Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The Yellow over Black 1964 Porsche 356C we featured back in July is back up for another reserve auction. Given some of the particulars detailed below I would not expect this one to go for top dollar so we’ll have to see if the reserve has been brought into more reasonable territory.
Here we have something special: a 1977 Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera owned and rebuilt by Magnus Walker, aka Urban Outlaw. Walker’s works run the gamut from original restorations to fully custom-modified cars and typically his builds center around early 911s from the ’60s and ’70s. This Turbo Carrera sits nearer the original end of his spectrum; a car he returned to glory rather than try to take it into another dimension. And perhaps that shouldn’t surprise us given how great the Turbo Carrera was from the beginning. The looks, the performance, and the spirit are all pure 911, but turned up by a few degrees. Upon first release the 911 Turbo used a 3.0 liter flat-six mated to a 4-speed transmission. These are most distinguished from turbos produced from 1978 and later by their use of the standard whale tail found on other 911 iterations rather than the tea-tray and intercooler of the 3.3 liter turbos. Powerful, challenging to drive, and beautifully proportioned. Porsche’s initial forays into turbocharging the 911 made its sporting pretensions crystal clear and they have hardly looked back.
There is something very sexy about a well executed 911 restomod. On one end of the spectrum we have the half-million-dollar works of art created by Singer, while on the other end we have examples developed by individuals that come through in various levels of quality and performance. In either guise the combination of modern performance and classic design has become a sought after marriage for those who prefer the unique styling cues found in vintage automobiles, but don’t want to compromise on performance. The example we see here strikes a nice balance that is neither over the top nor overly basic; it presents as a well-executed transformation providing a modest bump in performance along with a step back to the original design. This restomod began life as a 1978 Porsche 911SC that has received a carburated 3.2 liter flat-six sourced from an ’84 3.2 Carrera. The exterior was restored to the original long-hood 911 design while the interior has been thoughtfully put together to provide a vintage feel that complements the alterations to the exterior. With any design such as this you’ll want to spend some time talking to the builder to fully understand the car, but you can rest assured that you will rarely come across another example like it.
Now and then I’ll come across a car that looks in good shape and with reasonable mileage and think, “why is this car so cheap?” Cheap, of course, is a relative term, but lately for air-cooled 911s, and especially the 930, it is rare to come across a car that is priced reasonably, if not too low. The immediate next question is, “so what’s wrong with it?”. This is the basic process I went through after coming across this car: a Yellow 1986 Porsche 930, located in Phoenix, with 51,000 miles on it. Typically, a 930 with this mileage and in a color we rarely see would be priced somewhere in the neighborhood of $100K. The car may not ever sell for that price, but it sets the starting point. So when I saw this one with a BIN of $54,900 it seemed like a steal. There are many who have dreamed of owning a 930 and watched those dreams fade as prices for one have climbed ever higher. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find examples that are accident free and in good mechanical condition, so while the car here isn’t offered at a low price, it is certainly the sort of car that may provide a window of opportunity to fulfill one’s dreams.
I remain consistently impressed with the variety I see from the 911. Much of this comes down to Porsche’s willingness to indulge its customers’ desires for just about any color and a long list of available options. That variety comes at a high price, of course. Still, optional extras aside, Porsche also has produced numerous variants of the car itself, illustrating a versatility that belies the consistency of the 911’s basic profile. Sorry Mr. Clarkson, but they are not all the same. Here we have one of those very interesting variants, which happens to be in a rare color, turning it into a 911 worth spending some extra time with. This is an Olive Green 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 Coupe, located in California, with 85,765 miles on it. Unlike many other mid-year 911s, a Carrera 2.7 is highly sought after and commands a significant premium over the standard 911 and 911S also produced at the time. They also happen to be one of the best looking 911s produced following the switch to impact bumpers. The wider rear, ducktail and chin spoilers give these a racy aggressive appearance that helps to separate it from the pack of standard 911s.