I don’t tend to post a lot of modified 911s, in part because usually we come across plenty of interesting and original examples to showcase, but mostly because they can be notoriously difficult to evaluate from afar (and some are downright terrible). Those that I do feature tend to fall into the realm of the restomod, but from time to time I come across something that piques my interest too much to pass by. Here we have a 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa that had fallen into a somewhat poor state, but has now been restored and rebuilt though without concern for returning the car entirely to its original condition. The drivetrain remains more or less how it came from the factory, but the aesthetics have been changed quite a bit, and overall it looks very good. Typically, restorations like this focus on the long-hood design, but it’s interesting to see how a similar ethos can be carried over and applied to a 3.2 Carrera all the while retaining much of the original look.
Tag: 3.2 Carrera
Backdating an air-cooled 911 to resemble one of its much-beloved long-hood brethren has become quite popular and it’s always a joy to see the various ways in which builders choose to pick and choose from the 911 parts bin in order to create these special cars. The nature of the 911 market means these are never an inexpensive proposition as sourcing the car from which to create the build can itself set you back quite a bit. When done well a builder can affect quite a transformation and produce a car the details of which force us to pause over every angle to get a sense of just how everything has been put together. The car we see here, a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe backdated to resemble a RSR, certainly is not perfect, but it possesses the vintage look of an early 911 combined with the softer curves of the more modern designs and has just enough detail without coming across as over the top.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Restomod on eBay
Comments closedLost amidst the rising costs of the entire air-cooled 911 lineup are the cars that still represent an interesting value. Granted, how we conceive of that value certainly has shifted. There simply are very few, if any, $15K 911s out there that are ready to hop in and drive. But an important factor within the 911’s history has been the stoutness of its engines meaning higher mileage examples like the one we see here are still viable for ownership even as they haven’t shown quite the jump in value relative to their lower-mileage brethren. When the 911 comes in an interesting color then all the better, though our value discussion again shifts as rare colors always command a premium. The car featured here is a Granite Green Metallic 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, located in Alabama, with a complementary Grey Green leather interior and 142,441 miles on it. As it was only available from 1987-1988, this is a color I can’t ever recall coming across and it provides a nice alternative for those interested in one of the darker shades available for the 911, but who also want something that will stand apart and remain a talking point in any parking lot.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe on eBay
4 CommentsWe might as well strive for completeness, right? We’ve had a run of Targas around these parts lately and while I know we haven’t shown every variant of the classic 911 Targa I feel pretty certain we will have now covered the major bases of the model with the one we have here: a M491-equipped Guards Red 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in San Francisco, with 46,530 miles on it. This, of course, shares more than just a passing resemblance with the 930 Targa featured on Thursday. First made available in 1984 for the 911 Coupe, and in 1985 for the Cabriolet and Targa, the M491 package included the wider rear, whale tail, suspension, and braking of the 930 garnering them the Turbo-look moniker. As with many 911 variants, the Targa had the smallest production numbers, with production of all models gradually reducing after the 930 had been reintroduced to the US market. That makes examples equipped with the highly desirable G50 5-speed transmission quite a bit more rare than those with the 915 and as such we should expect an additional premium over the premium the M491 cars tend to attract in general.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa on eBay
2 CommentsI’m not sure if it’s the onset of winter or just a seller’s market, but it seems we have been coming across a lot of Targas for sale lately. Even better, they have been a bunch of very nice examples either in interesting colors or low mileage, or both. This one is neither of those things, but it’s still very pretty and has the distinction of being a one-owner car that has seen fairly reasonable mileage over its 25+ years of existence. I suppose it is also fitting that I return to the classic 911 Targa as a follow-up to yesterday’s redesigned 993 Targa. Porsche first introduced the Targa in 1967, with both soft-window and fixed-window versions eventually available, and while it would take a year or two off here and there the Targa has remained a staple of the 911 lineup for much of the car’s existence, even after the release of the 911 Cabriolet. The design remains somewhat a peculiarity of Porsche itself as very few other automakers have ever bothered with producing a Targa, with even fewer continuing to produce them today. These owe their initial existence to Porsche’s constant forward-thinking engineering and their continued existence to Porsche’s commitment to providing its customers with offerings intended to suit nearly every desire. With the original Targa design returning to the 911 lineup we may even begin to see the air-cooled models garner increased interest as nostalgia weighs on the current market. So as we turn back to that classic design, here we have a “one-owner” Guards Red 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in Washington state, with 120,000 miles on it.