1995 PORSCHE 911

The 993 was the final generation of air-cooled 911s, and as such will always have a special place in the affections of Porsche enthusiasts. It is also widely said to be the last of the 911s that were built at a time when engineering standards overruled accounting concerns at Porsche. The model was launched in the autumn of 1994 and was claimed to be 80% new and 31 years on, it still looks modern - a truly timeless design. The bodywork was altogether more curvaceous, with numerous new panels and the overall look was much smoother and more integrated. Importantly, this new style still was still every inch a 911 in the traditional manner, with the profiles of the doors and rear quarter windows remaining unchanged from that time-honoured shape.

The 993 Turbo Coupé was first launched to the world in September 1995, where in Germany it was voted ‘Sports Car of the Year’ by Auto Motor and Sport magazine. A sensation when it was launched, it was very clear that the 911 Turbo was conceived and built by motorsport enthusiasts, however there were no plans to ever produce a 993 Turbo Cabriolet.

Intriguingly, after the 911 3.3-litre (G-model) Turbo Cabriolet (1987–1989), Porsche never ‘officially’ offered an air-cooled Turbo convertible again. However, they have always been willing to create extra special cars for its VIP clients and such orders were normally directed to 'Sonderwunsch' (special wishes) program, a department within the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur Department. It is there, for an often substantial sum, that the creation of cars that fell outside of what might be considered ‘normal production parameters’ would occur, in other words bespoke cars with hand-picked features.

The car presented here is one such example, from a very select group – no more than 14 examples – of 993-Series Cabriolets (from model year 1995) ordered by Fritz Haberl’s MAHAG Porsche distributorship in Munich. Their VINs ‘open the door’ to a rarefied club, cars that are far from ordinary and not to be found on Porsche databases. In fact, Porsche never offered this specific variant in an official sense.

The story goes that, with the 964 Turbo model out of production and no 993-turbo package in the offing until at least 1995, the only possibility for a customer who demanded a Turbo was to have a car built to order, always a costly proposition. That is where Haberl entered the frame as, after seeing the gracefully-styled 993 cabriolet at Geneva in 1994, he approached Porsche management to pitch the idea of a limited-edition Turbo version. Porsche agreed in principal but only if Haberl would agree to purchase at least ten cars, which would of course reduce the per-unit price. Haberl did not blink, the order was quickly confirmed, and work began at Porsche Exclusive. Ultimately, Haberl was able to source 14 orders worldwide.

Chassis numbers are designated (WP0ZZZ99ZSS) #338501-338514, with all examples recorded as production vehicles by Porsche and certified for road use in 1995. The first nine cars were left-hand drive and the last five right-hand drive (993 631 - HK & SA-delivered) and every example was built to customer order/specification, whilst sharing a similar architecture, with no two examples being the same.

At the time of production, the standard 993-generation 911 Turbo was under development, so Porsche relied on their highly developed and powerful (360bhp) Type M64/50 3.6-litre Turbo unit (SOHC air-cooled, horizontally opposed six-cylinder, single-turbocharged and intercooled engine with Bosch fuel-injection) coupled to the Turbo 3.6's strong Getrag 5-speed transmission for each of the bespoke Turbo Cabriolets. Installation was not straightforward as there were numerous differences in the new convertible’s rear-quarter sheet metal, both internal and external, from that of a Turbo coupé. However, anything can be achieved by a team of skilled engineers, especially with enough margin on the bottom line. In this case, installing the single-turbo flat-six, the stronger manual transmission with rear-wheel drive, the widened Turbo bodywork and rear deck spoiler of the 964 3.6 Turbo S, bumped the price of these hybridised cabriolets to a breathtaking DM264,000, a premium of DM112,000 over the price of a standard 993 Cabriolet.

These ‘unicorn’ cars rarely come on to the open market, with only a few, in recent years, in France and America, commanding more than £1,000,000 – and with good reason, given their scarcity and exclusivity. The 14 examples have been catalogued by an enthusiast and a current list does exist (see link below), from various sources; frustratingly, it has only been possible to match photos of 11 examples (out of the 14) to their corresponding VIN, with a fairly high degree of certainty. That was, until now.

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-forum/1181015-most-complete-public-993-turbo-cabriolet-list.html

Iconic Auctioneers are proud to present a 1995 Porsche 911 (993) Turbo Cabriolet #338510 (number ten of 14) and one of the five right-hand drive cars. This example features in the list above, but is not photographed, and has not previously been publicly offered for sale – so, excitingly it is fresh to market/the world. Correctly documented in the list as right-hand drive, finished in Amaranth Violet (L39D) with a (GZ) Marble Grey/Black full leather interior and delivered new to Hong Kong (C15). This extremely rare and special Porsche is accompanied by its original book pack, including a stamped-up service booklet, and is now UK-registered, having been recently fully serviced at a leading UK Porsche specialist. It is now ready for sale, having covered a mere 13,297km (8,262 miles) at the time of cataloguing in total and is in a commensurate condition.

The car’s option sticker shows all the codes you’d expect, for its type; 09991: Hergestellt für das Exclusivprogramm or Manufactured for the Exclusive Programme, 09981: vehicle transfer to VRS for installation of Exclusive parts, 09971: custom tailoring/stitching, X82: 3.6 Turbo engine and G50/52 5-speed manual gearbox with 20/40 limited-slip, XD6: Sports Suspension, XE2: Exhaust system with four pipes, X93: Turbo S spoiler, 398: Cup wheels 17”, 573: Air-conditioning, 659: Computer, 692: CD-player/Porsche, amongst many more.

Here is a built to order, bespoke 993 Turbo Cabriolet from the factory’s Exclusive Department, extremely expensive when new and almost impossible to find today, offering the best of the 993 and the 964. With less than 14,000km recorded from new, it is beautiful, rare, and fast and would be a significant addition to any collection of important Porsche models.

Transmission: Manual