I have been enjoying my jaunt through the world of classic 911s looking at examples of the 911SC and 3.2 Carrera. We’ve seen a few nice, and reasonably priced, Targas, a couple very nice Coupes, and a very pretty Carrera Cabriolet. That last model will take our focus in this post as we look at examples from both the beginning and end of the 3.2 Carrera’s model run. 1983, the last year of 911SC production, was the first year Porsche produced a 911 Cabriolet and since there was only one year for those models, it is to the 3.2 Carrera that we typically must turn when looking for the combination of a fully-open cockpit with that classic 911 design. I wouldn’t classify the two we see here as especially rare colors since each is more a subtle variant of a common color, but the color combinations are not ones that we come across very frequently. Those combinations definitely bring with them an extra level of scarcity with these. We will begin with the example from the first year of 3.2 Carrera production, a Slate Blue Metallic 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet located in California with Grey Beige leather interior and 48,133 miles on it.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet on eBay
Year: 1984
Model: 911 Carrera Cabriolet
Engine: 3.2 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 48,133 mi
Price: Reserve Auction
Offered for sale is a gorgeous, 48,133 original mile, mechanically excellent 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet finished in uncommon and desirable Slate Blue Metallic (Schieferblaumetallic) over a Grey Beige interior. Sold new by Pioneer Porsche Audi in Denver, CO, where it would serve three local Denver owners over its 31+ years until we acquired it this winter. Throughout that period it was always garaged and well maintained, always treated as a seasonal fair weather weekend driver, never used in cold, rain or snow. It consequently comes as no surprise that the car remains exceptionally clean and mechanically turn-key, ready to be enjoyed by its next owner.
The Slate Blue Metallic finish is in excellent condition, consistently deep and lustrous and marred only by the most negligible of imperfections (a few professionally touched up rock chips, etc.), none of which detract from the car’s considerable appeal. The body is entirely straight 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 soft top was recently replaced with correct German canvas and the OEM Fuchs 16×8 and 16×9 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 48k miles of well-cared-for use.
The car’s interior is equally as clean, the Grey Beige seats showing only nominal wear and the carpets and interior panels in great original condition. The original dash houses a more modern Kenwood CD/Radio/Aux unit, however the original Blaupunkt unit remains with the car. Everything works, including the A/C, power mirrors, cruise control and power windows. Opening the boot reveals clean, undamaged lining covering an entirely original front compartment, replete with the space-saver spare tire, complete original took kit and original factory data sticker on the interior of the hood. The car also comes with it’s original owner manual and service booklet, multiple keys as well as an entirely clean CARFAX report.
The car has always been well maintained (most recently by German Car Shoppe in Denver) and is mechanically excellent, the bulletproof 3.2L engine firing up without any smoke or hesitation, pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the original 5 speed transmission’s gears. The engine is dry and compression is excellent (180 across all cylinders), oil pressure is strong and the clutch and rear struts are both new. From behind the wheel 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 the driver a 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: low mileage, very original, desirable livery, clean cosmetics and strong, well-maintained mechanicals. With the market reflecting continued 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 three prior.
Of the Carrera Cabriolets we are going to look at here this is definitely the prettier of the two. The exterior color is really nice, providing an oceanic vibe that I always enjoy on a Cabriolet; the color matches the spirit of the car. The interior color is interesting. They’ve called it Grey Beige and I guess that’s reasonably descriptive as it looks like a duller beige than what I’ve typically seen. I’m not sure I prefer it over many of the other tan color choices, but it works pretty well with this exterior color. Altogether the presentation here is excellent and I imagine this Carrera will have plenty of suitors, especially if bidding remains on the low end as it is now at $30,100. That bidding stands in stark contrast to the asking price of our other Carrera, a Gold 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet located in New York with Burgundy leather interior and 31,249 miles on it.
Over the course of the 3.2 Carrera life’s it saw the typical evolutionary improvements to refinement and performance (a 10 hp increase came in 1987) that is typical of most models, but generally speaking – with one notable exception – an ’84 and ’89 are very similar. That exception, however, is important: beginning with the ’87MY the 3.2 Carrera would now be equipped with the G-50 5-speed transmission, which provided smoother shifting along with better durability. The trade-off was that it was heavier. Regardless, that change in transmission has elevated the values of the later model years and when added to the incremental increases in value we see with each passing year an ’89 and ’84 Carrera tend to command significantly different values.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet on eBay
Year: 1989
Model: 911 Carrera Cabriolet
Engine: 3.2 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 31,249 mi
Price: $75,000 Buy it Now
This is a 1989 Porsche 911 Cabriolet with 31249 original miles.This car is in exceptional condition and has been well serviced. Car was recently serviced at well known Porsche specialist Rennwerke LTD. in September of 2015 ( 31090), new oil, filters, battery, 4 new tires, all new brakes front and back. Car had a new clutch installed at 27000 miles. Car comes with original owners manual and service booklet and service records. Car runs exceptionally well and is one of the best G50 examples we have seen. For more details call 631-283-8819
Like the Slate Blue example we began with, this Gold Carrera Cabriolet presents quite well and comes in a color combination that stands outside the norm. It would have been nice to get a picture of this Carrera in the sun so we could see how that Gold paint flashes under direct light. Shade makes the exterior look a little dull, but the Burgundy interior comes across quite nicely. With an asking price of $75K this one is aiming at top dollar and I don’t think it’s in quite that sort of condition. Nonetheless, I do expect it will command a good bit of value.
For me, the Slate Blue ’84 would be my choice between these two. It’s prettier, should cost a good bit less money, and I think the condition looks a little better. Neither of these Carreras looks in poor shape by any means, but the Slate Blue 911 looks a little crisper in most every aspect. That said, if the prices were to come much closer together then it would become tough to ignore the overall improvements these models saw throughout their time. Either way, new owners of these two should be getting some fine options.
-Rob
Funny that the factory upped the hp by 10 starting in 1987. It is my understanding that there was no difference in any of the engine specs year over year for the 3.2 but rather it was Porsche’s own in house engine bench tests that led them to decide that the 3.2 cars were coming out of the factory with hp numbers consistently higher than that which they were advertising – so they changed the number to match the test results.