Collector - page 48

Look, let’s be honest. Every other Porsche 911 on the road these days looks like it escaped from a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon’s office. All bloated and overdone. But this 2022 GT3 Touring? This, my friends, is a Porsche with a purpose. First off, the paint. Forget boring ol’ black or white. This example is dipped in a paint-to-sample Superior Red metallic (W10), a rare PTS color. Yeah, that’s right. Now, I haven’t seen it in person, but from the pictures, it sure does pop. It’s more burgundy wine than red. While most GT cars are adorned in a loud shade with the RS models even getting graphics, this wingless 911 appears to be a track weapon or canyon carver for the discerning gentleman.

For many, the Porsche 911 is the ultimate sports car. Refined and versatile enough (in most of its variants) to be used on a daily basis, but also quick enough to put most exotic cars to shame. Every generation of the 911 gets its fair share of special editions. For the 992 generation, Porsche decided to bring back the Dakar monicker, originally used on the 1984 Porsche 953. That said, with only 2,500 examples of the modern-day Porsche 911 Dakar made, only the quickest and most resourceful of Porsche enthusiasts would have had the chance to get behind the wheel of the special 911 off-roader.

The 991.2 Speedster was a limited-run special edition model released on Porsche’s 70th Anniversary. With just 3,585 miles on the ODO, this low-mileage example is one of just 1,948 Speedsters built. Set to cross the auction block at this year’s Chattanooga Motocars Festival, this Speedster comes with the optional $24,510, Heritage Design Package (XWW). The core design concept remains consistent with the 911 R or GT3 Touring: a sleek windshield, removable top, and the iconic double-bubble silhouette.

As a scale model car collector, I continue to yearn to buy a miniature version of some of my favorite rides. So when I saw this go-kart, I knew I had to investigate. It is built by Little Roadsters and designed to resemble a 1970s Porsche 911 cabriolet in the style of a 3.0 Carrera RS. There’s something undeniably charming about driving around in a scaled-down version of a legendary vehicle. It’s like stepping into a time machine but without the time travel.

Some cars attain more value because of who’s owned them previously. Ali Khalil of Dodi Auto Sales based in California, recently stumbled upon this 1967 Porsche 912 Targa with an interesting ownership story. While Dodi Auto claims this was owned by the then-CEO Budweiser, we can’t confirm this. However, the documentation does reveal that this particular 912 was accepted by one Mr. Roy F. Bremenour, and originally registered under Anheuser Busch FCU, the parent company of Budweiser. This car was apparently under his ownership for several years until it was stolen in the 1980s. Eventually, it found its way into the hands of the most recent owner, who lives in central California. Ali drove to his home to negotiate a price before acquiring it. The car has been maintained immaculately. This 912 is the ’soft-window’ version with the Targa top and steel roll bar which was famously added by Porsche to add structural integrity to the body.

Calling all Porschephiles out there! Forget museum displays – the Porsche Club of America (PCA) recently did a comprehensive virtual tour of a private collection in Arizona. Calling this selection of cars impressive would truly be an understatement. Now I’m someone who’s smitten by almost anything with an RS (Rennsport) badge on it, a badge that represents track-bred performance and cutting-edge engineering, going back five decades. This collection is far from your random assortment of Porsches but represents some of Stuttgart’s finest. We’re talking 33 Porsches across several generations of the 911, with almost all of them bearing that legendary RS moniker.

German tuner, RUF, and global fashion and lifestyle media brand, Highsnobiety, team up to create an epic collaborative release, consisting of a 20-piece collection of graphic wares. The fashion company founded back in 2005, by David Fischer, collaborates with renowned brands and helps create captivating wares and accessories, while invoking the rich heritage of brands like RUF. The automotive company based in Pfaffenhausen, Germany, has been in the car business since 1939, with its more recent focus involving, restoring, modifying, and reimagining the iconic Porsche 911. Many brands, Porsche included have apparel lines available to anyone wanting to experience the brand in more than one way, and the RUF x Highsnobiety collection puts emphasis on the company’s rich heritage.

The Gunther Werks Speedster is a rolling piece of art, a loving homage to the 1995 993 Speedster. The 993 generation Speedster is undoubtedly one of the rarest cars from the German brand ever. It is so rare that very few people are even aware of its existence. The company only made 1 prototype, which was given as a gift to Ferdinand Alexander ’Butzi’ Porsche on his 60th birthday. A couple of years later a dear friend of the automaker, a certain Mr. Jerry Seinfeld, requested that his 1998 993 S Cabriolet be converted into a Speedster. The company happily complied with his request, and his car became the first and only 993 Speedster Conversion.

Broad Arrow Auctions has released its list of the top 10 sales for Monterey Car Week 2024. An astonishing total of $71.5 million was achieved, with an impressive 85% of lots sold. The car that topped the list is none other than the - (Lot 275) 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Rennversion raced by Rohr Racing, which managed to fetch $7,045,000. This particular car is one that we’ve covered previously leading up to CarWeek, and our guess about being sold for big money was spot on. Based on the 993-generation 911, this example is one of only nine customer GT1s ever produced, making it extremely rare.

The Porsche 993 Speedster is often described as a unicorn in the automotive world. While the German automaker has produced over 30 different iterations of the iconic 911 over the decades, the Speedster remains one of the most unique and desirable variants to date. Unfortunately, not all 911 generations exist in Speedster form, and the Type 993 is one such example. Officially, the last air-cooled 911 was never sold as a Speedster due to Porsche facing financial difficulties in the 1990s. Now, a passionate designer and Speedster collector, Luca Trazzi turned to Porsche’s Sonderwunsch program (Special Request) to bring his vision of a Type 993 911 Speedster to life.

Porsche’s turbocharged models have evolved significantly since the introduction of the first 911 Turbo in 1974. Now, five decades later, Porsche is commemorating the 50th anniversary of its iconic model with the unveiling of the limited-edition "911 Turbo 50 Years" at Monterey Car Week. This special model pays homage to the original 930 Turbo, a model that revolutionized the sports car market by integrating turbocharging technology from race cars into a road-legal vehicle. This new anniversary model pays homage to this legacy while incorporating modern styling and performance enhancements.

U.K.-based Tuthill unveils the GT One, a carbon fiber supercar inspired by the iconic Porsche 911 GT1. Porsche created the 911 GT1 Straßenversion (Street Version) as the homologated variant of their GT1 Class racecar back in the late ’90s. Only 22 examples of the GT One are planned to be made. Tuthill Porsche, a legendary name in Porsche restorations and rally racing, is branching out to create their custom projects and collaborations with another well-known brand associated with Porsche - Singer Automotive.