1983 Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet

‘WRD 232Y’ is a Guards Red Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet that our in-house assessor came back from his test drive raving about, saying “it drives beautifully!”

We gave him a cup of calming camomile tea to calm him down, and when he’d stopped grinning, he further gushed about the electrics, soft-top, wheels, and coachwork.

This is very unlike him.

But we can forgive his (justified) enthusiasm because this is an unusually attractive example of the definitive 1980’s sportscar that’s being offered with a fresh and advisory-free MoT and only a modest estimate.
 

A Guards Red Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet with a whaletail is the definitive 1980s yuppiemobile, surely? It certainly got our office buzzing with our older members regaling the younger ones with tales of having seen them roaming in the wild when we were teenagers with empty pockets but a headful of dreams, dreams that for many of us including having one of these in the garage.

And this would be a good one to have; we’ll talk about the few cosmetic issues it presents in a while, but the headlines are that it would benefit from a bit of TLC while still being very presentable indeed.

Because the panels are good, with the sort of shutlines, even after more than 40 years, that helped make German cars a byword for top-flight engineering and build quality.

And the doors still close with an impressive thud, yet the door handles have a delicacy to their latching mechanism that urges you to open them using nothing more than fingertip pressure.

These are very tactile cars.

An older respray, the Guards Red paintwork is good too, with a healthy shine and real presence – and if you’re going to buy a Porsche from *that* decade there’s really no other colour, surely?

The all-important whale-tail is in great shape with a shiny finish to the paintwork and glossy black trim, the wheelarch lips and sills are straight and free of obvious rust, and the fuel filler cap has retained the fabric flap that protects the wing beneath.

The front tyres are 205/55R16 Continental ContiPremiumContact 2, while those on the rear are 225/50ZR16 Continental ContiSportContact. The former are date-stamped 2021, while the rears date back to 2007, so you know what you need to do here.

But, getting on a bit or not, those fat-walled tyres have helped preserve the iconic black and silver Fuchs alloy wheels it’s fitted with as these are free of scuffs, scrapes, and other kerbing damage.

The black mohair hood, which was replaced 12 years ago along with the headlining and tensioning cables and elastics, is holding up very well. Mind you, it ran up a hefty bill in the process, so you’d have every right to expect a top-quality job.

Which it clearly was and remains so, with no rips, tears, or other damage along with crystal-clear rear window. It’s still a nice deep black too, and fits very well with a nice, taut surface.

As for remedial work, there are a few issues for the new buyer to contend with including a gap between the offside A-pillar and the roof, surface rust on the underside of the rear bumper behind the offside rubber trim, a very faint (and we do mean very faint) crease in the nearside front wing between the headlight and the wheel, a deep scratch above the offside headlight, and while the rubber trim on the nearside of the rear spoiler aligns well, that on the offside doesn’t sit quite flush; it also has a couple of minor splits in it, which may or may not be connected.

Also, the nearside corner of the rear bumper has had a poor-quality repair made to it, and the nearside front bumper bellows could be neater.

Overall, our man reports the Porsche “presents very nicely regardless” of the above.
 

We’ve pressed and prodded and poked everything we could see, and it all seems to still work exactly as Porsche intended, which is yet further confirmation that these old 911s really do age very well indeed.

Yes, the seats do rather let the side down a bit, but they’re firm and comfortable, even after 160,000 miles, and the seller tells us that he’s had a quote of £1,700 to get them retrimmed in leather, which doesn’t sound too bad to us.

The need for the seats to be retrimmed also frees you to indulge yourself – and unless you’re a slave to factory specs, you could choose any colour or material that catches your eye, including some of the snazzier fabrics they used in-period; maybe fabric centre panels with leather bolsters? Or a nice saddle-stitched tan leather all over?

We genuinely envy you the journey you’re about to embark on.

While you’re scouting for someone to do the work this might be a good time to point out that the door seals need replacing, the steering wheel is worn, and the instrument bezels have gone a bit rusty.

Other than that, it’s all good news, because the floor coverings should clean up nicely, everything bar the stereo looks original, the rear seats have survived very well, the headlining is clean and undamaged, the dashboard top is free of sun damage, and there are no extraneous holes in the dashboard.

The frunk looks decent too, with apparently solid metalwork. It also hosts a space-saver spare wheel and jack in addition to the fuel tank and battery.

Overall, this is a honest interior that couldn’t lie to you if it tried.
 

As you can see it starts on the button before settling into a rock-steady idle. The oil pressure is excellent too, and this builds nicely in line with the revs – and it revs very well; it isn’t unknown for these flat-six engines to clatter a bit, but this one just sounds smooth and playful.

The engine bay is a bit grubby but then there are few more satisfying jobs than valeting, so perhaps you should actually pay a little bit more for all the extra pleasure you’re going to have?

As for the underside, the last mention of anything even approximating structural corrosion was back in 2007 when the MoT tester advised: “Offside Front Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive”.

The underside isn’t perfect but then nor has it been covered in a thick layer of underseal to disguise and mislead; like the interior, it appears to be honest and wears its (few) faults openly.
 

The seller bought the Porsche last year from a colleague of his. As a long-time fan of the marque who still owns the 997 he bought new, he wasn’t really looking for another car but he was impressed with this one’s condition he thought he’d see what all the fuss was about.

And despite having almost 160,000 miles on the odometer it drives so well (“it’s never missed a beat, and I’d drive to the south of France in it tomorrow”) he couldn’t resist buying a slightly newer, silver example from us a few months later.

However, after giving it due consideration, he’s decided he prefers the slightly younger car , which means the red one is now surplus to requirements.

Which is a decision he might come to regret because, after driving it the 200 miles from his home to our office, he climbed out and told us: “This one drives better than the silver one” with what sounded suspiciously like regret in his voice.

Which isn’t really surprising because its MoT certificate, which is valid until May 2026, was issued with no advisories. Just like the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that.

Do you get the picture? And need we remind you that our in-house assessor, a man with ice-cold petrol running through his veins, said of it: “It drives beautifully!”

The recent Vehicle History Check is also clear, and the history file includes a good quantity of paperwork for servicing and repairs over the years. 
 

This is a good usable example of a very desirable sportscar; fast, comfortable, and able to make the most of even the briefest appearance of the sun, it also drives very well indeed.

And when we say “usable” we mean it’s the sort of car you can drive long and hard without having to worry.

It also means that you should be able to add value with every job you tick off the (short) list of things to do.

And the hammer price is likely to be low. As in somewhere between £26,000 and £35,000, which is peanuts compared to what they were making only a couple of years ago.

But prices tend to be cyclic, and when things pick up and you’ve retrimmed the seats and tidied up the bodywork, we’d be amazed if you don’t do rather well out of it.  

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.