Porsche 911 Turbo

1963, that’s when the 911 was born. And in 1981 it should have died. Fortunately a gentleman by the name of Peter Schutz who happened to be the company’s new CEO at the time had the vision and foresight not to replace the 911 with the 928. So the company was probably saved because without the 911 there wasn’t much in reserve to ensure Porsche’s financial well-being for the future. Think of Porsche and one shape comes to mind. One car, one company, one huge profit and today they own VW for goodness sake. Vielen Dank Herr Schutz! One model in the range that surely would have been chopped in its prime in 1981 was the Turbo. This lairy wild child was already pumping out 300 horses by the early eighties and the red-braces brigade in the City bought them by the shed-load with their super-size bonuses. Guards Red was de rigeur of course. Into the early nineties and the Turbo was pushing the performance boundaries for street-legal road cars and the arrival of the 993 model designed by Tony Hatter had the purists swooning. Even today the 993 Turbo can command a whopping premium and residuals are about the best you will find on any car. All down to the desirability of the twin-turbo air-cooled flat-six from which Porsche could now extract over 400 bhp. For economic and environmental reasons the only way Porsche could move the game forward in 1997 was to switch to a water-cooled design of the flat-six and along came the 996 and 450 bhp for the Turbo version. Sub 4 second times for the scrabble to 60 mph were easily achieved now and the 911 Turbo was still the car to set the benchmark for all other ’supercar’ players including Ferrari, Lambo and the new kids on the block Audi, BM and MB. Today’s 997  Turbo will slip past 190 mph according to the official figures but does it in a more refined, technically superior way than its predecessors. Some road-testers have managed to get to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and the latest model will use less fuel getting there than the 996 version. The 911 Turbo has always been described as the most practical supercar money can buy and in 2009 it is still probably true. We know of  a new one that is up for sale with a tidy saving on the list price. Click here for details.

2005 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera 2S

We’ve come across some well cared-for cars in our time but we’ve just taken photos of a 911 Carrera 2S that wins the cigar for presentation. This 911 has been owned from new by one car-loving businessman who has driven a very careful 12,000 miles since he purchased the car new from the Porsche Centre in Hatfield in 2005. This 911 is barely run-in! 997’s are looking incredibly good value for money these days and an early one with low mileage like this is very difficult to find. The 997 has some nice design updates over the previous 996 and hints at the earlier 993 in more than one or two areas such as the headlamps which have a more upright look to them. These are cracking cars to drive and are by far and away the least compromising of all ’supercars’ to own. This is one of the reasons you don’t see many of them with such low mileage as this example - many 911’s are indeed purchased for everyday use such is the ease of ownership of these cars. Reluctantly the current owner is putting his mint Atlas Grey pride-and-joy up for sale and full details of the car can be found by clicking here.

2006 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera 4S

Do 911’s get much better than this? We have just been asked by the owner to find a buyer for his totally stunning – yes totally stunning 997 Carrera 4S. Finished in Guards Red – how rare is that! – with gorgeous magnolia hide with red stitching. The detailing on this car is impressive when your eye follows the red stitching over the seats, dashboard and door panels. Nicely placed bits of aluminium pepper the cockpit and there isn’t a mark to be seen for a car that has done only 17,500 miles. The list of extras is none too shabby either with its PSM, PCM and BOSE. The Porsche-crested 19″ Carrera alloys look fabulous and with the factory-fitted Aero bodykit the car is a real show-stopper. We are told that the original purchase price of this car was over £95k – ouch! So what a bargain it looks today. Take a closer look by clicking here or give us a call on 0845 643 2047. Is there a better-looking 911? We doubt it.

2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series

When AMG Decided that they werent quite pushing the standard mercedes lumps hard enough, they went one better and introduced a hardcore range of uber-mercs carrying the ‘Black Series’ legend…

So when the Black Series tag is introduced to the CLK what exactly does this comprise of? Well…let us enlighten you… For a start, this is the very same car used in the current season of F1…No, not Hamilton’s MP4-23 McLaren Racer, but this is the official Road going version of the safety car used to shepherd the guys round the track when things get a bit ‘lairy’…

Against the clock this CLK delivers, demolishing the 0-62mph sprint in just 4.3 seconds, while charging on to an limited 186mph, this time aided by 500bhp that AMG have squeezed out of the 6.2-litre V8. Let’s face it, this is a sensational-looking beast with a performance to match! Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame very recently declared this as ‘one of the best cars in the world’.

The best news is we know of one that’s available right now…for £104,995 you can have a BRAND NEW unregistered, Obsidian Black version all for yourself. This is one of the ultimate Road-going Track cars which can easily be mentioned in the same breath as the 911 GT3’s of this world. If you are genuinely interested in purchasing this superb piece of automotive history, please call us on -01474 854490 or drop us a line to sales@TheCarSpy.Net

2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet

Britain is Europe’s largest market for convertibles – fact. For a country that has one type of weather i.e. unpredictable and largely wet us Brits have an inexplicable appetite for soft tops (or coupe-cabriolets). Maybe we like to imagine that we are cruising down Sunset Strip in balmy LA when in reality we are basking under a thick chilly blanket of grey cloud with the heater on full blast. Maybe that is the point though. Let’s face it driving topless in searing heat can be a rather unpleasant experience. It’s certainly a quick way to get your bonce barbecued which is why we end up tearing around on the Costa del Sol in an air-conditioned small hatch just like the rest of the locals. So our moist little island is made for convertibles and what better example of the genre is the Porsche 911. So well-made that there is no perceptible difference between the build-quality and integrity of the coupe and the cabriolet versions and that turbine-like 315 BHP flat-six sounds even better with the roof down. Got that appetite whetted? How about one in silver with grey leather with a matching hardtop? 6-speed manual gearbox, GT3 body mouldings, Carrera Alloys and a Full Porsche Service History. Forget the weather – strip off and crank up the heater – there’s nothing like it! Click here for more details.

1996 LHD Porsche 911 (993) Carrera C2S

Another splendid left hand drive example just imported from Japan – they certainly know how to look after their classic 993’s over there! This is a European-spec example finished in Cobalt Blue with Charcoal leather Interior, Tiptronic Gearbox, Air Conditioning and showing only 63,000 kilometres on the clock. Click here for more details. 

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera C4S

Some call these cars the ‘ultimate’ supercar and that is hard to disagree with when you consider the performance and superb reliability these 911’s offer. This splendid example is a Tiptronic version finished in very rare Atlas Grey with Charcoal Leather. Fully loaded with all the right toys too! Call 0845 643 2047 for details.

What’s in a number?

The 993 911 evolved from the 964 in the early 90’s and in a relatively short lifespan of only 5 years turned into the 996 which begat the 997.

Knowing your Porsche 911 is very much a numbers game and although ‘911′ was its given number at birth, it is the internal factory code that we mostly use to describe a particular model. Nothing wrong with that of course. There is probably no other car ever produced that is more referred to by its ‘undercover’ number than the iconic 911.

Getting better with age

 

There are some cars that are born to be classics. We didn’t know it at the time but that funny-looking Porsche 356 spawned the iconic 911 that we all know and love today – but who would have believed that the shape would still be recognised after 40-odd years?  Is it a ‘classic’ because it was always considered beautiful? Hardly, but it does have that unique appeal that has endured the test of time and of course that legendary build-quality. Then there are those cars that enter our lives like the mayfly only to be referred to by future generations as a ‘timeless classic’. The Jaguar XK8 is a ‘classic example’.