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I present this car with a little bit of hesitation almost purely from the fact that it’s so rare to find a no reserve auction for a model whose values have shot up so tremendously over the past year and typically when one does come around there are a lot of questions we must ask. I do feel confident that this car is what it purports to be, it is simply in need of good deal of TLC. And we should be clear that purely from a dollar standpoint this won’t be a cheap buy by any means – bidding is already at $50,100 – but in a relative sense given the market for an early Turbo there may be good value to be had. Here we have a Platinum Diamond Metallic 1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera, located in California, with Tan interior and 53,000 miles on it.
I’m always curious about incongruities and the juxtaposition of color and purpose that we find with this Moonstone 1979 Porsche 930 presents just such an interesting case study. The 911 Turbo has always been a diabolical machine full of hard edges and the ability to bite the head off of inattentive drivers who fail to respect the potent mix of turbo lag, prodigious power, and a rearward weight distribution. Meanwhile, Moonstone may be one of the softest colors I’ve seen, full of lightness and a sense of ease that would be well at home on a Beetle or a Fiat 500. Here we have a happy color on a menacing machine and it creates a contrast that is hard to describe in its intent, but which draws you in and allows the eye to linger over those hard edges. The contrast is completed with a Brown leather interior that firmly roots this 930 in its late-70s period and while the overall color palette probably wouldn’t be my choice it does stand as one of the more interesting 930s that we’ve come across.
I’m always a fan of the showdown posts; no surprise, since I think I’m the only one who does them here! While it’s nice to highlight one car at a time, I’m just a fan of the opportunity costs; considering what my money could go towards otherwise. Plus, though we see comparisons of new cars in magazines and online fora, it’s not often that we have comparos including nearly 40 year old cars. While I usually highlight this type of comparison in my 10K Friday posts, today is a bit different and I believe the first time I have a showdown on Tuner Tuesday. I’ve rounded up a quintet of neat cars that are all modified from stock by some of the most famous tuners of the 1980s; which is the winner?
I will end this week in a manner similar to how I began it: the Porsche 930. This time we’ll have our eye on a Turbo Cabriolet rather than Coupe, but like the Forest Green Metallic 930 from Monday this one also comes in a unique dark, though non-metallic, shade. The original buyer of this 930 appears to have borrowed from the Mercedes paint studio selecting Azuritblau for the exterior to go along with a dark blue interior. It seems rare to come across a shade like this that is non-metallic so for those with a strong dislike for metallic paint in general this seems like a nice opportunity. And as we begin to slip into the Fall driving season there are few betters options than a Cabriolet. Given the few model years Porsche even produced an air-cooled Turbo Cabriolet that makes this one particularly rare to come across and it’s definitely a looker. Here we have a Azuritblau 1988 Porsche 930 Cabriolet, located in Atlanta, with only 25,764 miles on it.
Through the Porsche 930’s nearly fifteen years of production it saw a number of incremental changes but few with enough significance that we separate out those years from the rest. However, there were two such events. First there was the move from the original 3.0 liter turbocharged flat-six to the 3.3 liter flat-six that would power the 911 Turbo even through much of the 964’s life, a span of around fifteen years itself. That increase in displacement also brought with it the introduction of an air-to-air intercooler and revised rear spoiler. The second major change was the utilization of a 5-speed manual transmission made available only in 1989, the final model year of 930 production. While 911 Turbo values in general have continued to climb, it is the cars that exist on either side of these boundaries that command the most attention and, thus, the most money. Here our focus is on that final model year equipped with the 5-speed manual. For many this is the 930 to have not just because of the more stout transmission and extra gearing, but it is the most refined of the breed benefiting from numerous years of upgrades to enhance its drivability. Also, it is the last Turbo surrounded by the classic 911 design as the 964 would debut later that same year with all-new styling. The example here is a Forest Green Metallic 1989 Porsche 930 Coupe, located in Montreal, with 38,094 miles on it.
