I hear you loud and clear: this is hardly a barn find. Unless, of course, you’re so wealthy that your stable of collector cars is housed in a building ironically called “The Barn”. Still, this staggeringly beautiful 1986 911 Turbo (official Porsche model designation 930), wearing Guards Red paint and obviously photographed by a professional, is a bit of eye candy to brighten up your day. Find it here on eBay, currently being sold by a Miami exotic car boutique with a buy-it-now price of $179,000 (or hey, hit the Make an Offer button!).
If you happen to be sitting on nearly 200Gs and in the market for an unmolested, time capsule, investment-grade Turbo 911, this one ticks virtually all the boxes. OK, so you might be extra fussy and balk that it’s a four-speed manual and you prefer an ’89 with the five-speed; if that’s the case, please accept this haystack in which you may find a needle. As it is, this one is a hen’s tooth. The seller claims this rust-free, accident-free beauty has traveled just 46,844 miles which, if accurate, would mean it has covered an average of 1,300 miles a year since it was delivered from Stuttgart. Of course, thanks to meticulous record-keeping by the first owner — who had the car 27 years! — that should be extremely easy to confirm.
The 930’s legendary 3.3-liter air-cooled, turbocharged, flat-six engine drives the rear wheels through a limited-slip diff. No Porsche from this era is complete without Fuchs and these original, 16-inch lightweight rims are pristine from every angle. A good Porsche owner knows that there is no substitute for regular, ongoing maintenance and so at 44,766 miles, Ramsey Porsche in Iowa performed a full service, replacing seals, adjusting valves, and generally ensuring everything was in tip-top shape. Of course, that was in 2008, so there’s good justification to get this beauty back into a Porsche specialist for a full nut-and-bolt inspection despite the fact that the seller reports all fluids were renewed in March 2022. Looking carefully at the notes on the Ramsey invoice, the tech also suggested that the transmission be overhauled — a fantastic opening salvo for negotiations. But there are lots of other good notes there to use to your advantage.
The interior showcases factory-optioned black carpets, which are a unique complement to the tan upholstery, plus the unparalleled support of pristine sport seats. Just look at those lovely bolsters — a dream for your back and behind, and ideal for blasts down a twisty country lane. At some point, audio was upgraded to Alpine, though the proper factory Blaupunkt radio is also available with the car for the purist. Ultimately, it’s all there — toolkits, manuals, spare and inflator, keys, records galore — if you’re going to own one, this is probably the one you want.
If I had the disposable income and was looking to fill my garage with 911 goodness I don’t think it would be a 86 930. For those that have has the opportunity to drive different generations of the 911 model what is immediately apparent is the level of refinement each new series had over the one it replaced. I drove the first year 930 we got on our shores. Beautiful car was owned by the dealer principal at the Porsche dealer. We were out exercising it after a long slumber. I had my service advisor with me who at the time owned a Supra turbo and we just laughed at the amount of turbo lag the car had. I nailed the throttle at about 2K and we started counting out loud. This is why the early cars were called widow makers all boost at high rpm’s with skinny tires and trailing throttle oversteer. Certainly not a good combination in inexperienced hands.I have driven the 86 model 930 and again much more responsive than the 76 I drove more refined but again turbo lag with the long geared 4-speed transaxle. Next up was the 964 turbo. Now you are getting into serious weapon territory with buttery smooth shifting and clutch take-up and still very communicative steering that all classic 911’s are known for. Then finally the last air-cooled turbo the mighty 993TT. That’s my dream Porsche. I drove a modified customer car that I kid you not scratched for traction at highway speeds when you would “give it the beans” I don’t think I stopped smiling the remainder of the day!
Now if I won the lottery then it would have to be a reimagined Singer hands down over any Ferrari or Lamborghini.
I agree, too much unexpected power. The non turbos of those years were great cars, more then enough power and a hoot to drive. A few friends had Chrysler 2.2 turbos during those times. I drove plenty of them at various times. That was over a hundred HP less and not rear engine, and yet those too were dangerous when the turbo boost came on. As much fun as these were in a straight line (and standing still, man what great design!) they were too much for 99.999% of us in the real world. Unlike a dedicated racer on a closed track where 100% of your concentration is on driving, rear world conditions will distract you, and that is when a problem occurs.
Certainly agree on your comment about the Chrysler turbos. We bought a new ’86 Shelby Daytona Turbo Z with the 4 speed and all the goodies. Found out pretty quick at an autocross that a lot of practice was required to get it around tight corners. After working that out it was a blast to drive. Got it up to 142 on a deserted interstate during the Christmas holidays. Not bad for the wife’s grocery cart.
Loved having these cars in the shop. Just spent too much time just looking at them when we should have been working on them. As said, the later cars were mechanically better but they all looked like they were rolling fast while they were standing still. Nice car.
What a beautiful machine. Bet she oversteers like crazy under boost.
Even the later 1991 964 Turbo with the 5 spd left me wishing for a NA engine.