1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 2

This low mileage, low owners Amethyst Pearl Metallic 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet is in very good condition – outside, inside and underneath.

It almost certainly owes much of its fine condition to the fact that it was exported new to Japan in 1991, only coming to UK shores in 2004.

Now then. What does that tell us?

Firstly, that this car will have experienced the pampered and fastidiously curated existence enjoyed by nearly all prestigious, luxury Japanese imports.

It may be something of a cliché to talk about the roll of ‘honour’ in Japanese society and culture. But it’s no exaggeration to say that this tradition is alive and well in the Japanese motor trade.

This is a world in which mechanics are assiduously diligent in their work, dealers are scrupulously honest in their valuations, and owners take obsessive levels of pride in the care and attention they lavish upon their expensive European cars.

Secondly, it tells you that the car has spent its life in a country where salt is thrown over the shoulders of sumo wrestlers, not chucked all over the roads with reckless abandon like it is in the UK.

Ergo, Japanese cars are nearly always free of the sort or corrosion issues that routinely affect cars in the UK and elsewhere.

Today, the car is showing 50,683 miles on the odometer. In March 2006, the figure was 41,922 miles.

The MoT record seems to swap randomly between giving the figures in kms or miles but, given that the odometer is calibrated in mph, miles would seem the likelier option and we’re assuming the odometer was changed when the car came to the UK.  
 

The bodywork is untroubled by any unplanned or unwanted extrusions, intrusions, aberrations, deviations, dents, dinks, warps or creases that we can see, and the whole car exudes all the trademark build quality for which Zuffenhausen’s finest offerings are rightly famed.

The vault-like doors close with a sound like someone checking out the bolt action on a sniper’s rifle.

That’s impressive in any car, never mind a cabriolet…and one that left the factory 34 years ago.

Needless to say, the shut-lines and panel gaps are Teutonically precise, consistent and even.

Of course, the thing that first strikes you about the car is the glorious colour - Amethyst Pearl Metallic.

It’s a shade that changes with every new trick of the light and it’ll do half a dozen chameleon-like colour shifts as you walk around the car.

It took a lot of will-power for us to just look at it, rather than lick it.  

The Turbo Twist alloys are in fine fettle and the tyres (new Pirellis at the front) look to have a more than reasonable life expectancy.

What did we find to complain about? Nothing important, that’s for sure, but we spotted an entirely standard number and distribution of few stone chips around the front of the bonnet and the ‘nose’ of the car, plus a crack to the number plate.

There’s also a sizeable scratch on the front valance where it wraps around to approach the nearside wheel-arch; a far less sizeable scratch on the nearside of the windscreen; some stone chips and scuffs on the passenger door and the forward-facing aspect of the n/s/r wheel-arch; some rubbed-off paint on the door edges; and a little loose rubber trim near the base of the nearside ‘A’ pillar.

The black fabric roof has no signs of damage or wear to report and deploys exactly as it should. So, too, does the rear spoiler.

All lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings appear to be in good condition.
 

911 interiors of this era are simple, unadorned, uncluttered, analogue things.

And they’re all the better for it in many ways. Or possibly fewer ways. Discuss.

Anyway.

Everything you need falls readily to hand, thanks to the intuitive reach and ergonomic access afforded by the car’s famously good driving position.

Obviously, being a 911 of this era, Porsche had to throw a few spanners into the ergonomic works, which is why it will take you half an hour and a good thumbing through the handbook to find the hood’s ‘up and down’ buttons and the automatic/manual rear spoiler switches.

Your author bought a second-hand 993 in the early 2000s and, upon leaving the dealer’s showroom in torrential rain, nearly crashed into a bus when he, quite reasonably (in his opinion), failed to find the wiper button – which was hidden somewhere ridiculous. Possibly on the roof, or in a different car.

We digress.

The light grey leather upholstery has very little to indicate even the car’s age, let alone its low mileage.

The front seats, as ever in a 911, are comfortable, supportive and afford just the right driving position.

The rear seats are really only there for the benefit of hats, coats, bags of shopping or people who are very young, very small, very flexible, or very much all three.

The door cards are in good order, although the door pull on the driver’s side is a tad loose and could do with being tightened up a bit.

The hood lining is beyond criticism.

So, too are the carpets and mats, save for some discolouration to a section of carpeting at the top of the passenger footwell.

The instruments, dials and controls all look good and characteristically over-engineered, it is worth that the face now reads in mph as the dial was changed by the current owner from kph but the odometer still reads in km's. We’ve heard nothing to suggest that anything is currently not working - all electrics work as they should, as far as we’re aware.

The ‘frunk’ is clean and tidy.
 

Obviously, there’s not much to be learned from peering into the engine bay of a 911.

That said, what we can see of the engine appears to be clean, dry and in its right and proper place.

With just 50,000 km's on the clock, it’s basically barely run-in.

The undersides seem to be particularly well preserved, and everything looks to have a reassuring amount of structural integrity.  

Nothing has given us any reason to tut, frown or shake our heads.
 

The car comes with a stamped-up service book covering its years in Japan. We’d happily give you the details of exactly what work took place but, unfortunately, our Japanese language skills are a little rusty.

Fear not – there are invoices, bills and receipts covering its 10,000 miles of use since 2004, the most recent of which pertains to a service carried out by Miltech of Wimborne in September 2025.

The car was the recipient of a new starter motor in 2019.

It comes with its original book pack, a recent HPI report and an MoT certificate that’s valid until 21/4/26.

For a while the 964 was - undeservedly, we think - one of the less loved variants of the 911.

With the passage of time (and the benefit of hindsight), we can now see that as soon as the water-cooled 996 came along and consigned Porsche’s iconic air-cooled offerings to the history books, a premium would start to accrue to the earlier cars – the ones the purists would always covet and lionise.

Well, price-wise, the 993s have gone through the roof, as have their 930 predecessors.

So, it should come as no surprise whatsoever to learn that the one in between, the 964, is now coming into its own and is more than likely to keep pursuing an upward trajectory.

This low mileage, low ownership, ex-Japan car is a fine example of both the marque and the model and deserves to attract keen attention and bidding, we think.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £38,000 - £45,000.

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’.