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!
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.
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.
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.
The 912 was ok, but I had the 959 hanging on my wall
Doubt that any 912’s got on posters, just saying…
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.
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.
$200K- easy.
What beautiful car. Love it.
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.