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What is it that we look for in these cars? Assuming you’re not after the perfect collector example the list is fairly straightforward though not short. The availability of documentation and a known history obviously are of great importance. A knowledgeable seller helps in this regard as well. Abundant photos, paint meter readings, an assessment of its current mechanical condition including any known flaws, and possibly originality of the equipment. Obviously, the last point will vary quite a bit from buyer to buyer, but any buyer will want to know what is original to a particular 911 and what isn’t even if that buyer does not mind the lack of originality. Lastly, we all want a fair price, but perhaps even more so when looking at driver-quality cars. Their value typically is pretty locked in so you can’t bank on higher resale down the road.
I think this Marine Blue 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa fulfills most of those points and that’s part of what I like about it. It’s up for auction without reserve so the price should be fair. It also looks pretty great. It sounds like there isn’t a huge amount of documentation, but some does exist, and it does appear we know the ownership history. There is one red flag in its history – it was a theft recovery back in the ’90s – but that red flag doesn’t seem to be causing it any problems. It is stated to have a clear title. It isn’t perfect, but looks like a very nice example of a late Carrera Targa and could find itself in a sweet spot in the market.
The 993 Cabriolet always has been, for me, a somewhat peculiar looking 911. The roundness of the 993 design begins to look a little overly squat once the roof is removed. There is a way in which all air-cooled 911s suffer from this phenomenon and there’s a fairly clear progression in squatness as we move from the 911SC/3.2 Carrera to the 964 and culminating with the 993.
So when I first began to look at this Iris Blue Metallic 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet those features seemed so exaggerated that even I was a little confused. It turns out that the aspect ratio of the pictures is off, but basically those pictures were confirming my usual perceptions of these 911s. Once I got the pictures into the correct aspect ratio the appearance came together much better and overall I like this Cab a good bit. Its colors are quite attractive and the condition looks quite good. The mileage is low at only 32,171 miles. The squatness is still there, but I think this is one of the better representatives of the model. If you’ve been looking for a 993 Cabriolet, then I think this one deserves a long look.
I am a little excited about this car. Here we have a Forest Green Metallic 1989 Porsche 930 Slantnose Coupe, located in Houston, with a variety of rare options including Recaro classic sport seats and the performance kit that raised output to 330 hp. It has traveled – using the term quite loosely – a mere 217 kilometers over the course of its life. As a final-year 930 this particular example sits as a museum piece showcasing some of the unique history of these machines.
So why my excitement? Well, no lie, I have had my eyes on this car for years, though I’ve never seen it. What I mean by that seemingly contradictory statement is that for as long as I can remember I have seen this 930 listed on RPM’s classifieds and it was clear from the description that it was a special car. The ultra-low mileage obviously makes it super special, but even with more typical mileage it’s still a special car. However, it always was listed as “pictures coming soon.” I began to wonder if it actually existed. Finally it does. I can’t say I know precisely when everything was posted, but I happened over to their site earlier this week and there it was. I am not disappointed.
I have said before that I like variations of colors, especially when those variations are subtle. It’s why I like seeing so many of the blues and greens that Porsche has offered. That doesn’t mean I always will prefer those variations, but I appreciate the variety. While Porsche’s reds too come in a wide variety we don’t see them as much. I think that is partly because lighter shades of red tend to be less desirable, which leaves us only moving in one direction toward burgundy in its various forms. The variant we do see somewhat frequently is Carmine Red and it is a color I happen to like quite a bit. It’s actually quite rare having only been available from ’87-’88 and as the German – cherryrot – would suggest it has more of a cherry color to it than the much more common Guards Reds. So it’s a little deeper and can really look great.
Here we see it on a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, located in Pennsylvania, with Black leather interior and 113,848 miles on it.
Anytime I feature one of Porsche’s early 3.0 liter 930s I mention that 1976 was their first year and as such tend to be the most valuable. But in the back of my mind I know that’s only partially true. 1976 was the first year the 930 came to the US market, but it was not the first year of production overall. A relatively small number, 284 in total, were produced for various markets in 1975. It should go without saying that it is very rare for us to see one come up for sale. Even more rare is to see one come up for sale that already has been imported into the US. That’s exactly what we have here:
A fully restored Salmon Metallic 1975 Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera with an “interior to sample” stated to be in Linen that sits with 67,440 kilometers on the clock. As if this were not enough rarity, this also is one of just 31 right-hand drive examples and was originally delivered to Hong Kong. I don’t know that having a RHD 930 is necessarily the thing you need on US roads, but it does add an extra cool factor to just about any imported car.
