* Image source: OPENERS, “Porsche 911 Story: The Fourth-Generation 993”

It Seems He’s Got His Eye on an Air-Cooled Porsche

Lately, my husband has been saying, “I’m getting interested in air-cooled Porsches.” He used to spend nearly all his time behind the wheel of his 981 Boxster GTS, but this year he bought a classic 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL500 (R129), and it seems he’s come to appreciate the appeal of older cars… Could he be ready to enter the world of air-cooled Porsches?

The trouble is, very few air-cooled Porsches come up for sale on the used-car market. My husband often sees air-cooled Porsche owners on the Royu Driveway, and apparently many found their cars through private channels—perhaps a friend passed one along, or they inherited the car of a longtime Porsche enthusiast who had passed away. In other words, many air-cooled Porsches never make it onto the open market.

The Classic Project Gold

Then I heard that the full details had finally emerged of “Classic Project Gold,” a secret classic-car project Porsche had been working on. The project set out to:

Build a fresh 993-generation Porsche 911—the much-loved “last air-cooled Porsche”—using brand-new parts.

The 993 had been out of production for 20 years, yet Porsche reportedly created a new 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six and used more than 6,500 new parts to build the car. Naturally, it has a manual transmission and uses genuine Porsche Classic parts.

That’s Porsche showing just how serious it is.

The 993-Generation Porsche 911

I did a little reading about the 993-generation Porsche 911 and found it described as the last model to retain the snug feel once summed up by the phrase “wearing a Porsche”—a saying from an era when the cars had small, close-fitting seats, a tight cabin, and a compact body that responded exactly as you wanted.

Compared with its predecessor, however, the 993 gained improved ventilation for a quieter cabin, while a redesigned suspension brought greater comfort and a smoother ride. The 993-generation 911 Turbo was also the first series-production 911 to combine turbocharging with all-wheel drive.

As the last air-cooled model, the 993 is highly prized by enthusiasts and continues to command strong prices on the used-car market.

I searched a used-car site for 993-generation 911 Turbos—I tried Goo and found just four listings. Three were marked “price on request”, despite all having mileage in the 10,000-kilometer range. The remaining car was listed at ¥14 million, with 88,000 kilometers on the clock.

Wow. That much for a used car? I suppose it makes sense when they’re no longer being made. I looked into why air-cooled Porsches have become so expensive, and apparently the market looks like this:

• Prices have leveled off at a high level.
• A significant number of air-cooled 911s have been exported overseas.
• Overseas buyers, in particular, tend to place great importance on originality and completeness compared with the car’s condition when new.
• Accident-free cars with one or two owners, complete service records, and well-kept interiors and exteriors continue to command strong prices.
• Manual-transmission cars, RS and Turbo models, and limited editions also remain highly valued.
• Prices are unlikely to return to the levels seen a few years ago.
* Source: “Will Air-Cooled Porsche 911 Prices Keep Rising? We Ask an Expert at a Specialist Buying Service”

Air-cooled Porsches really are something else… ((；ﾟДﾟ))

Built for a Charity Auction

When I asked my husband what he thought of the 993-generation Porsche 911 unveiled as part of Classic Project Gold—“Isn’t this just the kind of 911 you’d love!?”—he replied:

“Sure, it’s great, but they’re only making one of them. (-_-)”

Wait, really?! (゜o゜;

I hadn’t read the article to the end, but sure enough, it said:

Porsche plans to build just one 993-generation 911 Turbo and offer it at a charity auction. Since the 993 is highly sought after on the used-car market, a brand-new example is expected to fetch a high price.

So that’s what it was: Porsche built this one-off car specifically for a charity auction… My husband added, “I mean, it’s nice, but even if they made more, I’m not sure about that gold color…” Fair point. I’d love it in deep green or burgundy, but gold would feel a little too flashy for me.

In any case, air-cooled Porsches are definitely worth keeping an eye on.

* Image and text source: “Porsche Reveals ‘Secret’ Classic-Car Project: The Last Air-Cooled 911 Turbo Recreated as a New Car for the First Time in 20 Years”