Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The Aventurine Green Metallic 1996 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S we featured in early January is still looking for a new owner and is back up for auction. Pricing remains more or less the same, though the seller has now provided some leeway by making it a No Reserve Auction with a starting bid of $72,500, while keeping the Buy It Now price at $75,000. I can’t help but think that the lack of quality pictures is holding this car back a bit, but at the moment the ad remains unchanged.
Jeremy Clarkson was fond of saying that sticking a Turbo badge on a car made it better. Didn’t matter the car, if it said Turbo it was good! In this way, the 911 market agrees completely with Jeremy. An air-cooled 911 Turbo is a highly sought after commodity in any guise, and for good reason. Enhanced performance trumps almost anything but the rarest of the naturally-aspirated models and given that a Turbo had a higher cost of entry to begin with we can understand why the market for them has remained so strong. As the last of the breed the 993 Turbo has held a special place in the heart of most Porschephiles, even if its all-wheel drive system dims the ferocity and purity of its dynamics to some degree. But the fact that it is the most advanced air-cooled model and, arguably, the prettiest of all the 911 Turbos lends it credence any debate and it is sure to maintain a high place within the 911 market for many years to come. The example we see here is a Guards Red 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo, located in Texas, with Tan interior and only 8,646 miles on it.
In the realm of Porsche 928s, there are two models to keep an eye on these days. The ultimate version of this GT car, the 928GTS and very early versions, such as this mint 1978 928 with only 34,709 miles and equipped with the desirable 5-speed manual gearbox. This example comes to us from our reader Joe, who is friends with the folks over at 928 Classics. This 928 is listed concurrently in our Self Service Classifieds and is a very early model, serial number 0241. There are a few issues on this one to iron out, but nothing major. In silver with Pinstripe cloth, it’s a livery that still looks fresh to this day.
The 911 S/T is one of those cars you could spend your life trying to find and never come across a real one. Produced in very limited numbers from 1970 to 1971, we might think of the S/T as a track-oriented 911S or as a precursor to the much heralded Carrera RS. Either way these were lightened and more powerful versions of the 911 intended for endurance and rally racing. I’ve come across various figures for total production numbers, but it seems like that number is fewer than 40. How many survive today? I’m not sure. As a track car we can assume it is very, very few. That means they are a popular car to try and recreate and we find them in a wide variety of performance and aesthetic combinations. The one constant: once complete they are fantastic cars to look at and I can only assume even better to drive. The recreation we see here began life as a Sepia Brown 1972 911E and then at some point it was converted into what we see here. The seller makes clear that this is a barn find, so specific details on the build are not available and he has not put a ton of work into getting the car into pristine shape. He tuned it and got it running, but all in all it really doesn’t look in bad shape.
It’s been a while since I’ve written up a 928 and I always enjoy revisiting these wonderful Porsche GTs. While the 928 finally is starting to show its age, it’s remarkable to consider how long the basic design had survived even by the time the model was discontinued and thus a bit of age at this point remains a testament to the seemingly timeless nature of that original design. The example here comes from the final model variant, the GTS, which continued the 928’s gradual evolution, smoothing some of the lines while showcasing a wider rear. Power came through a 5.4 liter V8 that directed 350 hp to the rear wheels via a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission. Sadly, this one has the auto. The 928 was always a high tech and pricey vehicle for its time and as such finding one that has been well maintained is important for avoiding some unpleasant surprises. This one appears in very nice shape all around.
