On my travels to Autofarm last week, Josh and I got talking about a 3.2 Carrera Club Sport that was sitting in the corner of a barn. I didn’t recognise the registration, but it looked a smart car: totally standard in very good nick.

“See if you can spot what’s wrong with it,” invited Josh. Having served my time as a buyer for retail car supermarkets and also for a major UK fleet company, I’ve bought more cars than most other folk I know so I was sure this wouldn’t take long. After two minutes looking around the outside, I couldn’t find much to whinge about.

“The driver’s door gap looks too good,” I offered. Turned out this was right: there was nothing wrong with it. The Club Sport is owned by Porsche author, Gordon Wingrove, and was famously featured in one of the mags as an accident repair on one side a few years back. Can’t remember who did the repair, but it’s flawless: as you would expect from a man who wrote a 3.2 technical book.

With just 27,000 miles on the clock, this is a special Club Sport. The model has its detractors, who love to point out it’s a basic Carrera 3.2 with a lighter interior and a blueprinted engine, but those who have driven one know there’s something else. Josh has heard all the Club Sport knockers but, as he asks: “What else is there from the 1980s? This is it.” I reminded him of the 5-speed 930, but essentially agree on the affordable/available 911 road car side. There’s plenty of front-engined Porsche stuff from that era I’m keen on, but they’re not rare-bird 911s and the SC RS and 959 hardly count.

Coincidentally, two days later I was asked to do an agreed insurance valuation on another 3.2 Club Sport, one I’ve seen a few times. I had talked money with Josh and he thought Gordon’s would be into the seventies. Not sure I would go that strong for January but I referenced his and a few more for mine.

What’s the forecast for Club Sport values? I think pretty steady, trending very slightly upwards to match the base model. There were circa 50 RHD ‘Clubbies’ made and standard Carreras in the very best condition are £30k+ now. So a factory hot rod in tip top notch has to be where Josh is pitching it. Try replacing a Club Sport after total loss: that’s not going to be pleasant.

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