The last 1988 Porsche 924S Special Edition I wrote up in November was an interesting one, as it languished in a second-hand dealer with low miles and recovered seats with a seller who was apparently unaware exactly what it was but was still asking close to top dollar. Well, the secret is out on that particular example, at least to some extent. Just before Christmas, the listing was updated from around $9,000 to just shy of $19,000 in order to account for the new description which listed the car as one of the 500 “Le Mans” edition cars. While the seller’s claim is semantically incorrect, it appears they finally did some research and figured out that this indeed was one of the Special Edition U.S. spec 924S models (as a reminder to those less versed in the 1988 924S model, the “Le Mans” edition was a European equivalent Club Sport model). While that car isn’t really realistically priced anymore, there’s another of these defacto Club Sport models on eBay right now in the same scenario – at least from the listing, the seller is unaware that it’s the Special Edition model:
Category: Porsche
Modified Porsches, especially those which take aim at the look of an iconic model like the Carrera RS, are all about that first impression. While the details ultimately are what is important, we come across enough of these builds that it becomes easy to pass by many of them before those details even become apparent. Since you’re seeing it here, it should be clear that this one attracted enough attention to warrant a closer look. The details here are somewhat straightforward: this was originally a 1976 911S now fitted with the engine from a 3.2 Carrera mated to the 915 5-speed transmission. In typical fashion the exterior is completed with flares, a ducktail spoiler, and a set of Fuchs-style wheels all draped in Talbot Yellow with Black accents. The interior takes its cues from the Carrera RS with most amenities deleted and a set of Recaro seats that while not period-correct still look mighty good inside this 911. Mechanically it’d have been great if this were taken up a few notches, though that does tend to raise the asking price significantly. Perhaps this one may best serve as a canvas for additional performance upgrades should a new owner desire them. Strictly on appearance this one looks quite good.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1976 Porsche 911S – Carrera RS Tribute on eBay
1 CommentHere is something we don’t come across everyday. Not only a very rare Porsche 959, but one of the original prototypes Porsche used for development testing of the components that would be fitted to these technological marvels. The ad below can tell you the specific history of this prototype so I won’t regurgitate that here, but the short version is that this prototype was involved in ABS and tire testing at the high-speed ring in Nardo, Italy. Once 959 production was completed and the prototype was retired from testing service it was returned to the Porsche factory for a full refurbishment before making its way to its first private owner. Its ownership history appears to be fully documented, with much of that history spent in collections in Japan, prior to its current availability. The 959, of course, is one of Porsche’s most historic cars, most famously for the way in which it challenged the Ferrari F40 for supercar supremacy in its day. The two car makers took very different approaches to their supercars with Porsche following its generally tack of combining the best of luxury, technology, and performance in a single package while the F40 stripped out seemingly everything to offer the purest driving expression Ferrari could manage in a road car. While never really the prettiest of machines, the 959 served as a testament to Porsche’s engineering capabilities and provided a testing bed for many features that would make their way to the 911 over the years that followed. The 959 prototypes, like the one seen here, were built off of the 930 chassis and used in a variety of development settings. Reportedly 29 total were built and it is believed that 10 have survived. For collectors with a keen interest in Porsche history, I would imagine the opportunity to have one of those prototypes would be tough to pass by.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Porsche 959 Prototype on Art and Revs
4 CommentsI have in many cases hesitated to post cars from this dealer. It isn’t uncommon for sellers, especially many of the dealers, to photoshop their cars so that they look that little bit extra special. This dealer appears to do it to a higher degree than many others and that always makes judging the condition of the car more difficult and generally raises questions. But this one is too pretty to pass by. It’s also not a shade we see very often on these early Turbos. This is a Minerva Blue Metallic 1979 Porsche 930, located in Indiana, with 75,764 miles on it. Going back to those pictures, we are provided with a wide range of detail shots that don’t appear touched up so we do get a good sense of various aspects of the car, including the interior, along with a closer look at that wonderful exterior blue. I always have a soft spot for these shades of blue and on the 930, with its various contrasting black trim pieces, I really find it to be an enticing color. As a ’79 MY 930 this one has the increased displacement and air-to-air intercooler of the 3.3 liter flat-six Porsche fitted in 1978 and also is the last model year in which Porsche would bring the 930 to US shores prior to its 6 year hiatus.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 Porsche 930 on eBay
6 CommentsAs a general rule final model year cars always hold a particular cachet and command a premium over their predecessors. That isn’t mind-blowing news or anything, but what I suppose we can wonder is just how much of a premium makes sense. That is more or less where I am at with this car, a Guards Red over Cashmere Beige 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet located in New York with 28,822 miles on it. In a way I’m at a similar crossroads to my feelings on the two ultra-low-mileage and rare color 911s I’ve posted over the past weeks. They were otherwise standard Carreras and as such I wonder how high they may ever go – or at least their ceiling over the next decade. This one seems to be banking on the final model year designation, which of course in this case is compounded by it being the last air-cooled model as well, to reach its high asking price. There is no doubt that for those seeking the full open-top experience in an air-cooled 911 that an example like this one serves as a good place to start. It’s the most modern and refined air-cooled 911 available and the 993’s lines seem to work a little better with the Cabriolet shape than on some other 911s.