2009 Porsche 911 (997.2) Targa 4

The vendor has owned this second generation 997 for 8 years now. “It was a Cat D, with light cosmetic damage when I bought it,” he explains. “But with that fixed it’s been a beautiful car to own. It’s sat in my collection of 12-15 cars and I’ve covered around 8000 miles in it during that time.”

He cites the car’s high specification and rare colour combinations as being particular highlights and, despite now being in the process of re-jigging his collection, admits that it’s a very reluctant sale. “I just love driving it – the performance is amazing; the Targa side of it too, with the its electric sunblind.”

We’ll continue with the details before the vendor talks himself out of this consignment. The 911 will be sold with the private number “L100 ACT” plate that he himself fitted, and the car comes with two keys both accompanied by an-important round immobilizer fob.

The included V5c document (please see the Photographic Gallery, below) indicates a total of three owners from new and a first registration date of 17/11/2009. The service book is also present and all services carried out during the vendor's ownership have been by MPC Mercedes Service Centre, London, E4 8DJ.

It has a current MOT test certificate, which runs until 24/11/2022 and the odometer currently reads just 43387 miles. It’s also worth noting that it’s passed its last six MOT tests with no advisories whatsoever.

Let’s talk about colours; more specifically, let’s talk about Porsche colours. Default Silver and Black abound on this generation 911 (or Boxster), but outliers such as this car’s Malachite Green definitely bring more visual interest to the party. Let’s just say that at a distance it stands out in our preparation and storage facility – and up close, it’s enough to make you swoon.

The paint finish remains in rude health; it’s deep, even and very satisfying. The colour match looks to be good and panel fit tight. It’s not concours by any means – there’s a scuff and a two and a half inch scratch just below the offside rear taillight and the odd stone chip – but generally it’s nice and clean, with a slightly rough finish on the bonnet, which may come good with some detailing.

The rear window has begun delaminating slightly at the lower nearside corner, but the area itself sits just directly below the wiper and therefore doesn’t affect visibility.

The alloy wheels are in good condition and the Porsche badges (prone to cracking) in their respective centres are holding up well. Tyres too, look to be in good health with a decent amount of tread remaining on each. All head- and rear-light plastics also remain clear.

Our biggest problem here at The Market has been deciding on the car’s best view: hmm, it’s got to be that muscular rear end with its large sweeping glass canopy – perfection.

It only gets better inside. If exterior blacks and silvers were de rigueur, then most interiors were a study in black. Nice then, to pop the door here and find magnificence!

The first owner certainly didn’t scrimp and scrape when it came to ticking the options box: heated leather steering wheel, heated electric sports seats, leather everything and a Bose sound system are just some of the highlights. However, it’s the complete colour-coded nature of the cabin that, for us, is the clincher. It just complements the exterior colour so well.

All electrics function as they should, including that lovely glass Targa roof. There’s a lot of joy to be had in retracting it and welcoming the sun (and noise from the 3.6!) into the cabin.

There’s a touch of wear here and there, but it’s limited to an outer edge here and there (such as the carpet panel in the passenger foot well, which is coming a bit loose) and the carpet mats are good but not perfect. In the rear, the offside seat has a small tear and a bit of dark staining – replacement with a well-matched leather panel would be beneficial, if the next owner wished to smarten it up.

“The car is fitted with a Tracker, too. Obviously, I will cancel my subscription on sale, but the next owner can start their own.”

Overall, it’s a delicious cabin.

“It’s never been used on a track,” says the vendor. “Just to give you an idea I’m in my Sixties and certainly not a boy racer. Instead, it’s been driven purely for pleasure.

“The engine and gearbox are in my opinion, faultless. It shifts gears perfectly and the power is amazing. You can change the driving experience by pressing the “go-faster” and “noisy” buttons on the centre console.”

We’ve had the car out for a spin or two and can confirm that it’s a joy to pilot. The suspension is supple, it remains glued to the road and its relatively low mileage means that it feels barely run in. As you’d expect the acceleration is particularly brutal, but it’s just as happy cruising around. The driving experience is also firmly enhanced by the ability to utilise that Targa top – summer is coming and what better way to enjoy it than in a modern classic like this.

“A light does come on during start up,” says vendor. “It’s something to do with the headlight, but that can be cancelled by lifting up the small handle on the left-hand side of the steering column. Everything works perfectly – just as it should.” We also noticed an engine oil level message, this appears to be from the enginge having slightly too much oil in it, according to the display.

Pop the boot lid and you’ll find a very clean engine bay. The underside of the car presents well; there’re one or two areas with a touch of light surface corrosion, but nothing that looks untoward. If we’re being hypercritical (and we always are), the engine is a touch oily at its lower extremities so it may possibly benefit from a fresh gasket or two in the near to medium future.

As well as the aforementioned V5c, MOT test and service book documents, you’ll also find all the original handbooks (housed in a leather wallet) in the car’s history file. An RAC Vehicle History check, some previous MOT tests certificates and a registration plate authorisation certificate further complement these.

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 high standard.

This is one beautiful looking Porsche; the rare Malachite bodywork/tan leather interior combination is truly stunning. We can already envisage the next owner’s life conundrums over the next few years: 1. Park up, walk away and then simply fail not to look back. 2. Pop down to the garage for something and then find themselves ensconced in that glorious cabin, as the seconds turn into minutes and then hours. And then there’s driving it.

Some cars are a visual treat and this is one of them. For transparency the vendor has declared the Targa a Cat D when he bought it, but that classification in itself should provide confidence that there were no structural issues whatsoever. With the light cosmetic damage repaired, it presented (and still presents) as good as new. That does of course affect price, so at somewhere between £30,000 and £40,000 this highly specced, relatively low-mileage Malachite beast will be particularly good value.

Targa-topped, naturally aspirated fun in a mesmerising visual package? That’ll do nicely.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 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’.