The team at Porsche have put an interesting video together with Museum Director, Achim Stejskal, talking about the new Boxster at the Geneva unveiling. I always enjoy Achim’s easy way of pulling different ideas and elements together: no wonder he does what he does for Porsche, and was so good in the same job at Mercedes.
Achim presents the new Boxster as the latest in the genesis of Porsche roadsters that started with the 356. “The original Boxster concept was presented at the Detroit Motor Show in 1993 and became the car of the show. Three years later, the (production) Boxster was launched and now this third generation of Boxster is more attractive than ever.” This is true.
Achim then links Geneva Motor Show to his “living room of the Porsche brand” by way of DNA. “New Boxster is not just a new model line. This is also the climax of our almost 60-year history of Porsche sports cars. All the DNA starting with the very first Porsche 356 and 550 is combined in this new Boxster.
“All these cars – 356, 550 or 718 Spyder – have the same philosophy. This (Boxster) is a mid-engine concept in a lightweight body, so a very agile car. It all combines to make a great thing called the fun of driving. This is what Porsche presents and it is working very well: it is almost overwhelming. This car is a pure roadster and it’s a perfect car, in my opinion.”
Much has changed since the Detroit launch in 1993. That new Boxster was launched in Geneva says it all: Europe is now the heart of the motor industry and the epicentre of brand determination. How Europe buys its cars is how most manufacturers now build and price their cars.
As Harris says in his Drive video, new Boxster is quite a different car to the old one. It looks better, goes better and feels of an all-round higher quality. And Porsche will happily charge for the experience: a generous Boxster S is £65K now.
The excellence of new Boxster may be the best indication yet of how new Porsche has repositioned itself higher up the VW food chain: back to its primo price, primo reward self. As this is the self that spawned the 718 RSK, the ’73 RS and all of our favourite hewn-from-granite classics, new Boxster could be the best news yet for fans of old Porsche. I mean proper old Porsche.
Just tweeted the Drendel Porsche Collection sale at Amelia Island and it was terrific fun. Here’s a list of my tweets, with the prices fetched in the hall – add the premium to get the buyers’ actual bill. Quite a few world records, as expected. Gooding will no doubt have a huge press release on this.
Best result? Take your pick: Martini 935 at $2.3 Million, Baby Turbo which sold for a stunning $2.95 Million or the 917/30 at $4 Million! Here are the tweets:
We are THREE CARS away from a ton of big-money classic Porsches at @GoodingCompany in Amelia Island. Stay tuned!
1960 #Porsche 356B Roadster in Silver with Blue/Blue makes $135k at @GoodingCompany. Tons of start bids, painfully slow finish in 2.5s.
Drendel Collection NOW ON SALE. First car is a 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S.
#Porsche 944 Turbo S has just 700 miles from new. Unreal. Makes a SUPER SWEET $75k at @GoodingCompany. $10k past high estimate.
The Martini #Porsche 935 now on the stand at @GoodingCompany. Hall is buzzing.
The #Drendel Martini #Porsche 935 makes $2.3 MILLION at @GoodingCompany. Holy mother: $300k past high estimate.
NOW! Bell/Holbert’s ex-Le Mans 1980 Porsche 924 GTP on the stand. All other cars owned by the factory. #Drendel @GoodingCompany
Ex-Le Mans 1980 Porsche 924 GTP makes a slow $350k – seems value for money…
1997 #Porsche 911 GT1 Evolution on the stand. #Drendel @GoodingCompany – Bids at $825k and heading north
Make that $950k on the phone
$975k on the GT1 – still bidding. Phone is out.
$1.05 Million against the phone for the GT1 #Porsche at @GoodingCompany
(Tweet chat to @GTPorsche: Yes I think the 924 was a good buy. Gooding including their premium – my numbers in the hall. Good fun sale.)
1990 #Porsche 944 Cab makes $36k – well past high estimate. Now 934 on the rostrum. On $650k at the mo.
Peach of a #Porsche 934 selling well cheap at $650k and slow to go.
1976 #Porsche 934 in top colour, ex-Le Mans class winner sells for $810k – new money came in at $725k when looked all over.
1987 McLaren MP4/3 Formula 1 on the stage NOW – 1000hp with spare engine. Charlie takes a start bid of $200k straight in
McLaren going frigging ballistic
$780k for the McLaren F1 car – Porsches look cheap against it! Talk about last minute save at $640k – GRIPPING AUCTION with HEAVY bidding
Derek Bell now on the stage talking about the next lot – sale just down the road from his FL house #Porsche 1984 962
Winningest #Porsche in history?! For sale for first time ever. 1984 Porsche 962 opens at $1 MILLION
Finish of $1.75 MILLION on phone for 1984 #Porsche 962. Low estimate was $1.75M. Slow to get there.
WORLD RECORD FOR A #PORSCHE 962
1986 #Porsche 944 Turbo Cup starts at just $20k – nuts but we’ll see where it goes
1986 #Porsche 944 Turbo Cup low estimate of $65k – finishes at $72k. Like pulling great big rooted teeth here.
1974 #Porsche RSR Carrera Turbo 2.14 starts at a mill. Baby Turbo on sale. Low estimate $1.75M – now $2M
Baby Turbo makes $2.95M in room at @GoodingCompany #Porsche 911 RSR. Very strong bidding – such a thrill to watch. Blitzes estimates.
ONE CAR TO GO TO THE 917/30 #PORSCHE AT GOODING OMG OMG OMG
Auction Fever – #Porsche 968 Turbo S Clone makes well past high estimate at a healthy $66k @GoodingCompany – the mega 917/30 is up next.
OK – this is the BIG ONE. Ultimate #Porsche 917: most powerful road racing car EVER. One of only 6 built. 0-60 in 2 seconds.
#Porsche 917/30 hits a killer $4 Million at @GoodingCompany. One bid from 2.6 to 3 tried to freeze the rest but failed. High est $4M
This is such a great #Porsche sale – now we have the Boss 944 GTP sold without reserve. Fantastically famous car opens at $200k.
Who is keeping total score here? Guess I’d better add it up! Still four more #Drendel #Porsche cars to go after 944.
$280k for the #Porsche 944 GTP. Now a Holbert 962 with truckload of spares. 9 wins and 17 podiums. Starts at $500k.
Holbert #Porsche 962 sells at $850k
1992 #Porsche 968 Turbo RS starts well below low estimate at $100k, but soon hits low estimate of $250k.
Great result for #Porsche 968 Turbo RS at $315k – $10k off top estimate
1980 Parnelli #Porsche Indy Car sluggish bids to $200k – fails to hit low estimate of $350k. #Surprised #UNSOLD
FINAL #Drendel #Porsche at @GoodingCompany is the 1995 911 (993) GT2. Low estimate $375k. ON SALE at $255k now.
Last #Drendel #Porsche 911 993 GT2 sells amongst very busy $5k bid increments for $325k. Everyone exhausted!! Low estimate was $375k.
Thanks to everyone who didn’t unfollow me through the #Drendel tweets! What a great sale – top day for #Porsche fans.
Some major professional disappointments lately but wallowing in them won’t pay the bills. Time to get back to work!
I’m looking for a 1989/1990 Porsche 928 for a photoshoot, ideally left hand drive. Needs to be in the UK. Anyone interested please email me at mail@ferdinandmagazine.com. Something like this would be perfect:
Flicking through the latest on Porsche’s Newscast app in bed this morning, I found this 911 video. It features a 991 Cabriolet in white with red top: I would find the right names for both these things but the Porsche car configurator is crashed at the minute on both sides of the pond. Blame me.
As ever, the copywriter seems to have taken inspiration from an ’80s actualize-your-ultimate-potential self-help manual (“and naturally, it’s about dreams: immensely precious dreams”), but the car and the photography are just beautiful. I don’t think I’d change a thing before ordering this.
You can’t beat a nicely shot Porsche 911 video!
edit March 6, 2012: Had an email last night from a video mate. “That 911 cab vid on your blog is terrible pretentious clinical fluff. Don’t condone it!” I guess I am sentimentally attached to 911 Cabriolets – can I help my bad taste?!
I was down with some Porsche friends last week, doing a piece for Ferdinand magazine and talking about some other exciting stuff we have coming up together. Spent a few hours catching up, and then Jonas took me on a tour of his highly impressive facility.
As we walked through the showroom of Porsches for sale, one looked very familiar. “This is a car we sold and then bought back. It’s had a Cup engine with loads of 993 RS bits and a full respray: lovely car,” said the salesman. I knew all about it – it was Peter Heaton’s 993 hot rod that I shot for 911 & Porsche World magazine last summer, as part of my monthly ‘You and Yours’ feature slot.
Have to admit to being slightly disappointed that it was back on sale. Rolls-Royce jet engine specialist Peter seemed properly in love with the car when we worked together, and the 993 was exceptional throughout. I loved this shot of the front wheel: printed it for my office wall, and put it on my business cards!
I shot the car as it came out of the paint shop after a big-money repaint in Polar Silver. Peter arrived in friend Paul’s BMW M3 Coupe and that was what prompted me to buy my saloon version a few weeks later. The whole day was good fun and also nice to work with C&N Customs in Middle Aston again (they painted the car).
Price has gone up since the last time it was sold: Jonas is asking £44,000 for it. See the full Modified Porsche 993 for sale details here. Worth checking out if a unique 993 is on your list of wants.
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