1987 Porsche 911 Super Sport

It’s the latter of these two Stuttgart steeds that we have here. A 1987 911 SC 3.2 cabriolet with the all-important, factory-fitted widebody kit. Option code M491, in technical terms, gave the Supersport the more aggressive stance of its blown brethren, but not its engine or most of its running gear. One-piece widened 930 wings were fitted, front and back, along with the bumpers and iconic ‘duck-tail’ rear spoiler from the original 911 Turbo.

This example has been used sparingly for the majority of its life, with very little annual miles clocked up – especially in the past 20 years. There’s a host of paperwork going right back to its earliest servicing and MoTs too. The majority of the former has been carried out by Porsche specialists – rather than within the dealer network – though there are still plenty of invoices, making it easy to chart the car’s care.

Finished in a shade that only seems to accentuate the 1980s aesthetic of its wildly flared lines; this Supersport’s silhouette is both one of the most instantly recognisable and desirable in motoring. The panel fit and paint finish remain excellent almost throughout – there’s just a little room for improvement along the lower rear portion of the car, more on that later…

The good news continues with the hood, which looks crisp and snug, fitting well without any apparent areas of stretching. Those aftermarket split-rim alloys (aping the genuine 964 RS Speedlines) are in fine order. There’s just one wheel showing a few ill effects from moisture on its outer rim. The tyres consist of a good pair of Pirelli Rossos on the rear and some mildly worn Bridgestones on the front. Neither set seems to be due a replacement anytime soon.

Back to that rear end, the offside bumper corner, where it meets the lower quarter of the wing, doesn’t fit as neatly as it could. There’s also some corrosion bubbling on the underside of the bumper on this side too. Incidentally, that is the only rust we could find showing on the topside of this Porsche – it’s also very little cause for concern at this stage as it’s yet to break the paint. We’re not sure if this is related, but the car was categorised a D-class insurance write-off back in 2005. That’s the lowest, superficial class of damage then and simply meant it wasn’t economically viable for the insurers to repair the car. The signs are good that the damage was superficial, as any repairs appear invisible today. The car has also passed many an MoT since, most without even advisories.

That classic five-dial instrument cluster is the first thing that greets you, leaving you in little doubt that this is a ‘real’ 911. The older, air-cooled era of Porsche’s perennial performer is the most coveted today for good reason. There’s a wonderful period time-machine feel to this example. It’s almost totally original and with a much lower than average mileage, there’s little wear to worry about. Having said this, we’d probably spend a little money getting the steering wheel retrimmed and have some remedial work done to the driver’s seat, but other than that, this cabin’s good to go.

The carpets appear excellent throughout, as do the door cards and dashboard; including its easily cracked top. More proof, if any were needed, that this car’s seen scant use. There are some aftermarket – but still period-looking – speakers fitted within the door cards and in the rear three-quarter panels. These are driven by another aftermarket addition, in this instance a JVC stereo that’s perhaps not the most harmonious choice. Easy enough to change... While we were at it, we’d also tidy the wiring that’s hanging down from under the dash on the passenger side. Both ten-minute jobs. More importantly, the floors under the carpets look in great shape both front and back and we couldn’t find any sign of water leaks.

The ‘frunk’ carpet looks just as neat and tidy and as we lifted these out for a thorough inspection underneath, we found the metal was equally in good order. The engine bay won’t win any concours awards but it’s still very far from untidy. There appears to be no obvious sign of any oil leaks, crucially important on an air-cooled engine, of course. The underside of the ’bay did reveal a tired-looking exhaust, however with corroded joints. We also spotted that the heat exchangers on both sides have lost their original clamps, with the flexi hose on the nearside trusted to hold on entirely with the aid of some cable ties! Needless to say, this will need addressing sooner rather than later.

The other issue that requires immediate attention is the nearside brake caliper. On our test drive it was found to be binding slightly, which lead to brake over-heating on that corner. Once it had cooled down, it was inspected and we found that the wheel still turned, so it’s likely just a lack of use issue – but we’d still get it stripped and inspected for peace of mind. We saw plenty of original factory underseal still doing its job underneath. The floors and sills appear to be straight and free from serious corrosion as a result. There’s some rust creeping into the rear anti-roll bar mount, however, it seems to be at an early stage. There’s a similar film of surface rust to most of the pipes, clamps and fixings, though we couldn’t see any that would worry the next MoT tester.

As mentioned already, there’s a solid selection of invoices and service stamps to accompany this 911, right from its first service in ’88 up to its last stamped care in ’05 – the latter was carried out at just 57,151 miles. The care didn’t stop here however, there’s an invoice in the history from 2014 when the car received a replacement cylinder head temperature sensor and an oil change. The first of three new batteries (again indicating a lack of use) was purchased in 2009, with another bought in 2016 and the last just a year later. A replacement ECU was also fitted in 2006 at a cost of £347.80.

Even from its early days, this Porsche was entrusted to specialists – with just one trip to Lancaster Garages Porsche centre in 1997 breaking the trend. We can chart that lack of use (sometimes as little as 100 miles a year) with a near complete stack of old MoT certificates. Big former bills include a fan motor and heated seat fix in 2004 at a cost of £495,34. Recent expenditure is conspicuous by its absence, however with just 4246 miles covered in the past 16 years, clearly not a lot has been needed. To give you an idea, that equates to an average of just 265 miles a year. The car also comes with its 911-incusive licence plate, original Porsche owner’s literature and a spare key.

That write-off in its history is always going to put off some people, but this 911 appears to have been very easily put back on the road – just a month after its accident, in fact. The damage appears to be invisible today and the vendor is keen to point out that he bought the car from its previous long-term owner, who had been using it without incident for 15 of the past 17 years.

That factory-fitted widebody option makes this Porsche just as much of a head turner today as it did 35 years ago. Perhaps more so in fact, as the charm of the 1980s aesthetic seems to grow stronger with every year that passes. Other than the braking fault we’ve mentioned, the car drives well and presents even better. That’s why we think it deserves to make between £35,000 and £45,000.

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