Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Generally, when someone says that the price of a car has dropped $10,000 it’s a fire sale. For example, I’ve never bought a car for more than $10,000! But when you’re talking a rare, one of one Ruf BTR Lightweight, a $10,000 price drop means that the asking price is still a staggering $248,500. While this will remain eye candy to nearly everyone who reads this, I still thought it was worth a second look!
In the world of Porsche tuners, Gemballa is one of the wilder companies. Starting out in 1981, Uwe Gemballa’s first creation was the Avalanche, based on the 911 3.2 Slantnose. Wider fenders, side strakes akin to what was seen on the Ferrari Testarossa and a host of interior upgrades were the order of the day. The wild excess of the 1980s led to a bit more subtle aftermarket kits in the 1990s and greater performance. For a time, a 600 bhp Gemballa 911 held a lap record at the Nürburgring before being surpassed by a Carrera GT. The company’s fortunes took a sad turn in 2010. Uwe Gemballa suddenly went missing in February of that year, only to be found murdered several months later. The CEO, Andreas Schwarz, along with an investor was able to buy the brand rights and in August 2010 Gemballa GmbH was formed.
The car we see here for sale in Phoenix, Arizona is a 993-based Turbo Cabriolet. After the 3.3 liter Turbo Cabriolet of the 1980s, Porsche would never again offer an air-cooled Turbo Cabriolet. So what should have been a no brainer in the product portfolio turns out to be rather special in this case. It’s an interesting mix of 1980s styling cues with more current 911 underpinnings.
Ever since Pablo has joined us here at GCFSB, my appreciation for the front-engine, water-cooled Porsches of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s has grown greater than before. I never was one to view it as a lesser Porsche, as some 911 fanatics seem to. My interest in them grew stronger as Porsche unleashed a wave of new models beginning in the last decade that didn’t quite appeal to the enthusiast in me.
When the 928 was introduced, it earned the European Car of the Year award in 1978, the only sports car to ever have earned this acclaim. However, as 928 production came to a close, it wasn’t a huge seller. Not even 3,000 of the last iteration, the 928GTS, were sold from 1993 to 1995. I generally prefer the later 928s, but there’s something about the early ones that I can appreciate. It’s a pure design, one which has withstood the test of time. This 1980 example has been owned by the same person for the last 30 years and hasn’t cracked 50,000 miles yet.
The final year 964 Carrera 4 Widebody we featured back in June is back up for sale at the same price as before. These 964s are quite rare, this example being one of 238 produced. Will it fetch a premium over your standard 964 C4?
One of the drawbacks to writing about cars for sale is that generally our only actual experience of that particular car is through the pictures and ads we peruse. There are exceptions, but that’s the basic nature of it. That means when we come across particularly interesting examples it naturally creates a strong desire to see more and to really spend time taking in all of the details in a way that any number of pictures could never achieve. Such is the case with this car, a Cassis Red 1987 Porsche 930, located in New Jersey, with Burgundy leather interior and only 20,342 miles. Every shift of the lighting and every movement of the body changes the color of this car just slightly and when that shade is applied to a design that is as aggressive as the 930 it leads to a renewed appreciation for what has always been a fantastic car. I go back and forth on whether I think this color works well with the ethos of the 930 itself, but even so it’s a pleasure to take in.