1996 Porsche 993 Targa

This 1996 911 993 Targa comes with a stunning turquoise metallic finish, a black leather interior and the ‘Tiptronic’ auto box.

This is a seriously handsome car, inside and out, and wears its years of experience remarkably lightly. It really is in very good condition and is thoroughly original and authentic in almost every respect.

It has a full set of stamps and a history that indicates diligent maintenance and careful ownership throughout.

It starts, goes, handles, rides and stops exactly as it should, all accompanied by the gloriously unmuted soundtrack of that legendary flat 6.

We think it’s a good ‘un.

The paintwork and finish are generally in excellent condition, optimally presenting the rare and distinctive paint colour with a good depth of shine and lustre.

The panels are free of any ripples, creases, dinks, dents, folds, lumps, bumps or dimples to speak of. The doors slam home with the deeply satisfying metallic clunk that will be familiar to anyone who’s ever owned a classic 911. The shut lines are clean and even.

The door straps, which are famously a weak spot on these and often prone to premature rusting, are in top condition.

Indeed, aside from some minor bubbling at the inside top of the B pillar door closure, there is no significant rust to speak of anywhere and only a superficial dusting visible on the car’s undersides and mechanicals.

The period cup alloys are free of any significant marks or blemishes and present very well. Which is not entirely surprising given that they were refurbished in 2016. The tyres have plenty of life left in them.

The rear spoiler lowers and raises manually, as it should. Which gives us the confidence we need to assume that it is equally functional when no-one is looking (owners of 993s will know that you can’t tell from the inside whether or not the spoiler is raised - you have to wait until you can see the car’s profile reflected in a shop window as you pass by…at an inevitably illegal speed).

The rear wiper also works.

There are a few scuffs and scratches on the front valance and a couple of chips to the paint on the leading edge of the bonnet. Apart from that, there are minimal stone chips to be seen below the sills, around the rear valance or anywhere else for that matter.

The interior is simple, tough and built to last, which means you can forgive the slightly wayward ergonomics and tendency to stick switches and knobs in places where no other manufacturer would think to stick them. It’s comfortable too, with supportive seats and one of the best driving positions in the business.

It even offers four-up motoring, although the rear seats are best left to the very small, the very young, the very acrobatic or the very masochistic.

The interior of this 993 Targa is a fine place to be. The black leather upholstery is in very good condition. Yes, it has some light creasing around the bolsters, but who doesn’t?

The door cards, carpets and mats are all good, bar the loose vinyl on the inside of the driver’s door B pillar. Everything electric works, including the A/C.

Everything apart from the Targa roof that is, which has very recently chosen to stop opening properly. We don’t know if it’s a small job to fix it or not, but the lifting vent at the front still does what it’s supposed to do.

Everything else on the inside is good, including the classically minimalist dashboard and controls, some of which take some locating. Those wacky German funsters at Zuffenhausen really did like to hide things where no-one could find them.

The undersides seem to be very well preserved, with nothing more than a few spots of superficial rust to speak off. Everything is straight, clean and protected by various trays and covers.

As ever, there’s really not much to reward anyone who peers into the engine bay on a 911. All the important stuff is hidden from view. What we can see, however, looks fine, and it’s an impressively clean and tidy place.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

This car has covered just over 30,000 miles in the last 14 years. A full service book covers its life with stamps from both main dealers and specialists. Which is no bad thing – sometimes, owners are inclined to get more work done when it’s not at main dealer prices. There are bills and invoices to cover various bits of work carried out. It has a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.

Service history:

AFN Porsche – 10996 miles – 17.2.1998

AFN Porsche – 23906 miles – 15.7.1999

AFN Porsche – 35337 miles – 18.4.2000

AFN Porsche – 48265 miles – 7.1.2002

AFN Porsche – 57930 miles – 27.3.2003

JZ Porsche – 64544 miles – 6.4.2004

Camtune Ltd – 70705 miles – 13.10.2005

Paragon – 75189 miles – 4.5.2007

Paragon – 79862 miles – 9.5.2008

Paragon – 84656 miles – 29.4.2009

Paragon – 91921 miles – 19.5.2010

Autotechnics Ltd – 94909 miles – 2.6.2011

Williams Crawford – 98514 miles – 15.4.2014

Williams Crawford – 99597 miles – 23.5.2016

Williams Crawford – 103917 miles – 15.5.2017

Mortimers – 106565 miles – 23.11.2017

N&N Autoworld – 107513 miles – 18.6.2019

In addition to all the regular maintenance stuff, the car has had various jobs done in recent years – including:

* two new rear shock absorbers fitted - 2017

* strip rear spoiler and replace bearings – 2016

* replace seals between front wing and bumper - 2016

Other items listed include (we’re not joking): ‘adjust ashtray’ and ‘remove £1 from under handbrake’. That’s impressive attention to detail.

The car has an MOT certificate (with no advisories) valid until 30th November 2021 and comes with two sets of keys/immobilisers and all relevant manuals and handbooks.

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 good 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.

However, 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’…

This is a now iconic car in very good condition. Aside from the roof mechanism this is a really special and cracking-looking car.

As far as we can tell, there are no nasty surprises waiting to leap out and startle the unwary. Nor are there any grounds for thinking that this vehicle will deliver anything less than years of thoroughbred motoring and an ear-to-ear grin on the face of the owner.

There are good reasons why the 993 is a shoe-in for most people’s motoring Hall of Fame and, in our opinion, this Targa is a fine example of both the model and marque.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £35,000 - £45,000.

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’.