1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 4

First registered on the 22nd of March 1990 and showing just four previous owners, this impeccably maintained 911 Carrera 4 was ordered new in Brilliant Red Metallic, a colour only available under the Porsche Exclusive programme.

Fitted with gold split-rim BBS wheels from new, the set fitted has been freshly refurbished and fitted with four new Continental ContiSport N2 tyres. The 911 also comes with a set of refurbished Porsche D90 wheels with four new Pirelli P-Zero N4 tyres; this is the set the owner uses in the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn and nothing probably better illustrates his dedication to maintaining his car in the best possible condition than this rotation of wheels depending on the season.

Featured in ‘911 & Porsche World’ magazine, the Porsche benefits from some tasteful upgrades including adjustable Bilstein HD dampers, H&R springs, a Techart/G-pipe exhaust, cup/teardrop mirrors (the original flag mirrors are still with the car), and an RS steering wheel. It also has every single document from the original Bill of Sale onwards.

The Brilliant Red Metallic colour was a £3,416 special order option when the car was first ordered, and this is what Porsche Cars Great Britain has to say on the matter:

“Your Porsche was ordered as Grand Prix White from the factory and as such this is the detail upon your CoA [Certificate of Authenticity]. Having said this, I have found the original deal file and can see that the Brilliant Red Paint was added here at Porsche UK, Reading prior to delivery. The Brilliant Red was an exclusive colour and was not presented as an option in the normal ordering guides. In addition to the Brilliant Red there was also a Metallic Blue available.

“The vehicles being painted in the Grand Prix White initially meant that these special colours, once added, gave much more of a depth to the colours making them look more individual and special. Whilst speaking to my technical team and going through the file for your vehicle, one of our longstanding colleagues advised that he knew all about the Brilliant Red Paint for the 964's as he was part of the programme looking after it. It’s always nice to have that reassurance from someone who was here at the time. He does not have any exact figures for how many they painted in this colour but it was certainly in single figures. Not an exact science but I hope this helps”.

As you can see from the photos, it’s still in very good condition with impressively tight shutlines, no dents or dinks, and a glossy sheen to the paint that has to be seen to be believed. As you’ll see in the history file, it has had some repairs over the years (most recently to the scuttle – a well-known weak spot on 964s) but they’ve been done very well and the car still sports the all-important ‘Porsche Exclusive’ stickers on the bottom of the front wings.

The folding black fabric roof is in a terrific condition. Fitting tautly, it furls and unfurls easily, offering almost coupé-like weather resistance when it is up and the full wind-in-the-hair experience with it down. The tonneau cover (and storage bag) is also very good, and the rear spoiler rises and falls as it should.

The 911’s original BBS alloy wheels (another £1,990 option at the time…) were sold when the car changed hands some years ago. However, the vendor, a self-confessed completist, was determined to return it to its original specification. After a long search he managed to track down a very rare, genuine set via a Porsche fanatic in Texas who’d bought them from a BBS wheel builder in Switzerland some years earlier.

Repatriated and newly refurbished (including fresh rubber seals and no fewer than 136 new stainless-steel nuts and bolts…) they have been finished in their original colour. They are also fitted with a matching set of new Continental ContiSport N2 tyres.

The 911 also comes with a spare set of Porsche D90 wheels that were refurbished in 2017. Fitted with four very good Pirelli P-Zero N4 tyres, these are his ‘spring and autumn’ wheels as he reserves the BBS wheels for the summer. As you might have guessed, he takes the BBS wheels off when he cleans the car so he can remove brake dust and dirt from the inside, and as he says: “I don’t want to be doing that all the time when the roads are wet”.

Problems are negligible. There are a couple of minor paint blemishes around the wheelarches, a small bubble on the nearside headlamp bowl, the odd stonechip on the front end, some loose stitching on part of the cabriolet hood, and some crazing to rear lights.

None of these are urgent, or even necessary if you don’t mind your cars wearing an honest patina. This leaves only the chipping to the edge of the driver’s door in need of more urgent attention, and then only because it is quite noticeable. However, even this could be painted – or even simply disguised behind a plastic door protector…

The electrically adjustable black leather seats are piped with Can Can red trim (and yes, that is the name…). Barely creased, they’re still firm and supportive and looking very nearly as fabulous as the period exterior. The rear seats are, of course, barely used and as close to immaculate as you will ever see on a car of this age.

New carpets have been fitted and the door cards, dashboard, and dials are all in great shape and in need of nothing. Porsche overmats protect the underlying carpets and everything seems to work too - but having got this far you wouldn’t expect anything less, would you?

Subtle upgrades to bring it into the 21st century include a wind deflector, an OEM-style DAB radio, and a Rennline magnetic iPhone holder. An RS steering wheel has been fitted simply because, well, you would, wouldn’t you?

The front boot is very clean. Home to the battery, space-saver spare wheel, tyre inflator, and toolkit, the floor is solid and free of rust.

Faults? Well, if we’re being ultra-picky then there is some scuffing to the back of the passenger seat but this is minor and can’t really be seen when the seat is upright.

The 911’s servicing regimen is one of the most impressive we’ve ever seen, comprising a mixture of Porsche main dealer when it was new and independent specialist thereafter.

A key part of this car’s appeal was its service history; the vendor had used SCS to look after his previous Porsche, so when he saw that they’d been looking after this one for many years, he knew he’d probably found a good ‘un:

11/06/90 - Initial Service - 1,346 - AFN Porsche, London

21/10/91 - 12k Service - 12,810 - AFN Porsche, London

01/06/92 - 6k Service - 18,474 - AFN Porsche, London

30/03/93 - 24k Service - 24,279 - Moore Tech Engineering

27/04/94 - 6k Service - 33,373 - AFN Porsche, London

16/05/95 - 24k Service - 41,804 - Ronnoco Porsche, Surrey

19/09/96 - 12k Service - 53,168 - AFN Porsche, London

Undated - Oil Change - 53,210 - J Wheatley, Middlesex

29/06/98 - 12k Service - 62,633 - PORSCHTECH

12/08/99 - 6k Service - 68,636 - PORSCHTECH

15/11/00 - 6k Service - 72,989 - PORSCHTECH

22/10/03 - 6k Service - 78,164 - PORSCHTECH

07/01/04 - 12k Service - 78,539 - Oak Tree Garage,

01/04/05 - 6k Service - 81,904 - PORSCHTECH

07/04/06 - 6k Service - 83,441 - PORSCHTECH

17/04/07 - 24k Service - 84,760 - AMS Porsche Specialist, Devon

18/04/08 - 6k Service - 85,839 - AMS Porsche Specialist, Devon

08/04/09 - 6k Service - 87,428 - AMS Porsche Specialist, Devon

05/04/10 - 6k Service - 88,945 - AMS Porsche Specialist, Devon

25/05/11 - 6k Service - 89,951 - AMS Porsche Specialist, Devon

22/05/12 - 6k Service - 90,521 - AMS Porsche Specialist, Devon

06/06/13 - 24k Service - 90,699 - AMS Porsche Specialist, Devon

05/08/14 - 6k Service - 92,368 - SCS Porsche (formerly AMS)

07/09/15 - 6k Service - 92,429 - SCS Porsche (formerly AMS)

27/10/16 - 6k Service - 93,372 - SCS Porsche (formerly AMS)

06/10/17 - 24k Service - 95,690 - SCS Porsche (formerly AMS)

09/10/18 - 6k Service - 98,613 - SCS Porsche (formerly AMS)

12/10/19 - 6k Service - 100,939 - SCS Porsche (formerly AMS)

The owner has spent more than £9,000 on it since May 2017. Aside from the two sets of refurbished wheels and tyres and routine servicing, the work has included a new rear spoiler motor, new horns, a professional repair to scuttle corrosion, a new set of Porsche carpets, new CV boots, a new Bosch battery, and a new oil cooler.

Previous significant work includes a top-end engine rebuild by SCS Porsche at 86,000 miles, which is only 16,000 miles ago.

The owner drove it the 243 miles from his home in Cornwall to us. Keen to enjoy one last hurrah with his much-loved Porsche, he said the car performed faultlessly: “it’s always been a faithful servant”.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that nothing has brought a bigger smile to our photographer’s face all year.

The engine bay is beautifully detailed following a recent professional valet.

The Porsche’s MOT certificate expires in October 2020 and was gained with no advisory items, as it did the previous year too.

The Porsche has an incredible history file from the original Bill of Sale (for £65,235.77, which is equivalent to around £150,000 today) onwards including every single receipt.

It also has every previous MOT certificate from March 1993 to date plus a host of old tax discs. Other important paperwork includes a pre-Purchase Inspection (on file) carried out by SCS Porsche in May 2017 and a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Porsche GB.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook, book pack and wallet plus two keys. Oh, and while the original service history booklet is now full, a new-old-stock service history booklet is included for the next owner to keep up the good work.

The car also has a high-quality indoor car cover and a CTEK battery charger to keep it in tip-top shape while it’s garaged.

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.

NB: The cherished numberplate is being removed, and the car will be allocated an age-related number to replace it.

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.

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’…

Described as being “well above average” and “a good example of the model” in 2017 following a pre-purchase inspection, this wonderful Carrera 4 has a Porsche Club of Great Britain valuation of £46,000. 

And you know what? It’s worth every penny. Even better in the flesh than it looks in the photos, it’s an amazing example of a model from the era many consider the pinnacle of the air-cooled models.

And yet, despite that PCGB valuation, we think it’s only going to sell for between £36,000 and £45,000, which has got to be one of the better bargains of 2020.

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’.