Eighties Poster Car: 1987 Porsche 911 Turbo

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Poster companies made a lot of money in the eighties.  Every kid seemed to have a bedroom wallpapered with prints of supermodels and exotic cars.  If royalties were paid, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Ferrari probably made more money off posters than production cars.  Now, decades later, emerges a car that still looks ready to be photographed and turned into a poster.  This 1987 Porsche 911 Turbo for sale on eBay in Friendswood, Texas is in fantastic shape and still evokes those same emotions in enthusiasts.  With its Guards Red paint job, outrageous whale tail, and wide rear end, this car will always be Porsche’s high-water mark in the eighties.  The bidding on this time capsule Porsche with a possible 46,000 miles on the odometer has already surpassed $100,000 with three days to go.  What do you think it will ultimately sell for?

The holy trinity of supercars in the eighties were the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Testarossa, and the Porsche 911 Turbo.  While other cars got the poster treatment, such as the Lotus Esprit Turbo, Jaguar XJS, and the Chevrolet Corvette, they were definitely on a lower rung of popularity in comparison.  With Miami Vice as a showcase for exotic sportscars every Friday night from 1984 through 1989, every kid wanted to grow up and find a job that would allow them to drive such beautiful and exotic machines.  Until then, a poster or two would have to suffice.

I guess it was just as well that the teenagers of my generation never got to drive the cars of their dreams.  The 911 (930) Turbo came to be branded “The Widowmaker.”  Why?  When you combine a rear engine car with a McPherson strut/torsion bar suspension and add a whole lot of horsepower from a turbocharged engine with a heaping helping of turbo lag, bad things happen when you enter a corner at the car’s limits.  A well-trained driver of one of these beasts knew to not lift off the gas, as that would result in snap oversteer.  The problem was the average 911 Turbo customer was not a well-trained driver in most cases.  They were too busy fixing teeth and seeing you for your annual physical.  When you have to keep your foot on the accelerator as that turbo kicks in like Chuck Norris, it goes against every survival instinct you have.  Hello, thrills!

By the looks of this 911 Turbo, it either hasn’t met a guardrail that it really liked, or the seller has an awesome body shop on speed dial.  This 1987 model was a bit more refined, as it was built towards the end of the original 911 turbo production run from 1975 through 1989.  It is resplendent in its Guards Red paint and black Fuchs alloy wheels.  The seller also tells us that the car is equipped with cross-drilled and ventilated brake rotors on all four wheels.  It is unclear if that was a factory option or work done after the car was in their ownership.

A peek in the cockpit reveals that the perfection continues with an all-black leather interior.  There are no imperfections evident in the dash, carpet, or seats, and the car even comes equipped with a sunroof.  The driver’s seat features power adjustments and the tunes come pouring out of a Blaupunkt AM/FM cassette stereo.

Under the hood in the rear is the fabled 3.3 liter turbocharged flat-six that had powered these cars since the displacement was bumped up in 1978.  Many are surprised to find out that these cars still put the power to the ground through a four-speed transmission.  The reason is that the five-speed seen in other 911s was not capable of handling the abuse from the more powerful engine.  The seller tells us that the car is also equipped with a limited slip differential which was most likely standard equipment on this autobahn cruiser.
As a whole, this car is a spectacular, low-mileage representation of an eighties poster car.  It was ordered correctly regarding color and interior, and it shows just how far the 911 had come since its 1964 debut.  While Porsche still produces a 911 Turbo at the top of its range, the cars are completely different.  A new 911 Turbo is like a surgeon’s scalpel.  It is precise and delicate.  An earlier air-cooled 911 Turbo is a giant meat axe.  It gets things done without finesse or charm.  It also doesn’t suffer fools lightly.  Then and now, this car is worthy of its picture being on the walls of enthusiasts old and young.
Did you have a 911 Turbo poster in your bedroom?  If not, what car’s likeness was hanging on your wall?  Please share your memories in the comments.

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Comments

  1. EuromotoMember

    This is the car (albeit in the late ‘70s iteration) that lit the Porsche fire for little Euro. I have never driven one, but I have her plain-Jane sister, the 911SC, sitting in the garage as I type. Same color, too. What lovely, brutal automobiles these 930s are.

    Like 14
  2. bobhess bobhessMember

    Owning a business in the ’80s that catered to owners of exotic cars got us up and personal with plenty of the Turbos. Got to road test the paint you know. As we were long time members of the Porsche Club of America we drew in the local members of the club, all of which had their cars on racetracks or autocross courses to learn how to drive their cars. The SCs and the Turbos both had the handling referenced and knowing how to drive them was paramount. Ironically, the same quirk is built into our present race car because on the gas into and through a corner is the fastest way and the car has built in oversteer to accomplish that. And, yes, if you let off the gas pedal you will shortly be facing the opposite direction you want to go. My Niece’s 4 year old now has my Turbo poster on his bedroom wall.

    Like 13
  3. Ken

    The 912 was ok, but I had the 959 hanging on my wall

    Like 2
    • Ron

      Doubt that any 912’s got on posters, just saying…

      Like 2
  4. JCAMember

    In my limited experience with them I’d describe it as more brutal and unforgiving than precise and delicate. If you really want to drive this car hard you should be trained. I learned that lesson and luckily without any damage. I also drove a Carrera 4S on the track which was much more forgiving and predictable.

    Like 4
  5. Robert Proulx

    Although i was never a fan of Porshe models but this version i.m.o. aged gracefully and still turns heads today. Now imagine pulling up to your fave restaurant in this beauty and having Christy Brinkley disembark by your side.

    Like 3
  6. Rob

    $200K- easy.

    Like 2
  7. Lance

    What beautiful car. Love it.

    Like 4
  8. Tony B

    1st car to leave a lust in my heart, was my when my Dad took his car into McNulty’s (the local VW/Porsche dealer) for servicing. In the showroom was a root beer colored 911 SC Turbo Targa. I still remember the $44,000 window sticker, and was in shock-as my parents had paid $15,000 for their house at the time. Still my #1, totally impractical bucket-list car…all these years later.

    Like 1

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