1986 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera Sport Targa

Rowena Rouse has owned FIL9055 since 2002. “We bought it to act as my everyday vehicle for commuting to work (which included a 60-mile round trip, 4 days a week throughout the year) and ferrying my kids around when they were young – hence the seatbelts in the rear. It was very popular with the 10-year-old boys!” she explains.

She used the 911 as above for 5 years before changing its use to leisure and pleasure, after a complete body overhaul with new front wings, rear wing repairs and a full re-spray. “I have a lot of pictures of the rebuild and have also provided a spreadsheet with all the works carried out during our 20 years of ownership.”

To summarise, this has included: the body restoration (carried out by the Body Boys at Old Piggeries in 2008); gearbox and clutch, Tuthill Porsche built and strengthened (in 2014); and new heat exchangers and exhaust (Tuthill Porsche 2019). “In all, we’ve spent around £26,000 on the car’s maintenance and upkeep during that period.

“It’s generally in very good condition and the new stainless exhausts sound fabulous and the car attracts attention wherever we go.” That has included one trip to France and various road trip in the UK, with less than 10,000 miles covered since its 2008 body rebuild. “If I’m honest I don’t get to use it as often as I used to, so maybe it’s time for someone else to enjoy it.”

Rowena’s decision to part with FIL9055 means that this nicely sorted Targa is now ready for fresh adventures with its next owner.

The best advice we can give here is to head straight to our Photo Gallery below (after reading this description, of course). There, you’ll find a variety of photos showing the lengths gone to during the car’s body restoration. This comprehensive work has been followed by limited annual use and means that the body remains in tip-top condition.

“As the car has been used, there are a few minor stone-chips in places,” says Rowena. There is one spot of rust in the offside sill, but I believe it to be cosmetic – however, it should be repaired. When we rebuilt the car the inner wheel arches were all closed off using Mk4 VW Golf inner wheel arch protectors cut to suit.”

Panel fit remains very good, as does the paint finish; the Midnight Blue really suits the 911’s lines and lends it an understated visual depth. There are one or two very minor imperfections (grazes on the lower section of the front bumper, some scratches on the front valance and a scratch on the underside of the boot-lid – but no-one sees that, unless it’s up – and the like), but generally it’s pretty clean. Door edge protectors are fitted.

The five-spoke alloy wheels are very good (there’s a small nick on the nearside rear one) and shod in top quality Pirelli P-Zero rubber, each with plenty of tread remaining.

Up top, the Targa panel is in nice condition (it was retrimmed in 2010) and the material free from any surface tears or abrasions – although it has a few ripples. It’s easily whipped off, so you can enjoy the Targa’s raison d'etre.

Some 911s from this period have cabins that are exclusively black and seemingly free from joy; that’s not the case here, as the Ivory leather (piped Blue) with matching Blue carpets makes for a light and airy interior – that’s something that is, of course, aided and abetted by the ability to lift the top off.

The seats have a bit of patina and could benefit from a feed. Unsurprisingly, the driver’s seat bolster has a bit of wear with a two-inch tear in the fabric. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but with a bit of savvy investment the interior could easily be brought up to match the exterior condition should the next owner so wish. Lifting the carpets reveals solid metal.

Carpets have a bit of wear here and there but remain perfectly serviceable. You’ll find a sporty aftermarket Momo ‘Competition’ steering wheel fitted. The Panasonic radio stereo has a removable fascia and an additional audio in cable is in situ.

The front storage area is finished in matching carpet and underneath you’ll find the original tool set and spare wheel – although the rubber on the latter looks to be original, so you may wish to replace that.

“The Tuthill Porsche rebuilt gearbox, and clutch, are pretty new and work faultlessly,” says Rowena. “In our time it has not seen a trackday or such like, but it has been up the Prescott Hillclimb. Great fun and she ran well, although the driver, my partner Martin, wasn’t as good!

“It has had new shock absorbers at the front and the car is more compliant on our poor roads than you might think. The 911 runs faultlessly and is a real delight to drive, with the engine pulling hard and freely.”

We’ve had FIL9055 at our Abingdon headquarters for a few days now and, after one or two sunny day sojourns, can confirm all of the above – it’s a very smart and very sorted example.

Pop the boot lid and you’ll find a very clean engine bay; all leads look good, and the engine itself appears leak-free. The engine starts on the key and idles steadily, before spinning freely through the rev range under throttle.

As the photographs in our Gallery below demonstrate, the underside remains in very rude health. The adapted VW Golf wheelarch protectors are evident and (combined with the Targa’s body restoration) should provide buyers with confidence that what lies beneath is similarly solid.

The Targa comes with a nice history file. In it you’ll find a service book with 21 service stamps in it, as well as numerous others for brake fluid and speedometer changes. The original Porsche Guarantee and Maintenance book is present, as is the manual for the aftermarket Sigma M Series immobiliser fitted.

There are a whole host of invoices from various phases of the car’s life showing the outlay that it’s had spent on maintaining it. We think it’s worth taking your time flicking through them, as they are indicative of the car’s current condition. These include the one for Gearbox rebuild and fresh clutch in August 2014 at Tuthill Porsche (at a cost of £2282.78).

The V5c is present as is the current MOT test certificate, which runs until 01/07/2022.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been both restored and maintained to a very good standard.

We do love a Targa here at The Market. What better way is there to enjoy summer, than to whip out that centre panel and luxuriate in an air-cooled flat-six symphony?

Triumph, through designer Giovanni Michelotti, may have originated the model (if not the name), but the Stuttgart-based company ran with it and if you hear the word now, you think Porsche.

The vendor originally used this example as a daily schlepper before it became a high-days and holidays car, after a body restoration in 2008. Since then, it’s been regularly exercised and had the requisite work carried out (and money spent) to ensure that it remains mechanically spot on.

Given that, we think it’ll realise somewhere between £30,000 and £40,000. At the bottom end of that price range, you’re approaching bargain territory, whilst even at the top it’d still represent a very good buy.

Classic (and Modern Classic) 911 popularity shows no sings of abating, so this a car that you can buy, drive, lavish love upon and still be relatively confident that it’ll continue to appreciate.

The latter is a bonus, but it’s the driving where the real pleasure lies.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.