Whale Tail Turbo: 1976 Porsche 930

The original turbocharged Porsche 911 was a ferocious beast of a performance car when introduced, and today, it remains one of the more collectible air-cooled models you can buy. That said, it actually looks somewhat affordable when you compare it to later versions of the 911 with a turbocharged flat-six, especially since model eras like the 964 and the 993 have escalated to be six-figure cars that clear $100,000 with ease. Outside of the modern era 996, the 930 is your best bet for getting into a turbo model without having to give up your first born. This 930 sports all the trimmings including a tasty set of period-correct BBS wheels.

That is not to say that the 930 is cheap; not by a long shot. Driver-quality 930s with some miles on them will nudge or just barely clear $100,000. Examples with low miles, or otherwise still pretty new in the wrapper, will sail well past that number, with some cars selling for $200,000 or better. Higher mileage 993 or 964 Turbos seem far less impacted by mileage, but those cars also rarely have higher miles, whereas the 930 seems more likely to get driven than other eras. Most enthusiasts will tell you that the 930 was a very overbuilt car, and that racking up the miles is easy to do considering the durable nature of the 3.0L flat-six.

1976 was the first year of 930 sales in the U.S., and improvements were made to later models in pursuit of more horsepower. Personally, I like first year models of iconic cars, and while there’s no discernable feature that makes the 1976 930 more collectible than other eras, there’s something about finding a car like this still in excellent condition that just makes it a star. The seats show some wear, but that’s to be expected for any car with 58,000 miles on the clock. The mileage isn’t “new in the wrapper” low but it’s still plenty low for a model of this vintage. The seats are standard Carrera seats, which is a bit surprising – I feel most 930s I see have the more thickly-bolstered sport seats, but I can’t recall if they were standard equipment.

The 930 was effectively a European-market example made available to U.S. customers, so there are numerous details unique to a model meant for overseas markets. The odometer reads in kilometers, the front bumper sports headlight washers, and there’s a rear fog light underneath the back bumper. The gold BBS wheels may be a factory option, as BBS was certainly ingrained in many factory options catalogs at the time. The seller notes the original Fuchs wheels are included with the sale, and with bids to $54,100 and no reserve, the 930 listed here on eBay may be a deal in the making.