I'm not one to sift through classic-car listings, and sink my fingers into Cars and Coffee events to look for stuff with 'for sale' boards in the windows. But, I can't help but think that it must be a very interesting time for second-hand Porsche 911 sales.
As the current-generation 991 models roll out, a trend is emerging of people affirming their preference for the 'good old days' 911s. The international modified-car culture vacuum is now sucking up old 964s and 993s and ripping them apart. All of this must be forcing some kind of influence on the price of these things.
In that kind of context, it makes sense that stories about unique classic Porsche 911s coming up for sale are now well and truly part of the public interest. We had another one of them on this site just yesterday, which you can read here.
And here's another. I can hear you yawning, but please, this isn't quite the same as the others. First and foremost, this is a 1993 Porsche 911 964 Carrera RSR. That means several things.
It's very rare; only 51 of them were ever made. It's fast — 260kW from Porsche's 3.8-litre flat six, but tuned specifically for the RSR. Straight-line fasts are matched with track-day fasts, which come in the form of a full roll-cage tucked neatly inside this RSR's blindingly red leather interior.
It was always perceived that these were quicker than they said they were. Independent testers were able to extract a Ferrari F40–beating 0–100 time from it during one test.
Secondly, as you have probably ascertained by now, every square inch of its body is tarnished and filthy. It's the kind of condition that most would consider blasphemous, certainly among those who regularly attend Porsche club meetings wearing tartan cardigans and a serious demeanor.
So, it's a tatty rare Porsche. Probably been driven to the moon and back, right? Well, get a load of the interior. If you can lock your eyeballs on it for long enough to drink in any details, you'll see that it is incredibly immaculate. Every surface looks beautifully clean, as if the car's never been driven.
... and that's true. This Porsche's unique story isn't just that it's a hyper rare RSR; it's never, ever been driven. So they say.
Yes, 'never been driven.' And we're not talking that it's got less than 5000km, or less than 1000km, or less than 100km. It's got 10 of them. 10 kilometres, effectively delivery miles. And you can buy it, because it's coming up for auction at RM Sotheby's May Villa Erba event.
“You contact Porsche, and with considerable means, special order such a 911 to your own unique specifications,” waxes RM Sotheby's description.
“However, once delivered and with only 10 kilometres recorded, this limited-production 911 vanishes into a private collection, where it remains untouched and never driven for almost 25 years, still covered with its factory-applied Cosmoline coating.”
Any thoughts though of this car being worth a value in the squillions have to be taken with a grain of salt, however. It's sat unmoved for nearly a quarter of a century. Engines, drivetrains, a lot of the mechanicals — none of it is designed for that kind of life, and most likely the car will need to be completely gutted to be returned to factory fresh (functional) condition.
Then again, there are plenty of Porsche and classic car fiends who would salivate at the prospect of sitting one of these up on a set of jacks. For them, this may well represent the ultimate Porsche project. It should still command a high six-figure price. Maybe even a seven...
