Porsche Classic Cars

The Porsche 911 GT3 is the ultimate, normally-aspirated 911 and the YouTube channel AutoTopNL recently got its hands on a 992 GT3 Touring – the more street-oriented, “less shouty” version of the normally-aspirated track weapon, without the crazy aero. And while race tracks are the home of the GT3, here, we see how capable the wingless version is, on the Autobahn. Is the “purest 911” capable enough, in the age of turbocharged performance cars?

It’s safe to say that Porsche has a version of the 911 for everyone. Currently, there are 21 versions of the iconic rear-engine sports car available, and that’s before we get to the special editions like 911 Speedster or anything Porsche can cook up for you, through their “Sondewunsch” program. But apparently, this isn’t enough and Porsche is coming up with more special versions – three of them to be exact – and here’s what we know about them.

Throughout Porsche’s history, the 911 will remain its most definitive model. However, Porsche had other great cars and some of them, for one reason or another, remained in obscurity. This is exactly the case with the 1957 Porsche 696 Beutler, which wasn’t even built in Germany, in the first place. This is what we know about it.

The first automobile was invented in 1886 and since then many great cars have emerged. But even nearly 140 years after the automobile’s invention, there are very few cars that have a cult following as zealous as that of the Porsche 911. This is especially true for the air-cooled models, which are all-time classics. If we combine the significance of an air-cooled 911 with the cocaine-snorting excess of the 1970s, we can see how a one-off 1979, guards red, modified Porsche 911 Turbo can be listed for $599,000 by a Florida dealership.

When you think of Porsche, most often you think of the Porsche 911. Saying that the rear-engine sports car is the brand’s most definitive model has turned into a trite cliché. A while back, we covered Frank Stephenson’s guide to Aston Martin’s three greatest designs. Now, as part of his YouTube series, he is giving us his take on the three greatest designs from Porsche.

There’s just something about a classic Porsche that really gets your blood pumping. It’s either the sleek, sexy design that Porsche has continue to nail over the years, the outright performance delivered in a way that only Porsche can, or just the fact that you’re looking right a true piece of automotive history. This is why Porsche Classic – Porsche’s official restoration arm – exists: to make sure those classic cars continue to live well beyond their original “expiration date. They do downright amazing work, as you can see from this 1967 911 S Targa that looks near perfect post-restoration after sitting for four decades. If that doesn’t do it for you, the aluminum-bodied 356 Cabriolet just might. If you’re itching to see more of Porsche Classic’s expertise, then we’ve got some good news for you.

Porsche unveiled a handful of previous unseen concept cars back in November 2020, showing us that it considered a road-legal version of the 919 race car, a van, or a 904 revival based on the Volkswagen XL Sport.

The German company unveiled no fewer than 15 concepts, but the 550one isn’t one of them. A two-seater about the size of the Boxster, the 550one was just unveiled online by its creator, Walter de Silva, some 12 years after it was built. As the name suggests, it’s a tribute to the iconic Porsche 550 of the 1950s.

California-based Singer is known for doing impressive restoration work to classic Porsche 911s, but what it’s revealed today essentially takes the company to an all-new level. The 964-gen 911 you see here isn’t a 911 Safari, not by any means. It’s actually what Singer calls “The ACS.” If you’re not familiar with the name, ACS stands for All-Terrain Competition Study, and as you can see, Singer has turned this 911 into an ultimate off-road rally weapon.

The majority of cars in production in 2020 still feature internal combustion engines, but this may change in 20 years. Classic cars may still be allowed to use their gas and diesel engines, but the amount of time you will be allowed to drive them on public roads may be strictly regulated.

Retrofitting such cars with electric motors will be difficult and expensive and at least one carmaker is looking for a solution. Porsche things that synthetic fuel may solve this problem and keep valuable classics on the road.

The 356. That’s the car that started the long-lasting Porsche sportscar saga in Gmünd, Austria, under the close supervision of Ferry Porsche and Karl Rabe. Later on, production of the 356 was eventually moved to Stuttgart, but all in all, the lightweight sportscar was assembled between 1948 and 1965 in five variants: 356/2, 356, 356A, 356B, and 356C.

The car you’re about to meet can be found in Australia, where it has been enchanting its owners since 1965. It’s a 1964 Porsche 356 painted in Signal Red, rocking a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder (air-cooled, of course) boxer engine.

Because the Porsche 911 is a very popular car, the market is now packed with tuners that modify the German sports car. Among them, there are a few shops that do older 911s. Gunther Werks is one of them, and its reinterpretation of the 993-generation 911 is impressive, to say the least. And it’s not just a beefed-up 911, but a full-fledged race car that’s road legal.

Once upon a time, it was frowned upon within the Porsche community to even own an ’Outlaw’ Porsche. Purists hated these modified examples that had strayed far from the beaten path but that all changed with people such as Magnus Walker breathing new life into the movement and showing the world just how awesome an Outlaw Porsche could be.

The movement, however, dates back decades and this is probably where it all started: Dean Jeffries’ 356A Carrera, which he thoroughly modified taking design cues from the Mercedes 300 SL. Happily, it doesn’t have butterfly doors!

How often do you see an ex-works Porsche race car hit the auction block? It rarely happens and this is one of the few that were sold publicly in recent history. This is a 1960 Porsche 718 RS 60, member of the 718 RS family of open-top sports cars built and raced by Zuffenhausen for half a decade beginning with the RSK in 1957. The RS 60 appeared at a time when sports car manufacturers started realizing that mounting the engine behind the cockpit might be beneficial to the performance of the car after witnessing Jack Brabham muscling his way to the title in F1 in 1959. Porsche was already doing it and had been doing it for years, beginning with the 550 Spyder, a car infamous for having an important part to play in actor James Dean’s death but one that was, more importantly, a successful car in road racing.

The RS 60 Spyder raced everywhere around the world, following the trek of the World Endurance Championship and, along the way, ticking starts at Le Mans, the Nurburgring, and Targa Florio. Only 18 were built in period and the factory kept for its own use a mere four examples and this, according to RM Sotheby’s, was "the only to likely become available". Powered by a four-cam engine - first a 1.6-liter mill and, in 1961, a 2.0-liter one - the car you see in the pictures, chassis #044, doesn’t boast with the most enviable of racing records having retired out of both the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans race and all of the three major races it contested in 1961: the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 1,000-kilometer race at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife and the Targa Florio in Sicily. Having said that, it must be said that the car was fast, taking pole position outright in the Italian road race before being raced extensively by Bob Holbert, father of Porsche legend Al Holbert, an amazing driver in his own right - both behind the wheel of Porsches and, later, Cobras. It is, then, no wonder that chassis #044 sold for over $5.0 million back in mid-August during the Monterey sale. That’s one expensive aluminum Spyder!

RM Sotheby’s is in a world of trouble after its auction of a 1939 Porsche Type 64 went off the rails. Confusion and embarrassment reigned as the auction turned into a farce over as an upset crowd booed the attempted sale of the high-value model. In the end, the Type 64, otherwise known as Ferdinand Porsche’s “Nazi car’ failed to meets its reservation price. It is currently marked as “still for sale” on RM Sotheby’s online auction catalog, though given everything that transpired during the actual auction, it’s unlikely that anyone’s going to touch the Porsche Type 64 anytime soon. As for RM Sotheby’s reputation, well, that’s up in the air, too.

The 1939 Porsche Type 64 is the first automobile to carry the iconic "Porsche" script. Based on the Volkswagen Beetle, also developed by Ferdinand Porsche, the Type 64 is the oldest surviving Porsche. The coupé was developed in a time when Porsche offered vehicle development work and consulting, but wasn’t building cars under its own name. The Type 64 debuted almost 10 years before Porsche launched its first official car, the 356.

80 years later and the Type 64 went under the hammer at a public auction for the very first time. Despite its age and the many owners it had, the Type 64 is as original as it was in day one. It doesn’t look as pristine as some classic cars do, but that’s because its previous owners went with sympathetic restorations that preserved its aged finish and unique patina of its silver paint. How much did it change hands for? Well, it remained unsold, mostly because RM Sotheby’s auction didn’t go as planned. But the we know that the coupe is estimated to worth at least $20 million.

The Porsche 911 is a lot like wine. The older it is, the more desirable it becomes. That appeal has stretched bounds that we previously thought didn’t exist. No more is that clear than in the aftermarket tuning world, for example. There once was a time when the mere thought of modifying an original Porsche 911 was tantamount to automotive treason. But now? It’s not only become a big business, but it’s also evolved into a what-you-can-do-I-can-do-better competition among aftermarket companies. Take this 1989 Porsche 911 Targa 3.2, for example. Traditional convention suggests that this classic 911 Targa should be kept in stock condition, preserved in its OG state for all eternity. German tuner DP Motorsports had other plans. It’s not the Porsche 911 Targa 3.2 anymore. It’s the Porsche Phantom Speedster, and guess what, it looks spectacular.

When you think of the first Porsche, you probably have in mind the 1948 Porsche 356/1 also known as the "Porsche No. 1". Indeed, that was the first car to wear the Porsche badge, but you’d have to go back almost a decade to find the first Porsche-named car, and that is the streamlined vehicle that stands before your eyes now. It’s called the Type 64, and three were built precisely 80 years ago of which two survive now, and only this one has the original sheet metal on it. Mechanically, it is a strengthened and tuned Beetle but, as far as looks are concerned, it has the 356’s DNA written all over it. Now, it’s up for auction, and if somebody other than the Porsche Museum buys it, I’ll be shocked.

Porsche’s crazy about its history. The German company has built its reputation via winning races - much like Ferrari has - and it can’t stop reminding everyone about its landmark moments. There are multiple events dedicated to the history of Ferdinand Porsche’s company, such us Luftghekult or the Rennsport Reunion. If you arrive in Stuttgart, the first thing you stumble across is the Porsche Platz, and there, on one side of the roundabout at the entrance of the city, there’s a futuristic-looking building. That’s Porsche’s own museum that’s filled to the brim with everything Porsche both new and old. But Porsche doesn’t currently own this car, the Type 64 chassis #38/41. It was designed by Ferdinand Porsche as a marketing ploy to showcase that you can extract genuine performance from the unassuming platform of the Beetle. If Porsche wants it back, it’ll have to join the crowd at the RM/Sotheby’s auction in Monterey, California, that’s scheduled for August 15th through to the 17th.