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.
The letters on your modern car’s trunk lid might have no real meaning, but the “S” on the back of a classic Porsche 911 signified a major performance upgrade over the standard car. Porsche’s marketing for the original 911S cautioned, “This is no car for a novice.” The 911S rewarded skilled drivers while being known to put a scare into those unfamiliar with its handling traits. RM Sotheby’s is offering a rare concours-restored 1968 911S at no reserve at its Amelia Island auction in March. Expect hot bidding.
To close out its 964-series 911 Turbo, Porsche built the last 93 as “S” models, and 39 of those were made as the X85 Flachbau (“Flat-nose”) for the U.S. market. The Turbo S X85’s 380-horsepower 3.6-liter engine was basically the one used in the IMSA Bridgestone North American Supercar race series. The only X85 that came painted in Speed Yellow is on offer at RM Sotheby’s Scottsdale auction with a pre-sale estimate of $800K-$1M.
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.
In Premier’s 4th year as a corporate sponsor of The Colorado Grand, our VP of Sales, Doug Ewing, partnered with Steve Serio of The Bond Group as co-drivers of a 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster. Our insider report chronicles their exploits, involving loose front end castle nuts, a near miss of spooked cows, and practical jokes played out over the course of their 5 day, 1,000 mile adventure at what’s considered the nation’s most prestigious and respected charitable tour events. Read all the details here.
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.
Among the most desired special editions of the Porsche 911, option code M491, “Tublo Look” is at the top of the list for most aficionados. The Bonhams Quail Lodge auction in August will offer a 1987 Turbo Look Carrera, with a “Slant Nose” front end design, believed to have been installed for the original owner. It’s all Porsche steel, not a fiberglass knock-off, with a pre-sale-estimate of $80,000 — $120,000, with no reserve.
Porsche’s road and track tradition continues with its 992-series 2022 911 GT3, featuring a 4.0 liter flat-six making 502 horsepower, revving to 9,000 rpm. If you already ordered your GT3, it may be sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near Portugal aboard the sunken cargo that burned and sank last month. Porsche has moved those unlucky owners to the front of the delivery list. If you were planning to order a Porsche 911 GT3, you might want to do that soon.
Chris Warren, our Southwest Sales Manager, stumbled across his pick for $150k while visiting a dealership. He choose a beautiful yellow 2018 Porsche GT3, worth $150k on the nose. According to Chris, you would be “hard-pressed to find a more fun car to drive”.
