The spark that launched Porsche’s road racing dynasty began with the “Fuhrman engine” in the landmark 550 Spyder racecar. Bringing that engine to the 356’s option list in 1956 and calling it “Carrera” boosted Porsche’s racing pedigree while also setting the foundation for special high-performance Porsche models to come. The expensive and complex Carrera engine was rarely ordered when new, and cars so-equipped demand a huge premium in the collector car market today. A 1956 Porsche 356A Speedster Carrera offered by Mecum Auctions in Monterey is expected to sell for up to $1.2M, or nearly 400% more than a Speedster without it.
If you’re keeping up with the Porsche 911 family, there are currently 28 different versions showing in the Porsche U.S.A. website configurator. (Yes, 28!) Not a single 911 could ever be considered middle-of-the-road, but sitting around the middle of the lineup you’ll find five versions of the 911 Carrera GTS. Hotter than the Carrera S but not as extreme as the GT3 track machine, the GTS delivers a wallop of supercar performance while remaining street-friendly for everyday driving if you please. The intense fun starts at around $152,000.
Capitalizing on the 911’s rich rally-winning history, Porsche introduced its 2023 911 Dakar at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Porsche’s new overland 911 version – reflecting road testing of Dakar prototypes over 300,000 miles, including 6,000 off-road miles – is based on the Carrera 4 GTS, and equipped with a 473-hp twin-turbo flat-six, eight-speed PDK automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, capable of 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. Porsche plans to build only 2,500 911 Dakars, with a starting price of $220,000 in the U.S. and plenty of options to take that higher.
Porsche launched its Heritage Design series with the 2021 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition. The new 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic pays homage to the 1973 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. Porsche plans to build 1,250 911 Sport Classics, reportedly priced at $272,300. That’s $89,400 more than a 2022 911 Turbo. Read what makes the car worth that price.
Sales Manager Chris Warren “fell in love” with a car that he saw at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, and it’s the car he would buy if money were no object. It’s a 1955 Porsche Carrera 1500 GT, with 11,000 original miles, and #11 of this series 15 “Pre-A” test cars. According to Chris, you would need $1.25 million to purchase this dream car… and notes that Premier can help put it in your driveway.
Lime Rock Park boasts one of the most beautiful natural settings of any race track, precisely because it’s located in the beautiful Northwest Corner of Connecticut. Rich Taylor of Vintage Rallies’ favorite loop will take you throughout Litchfield County, into neighboring New York State and the Berkshire Mountains of southwestern Massachusetts.
In 1964, Porsche introduced the 904 Carrera GTS for competition. It was a more focused track machine with an eye on FIA GT racing, and had immediate racing success. This model put Porsche on an endurance racing path that would culminate with its first Le Mans overall wins with the astounding 917 racers in 1970 and 1971.
In the 1970s, the BMW 2002 Turbo was considered a driving enthusiast’s dream, a car that imbued a practical little sedan with genuine sports car handling.
Despite the Porsche 911’s immense and ongoing success, the 356 series has always maintained a loyal fan base. The 356 was, however, a notorious ruster, which claimed many of the 76,000 built from 1948-1965. The rarest, including the first 50 or so coupes hand-built in Gmund, Austria between 1948 and 1950, plus some later models, can fetch $1.5 million.
