6 low-mile Porsches to watch at the 2020 Amelia Island Auctions

The Amelia Island auctions are well-known as a mecca for Porsche collectors and enthusiasts alike. The spring sales routinely draw some of the rarest and most interesting pieces of history from the fabled Stuttgart brand.

This year is no different, with many auction houses boasting an alluring mix of Porsches, some that have been very gently driven at all. Here are six Porsches with remarkably low miles bound for the various auction blocks at Amelia 2020.

1976 Porsche 911S

Bonhams, Lot 157

Miles: 11,500 (approximately)

This black-on-black impact bumper 911S features the re-worked 2.7-liter air-cooled flat-six first introduced in 1974. The car was sold new by Porsche Audi of Manhattan in February of 1976 and features a great options list, including a front oil cooler, aluminum fender and panel trim, fog lights, and an electric sliding roof, to name a few.

Bonhams has a pre-sale estimate of $60,000–$80,000 for this lot—which does include extensive documentation, a recently performed engine service, and a box full of any original parts that were replaced on the car—but rises a few ticks north our #1 (Concours) value of $52,000. However, Hagerty auction editor Andrew Newton says this above-average estimate is well-earned: “The high estimate here is due to its low mileage and having one registered owner. These were inexpensive, underappreciated Porsches for a long time so it is very rare to see a ’74–77 in this kind of condition.”

1987 Porsche 959 Komfort

RM Sotheby’s, Lot 129

Miles: 5822

The Porsche 959 was the poster car for an entire generation of auto enthusiasts. It was lightyears ahead of the competition technologically, with advanced electronic torque vectoring, adjust-on-the-fly suspension, and clear connection to Porsche’s racing heritage.

This specific 959 has been to Canepa, the acknowledged expert for 959s; even the Porsche factory sends cars there for sorting. Canepa’s range of available improvements is wide and it looks like this car received a healthy dose: leather-wrapped roll cage, beefed-up suspension, and a 200-mph speedometer lifted from the more exclusive, less Komfortable 959 Sport. Since the 959 was originally developed as a Group B car, the race car was engineered for a lot more horsepower than the road car. If you ship your road-going 959 to Canepa, though, its experts will upgrade that twin-turbo engine right to the Group B target limit.

RM Sotheby’s placed a pre-sale estimate of $1,000,000–$1,250,000 on this car, which falls right in the middle of Hagerty’s #1-condition (Concours) value of $1.3M and our #2 (Excellent) value of $1.0M. 

1987 Porsche 944 Turbo

RM Sotheby’s, Lot 157

Miles: 1620

The Porsche 944 was perhaps the best realization of Porsche’s mid-’70s venture into front-engine, transaxle-equipped cars. The turbo variant, first introduced in 1986, brought the package to the next level. This Guards Red example is basically a new car, boasting a mere 1620 miles on it and including the original windshield wipers.

This 944 Turbo is offered by RM Sotheby’s without reserve and carries a pre-sale estimate of $60,000–$80,000. While that’s quite a ways above our #1 (Concours) rating of $50,000, it’s not difficult to imagine this example beating that estimate, given its time-capsule nature. In fact, it has a chance to set a new auction record for a 944 Turbo, a title currently held by a 1989 model that sold for $72,600 at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach 2018 sale. 

1992 Porsche 968

RM Sotheby’s, Lot 124

Miles: 8189

Following the success of the second-generation 944 S2, Porsche engineers embarked upon the task of creating the ultimate 944, but quickly realized that their proposed changes made more sense executed as an entirely new model. Just 2243 968 coupes were built during the four-year run of this vehicle, between September 1991–October 1994. This example has a desirable Amethyst Metallic exterior over a light gray and magenta interior. RM Sotheby’s places the pre-sale estimate at $60,000–$80,000, but this car will cross the block carrying no reserve.

That estimate might feel low, but according to Hagerty senior valuation expert John Wiley, the 968 is like a secret backdoor into rarified Porsche ownership. “If you told most Porsche people that you got a eight-thousand-mile, 3.0-liter Porsche in Amethyst over Amethyst with white seats for $60,000—they wouldn’t believe you got such a great deal. Such is the discount that 968s receive in the market,” he says.

2016 Porsche Boxster Spyder

Gooding & Company, Lot 22

Miles: 47

The Spyder moniker among Porsche cars is the stuff of legends. It’s a nameplate often reserved for the hardest-core convertible Porsches, a bill that this 2016 Boxster Spyder fits. Like its modern-day counterpart, the 2016 Boxster Spyder is best thought of as a drop-top Cayman GT4. It featured the same 3.8-liter naturally-aspirated flat-six as the GT4, both cars having borrowed that engine from the Carrera S. In the Boxster Spyder, the engine was good for 375 snarling horses, with an unforgettable sound that was raspy and metallic but grew into a haunting yowl near its 7600-rpm redline.

This particular example was ordered with a paint-to-sample Gulf Blue paint job, but without air conditioning or a radio. (We’re seriously digging it.)

Gooding & Company is offering this car without reserve and a pre-sale estimate of $150,000–$175,000. Here’s to hoping whoever snags this one has plans that involve some spirited driving miles in them. The current record for a Boxster (of any generation) is $84,000 paid for an example on Bring a Trailer. If this one for sale in Amelia nears its estimate, it’s poised to blow the previous record out of the water.

1996 Porsche 911 Carrera RS (993 generation)

Gooding & Company, Lot 25 

Miles: 14,031

The 993-generation 911 Carrera RS comes from our favorite family of rule-skirting cars: homologation specials. The Carrera RS was the most powerful naturally-aspirated 993 and the last air-cooled 911 to wear the RS badge. It was around 200 pounds lighter than a normal 993 and had tasty performance upgrades like large-capacity oil intercoolers and a limited-slip differential.

This Speed Yellow example was purchased new in Germany and delivered to its first owner in August of 1996. It spent its life in Germany with just two owners before coming stateside in 2018, at which point it was sold at RM Sotheby’s Porsche 70th Anniversary auction in October for $390,000, including buyer’s fees.

Given the car’s past auction performance and desirable spec sheet, Gooding’s pre-sale estimate of $350,000–$400,000 seems plausible. Especially when considered in comparison with the 2018 sale—at that time, #1 value for a 993 Carrera RS like this was $500,000. When we appraised this exact car at the aforementioned RM Pebble sale, our team rated it in #2 (Excellent) condition. The modern-day pre-sale estimate places it just above our current #3 rating of $325,000, but well below our current #2 rating of $489,000.

Like this article? Check out Hagerty Insider, our e-magazine devoted to tracking trends in the collector car market.