MARKET WATCH
Standout Porsches hitting auction rooms.
Whether you’re a seasoned stalwart of the Porsche scene or are thinking about buying your first Stuttgart-crested sports car, scanning classifieds is a hobby many of us enjoy, often leading to a bargain buy (though your significant other may refer to it as yet another unexpected/unwanted purchase!). Here’s what’s grabbing our attention this month...
Anyone keeping a close eye on automotive classifieds, auction lot lists or sales specialist catalogues will know used cars have reached new record prices. Demand appears to be somewhat outstripping supply (we’ve lost track of the number of specialist dealers we’ve spoken to who simply can’t get hold of enough good Porsche stock to satisfy requests from customers), allowing sellers to bump the asking price of the car they’re in possession of. The knock-on effect is increased cost to get behind the wheel of a dream drive. Fret not, dear reader, for while the Porsche market serves as something as a yardstick for the performance of used sports car and classic vehicle prices in general, there remains a satisfying selection of Stuttgartcrested cars available within a reasonable budget. And for those with much more money to spend, a number of amazing Porsche race cars have just hit the market.
Starting at the lower/lowest end of the Porsche price spectrum is the fantastic 1998 986 Boxster up for grabs at the Brightwells Classic Car & Motorcycle Auction, active when this issue of 911 & Porsche World lands on subscriber doormats. An excellent example of what’s out there at a low price point, this beautiful blue Boxster has covered just 87k miles from new and is in lovely order, complete with ‘fried egg’ headlamps (increasingly in vogue), desirable Sport seats and an accompanying history file demonstrating a service book with ten stamps and all old MOT certificates. With a lower estimate of just £3,500 and an upper of just £1,500 more, we can’t see this pretty roadster waiting long to find a new home.
If you’ve swallowed a (very) brave pill and fancy a Porsche project, the 1964 356 C 1600
Super ‘barn find’ (aren’t they all?!) ready to go under the hammer at Silverstone Auctions Classic Sale could be exactly what you’ve been looking for. Offered with a lower estimate of £20k, this Uk-supplied right-hand drive coupe has spent the past forty-four years tucked up in dry storage. The 356 Registry owners club confirms this particular 356 was upgraded with a 1600 Super 90 engine by AFN in period. Originally painted Bali Blue, the car was treated to an engine rebuild in 1976, but whoever takes on this ambitious project will undoubtedly need deep pockets to address a full restoration.
Alongside the 356 is a ready-to-use 1972 911 T 2.4, recently restored and finished in Ivory with a Claret and Cream interior. Expected to fetch near £100k, it’s still hugely cheaper than the air-cooled racing Porsches taking our fancy this month. There’s the 1954 GlöcklerPorsche 356 Carrera 1500 Coupe featured
WITH A LOWER ESTIMATE OF JUST £3,500, WE CAN’T SEE THIS PRETTY ROADSTER WAITING LONG TO FIND A NEW HOME
on page 20, of course, but when scanning the ads on Race Cars Direct in order to drool over what we can’t afford, we were struck by the availability of one of the first Jim Torres-built 935 K3s (chassis JT1980-01, built to IMSA specification in 1980 on a 1978 Porsche tub). Torres drove this 935 in several races, as did others after the car landed in Australia, where it was raced in Sports Sedans (Thunder Sports) and other events by several owners and drivers. Currently in a private collection (where this rare racer is housed next to four other factory 935 race cars), JT1980-01 is yours for $595,000 USD. Trumping this cool K3, however, is the 1989 Brun Motorsport 962 C (chassis 004 BM), complete with distinctive Jägermeister livery. The car’s current twin-turbo, three-litre, fully water-cooled flat-six is in Group C configuration developing 680bhp at 8,200rpm on 1.2-bar boost with only 2.5 hours running time following a full rebuild. The price? £POA. You know what that means!