Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The Pastel Yellow 1997 Porsche 911 Targa we featured back in late March remains for sale. The price is still very high, but at least it has been lowered by $21K. Still, it’s a very pretty (and rare) color on a 993 with very low miles, the first of this Targa design and last of the air-cooled Targas, so there is sure to be some interest if the price can be brought into more reasonable territory.
There have always been a lot of interesting colors available for the 911, but Cassis Red remains one of our favorites. It’s not pastel, but it’s not dull. It’s bright, without being too flashy. For some it may come off as too pink for their tastes, but like many metallic shades it varies in sun and shade and always seems to provide interesting contrast. It also seems to be very popular on the Targa. Maybe the way in which the various Targa accents break up the color with black trim appeals to a lot of people, I’m not sure, but it does seem to be more popular on the open-topped 911s than on the Coupes. This one here complements that very nice exterior with a White leather interior. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of a white interior in any application, but this is a rare combination for those who place priority on those things. So here we have a Cassis Red Metallic 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in Pennsylvania, with 74,770 miles on it.
This one primarily serves to satisfy my curiosity, though I hope it satisfies the curiosity of some of our readers as well. Here we have an ultra-low mileage triple Black 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in New Jersey, up for a reserve auction. The fact that it is even up for auction is what has attracted my curiosity. Since it’s a reserve auction we may not see it sell, but that’s fine; my interest is how high bidding will go. Why someone would put so few miles on what is a pretty standard 911, I have no idea, but here we are so we might as well check in on what presents as an almost new 3.2 Carrera Targa.
There are always a few cars that I come across that immediately I know I will have to feature. As long as the basics of the car check out there’s typically enough to make it worthwhile and I begin to shift schedules and see where we can slot it in. This is just such a car: a Viper Green Metallic 1980 Porsche 911SC Targa, located in Massachusetts, with around 93K miles on it. As should be apparent, the allure here lies almost entirely in the color. I love a 911SC Targa in good shape and feature many of them, but I also pass by many of them. Viper Green does not get passed by. It’s such a rarely seen color on any 911 and a desirable color. Those familiar with the color will notice that this metallic variant differs quite a bit from the slightly darker, non-metallic, Viper Green that was available in the early ’70s. Both variants have points in their favor, but I prefer a metallic green so tend to lean toward this shade. I have commented before how I think green 911s tend to be under-appreciated. There is a caveat to that statement: it is typically the darker metallic greens that drift along unnoticed by many. Viper Green, and most any other pastel green Porsche has offered, rarely suffers such a fate and I don’t expect this 911SC to be any different. As the seller notes, this is by no means a conservative color, but what better way to have your classic 911 anyway?
An ’87 Carrera always provides us with a nice case study for glimpsing into the 3.2 Carrera market. As the first year Porsche fitted the 911 with the new G50 5-speed transmission it is with this model year that we most noticeably see shifts in value relative to the preceding year. The ’88s and ’89s then tend to show incremental increases over the ’87 given the few differences between the three model years. Of course, whether you are a collector or just someone on the lookout for a good driver will then play a significant role in which side of that value spectrum you might wish to fall. These days, with values having taken a small step back for all but the absolute best examples the market sits in a fairly good place for those who do prefer the G50 transmission over the 915 and the ’87s can restake their claim as the best overall value on the air-cooled 911 line. Here we have another nice looking Targa that should make for a good driver-quality value: a Guards Red 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in California, with Black leather interior and 103,200 miles on it.
