by John Glynn | Feb 23, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
The Silverstone Auctions sale at RaceRetro 2015 brought mixed results for classic Porsche 911s. A number of promising Porsche entries were withdrawn pre-sale – a nice 2.7 911 and early 911T amongst them – but a pair of cars caught my eye from either end of the classic price spectrum.
Porsche 930/911 Turbo Targa at auction
This right-hand drive 5-speed Porsche 911 Turbo Targa is a rare car that sold well inside predictions, suggesting the body might have hidden a few more secrets than the auction description suggested. Not sure how likely that is as the pics make it seem pretty reasonable: maybe it was just the Marmite widebody Targa effect.
The very last year (1989) of Porsche 930 with a Targa roof is a very rare car, but the £35,438 this car sold for would just about buy a very nice 3.2 Carrera Targa nowadays. With the clutch replaced in the last 5k miles and a service 2k miles ago, if this a solid 930 with no major oil leaks, someone did well for themselves.
1965 Porsche 911 SWB prices
Elsewhere in 911-land, this apparently very nice LHD 1965 SWB Porsche 911 2.0 blew its £100-120k estimate well out of the water, selling at £133,875. Owned by a Norwegian since 1998, the description for the left-hand drive European example made no real mention of history prior to the current owner, save some details on a rebuild for the matching numbers engine some twenty years ago.
Four owners have kept this SWB looking straight and apparently honest. With the general condition described as “usable with a fair patina”, the decision to send the car to auction paid off. Matching numbers 1965 911s are highly sought-after now, and to exceed the estimate by over 10% shows just how fevered the market can get for early SWB cars. I can’t help feeling that these cars have not reached their peak: I’d rather buy SWB than RS at current prices and I can’t be alone on that.
Porsche 911 Auction Prices UK
I see from the Silverstone Auctions site that a bespoke “Porsche Sale” is planned for October. I have decided to sell my non-sunroof LHD Series 1 Porsche 924 Turbo this year, and it could take me that long to find enough time to put the trim back on the newly-painted bodywork. Might be an interesting story to put the car through auction and see how it does.
by John Glynn | Feb 23, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
The Le Mans Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) has announced the Classic Le Mans 2016 dates. The eighth edition of Le Mans Classique will be held on 8, 9 and 10 July 2016.
In July 2014, more than 110,000 spectators made their way to la Sarthe, admiring almost 500 race cars on the track and 8,000 vintage cars in a general enclosure accommodating 180 clubs representing 80 marques.
Having attended four CLMs in a row from 2006, I skipped the last one but will be back for 2016. The organisers promise more special features for the next Le Mans Classic, so I hope they don’t muck up the essential charm of the format, which is open access to the paddocks and lots of night-time qualifying.
Anyone coming in from overseas is guaranteed to enjoy the Classic Le Mans. Many competitors running lower down the order keep the speed in check, but the guys at the front run a bona fide race. The eras are split into tranches, which allows fans to plan their viewing and be in certain places for particular groups of cars.
I like watching all of them race, but following 917s, GT40s and 935s from various sections of the circuit over the course of the weekend is cool. I recommend a grandstand seat for night practice and qualifying, and then get out in the country to experience proper speed on the Mulsanne.
It’s easy to drive out to Arnage or Maison Blanc, soak up the energy of the cars as they hammer around the circuit and contemplate the level of endurance these cars were built with back in the day, and how hard the drivers had to push to win at Le Mans.
Not much has changed – Le Mans is still Le Mans – but teams are now huge: massive operations with a lot of data collected that can help show how the car is performing. Back in the golden age, it was quite a different story: you just had to drive the crap out of it and hope things stayed together.
More info on the Classic Le Mans website. Hope to see some of you there!
by John Glynn | Feb 8, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
This smart Porsche 356 Carrera 2 is currently going back together following a forty-year spell as a project car. Owned by the right reverend Francis Tuthill, the main man took it apart in the 1970s when it had a bit of rust in the sills. It’s taken a mere four decades to find time to put it back together.
Before the 356 boys chime in with a million questions, I don’t have all the details to hand at present: it was a flying visit en route to somewhere else when Francis grabbed me with the usual: “you don’t want to be taking pictures of that. I’ll show you the real story.” One does not refuse such offers.
I hear this car is one of four right-hand drive cars manufactured: other sources reckon there were six. This is not Fran’s only four-cam project and it is going back together to be driven, although I don’t quite know where to at the minute. I’ll definitely be blagging a spin in it when done.
The Carrera 2 remains a rare bird, especially in right-hand drive. Fuhrmann’s four-cam engine reached its peak here in the Type 587 version: 1966cc of revvy flat four, delivering around 130 bhp.
The engine is shown here in a stand, which is where most servicing must be done with the four-cams. Wider than the normal engines, these four-cams come out when its time to do the plugs: hence why Francis called me down for a look. “You won’t see a thing when this is back in the car.”
I do like the Porsche 356. It still has such a great shape and Carreras were right on the pace of the early 911s: one reason there was so much dissent when the 356 was displaced by the new boy. Driving a ‘regular’ 356 is easy, relaxed, evocative. Light, direct steering and a welcoming cabin makes a very comfortable environment for mile after mile. How much it changes with a four-cam, I hope to report sometime soon.
by John Glynn | Feb 8, 2015 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
After a slow-ish start to 2015, no doubt the investment end of the air-cooled Porsche market is going again. High-end 964s are the latest target and the 964 Turbo in particular seems to be doing pretty well. Let me rephrase that: people have gone mental with the prices being paid for 964 Turbos.
Doing some Porsche insurance valuations this week, I got talking to one 964 Turbo owner with a few other cars in the garage who could not believe the interest in his growing Porsche fleet. Having bought a relatively low mileage car behind closed doors in mid-2014 for £150k, he was recently offered £200k for the same car. That is £50k in your hand after six months of ownership.
Still slightly dizzy from that, I then heard of a 964 Turbo that had just sold through a UK dealer for THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND ENGLISH POUNDS. Not a rare Turbo S: just a low mileage Turbo. Then yesterday I followed the sale of two as-new Turbo S models for more than half a million pounds each. That is a direct sale with no advertising.
It’s not all air-cooled in the mad world of Porsche. 996 GT2s are also being chased pretty hard, with many deals done off the radar. An 11k-mile, two owner car in black has just sold (unadvertised – directly between owner and buyer) for a substantial six-figure sum – more than I would have expected. I value the rare 997 GT2s quite highly for insurance purposes, but 996 GT2s are now chasing them hard.
I am not endorsing the prices or saying that this is the place to put your money! Nor is this a comment on the supposedly respected Porsche dealers all around the world who are still happy to take uneducated buyers for a ride. I hear about them all the time and it is not good business. These are dealers I would be happy to buy from myself, helping sellers and buyers to get what they want.
I know some of the guys buying these cars and they are true-blue enthusiasts: great people to enjoy all Porsche cars with – no airs or graces involved. It is good to know that some of these cars will get used, but scary to think of where they are now and where they might finish. Will we see many 964 Turbos being used and enjoyed through 2015?
by John Glynn | Feb 5, 2015 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy will share Nico Hülkenberg’s Porsche 919 LMP1 Hybrid at Le Mans, it has just been announced. It’s an interesting Porsche choice that slams all who claimed that the team’s Daytona upsets would damage either’s shot at Stuttgart’s top drive.
“It goes without saying that each of these drivers is fast and clever,” said Fritz Enzinger, LMP1 Vice President. “But in the WEC, and especially in Le Mans, there are more qualities to be taken into account. The ability to stay focussed and deliver consistent performances are must-haves for endurance racing. Another factor is team spirit and the skills to integrate into the team. This sport doesn’t make sense for loners.
“Each driver always has to take into account his teammates, as their individual speeds are what in the end are reflected by the Porsche Team’s results. Also a strong understanding is required of the skills and consequences when lapping slower cars. This isn’t for egocentrics either. Drivers have to view everything as the bigger picture. In every regard, I have full faith in our driver line-up.”
Porsche will field three 919 Hybrids for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, and also the previous month’s Six Hours of Spa. The Hulk 919 gets number 19. There are no quotes from the drivers, but you can imagine what they will say in the next press release. “Le Mans is the one every driver wants to win, driving the 919 Hybrid is an honour, I like my team mates and they are all mega quick, so we are in with a great shout if the car holds together,” said all three in unison, probably. Porsche won’t repeat the last bit.
Of course it is all true. Driving the 919 for an outright win at Le Mans is an immense privilege, as the pilots carry not just the team and the honour of Porsche, but all of our dreams along with them. It is a highly demanding appointment.
I think the line-up is killer: I am bloody delighted. Bamber and Tandy are fast, intelligent racers who take no prisoners: the perfect complement of skills alongside Nico Hülkenberg. Of course, none of this should take away from the 911 squad. No drivers are more capable of bringing our greatest champion home atop the GT ranks than the works RSR pilots: Christensen/Lietz/Bergmeister in number 91, and Makowiecki/Pilet/Henzler in number 92.
