1987 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo

Delivered on the 1st of August 1987, this Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo screams ‘1980s’ in a way that few others can – and if you like your yuppie wheels as well specified as they are immaculately maintained then this is the car for you.

Fitted with the LE’s rear wing air ducts, an electric sunroof, air-conditioning, a Blaupunkt Toronto stereo, rear seatbelts, and electrically adjustable sports seats by the factory, it started life on the Isle of Wight. Sold in April 1989 at 7,000 miles for a reputed six-figure sum, it went to a chap in Potters Bar and then went into storage shortly thereafter after the exotic car market took a bit of a nosedive…

December 1996 saw it move into the hands of Rivervale Porsche, who recommissioned it ahead of putting it into stock. It then sold to a chap who ran it for around 7,000 miles in total, 4,000 of which were runs down to the south of France. He won a couple of concours events with it too before selling it to the vendor in 2002.

The car that kick-started his collection after the birth of his first son, it wore the registration number ‘R140 DES’ or RHODES, in honour of his father. Eventually part of an extensive collection of classic cars, its status as one of 25 meant that a) it didn’t get used much, and b) it was properly stored.

After 18 years and 8,000 miles, the love affair is consolidated: “If I don’t sell it then it’ll stay here with me”, he told us. “My son thinks it’s his, anyway!”

Guards Red is popular for a reason and this car shows why. Fabulously of-the-period, the overall fit ‘n’ finish shows why Porsche had the reputation it did back-in-the-day. With ultra-tight and consistent shutlines, dent and dink-free panels, and ripple-free flanks, the vibrant red colour is free to shine, something this one does beautifully.

Glossy and free of the sort of swirl an apprentice marks you see on so many red cars, it’s all still in great shape, too. The wraparound front rubber chin spoiler, which extends up to meet the impact bumper, is still a deep black and doesn’t show any signs of having faded over the years. It’s free of chips and scuffs too, another pointer to the care the Porsche has received over the years.

All the iconic features are here, including the wonderfully OTT ‘tea tray’ rear spoiler – and black Fuchs alloy wheels are exactly what you’d hope to see on a Guards Red Porsche 911. Even better, they’re unmarked, with clean, scuff-free rims, black wheel nuts, and unmarked centre caps.

The tyres, 205/55ZR16 on the front and 245/45ZR16 on the rear, are matching Pirelli P-Zeros. They’re brand-new, so have their full depth of tread and no damage to their sidewalls – and don’t they look charmingly narrow and high-walled compared to the sort of thing we’re used to seeing on modern supercars?

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The sliding steel sunroof opens and closes smoothly. It seals well too, but that doesn’t come as a surprise, does it?

Oh, and those very of-the-period air vents on the rear wings, the ones you usually only see on the end-of-the-line 911 LE, are the factory originals. Goodness know how much they set the first owner back but we’re willing to bet they weren’t cheap…

Blemishes? Well, the owner pointed out a barely noticeable white line on the bonnet “there as a result of over-zealous polishing, I’m afraid.” He did consider getting it resprayed but thought it was more important to leave the paintwork original, leaving it to the new owner to decide whether they can live with it or not.

The linen leather interior is finished in Can-Can red piping. Subtler than many 911 of this era (no Kermit green, for example…), it look delightful and complements the Guards Red coachwork to perfection.

The leather on the two front seats is very gently cracked but no more; caused by age, rather than wear, what patina there is is gentle and adds to, rather than detracts from, its charm. The rear seats are even better and look to be pretty much unused, something that won’t come as a huge surprise to those familiar with the model and the lack of legroom back there.

Everything else is as good as you’d expect of a 911 with under 30,000 miles on the clock. Sure, some of the ergonomics are a bit wayward – we defy anyone to operate the heater without recourse to the owner’s handbook – but it all still looks terrific and works every bit as well now as it did when the 911 was new.

The ‘frunk’ is gorgeous. Ultra-clean and beautifully organised, the underlying metal floor is so clean and solid it could be a couple of years old rather than deep into its fourth decade. Home to the space-saver spare wheel, battery, tool kit, tyre compressor, and fuel tank, even the master cylinder still has the alignment marks on the mounting nuts. True, the carpet could do with a quick hoover but that’s not exactly the end of the world, is it?

Speaking of carpets, those inside the 911 are just as good and lifting them shows nothing but solid metal and a startling absence of the sort of rust and rot we’re used to seeing on Porsches of the era.

In fact, interior blemishes are restricted to some colour loss from the gearknob and some light scuffing to the edge of the leather-covered transmission tunnel near the driver’s feet.

(If you’re really bored over the festive period then you might want to track down a period Blaupunkt Toronto headunit but that’s more for completeness than because there is anything wrong with the modern CD player that’s fitted.)

As you’d expect, the 911’s service and maintenance record is as fulsome as you could hope for.

• 03.09.1987 and 916 miles – service by Heddell & Deeks Porsche

• 17.05.1988 and 5,337 miles – service by Heddell & Deeks Porsche

• 17.01.1989 and 6,597 miles – service by Heddell & Deeks Porsche

• 28.02.1997 and 8,311 miles - service plus fresh brake fluid by Rivervale Porsche

• 20.07.1998 and 12,908 miles – service by Graypaul Motors

• 08.07.1999 and 16,234 miles - service by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 08.02.2001 and 17,456 miles - service by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 20.05.2003 and 19,186 miles - service by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 14.12.2005 and 20,915 miles - service plus fresh brake fluid by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 31.05.2007 and 21,449 miles - service plus fresh brake fluid and a new clutch by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 30.09.2009 and 23,245 miles - service plus fresh brake fluid by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 17.09.2010 and 23,731 miles - service by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 23.11.2012 and 24,274 miles - service by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 14.05.2015 and 24,533 miles - service by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 03.04.2017 and 24,887 miles - service by Porsche Centre Tonbridge

• 27.04.2017 and 24,915 miles – new CDI control unit by Porsche Centre Tonbridge at a cost of almost £2,000

• 21.10.2020 and 25,457 miles – service plus fresh brake fluid, new drive belts and four new tyres by Paragon Porsche at a cost of well over £3,000

• 03.11.2020 and 25,457 miles – recharge air-conditioning system by Paragon Porsche

The move to Paragon came as a result of the main dealer’s dwindling knowledge of the model, a niche Paragon was happy to fill. “They know the model intimately” the vendor explained, “and it was one of four in the workshops when I took it there so I knew it was in safe hands.”

Indeed it was. As you can see and hear in the video, the 911 starts promptly and quickly settles into a steady tickover. It revs beautifully, and drives exactly as it should. Wonderfully analogue in feel, its controls might be a little heavy in comparison with today’s over-assisted systems but it’s bloomin’ quick and very satisfying to thread along a country lane.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

The 911’s MOT certificate, which is valid until October 2021, was gained without a single advisory point, something it’s been doing since 2007.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook, stamped service history, book pack, and storage wallet.

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

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We’ve all lusted after a Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo, haven’t we? Sure, they’re flawed but then genius generally is and nothing, and we do mean nothing, beats the sound and feel of a 911 at full chat.

But, because the world has gone bonkers for cars like this, which means that there are an awful lot of under-the-arches specials out there, cheaply tarted up to ride the tsunami that is the classic Porsche market at the moment.

And yet, there are a few good examples still out there, honest, low-mileage cars that are everything a good 911 Turbo should be – and this is one of them. Beautifully presented, running brilliantly, and every inch the museum-quality car of your dreams, it is going to cost you six-figures to make it yours.

But only just because we think it’s going to sell for between £105,000 and £130,000, which means you’ll be losing £130 a year in interest if you put your money here rather than keeping it in the bank or building society.

With the market being steady at the moment, that means that even factoring in insurance and a service, the car of your childhood dreams could be yours for peanuts in the end.

Happy New Year, eh?

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.