1997 Porsche 911 Carrera 2S

Our next auction is an iconic Porsche 911 Carrera 2S. Widely thought to be the sweet spot in the 993 range, this turbo-bodied, wide-hipped 911 is fitted with the desirable six-speed manual gearbox and finished in Guards Red.

Believed to be just one of 251 cars in this specification, this 1997 model is showing only one previous registered UK keeper and fewer than 22,000 miles on the clock.

Originally supplied in Austria to a high net worth individual with homes in the UK and Austria as well as an estate in the Bahamas, it is a genuine ‘C16’ UK-spec car and comes with a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity confirming its original build specification, a specification that includes many items taken from the ‘Porsche Exclusive’ options list.

A ‘matching numbers’ car with an excellent history, its condition is commensurate with its mileage and history. Barely used in its early years and with an impeccable provenance, this is a rare opportunity for the discerning collector to get their hands on one what might just be the very best example of the last of the air-cooled Porsche 911s in the very best specification of them all.

For car folk of a certain age, a bright red Porsche 911 says something; those of us who were just a tad too young to have been a yuppie gazed at them with envy, while those of us who were yuppies look back at them with nostalgia: nothing epitomizes the zeitgeist eighties and early nineties like a G1 Guards Red 911.

And clichés become clichés for a reason, and the reason in this case is that few colours suit the 911’s iconic lines better. Some might claim that buying a Porsche like this is a bold move and, perhaps, just a little bit brash; we’d counter that by pointing out that folk like Mansory and Kahn have showed us what brash really means, leaving the road clear for us and our retro-vibe red 911.

Anyway, aesthetics considerations aside what can’t be denied is that the coachwork is in a fabulous condition with laser-etched shutlines, perfect panel alignment, and a complete absence of any marks, stonechips and dings bar one tiny touched-in stonechip. It is utterly magnificent and a credit to its two owners.

The 911 sits on a set of 18-inch Porsche Cup wheels with silver centre caps and the Porsche crest. They’re in magnificent condition and are free of dings, scuffs and other marks. They are also shod with matching Pirelli P-Zero high performance tyres, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tyre 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 do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The car’s original specification features many optional extras including headlamp washers, the rear wiper delete, and a graduated tint windscreen. The sliding steel sunroof is in good order, opening and closing quickly at the touch of a button, and sealing tightly. The rear spoiler also rises and falls to command, but then you’d probably taken that for granted by now, hadn’t you?

The Cashmere and leather Porsche Script interior is glorious with a light burr wood trim and dashboard, plus a light maple burr wood steering wheel, matching dials with leather trim, and leather sun visors, much of it from the ‘Porsche Exclusive’ range. Almost unbelievably, the hand-stitched leather trim extends to the air vents, seat hinges, and seat controls too. It is all impeccably stitched and staggeringly complex in its execution. Heaven knows what it must have cost when it was new (as a very expensive & rare optional extra), but it was worth every penny.

The carpets are bound with leather edges, and a burr walnut handbrake handle and gearknob were fitted by the factory – and both, of course, have leather gaiters.

The top of the dashboard is covered in black leather along with a dark grey leather headlining; the latter two options were a canny move that avoids any sense of overkill in there.

The door cards are topped with a vast slab of walnut trim, while the bottom half is clothed in thick carpet. Betwixt the two is a leather-trimmed door handle, and a pair of high-power speakers sit in each door. Stainless steel scuff plates with the Carrera 2S insignia protect the sills.

Interestingly, while the sides and back of the eight-way electrically adjustable, heated ‘Comfort’ front seats, which include the ultra-rare electrically adjustable lumbar support, are leather, the seat facings are Cashmere Porsche Script cloth.

We think this combination is an inspired choice; leather is either too hot in the summer, or too cold in the winter. It’s not as grippy as cloth either, and wears less well. Perhaps the original owner’s time at his estate in the Bahamas taught him how much nicer cloth is to sit on than leather?

The entire interior is in a magnificent condition, still being soft and supple and with no damage whatsoever. The rear seats look to have been barely used, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever tried to fit in them.

The 911 has retained its Porsche CR-210 headunit and 490 sound package, which controls a six-CD multi-changer in addition to a radio and cassette deck. Speaking of which, the car has storage for four of your old cassette tapes at the rear of the centre console. Very of-the-period, eh?

The front ‘boot’ is very clean and home to the spare wheel, battery, toolkit, air compressor, and CD multi-changer, which is protected by its own carpet trim. The grey carpet that sits over the top is very clean indeed, and virtually unmarked.

Obviously, everything we’ve tried works as it should.

The 911’s factory specification includes a 75-litre fuel tank, a more powerful battery, and headlamp levelling. The engine bay is very clean and needs nothing doing to it. The underside of the car is as impressively clean and tidy as the rest of the exterior, and is utterly solid.

The car’s last service was in May 2018 at 21,223 miles and was carried out by the Porsche Centre in Aberdeen. The work was comprehensive and included a change of brake fluid. The same main dealer also carried out a full suspension geometry check in June of the same year. It was also fitted with a new Bosch battery in January 2020.

The 911 starts promptly and ticks over beautifully. It also drives impeccably, and reminds us of just how good the Carrera 2S is; with less weight than either the Carrera 4 or the Turbo - and a more linear power delivery than the latter as well – a manual Carrera 2S really is the sweet spot in the 993 range and is still a very desirable sportscar indeed.

The Porsche’s MOT certificate expires in October 2020. It was also gained without a single advisory, something it’s made a habit of in the past few years…

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates and road tax discs, plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also comes with the original owner’s handbook, a well-stamped service history booklet and the Porsche storage wallet containing the usual bumf. It also has a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and an HPI report from January 2019 that shows no issues.

Its status as a genuine ‘C16’ UK-spec car is confirmed in the service history booklet, specification sheet, and on the sticker under the bonnet that gives the delivery specification.

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 the very highest 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.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

The Porsche 993 is rightly revered; as the last of the air-cooled 911s, it holds a special place in the hearts of Porsche enthusiasts worldwide. In fact, the vendor owned his first new Carrera 2S when he was still in his late twenties and has nothing but fond memories of it, memories this one brought flooding back.

And this is an exceptional example of the breed: thought to be one of only 251 manual Carrera 2Ss ever built, it is finished in the most iconic colour of them all. Add in a Porsche Exclusive interior to its unrivalled specification and its perfect condition and you are looking at something very rare indeed.

This is borne out by our market research, which only uncovered two comparable cars: the first, with 16,000 miles on the odometer, was sold by an auction house recently for £110,000, while the other is currently being offered by a reputable specialist for £134,000.

Which makes our estimate of between £94,000 - £110,000 very good value indeed. Why so low? Well, we’re in extraordinary times, and as is always the case, if you’ve got the cash to hand, there are bargains to be had and money to be made in the long-term.

Viewing is always encouraged, 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.