6 Notable Porsches Crossing the Block at Air|Water

Broad Arrow Auctions is headed to Southern California next week to sell Porsches to the legion of Stuttgart die-hards assembling there for Air|Water, a new addition to the all-air-cooled-all-the-time Luftgekühlt lineup of previous years. The event focuses on the entirety of the Porsche range, from the very earliest 356s to the bleeding-edge two- and four-doors that comprise the brand’s modern product portfolio.

The Porsche Auction will take place April 27 at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, with 50 machines and more than 40 pieces of automobilia slated to cross the block. The star of the show is undoubtedly the 908/02 Langheck “Flunder” Spyder endurance racer from 1969, but there are plenty of notable lots up and down the docket. Of particular interest are these six.

1964 Porsche 356C Carrera 2 Cabriolet

Estimate: $750,000–$900,000

With plucky little air-cooled pushrod four-cylinder engines to power it, the 356 range carried a lot of water for Porsche, propelling the company from its postwar Volkswagen-ish startup days into the cutthroat sports-car realm of the 1960s.

The final iteration of the model was the 356C, with that very same pushrod four making 75 hp in standard trim, or 95 hp in the SC. Lording over them both, however, was the Carrera 2, powered by a variant of the potent 1500-cc Type 547 engine deployed a decade earlier in the 550 Spyder race car. With twin overhead camshafts on each cylinder bank, the engine contributed significantly to Porsche’s well-deserved “giant killer” moniker. Porsche also built Carrera variants of the 356A and 356B to make good use of the frenetic mills, and by the time 356C production began for 1964, the 2000-cc Type 587/1 Carrera motor produced 130 hp.

Earlier Carreras had been bare bones and track-focused, but by the time Porsche was ready to retire its workhorse 356, there was nothing “stripper” about it. More than 76,000 356s of all stripes were built over the years, and of the 3265 produced as 356C Cabriolets, just 30 were Carreras.

This one was purchased new by prominent California car dealer and race team owner Robert Estes and has always been cared for by owners and specialists best equipped to see to the needs of the intricate four-cam engine. Restored to its original Ruby Red paint job and fitted with a slick black sunroof hardtop (the soft top is also included), this car would anchor any serious Porsche collection.

1976 Porsche 934 Turbo RSR

Estimate: $750,000–$900,000

When the 911 succeeded the 356, Porsche all too happily took that “giant killer” reputation and ran with it. The 911 found quick success on race tracks and rally courses all over the world. As turbocharging entered the fray in the 1970s, ever-increasing speeds necessitated ever-increasing innovation in aerodynamics, in stopping power, in safety, and in handling.

While the road-going, tail-whipping 930 Turbo proved a handful for unsuspecting enthusiasts when it hit the market in 1975, talented racers from the era’s biggest teams—Kremer, Interscope, Brumos, Holbert, et al.—tamed its 934 RSR counterpart to great success in Group 4 GT, SCCA Trans Am, and IMSA GT racing.

This car is one of 31 Type 934 RSRs built for 1976, and it was put into action two days after delivery in a 20-lap race at Hockenheim, where it won in the hands of driver Eugen Kiemele. After entering it in a series of minor European events, Kiemele crashed the car, sold it, and it eventually ended up in England, minus the powertrain. More racing ensued, as did a road registration in 1980. To Italy it went in 1992, then to America, and finally to Monaco in 2010, where its owner commissioned a two-year rebuild by Kremer Racing to 1977 “934.5” specs, which included a more powerful, fuel-injected engine and improved aero, among other enhancements. Finished once again in its original Arrow Blue color scheme, the car should be quite competitive in any event its new owner chooses to enter it.

1988 Porsche 959 Komfort

Estimate: $2,100,000–$2,400,000

Since the debut of the 959, countless media outlets, Porsche wonks, and wide-eyed enthusiasts have drooled over and breathlessly analyzed the technical wizardry and sheer bravado of the supercar. Even today, the 959 does not fail to impress. That it was forbidden fruit on American roads for so long only adds to its mystique.

Porsche produced 266 examples of the 959, in both Komfort trim and the rarer, spicier Sport trim. The Guards Red 959 up for sale is a Komfort variant originally sold to a customer in Japan, where it traversed just 8000 miles in 25 years of ownership. After coming to America in 2015, it went to Bruce Canepa in California, where the 2.85-liter engine was treated to his “Gen 3” upgrades, and the aged, hydraulically operated suspension was replaced with a coilover system similar to that employed on the Sport models. Several service records in the ensuing years indicate proper maintenance on the 959, which now shows fewer than 8600 miles. This is a properly sorted halo car begging to be driven.

1989 Porsche 928 Club Sport

Estimate: $275,000–$375,000

Porsche began its 928 thought experiment in 1971, with the car’s rough shape set a year later. It was a complete departure from the rear-engine bread and butter that had thus far carried the company. The idea was to meet ever-tightening U.S. crash regulations head on (no pun intended), and as a car focused on the American market, a sleek GT with a big V-8 mounted up front made good sense. Although marque loyalists may have thumbed their noses at it when it debuted in 1977, the 928 was generally well received, and over the next 17 years it benefited from Porsche’s deft evolutionary touch.

Long unloved in the collector market, the 928 really found its feet in 2013, and prices on solid S4 and GT models have risen steadily ever since. It’s hard to know how the market has treated the 928 Club Sport, however, because they are truly rare birds; Porsche produced just seven in 1989, including this one.

The M637 Club Sport option shaved nearly 265 pounds from the 928 S4 by stripping the car of many creature comforts, including much of the sound deadening and electric gizmos. The engine gained unique camshafts, a modified ECU, and higher-lift valves, while the magnesium wheels, a smaller A/C compressor, and the exhaust system were all unique to the car. In short, the 928 CS was lighter, faster, and more nimble than a standard car.

This one, with much recent work totaling nearly $70,000, represents a rare opportunity for Porschephiles who thought they had it all.

2005 Porsche Carrera GT

Estimate: $1,400,000–$1,600,000

If German supercars are your thing—and you’ve just lost out on the 959 K above—then maybe this Carrera GT is what you need.

Though Porsche was all-in on the Cayenne SUV and never really had plans to build the Carrera GT, enthusiastic interest in the concept displayed at the 2000 Paris motor show led to a brief production run from 2004 to 2006, during which time 1270 of the mid-engine marvels left the factory. With a race-derived, dry-sump, 5.7-liter V-10, a carbon-fiber monocoque and subframe, racing-style pushrod suspension, and a host of other innovations, it’s no surprise the Carrera GT’s performance was stratospheric, with the sprint to 62 mph coming in 3.6 seconds on the way to a top speed of 205 mph.

This car was owned from new by longtime Porsche racer John O’Steen. The odometer shows just 3601 miles, and the car comes with comprehensive service records, including a host of work performed in the last year.

2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Weissach

Estimate: $240,000–$260,000

Rock-n-rollers and fast cars have always made for a great pairing. Such is the case with this 718 Cayman GT4 Weissach, which was delivered new to Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer. The car is loaded with $65,000 in options, including its Paint to Sample Viola Metallic exterior, 20-inch forged Magnesium wheels, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes, and the Weissach Package, which adds a carbon-fiber front trunk lid, side intakes, mirrors, rear wing, and more.

The Cayman has always been a dynamic driver’s car, but the GT4 took things up a notch with its 493-hp 4.0-liter flat-six borrowed from the 911 GT3, which delivers performance to rival the Carrera GT—a top speed of 196 mph and 0–60 mph in 3.2 seconds—for a fraction of the entry fee.

Kramer’s car has covered only 2000 miles, and the winning bidder will take home not only this rockin’ Cayman but a special GT4 track day at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles.

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