We saw this 1983 Porsche 911SC a few weeks back, and it’s here again with new photos and a fairly active auction at the moment. Will it reach reserve this time and find a new owner? Time will tell. When we first looked at this car, I was fairly confident that it wore a paint code known as Hellbronze Metallic, which is just a very German way of saying, “Bronze.” These days, I’ve been diving back into the world of air-cooled 911s with the thought of trying to find another “cheap” one, and I’m not optimistic; this particular car is listed here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $62,500 and bidding sitting at $50,000.
Known as the “G Body” era, this generation of the 911 was really the first one to start rising rapidly in price and making enthusiasts come to grips with the fact that air-cooled models were no longer affordable. Now, I don’t consider the 993 to be “first” in this regard, as the 993 series cars never really lost value. Production ended and prices started shooting up. The earlier cars, including the G-series and the 964, lay dormant for a few years, and absolutely bottomed out in the mid-to-late 90s. In the last 10 years, all of that has changed, and as I’m reluctant to admit, the concept of a cheap air-cooled 911 is essentially a memory.
The mental gymnastics of trying to find some slice of the market left untouched is enough to give you grey hair. I’ve been noodling with the idea of looking for a 993-chassis cabriolet to accompany the 964-chassis cabriolet I currently have but I am struggling to justify it. The price of entry for a 993 with the undesirable soft top is still north of $50,000 in most instances, and the only reason I own the 964 is because it was legitimately the cheapest one I had seen in years. I struck early and snagged the car, but that was a rare opportunity. Cars like this gold G-body are more how you find them: already online, and plenty of enthusiasts with deeper pockets driving the auction upwards.
However, you do have to wonder just how many cars are actually trading hands for the advertised price. As we’ve seen, this 911 clearly didn’t go to a new home after its first listing, and the seller is still looking for more than the current bid number. The car does present well and the miles are reasonably low. and if you like offbeat colors, this one checks that box in a big way. According to the Autocheck report, it’s also accident-free, which is another bonus. The reserve isn’t met at the current bid price, so my guess is the seller is looking for $58,000 or better, which seems to be the floor price for a decent 911 of this vintage.
Not a lot of information on the history of this car in the ad,
or mention of if the engine was rebuilt,or will need to be.It also
says “As is”.
As these engines are very expensive to have rebuilt,I’d be
very concerned about that.
This series of 911s is one of the best Porsche ever put out. Durable, no funky problems that needed to be redesigned, and lots of power. That alone is probably why the going in prices are so high. You can do some simple tests to determine engine condition and a maintenance history does wonders for that also. Beautiful car here.
Gorgeous, wow! Jeff, I think we need a “Jeff’s Garage” article in the near future to show what you’ve been working on! (no pressure…)
Maybe the same for you Scotty. Weren’t you working on a BMW 2002 a couple years back?
Bob, that was our own Todd Fitch who is restoring his 2002 tii. I can barely restore a bike, the other folks have much more talent than I do.
Yes lets put some pressure on Jeff. Ever noticed how the most cut and defined body builders are sitting in the audience? Too modest to oil up and flex on stage under the lights.
The color is amazing. Don’t know why its not selling for all the money!
I had a 1980, my first 911. The new owner will want to put coil overs in and replace the transmission with the G50 tranny.
Those two upgrades make the car way, way better.
I bought a 993 C4S after the 1980 SC. I should have kept that 993..
Car went to $50k and the auction has ended. I went and looked specifically because Jeff’s comment of “miles reasonably low” made me wonder if I was looking at that pic wrong, or the r/h digit was tenths. “reasonably” is in the eye of the beholder! Anyway, unless seller has made a private deal, we’ll be seeing it again no doubt. Does seem to be a nice example.
I know some of the earlier Porsches had rust issues. I’m not sure when or what year that ended. I own 2 and am hooked on them. Mine are newer 2013 and 2014. Haven’t figured out which is cheaper feeding a baby elephant or Porsche service and maintenance. Thinking about upgrading to a newer turbo S but need to test drive one first.
See above
I never knew gold would look good on a 911, yet I’m seeing it and am in love! My nephew has a couple of Porches, they are actually very reliable sports cars if you keep up on the maintenance. I’m being generous here, one is a 911, the other a Cayenne. I will let the Cayenne be referred to as a sports car because it has Porches badges. That thing is quick and handles well and any rarely needed parts will bring tears to a checking account. Yup, genuine Porcha