequent naturally-aspirated 911 has worn that same badge. The most significant change to the car also lay under that badge: the new higher compression 3.2 liter flat-six that brought with it both increased performance and also increased economy. The 911 Carrera would be the last of the classic 911 design and as such has been a favorite of many Porsche enthusiasts. They aren’t typically the great value that they once were and excellent examples tend to be snapped up quickly, both points serving as testimony to how enjoyable these great 911s remain even today. The car featured here is a 1984 Grand Prix White Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, located in Santa Barbara, with just 40,979 miles on it.

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Year: 1984
Model: 911 Carrera Cabriolet
Engine: 3.2 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 40,979 mi
Price: Reserve auction

Offered for sale is our striking, exceptionally original, 40,979 original mile, mechanically excellent, two owner 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet finished in ever tasteful Grand Prix White over a Medium Blue leather interior. The car was ordered as a tourist delivery car in the Spring of 1984, with the original owner taking delivery in Stuttgart while vacationing across Europe with his wife. After the car had been shipped back to the original owner’s home in New Jersey, he took it in to his local dealership for one of the early routine services. While he was waiting to speak with the service advisor, he noticed a framed poster of a white 930 Cabriolet hanging on the wall and immediately fell in love. Whether that was with the look of the car in the poster or its driver (you’ll understand when you look at the last picture in the set), he bought the poster off the wall and had the service advisor order him a set of BBS honeycomb wheels and a factory original Grand Prix White 930 decklid with spoiler. While not original to the car from the factory, it is a factory correct Porsche part installed by the dealer and we rather like the way it makes an otherwise bland example look.

The car was always garaged and used as a cherished weekend driver until 1995, at which point the original owner retired and relocated to Palm Beach, Florida. It would remain in his garage there until 1998, at which point – having turned a mere 36,000 original miles over 14 years of ownership – he decided to trade the car to Marshall Goldman Motor Sales, a well known sports, exotic and luxury dealership in Cleveland, Ohio. Marshall Goldman promptly sold the car to its second owner, an Ohioan who would bring the car with him when he moved his family to Colorado in 2000. Using the car in a similar capacity as the first owner, he accrued only +/-4,000 weekend cruising miles over the 16+ years he owned the car before we acquired it from him earlier this summer.

The Grand Prix White finish is in excellent condition, consistently deep and lustrous and marred only by the most negligible of touched-up imperfections (a few professionally touched up rock chips), none of which detract from the car’s considerable appeal. The body is entirely straight and free of dents, with factory consistent panel fits and gaps throughout and no evidence of any accidents. All of the glass and rubber is in excellent condition, the deep blue soft top has been freshly replaced in the correct German canvas and the wonderfully era-specific BBS wheels are flawless and wrapped in Dunlop tires with plenty of remaining tread. The car’s undercarriage is completely rust-free, original and untouched, showing only the wear and road dust consistent with 40k miles of well-cared-for use.

The car’s interior is equally as clean, the optional blue leather sport seats showing only nominal wear to the driver seat bolster and the carpets and interior panels in great original shape. While the dash shows some warping typical to most 1980s 911s, it is free of cracks and it houses a Blaupunkt radio and cassette player. Opening the boot reveals clean, undamaged carpet lining covering an entirely original front compartment, and the car retains its original options sticker denoting the following option codes:

Code Option Description
018 Sport Steering Wheel with Elevated Hub
070 Full Tonneau Cover – Cabriolet (the car also comes with the standard boot cover as well)
348 Forged Wheels – Grand Prix White
401 Light Metal Wheels
409 Sport Seats Left and Right (Leather)
900 Tourist Delivery
C02 Equipped with Catalytic Converter

The car is also mechanically excellent, the bulletproof 3.2L engine fires up without any smoke or hesitation, pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the original 5 speed transmission’s gears. Compression is excellent, as is oil pressure, and it’s easy to understand why this era of 911s is one of the most desirable: it beautifully melds efficiency, reliability and everyday ride quality with a truly visceral, vintage driving feel that is sure to provide anyone behind the wheel a wonderfully grin-inducing experience.

If you’re in the market for a 3.2L 911 Carrera, this beautiful example deserves your serious consideration. It checks all the right boxes: exceedingly original, excellent two owner provenance, low mileage (documented by a flawless CARFAX report), desirable livery, clean cosmetics and strong, well-maintained mechanicals. With the market reflecting continued and rapid appreciation, this is arguably one of the best examples of one of Porsche’s best creations and we’re sure it will provide its next owner as much pleasure and pride of ownership as it did its two prior. Please bid accordingly.

We want this car to go to great home and would be happy to answer any questions, so please feel free to email us or call us at 805-202-4557. You can also visit us online at GoodmanReed.

While many buyers would probably prefer a Carrera of this mileage to come with the correct original wheels, these BBS RS wheels just look fantastic. I can’t say I prefer the Turbo add-ons, but otherwise this is a really good looking example of the 3.2 Carrera Cabriolet with a nice contrast between the exterior and interior colors that appears carefully maintained. Being an ’84 model means that this still has the 915 5-speed transmission so bidding shouldn’t reach the fevered heights of the later models with the G50. We’re still pretty early in the auction so bidding is low, but hopefully as an earlier 3.2 Carrera this one can remain a reasonable value.

-Rob