1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa Sport

This late Carrera 3.2 was in the care of its last owner for a decade, during which time he invested a considerable amount of time and money to bring it to the condition you see today.

Benefitting from a recent (2016) bare-metal respray and an engine rebuild a few years ago that included a new clutch and a stainless steel exhaust, this wonderful, manual Porsche 911 Carrera Targa is fighting fit and ready to serve its new owner.

In the care of the current owner for the past year, it is in need of nothing and being offered with a very sensible reserve.

And this is a very desirable Porsche 911 Targa; its last 2 owners have only driven it approximately 12,000 miles in the twelve years and always kept it covered and garaged.

The car was stripped down and completely resprayed in September 2016 - costly, but totally worthwhile in our opinion, as it is still looking sharp and very tidy indeed. The flanks are straight, the panel gaps are very good, and it’s free of dents, dings and other damage. There is the odd minor stone chip but nothing that detracts from its overall presentation at all.

The bare metal respray included new rubber trim, seals and gaskets plus a new front spoiler and badges, so the fit and finish on the car is very good. The cost of the bits and bobs to reassemble it came to over £2,700, while the actual respray, which included refurbishing the alloy wheels and servicing the car, added up to another £6,400. All this work was undertaken by renowned marque experts Club Autosport Ltd. who looked after the car for the past decade and more.

The refurbished Fuchs alloy wheels wear a matching set of Landsail tyres and are looking great bar some peeling paint on the wheel nuts. Still, #firstworldproblems, eh?

Other problems appear to be limited to chipped paint on the door handles and the need for a new rubber seal around the driver’s door.

The black and red leather seats are in a good condition, wearing only the very lightest of patinas, most notably on the outer edge of the driver’s seat. They’re still firm and supportive, and the colour scheme is very of-the-period, but if you’re going to buy a period sportscar then you should buy a period sportscar warts ‘n’ all, eh?

The rest of the interior is in similar condition; it’s all thought to be original and in very good condition but does show some signs of wear. The edges of the targa top, for example, show some light rubbing even though the roof itself is in great shape and fits well. The vinyl trim around the space where the targa top fits onto the Porsche has some splits in it on the very edges, too.

The door cards are in great shape but have been fitted with aftermarket speakers and alloy door lock pins. The dials and dashboard are typically Porsche, which is to say it is all legible, but the minor controls are a little scattered; still, they all do that Sir.

None of it is bad or detracts from the way the car presents overall, but we can see that the new owner might want to lavish some time and money in there to bring it up to the same high standard as the rest of the car.

The front boot is home to the spacesaver spare wheel, wheel brace and jack.

The top-end of the engine was rebuilt in 2009 by Club Auto Sport, who fitted new valve guides, timing chains, oil return tubes, piston rings, cylinder head gaskets and a clutch. The subsequent rolling road session in 2010 put the power at a genuine 229bhp, an impressive figure after 21 years of use. and given that this was only around 5,000 miles ago it is still running beautifully. The work included a new stainless steel exhaust too.

The engine bay itself is neat and tidy but would benefit from being cleaned and detailed. There are also some rusty brackets and bolts in there, plus the merest trace of rust starting on the edge of the boot lid.

The owner tells us that the car drives beautifully, with everything working as it should whilst trhe underside of the car looks clean and tidy and has been neatly undersealed.

The car’s service history is impressively complete, with the owner commissioning Club Auto Sport, a marque specialist since 1971, to carry out the service and bodywork. The servicing agents prior to this were Porsche dealers up until 1997, with independent specialist working on it after that.

It’s online MOT history is beyond reproach, with not even the slightest hint of scandal, neglect or bodgery.  The current MOT certificate itself expires in July 2020. The Porsche comes with its Guarantee and Maintenance booklet, plus a replacement, stamped service history book.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please contact the owner to arrange an appointment.

Whilst a Porsche 911 would find a place in almost every petrolhead’s Fantasy Garage, the Targa used to be the unloved ginger step-child of the classic car world, but the introduction of a new Targa opened our eyes to the many benefits of this arrangement, namely security and weather protection when you need it, and open-top motoring when the sun is shining. It’s a great arrangement, and we’re glad that its time has finally come.

As for the 911, it has been a stalwart of the sportscar world for decades, and rightly so. Few cars offer such an intoxicating blend of performance, usability, and reliability – and its reputation for unpredictable handling is hugely overstated; if you find yourself using it to explain your latest accident, then may we suggest you direct your attention towards some high-performance driver tuition rather than blaming the car?

This recently resprayed example is fully fettled and ready for its new owner, and after a period when the price of even rough 911s reached frankly silly levels, the market has steadied again, which has brought them back down to a more sensible level and one that is again within the reach of the ordinary enthusiast.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that we think this one will sell for between £30,000 and £36,000 at which price point it offers great value, huge entertainment, and almost certainly a safe place to keep your money. 

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in London; 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, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings of any auction, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles we have for sale. While we use our trade experience to assess every car that comes through our hands (and between us we have bought hundreds of classic cars over the years for our personal use…) we are fallible, and our assessment of a car may contrast with that you might form yourself.

This is why we offer a far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange a professional inspection on their behalf of, each vehicle prior to bidding than any traditional car auction, and we will never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this by coming to see it in person.

That said, 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 those formed as a 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.