1993 Porsche

The beauty, enduring appeal and genius of the 911? Well, aside from its longevity, and its legendary status amongst sports cars, has to be Porsche’s ability to spin so many variants from the 911 concept. Whatever it is you want from your 911, Porsche has it, and this 964 Werks Turbo Look Cabriolet is a prime example of that ethos. It is rare too, with just 1,532 units produced worldwide and it seems just 119 of those were right hand drive.

But first, a bit of history. Surprisingly, perhaps, Porsche didn’t get round to fully opening up the 911 until 1983, with the SC. An immediate success, the 911 Cabriolet continued with the Carrera 3.2, which significantly, also saw the introduction of the SSE Turbo Look. Turbo Look? Exactly that: The style, the aggression, the arches, the big wing of the 911 Turbo, plus brakes and suspension, but minus the big blown motor. A bit of style and no substance? For some maybe, but whatever your view, and despite being some £20,000 more than an equivalent 911 Carrera 3.2, Porsche had no trouble selling the concept, which also extended to both Targa and Cabriolet versions.

And then along came the 964 in 1989, Porsche’s first serious reboot of the 911 concept, since the icon’s 1963 debut. Claimed to feature 85% new components over the outgoing Carrera, visually, it certainly looked different, with new front and rear aprons, body-smoothing side skirts adding a strikingly modern take, as did active aero in the form of the retractable rear wing, a talking point, and something of a first. Technically, other notable changes included a new M64 3.6 litre twin plug engine, coil springs to replace the ancient torsion bars, ABS braking, power steering and re-engineered heating and air conditioning systems. The new 3.6 litre engine had an output of 250 bhp which gave the car a 0-60 mph acceleration time of just 5.5 seconds and a top speed the right side of 160mph. Lastly four wheel drive was introduced alongside the familiar rear wheel drive and the models were renamed as the now familiar Carrera 4 and Carrera 2 to let anyone following know which driveline was under your latest 911.

The interior, was familiar 911 territory, but now with an elevated transmission tunnel – 959-style – to accommodate the prop shaft for the four wheel drive models. This in turn allowed for a shorter shifter, rather than the previous wand like lever. Ventilation was much improved and more refinement introduced.

Although the Carrera 4 was a talking point when launched, as sure as night follows day, the enthusiast’s favourite has remained the 964 Carrera 2. Initially in Coupe form, it was quickly followed by Cabriolet and Targa versions and then of course the mighty Turbo. As with the previous 3.2 Carrera, towards the end of the 964s production cycle, the Works Turbo Look (WTL) as the 964 version was known was introduced, of which just 119 were right hand drive Cabriolets.

Mr Blue Sky

Which brings us neatly to this prime example of wide body excess and not unusually, it originally hails from Hong Kong, the widebody cars being particularly popular in Asian markets. The Porsche Certificate of Authenticity confirms production as June 1993, confirming this to be late model 964 right hand drive WTL Cabriolet, so a rare Porsche for sure .

And it’s a car that we know well here, having originally turned up in 2012 from Hong Kong in an honest condition, but for the owner at the time, a challenging colour combination of Violet with a matching interior, certainly not a combination for the shy and retiring. Having recently taken delivery of one of our PS Retro Touring models, our client’s brief was to restore this WTL Cabriolet to the same standard, but as it was low mileage and mechanically sound, just a solid recommissioning in this area throughout. However, once the car had been completely stripped, this soon evolved into a comprehensive rebuild. The bodyshell was completely stripped back to bare metal throughout and painted in Porsche Azzuro California metallic before being retrimmed in black leather throughout with a new hood a tonneau in dark blue. This work was carried out by renowned restoration specialists Clark And Carter. The suspension was rebuilt using KW dampers, and brakes were renewed to OE standard specification, whilst the engine and gearbox were serviced, resealed and detailed according with any ancillaries restored or replaced as required. At the time, we sourced and fitted a genuine set of Cup 1 wheels to replace BBS replicas previously fitted, but these have since been changed again for the Speedline style seen on the 3.6 Turbo.

At the time, as our accompanying invoice in 2013 for £68,000 testifies, this was a significant refurbishment, that in todays money, would be closer to £100,000.

Condition? Well I guess we would say this, even though this work was carried out 12- 13 years ago, but the coachwork still presents in excellent condition throughout and a testament to Clark And Carters quality of workmanship. Mechanically it is still in excellent health too, having still only covered 79,000 Kms (just under 50,000 miles) from new.

On The Road

You want hardcore? then get a 964 Turbo or even an 964 RS. Truth is, with its standard 250bhp engine, and Tiptronic transmission, this a more relaxed driving experience. Press the button and let the electric roof retract, settle in, select drive and enjoy the ride. However, if you do want to push on a bit, then this is still a 911, and it will respond, select manual mode and the Tiptronic transmission might well surprise. It also has the added benefit of air conditioning, still an unusual option box to tick on air cooled Porsche in 1993, but a welcome addition today.

Our Thoughts

Is it one for the purist? Probably not, but if individuality is your thing, then this one of one 964 WTL Cabriolet should hit the spot, as standing out from the herd is guaranteed. Whether a country evening drive, summer’s city commute, or continental blast, we think this car fits the brief to do any of these in style and all with that famed Porsche build quality and reliability.